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NEWS STREAM
French Voters Reject Far Right Populism; Former AG Yates to Testify on Flynn and Russia Contacts; Kushner Company Lures Chinese Investors with Visas; North Korea Detains Second American in Two Weeks; North Korea Threat Key Issue in South Korea Election; Macron to Be Youngest French President in History; 82 Chibok Girls Freed from Boko Haram; "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" Dominates Box Office. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired May 08, 2017 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00]
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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to NEWS STREAM.
The meteoric rise of France's youngest president-elect and now Emmanuel Macron looks to unite his country after defeating far right candidate
Marine Le Pen.
Former acting U.S. attorney general Sally Yates is set to testify on what she knows about the former national security adviser and his ties to
Russia.
And the family of U.S. president Trump's son-in-law makes a pitch to investors in China: invest $500,000 and get American visas.
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LU STOUT: France has just witnessed one of the most remarkable political success stories in modern history. Emmanuel Macron has never been elected
to political office. His own party, En Marche, has no seats in parliament.
But in just a few months, the centrist candidate has risen from relative obscurity to the most powerful job in France. Earlier, Macron appeared
side by side with outgoing president, Francois Hollande. at a ceremony to mark the end of World War II in Europe. It comes one day after he won a
resounding victory over his far right rival, Marine Le Pen.
Speaking to jubilant supporters on Sunday night, Macron thanked them for his unlikely success.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): What we have done for months and months now has no precedent, no equivalent. Everybody told
us it was impossible. But they didn't know France.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: And across Europe, leaders are breathing a sigh of relief. The wave of populism they watched sweep through Britain and the U.S. has failed
to take root in France. Instead, voters overwhelmingly rejected Marine Le Pen's far right message and in her concession speech, she congratulated
Macron.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARINE LE PEN, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL FRONT (through translator): The French have chosen a new president. I have called Mr. Macron to congratulate him
on his election and I wished him success in this very senior post that he's going to occupy and also the great challenges in front of him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: CNN's Jim Bittermann joins us live from the French capital with more on this story.
And, Jim, it was a landslide win for Emmanuel Macron but what does his victory mean for France?
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a lot of things, I think, Kristie. One of the thing is that it will give a positive
spiritual lift to the country which has been kind of adrift through the last couple years of President Hollande.
So I think that in a way is positive. Young people are going to, no doubt, be inspired by the Macron story, someone who has are risen all the way to
the top of the political system here at a very, very young age.
Having said all that, though, there are a number of people who still oppose him. When he was elected in the first round, when he passed muster, it was
with less than 25 percent of the vote, of the French voters, so that means 75 percent of the people didn't -- he was not the first choice of 75
percent of the French.
And even this afternoon, there's a demonstration brewing to protest already the Macron government. And I think that's -- it won't be significant,
probably but, nonetheless, it shows that, out on the streets, there will be opposition to him.
"Le Monde" did a public opinion poll recently and they found that 61 percent of the French don't want him, don't want Macron to have a majority,
an absolute majority, in the national assembly, their sort of Congress here.
So that means, of course, that they would like him to see -- to respect the opinions of others. And so when he picks his cabinet, which he's going to
be doing this week, you can expect that he will be trying to make it as politically balanced as possible, trying to get -- trying to be as
inclusive as possible. In fact, his campaign people have already suggested that -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: And that's a challenge ahead for him, isn't it, to set up the cabinet, upcoming parliamentary elections and to somehow bring France
together. As you mentioned, after this election, there's going to be, as expected, a lot of opposition on the streets. This is one of the most
divisive election campaigns in the history of the country.
Macron, this young, 39-year-old --
[08:05:00]
LU STOUT: -- relatively untested, maverick candidate, he has a lot to do here.
Will he be able to unite France?
BITTERMANN: That's a good question. He talked all about unity last night (INAUDIBLE). One of the things that I think he has already been tested on,
when he was the economics minister here, the fact is that he proposed -- he was behind some reform legislation, economic reform legislation, that was
quite controversial.
