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NEWS STREAM
Trump Under Pressure Not To Endanger Iran Nuclear Deal; Trump Tells Seoul He's Open To Talks With Pyongyang; Trump Dodges Question On Special Counsel Interview; U.S. Senate Committee Warns On Russian Meddling; Survivor: The Mud Came In An Instant Like A Dam Breaking; Protests In Pakistan Over Girl's Murder Turn Deadly. Aired at 8-9a ET
Aired January 11, 2018 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to News Stream.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: And a central deal, the E.U. sent against Donald Trump as he faces a deadline in the Iran nuclear agreement. Anger boils over, protest
over the killing of a young girl in Pakistan take a deadly turn. And an old robot makes the gold new entrance, Sony's Aibo dog stretch it stuff at
CES in Vegas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: And we begin with an impending deadline for U.S. President Donald Trump as he faces pressure not to endanger the Iran nuclear deal.
He is about to meet with his top security advisors to decide whether to renew temporary waivers for U.S. sanctions against Tehran.
You may have call this speech from last year when he slammed the accord as the quote, worst deal ever. The decision is required every few months with
the next deadline this Friday.
Now E.U. leaders, they met in Brussels to discuss the deal most of whom supported. E.U. foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini had this to say
afterwards.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FEDERICA MOGHERINI, E.U. FOREIGN-POLICY CHIEF: The deal is working. It is delivering on its main goal which means, keeping the Iranian nuclear
program in check and under close surveillance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Those officials say the president's top national security advisers are encouraging him to stick to the terms of the 2015 nuclear
deal. But will he listen? Becky Anderson reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We haven't made a final decision on that and we certainly will in the coming days, and we'll
make sure once again you guys are some of the first to know.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: The White House not giving much away as Donald Trump weighs his options on the Iran Nuclear Deal. So what are Donald
Trump's main choices?
Well, one scenario is that he certifies Iran's compliance with the deal and extends sanctions relief. The other more uncertain scenario is that he
doesn't. Iran desperately needs sanctions relief.
The recent unrest there has been a big wake-up call for the government, it has to speed up economic growth and any more sanctions would make that very
difficult.
If the president doesn't certify the agreement, then the U.S. would be in contravention of the deal. This could trigger its collapse altogether.
We've been here before.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today, I am announcing our strategy along with several major steps we are taking to confront the
Iranian regime's hostile actions and to ensure that Iran never and I mean never acquires a nuclear weapon.
ANDERSON: Ninety days ago, the president didn't certify the deal either. Back then it went through Congress but not much changed. This time around
the Iranians are fed up, threatening to walk away if the U.S. fails to respect its commitment.
It's a high stakes game while the Americans may be holding many of the cards, they are the only players, China, Russia and the European Union all
opposed any move to sabotage it. Britain's foreign minister recently highlighted the importance of keeping a stand as well.
BORIS JOHNSON, FOREIGN AFFAIRS SECRETARY OF STATE: The JCPOA should continue and that agreement which prevents the Iranians from acquiring
nuclear weapons in exchange for greater economic partnerships with the Western world. That agreement remains useful, remains valid and we
continue towards our friends in the White House not to throw it away.
ANDERSON: Two and a half years on, the deal has held refuse a nuclear crisis. The International Atomic Energy Agency certifying Iran's
compliance eight times but President Trump insists, Iran's compliance is hard to enforce and does not address their missile program.
TRUMP: The Iran deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.
ANDERSON: Becky Anderson, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Now this is a pivotal deadline. Let's bring in senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh. He is joining us from a
London bureau. Nick, tomorrow deadline for Donald Trump to renew the Iran sanctions waiver. How do the protests in Iran complicate this decision for
him?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You might say complicated, you might say possibly gives him a let out to some degree. You know, if you are
Donald Trump and you consider this sort of monthly -- tri-monthly practical moment where you have to either go against the advice of his team like your
security advisor's annual main European allies.
[08:05:10] And continue to not certify Iran and possibly even not continue to waive the sanctions, well if you can actually point to this protests and
say, this is evidence that the pressure they are putting against Iran is having some sort of internal effect as the perhaps we'll try to suggest,
(Inaudible) give you maybe a way to sort of modify your base and suggest that in fact you don't have to hold and stop waiving sanctions.
But even it's a very complicated moment here because some also argue that the fact that sanctions have been waived but also, economic impact amount
has been tempered by the continued U.S. rhetoric against Iran, but that has not allowed European companies -- European countries invest in a way that
many had hope in the moderate Iran government.
It happen after a nuclear deal came into place. They haven't seen the kind of economic benefits that they hope they were going to see.
All of that side, well, they are also saying, too, across the region is Iran in some of the best strategic (Inaudible) has been turned to foreign
policy for a number of decades.
And I think the issue here really is about Donald Trump continuing to bang that drum about potentially on doing parts of nuclear deal to keep the
pressure up by possible at the same time each time his deadline comes around, looking for a way of sort of watering down quite with actual
practical actions they take as we saw in October. Kristie.
LU STOUT: And if Donald Trump goes against the advice of his national security advisers and his E.U. allies and he decides to not send the
waivers, what's the reaction of the E.U., in Iran, and also the international community?
WALSH: Well it could be the worst of all worlds, frankly. I