And it brought people out in the streets and, in fact, that legislation was only partially passed. It did not get passed the way that the government
at the time wanted it.
So the fact is, he's already faced this kind of backfill from the streets. And I think he's probably going to face some of that as he puts his
programs forward.
It's just a question of how much he's able to be -- to convince the French that, in fact, they need the reforms and that they'll be better off once
they've made them. And if he can't convince them of that, there's going to be opposition all the way along.
He said, in an interview last week, actually, it was kind of interesting, in "Paris Match." He said that the first 100 days of a presidency really
sets the tone and makes or breaks the presidency itself.
And so, everybody is going to -- that's kind of a challenge to the media, to keep an eye on him in these first 100 days. And we're going to be
watching every single move to see if he's contributing to making his presidency or breaking it -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: So what will Macron's first 100 days look like?
Let's table that conversation for now, because we're going to talk to you again in about half an hour, right here on NEWS STREAM. Until, thank you
so much, Jim Bittermann, and take care.
Macron's victory is a defining moment, not just for France but for Europe. The people of France voted against Marine Le Pen and they voted against her
pledge to pull France out of the E.U.
Instead, again, they chose a centrist, who is a staunch supporter of the European Union. CNN's Erin McLaughlin is monitoring the reaction to
Macron's victory in Brussels. She joins us now.
And, Erin, the reaction there, are E.U. leaders breathing a huge sigh of relief?
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, a huge sigh of relief here in Brussels, Kristie, as well as elsewhere; also, sending their
congratulations. We just heard from German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a press conference in Germany, congratulate the French president-elect,
saying that he had a spectacular election success, saying that, quote, "He carries the hopes of millions of French people and of many people in
Germany and the whole of Europe."
You know, the Macron campaign itself was based on the belief that the French people feel profoundly European. That, of course, in stark contrast
to his opponent, Marine Le Pen.
It was at a telling moment last night, Kristie, when Macron emerged at his own victory party to the sounds of "Ode to Joy," which is the European
anthem. So he's a staunch pro-European supporter; at the same time, though, advocating for deep reform within the E.U., particularly when it
comes to the Eurozone.
He's had far-ranging proposals, such as the Eurozone should have its own budget and finance minister.
The question being now, how will E.U. leaders respond to those specific proposals from his point of view?
The E.U. can't afford not to reform these in-depth reforms, pointing to the fact that Marine Le Pen did secure a third of the electorate, a third of
the votes, really gaining huge ground on her popularity, carrying that political party from the fringes of French politics, more mainstream.
And his argument is that, in order to avoid a Frexit, reform will be needed; Frexit, of course, playing on the words of Brexit, Britain's
departure from the European Union.
LU STOUT: When he was a candidate, before he won this election, Emmanuel Macron said that the European Union must reform to avoid Frexit.
So what have E.U. leaders been saying about proposed reforms?
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, you know, it's interesting; in that press conference that happened just a short while ago, that was something that the German
chancellor Angela Merkel was pressed upon. And she said Germany does not need to change its economic course in response to Macron's victory.
We also heard from the president of the European Commission, also in Berlin, give a press conference, saying that France spends too much and in
the wrong areas. So the sense we're sort of getting here is that they're going to be looking to see how the French president-elect performs,
especially when it comes to the elections pertaining to the national assembly next month.
Will he secure the necessary backing to be able to implement domestic reforms, reforms at home, before coming and putting on the table any sort
of concrete Eurozone proposals?
Of course --
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MCLAUGHLIN: -- also waiting for the German elections that are going to happen later this year.
LU STOUT: All right, Erin McLaughlin, reporting live for us in Brussels. Thank you.
Now who said what to whom and when?
The former U.S. acting attorney general, Sally Yates, will testify in about a few hours from now about her knowledge of Russian involvement in the U.S.
election and, at the heart of the matter, what she knew about former national security adviser Michael Flynn and his contacts with the Russian
ambassador.
It is a story that has been gripping Washington and the world. It could have serious fallout for the Trump White House, of course. And CNN's Manu
Raju has been following developments. He joins us now live -- Manu.
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kristie.
A source familiar with Yates' testimony tells me that she will actually be limited on what she can say about why she had concerns that Michael Flynn
could have been compromised by the Russians because some of that information is classified.
But her testimony is bound to raise new questions about why the White House did not act sooner to remove him from the job once those concerns were
raised.
Now at the same time, there are investigations that are taking place on Capitol Hill into Russia and any possible collusion with the Trump
campaign. But I'm told that those investigations are moving slowly and could fall well into next year.
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RAJU (voice-over): Congressional investigators looking into Russia's role in the 2016 elections, running into a range of new challenges ahead of
today's high-profile testimony from former acting attorney general, Sally Yates, and former director of national intelligence, James Clapper.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), S.C.: We will ask her all questions about Russia, what she knew about Trump ties, was it any administration ever to
unmask people for political purposes. We're going to get to all things Russia in terms of what the administration did and what Russia did.
RAJU (voice-over): Multiple lawmakers in both the House and Senate stressing that the committees still have mountains of documents to sift
through.
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD (R): We're continuing to go through documents from multiple agencies. We're continuing to go through witnesses. This will
take several months to be able to finish it out.
RAJU (voice-over): Cautioning that the probes could drag into the fall and even next year. Further complicating the inquiries, uncertainty over the
leads the committees are chasing and ongoing partisan disagreement over potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
SEN. ROY BLUNT (R): I'm not sure that there's any reason for the president to believe that there was collusion between his campaign.
REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D), CALIF.: Great cause for concern, evidence of collusion. From Donald Trump, we have seen someone who continues to try
and obstruct an investigation.
RAJU (voice-over): Lawmakers struggling with the key question, whether the meetings between Trump associates and Russians were related to the campaign
or whether they were simply efforts by the Trump advisors to gain new business for their companies.
These questions coming amid a new effort to get information from at least four of Trump's former associates, including former Trump campaign
chairman, Paul Manafort, and former campaign foreign policy adviser, Carter Page.
CARTER PAGE, TRUMP CAMPAIGN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I've been researching.
RAJU (voice-over): Page flatly rejecting the Senate Intelligence Committee's request to provide records of his communications with Russians,
saying, in an unusual letter, that if the committee wants details, they'll need to ask former President Obama because of surveillance that occurred
during his administration.
SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D), W.V.: When Carter Page says he wants to basically be cooperating and then, all of a sudden, we get another message, that's not
the way to conduct a thorough investigation.
RAJU (voice-over): This fight coming as Yates is expected to tell lawmakers today that she gave the Trump administration a forceful warning
about hiring former national security adviser Michael Flynn, testimony at odds with the White House's account.
SEAN SPICER, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPERSON: The acting attorney general informed the White House counsel that they wanted to give, quote, "a heads
up to us."
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RAJU: Now moments ago, Donald Trump tweeting that General Flynn was given the highest security clearance by the Obama administration but the fake
news seldom likes talking about that, not mentioning that he did hire Michael Flynn as his own national security adviser before later firing him
from that post.
Now also another development overnight: Carter Page did respond to the Senate Intelligence Committee with a second letter, attacking that
committee for conducting what he believes is a show trial.
But he does acknowledge meeting, in 2013, with Victor Podobnyy, who he calls a junior attache in Russia. But actually U.S. officials believe that
he was a Russian spy. Page says those conversations were, quote, "brief interactions" in 2013 but he pointedly refused to give any other
information about his contacts with Russian officials over the last couple of years -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Well, new reaction, new tweet, new testimony today, which will certainly just ramp up the investigation set to, as you report, drag into
2018.
Manu Raju reporting, many thanks indeed for that. Take care.
RAJU: Thank you.
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LU STOUT: Now meanwhile, an investment project in China is raising questions about the U.S. immigration process. It's run by the family of
President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. As Matt Rivers tells us, the project markets a fast track to a U.S. green card for Chinese investors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two, one.
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A glitzy event in Beijing, where about 100 people turned up to hear a simple pitch. Give us at least
$500,000 and we can help you get a U.S. green card.
The event was hosted by Nicole Kushner-Meyer, the sister of top presidential adviser and Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Speaking on behalf of Kushner companies, she was seeking $150 million in investment for a new luxury tower in New Jersey under a visa program called
EB-5. The much criticized program allows wealthy foreigners to invest at least $500,000 into commercial projects in the U.S.
As long as the project creates at least 10 full-time jobs for Americans, that investor can apply for a U.S. green card, which can eventually lead to
citizenship. Critics have said the program amounts to selling U.S. citizenship, though many admit it has helped spur some growth.
The vast majority of foreigners taking recent advantage of the EB-5 program have been Chinese. The fact that Kushner Companies, a real estate
development firm, would be in Beijing seeking funding under the program is not unusual. In fact, it's common practice, an easy way to secure lots of
funding.
What is unusual is that Jared Kushner was, until January, the CEO of Kushner Companies.
His sister mentioned that to investors, saying, quote, "In 2008, my brother, Jared Kushner, joined the family company as CEO and recently moved
to Washington to join the administration."
Though she didn't specifically mention President Trump, it raises ethical questions. Jared Kushner has been a key adviser to the president on China,
helping set the agenda for Chinese President Xi Jinping's first meeting with Trump back in April.
Kushner retains a vast array of business holdings, although he has sold many of them, but the presentation could lead to questions about whether
his family's business is using his proximity to the president as a selling point for luring investors.
A lawyer for Kushner told CNN in a statement, quote, "Mr. Kushner has no involvement in the operation of Kushner Companies and divested his
interests in the One Journal Square project by selling them to a family trust that he, his wife and his children are not beneficiaries of.
"As previously stated, he will recuse from particular matters concerning the EB-5 visa program."
Still, it's clear the company might understand the optics of their Beijing presentation.
RIVERS: CNN found out about this event because of this ad. It was actually posted in the elevator of our building here in Beijing so we took
a photo. You can clearly see it says, "Kushner 1," right there and then later on, it says, in part, quote, "Invest $500,000 and emigrate to the
United States."
RIVERS (voice-over): This was billed as a public event and we shot it from the crowd on an iPhone. But other news organizations who showed up got
kicked out. Reporters with both "The New York Times" and "The Washington Post" were asked to leave.
"The Post" wrote that, when they asked why, quote, a PR person, who declined to identify herself, said simply, "This is not the story we want.
RIVERS: Interestingly, there's a lot of bipartisan support in Congress for reforming the EB-5 visa program and given that the president has said
multiple times that he wants to completely overhaul the nation's immigration system, there's some thought that there was going to be some
reform to the program early on in Trump's presidency.
But in the latest spending bill passed by Congress, it actually leaves this visa program intact as is through at least September 30th. And so in that
presentation, one of the pitches to the Chinese investors that showed up was, you should invest in projects like this now while the EB-5 visa
program remains as is.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: That was CNN's Matt Rivers reporting in Beijing.
Now South Korea is getting ready to elect a new president and, one day before they head to the polls, we're going to tell you about an unusual new
message from the North.
Also families in Nigeria are relieved to have their daughters finally home. The deal that led to the release of dozens of kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls.
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LU STOUT: All right, coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. This is NEWS STREAM.
North Korea appears to have detained another U.S. citizen for the second time in two weeks.
State media says Kim Hak Song was taken into custody on Saturday, suspected of hostile acts toward the regime. He was working in agricultural
development at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology.
Last month, another American who taught at the same school was also detained.
Four Americans are currently being held in North Korea. Now let's get more now from CNN's Ivan Watson in Seoul.
And, Ivan, North Korea has thrown yet another U.S. citizen in jail.
What's the latest on this Korean American who's been detained. Kim Hak Song?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, just moments ago, Kristie, I interviewed Kim Hak Song's wife. She is a citizen of
China, who has traveled here to Seoul at this time of real crisis for her family.
And she tells me that she was waiting at the train station in Dandong, China, on Saturday the 6th, for her husband to return from Pyongyang via
the train after he had been doing academic work at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology.
And she waited at the train; all the passengers got off and then the passenger doors closed and her husband was nowhere to be seen. She then
called the university where he had been employed and it took 24 hours to learn the very distressing news that the North Koreans had detained him.
They have detained him, we hear from North Korea state news agency, on suspicion that he was planning crimes to hurt the North Korean regime.
Now I asked Kim Mi-ok (ph) what message she had for North Korea. Take a listen to what her response was.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIM MI-OK (PH), KIM HOK SANG'S WIFE (through translator): We are all the same people. We have been serving the people we love. So I hope this
detention issue is solved in a humanitarian way and he is sent back to our family. Members of our family are waiting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: So as you can see, this is a very difficult, distressing and emotional time for the detained American agronomist's wife and the rest of
his family.
She says that he had been traveling for years now, in conjunction with Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, helping teach more advanced
techniques for agriculture, for rice cultivation, to North Korea, which, of course, has had enormous problems with its own agriculture sector, a famine
some time ago, years ago, more than a decade ago.
She says that he was determined to try to help the people of North Korea and that he has now been wrongfully accused -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Well, Ivan, the wife of Kim Hak Song, the American who's been detained, clearly anguished there, just pleading for the release of her
husband.
Has the government of North Korea showed any sign that -- or any willingness that it will negotiate the release of any of the U.S. citizens
now in its custody?
WATSON: This is so difficult for the Americans who have been detained. And we must mention that --
[08:25:00]
WATSON: -- a professor at the same university, of U.S. citizenship, who goes by the name Tony Kim, he was detained a bit more than two weeks ago
under suspicion of the same alleged crimes.
And part of the problem, of course, is the ongoing confrontation between Washington and Pyongyang over North Korea's nuclear weapons program, its
ballistic missiles program, also the fact that these two governments do not have direct diplomatic relations.
So it is the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang that has to negotiate on behalf to have the U.S. government to try to help these detained Americans.
And there's an added factor here, Kristie, that, Friday night, North Korea announced that -- really dramatic and unsubstantiated allegations that it
had foiled an alleged plot to assassinate North Korea's supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, and it claimed that that plot was backed by the CIA and by South
Korean intelligence.
We've spoken to officials from U.S. and South Korean intelligence, who have dismissed those charges. But in the wake of that, North Korean officials
have announced what they describe as a campaign against what they describe as terrorism. They have vowed to root out what they describe as foreign
agents in North Korea.
We don't know if the detention of these two academics is linked to that. But it clearly has heightened the sense, not only of anxiety over security
in North Korea but, one might argue, of paranoia in what is already a somewhat paranoid system of government there -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Yes, as if anxiety and tensions weren't high enough, now we have this. Ivan Watson reporting live for us from Seoul, thank you.
North Korea has a message for South Korea. One day before South Korea votes for a new president, an opinion piece in the state newspaper says
this.
"Years of confrontation between the two sides must come to an end."
The standoff is a major focus as South Koreans head to the polls on Tuesday. And Paula Hancocks takes us on the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pure excitement at seeing the presidential front-runner, Moon jade-in has dedicated supporters old
and young and he's enjoying a significant lead in the polls.
His policy on North Korea, though, has voters split. A liberal candidate, Moon is pro-engagement. He supports dialogue with Pyongyang, even
organizing the last North-South summit in 2007.
A group of North Korean defectors last week claimed 3,000 of them would leave South Korea and seek asylum elsewhere if Moon wins. Defectors
traditionally vote conservative for a more hardline approach to the regime they fled.
But also, some rare defector support for Moon. The feeling here is that he's the only one who can prevent a future war on the peninsula.
"Our parents, brothers and sisters are all in North Korea," says this former member of the elite.
"The second we carry a rifle to defend South Korea, we'll be pointing a gun towards them."
Moon declined repeated requests for a television interview but tried to fight criticism he's too soft on North Korea in a televised address.
"I will not tolerate any military provocation from North Korea," he says, "through crisis management and a solid alliance with the U.S. I will stop
the war from happening."
Moon lost in the last presidential race to former president Park Geun-hye. Park has been impeached and imprisoned, currently on trial for extortion
and bribery. She denies all charges against her.
But Moon is assumed to have picked up support for being the opposite of her in policy and personality.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He stood very clearly against her. So one big reason for his support is that he's not her.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Former businessman Anchel Su (ph) also supports negotiations with Pyongyang, even highlighting the fact he went to the same
business school as U.S. President Donald Trump as a way of connecting with the country's main ally.
Hong Jun-pyo (ph), the conservative candidate from Park's former party, suffered a political body blow from her impeachment and holds a harder line
against Pyongyang; 13 candidates in all, vying for the top job, the result expected overnight Tuesday.
HANCOCKS: So unless the polls are horribly wrong, which, to be fair, has happened elsewhere in the world, Moon could well be the next leader to try
and solve the problem of North Korea and also to try and start to build a relationship with the U.S. president, who has said that he is happy to go
it alone on the issue -- Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: You're watching NEWS STREAM and, still ahead, France has just elected its youngest president in history.
But will Emmanuel Macron's lack of experience stand in his way?
We look at the challenges facing Macron when we come back.
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LU STOUT (voice-over): I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching NEWS STREAM and these are your world headlines.
(HEADLINES)
At just 39, Emmanuel Macron is to become France's youngest ever president, it is an incredible achievement but there are concerns about the fact that
he has no established party to back him and no experience in elected office.
In fact, getting lawmakers on board his En Marche party will be one of Macron's biggest priorities. Legislative elections are just weeks away.
And securing seats in France's parliament will be crucial in cementing leadership.
Macron's lack of experience has not gone unnoticed by his rivals. Before the election, Republican Francois Fillon said that he was certain France
would not, quote, "place their fate in the hands of a man with no experience, who had
demonstrated nothing," unquote.
CNN's Jim Bittermann is standing by in Paris with more. He joins once again us live.
Again, Jim, he's just 39 years old. Macron will be the youngest leader of France since, what, Napoleon Bonaparte came to power centuries ago?
Tell us more about Macron and what kind of president will he be.
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think he's going to be a very innovative president. I think he's going to attack things in a
very different way than his predecessors have.
And being young is not necessarily a detriment but it is true that he's inexperienced. But the couple things he's got going for him, he's been
through the best schools in France.
He went, like all of the last presidents except for Sarkozy, he went to the Ecole Nationale d'Administration which is a school that was, in fact,
created by Napoleon to train future leaders of France. So he's been through that system and he also has always shown a healthy --
[08:35:00]
BITTERMANN: -- respect for his elders, if you can put it that way. I mean, his wife, for example, 24 years older, but also other people in his
life. He's always attached himself to people who are older than he is and maybe a little wiser.
So I think, from that standpoint, he will listen to their advice and he's going to have to because, the fact is, he's going to have a lot of
political minefields out there and he's got to avoid the kinds of traps that are going to be laid for him, the kinds of traps that we're even
seeing laid this afternoon by some unions, who are protesting his election, just saying that -- laying down some markers, perhaps, that they don't want
to be forgotten in this drive toward economic reform that Macron has been talking about -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Yes, Macron will certainly need advice as he takes on his first big challenge, forming his cabinet and the upcoming parliamentary
elections.
What does he need to achieve here?
BITTERMANN: Well, I think the two are interrelated. The cabinet is going to be absolutely related to the legislative elections. He's going to
balance his cabinet as best he can, politically, so that he will appeal to groups within the legislature.
There's 577 deputies in the legislature. He has to have a majority to get anything done. And he has to put that majority together in a coalition,
unless, of course, somehow, he can get enough -- an absolute majority elected from his En Marche grouping.
That's unlikely to happen. At the moment, they've got nobody, no seats in the parliament, so he's starting from scratch. He's got, according to all
reports, he's got someone to stand for En Marche in every one of the 577 districts in France. So they'll be running but there are a lot of people
out there that, from other parties who are going to be giving them competition.
The Republicans are still there. The Socialists are still there. And also the Front National is still there -- and we heard from them last night.
After all was said and done, we heard from the National Front, indicating that they plan to be the new opposition party. And they're going to be
running hard in the legislative elections to get as many seats as they can.
So he's going to face a real pushback from all the other parties here. And that's something that he can at least mitigate by balancing his cabinet
with as many different factions of the parliament as he can and getting other people on board -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: After his decisive victory, can Macron get a decisive majority in parliament?
That's the key question next. Jim Bittermann, reporting live for us from Paris, many thanks indeed for reporting. Take care.
Now to Nigeria, where 82 kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls are finally free. They were released in a swap with Boko Haram. That was part of the deal.
The Nigerian government released five of the terror group's commanders.
Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls three years ago. More than 100 of them are still missing.
Stephanie Busari (ph) joins us from Nigeria's capital, Abuja, with more on this story.
Stephanie, more than 80 schoolgirls have thankfully been released but tell us more about what exactly led to their freedom.
STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN PRODUCER: Well, this negotiation, Kristie, have been in the works for many months. They stalled; they've picked up again and,
finally, the first phase, we're told, was in October, when 21 girls were released as a kind of measure of building confidence and trust in the
negotiation process.
And this is the second phase we're now witnessing, with 82 girls now released, as you say, in the exchange with these Boko Haram top commanders.
LU STOUT: These 82 schoolgirls and young women finally free.
But what's next for them?
I mean, how are they going to rebuild their lives after suffering three years of captivity under Boko Haram?
BUSARI (PH): Well, there's a tough road ahead for recovery for these girls and the Nigerian government assures us that their welfare is of paramount
concern and they will have the best psychological care.
And, you know, they're currently being held in a medical facility just outside the capital here in Abuja, where they will undergo medical checks;
they will most certainly be debriefed by the security, the intelligence forces.
And also they will be assigned psychologists, just like the ones that were released in October were assigned. And, at some point, when it's due, they
will try to resume their studies. And, of course, a long-awaited reunion with their families will happen imminently, we're told -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: All right, Stephanie Busari (ph), reporting live for us from Abuja, many thanks indeed for that update on these girls.
Now we have much more on NEWS STREAM after this short break.
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LU STOUT: Welcome back.
Now Marvel is on a winning streak. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" shot straight to number one at the U.S. box office on its opening weekend,
bringing in an estimated $145 million.
Now the sequel in the "Guardians'" franchise lived up to the hype that the first film created. It also got good reviews, as it was a warm welcome
overseas, grabbing some $428 million total worldwide.
This success makes it 15 straight number one openings for Marvel at the U.S. box office. And, just to show you how long this winning streak is,
"Iron Man" opened about nine years ago.
Starting with that, every film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has opened at number one. "The Avengers" is the most successful film of them all.
Worldwide, it is the fifth highest grossing movie of all time. And, combined, the 15 Marvel films, they make the series the biggest movie
franchise ever in the U.S.
That's bigger than "Star Wars," bigger than Harry Potter, even James Bond. And Marvel isn't slowing down. "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is one of two more
Marvel movies coming out this year. And there's another three next year.
And that is NEWS STREAM. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. But don't go anywhere. "WORLD SPORT" with Amanda Davies is next.
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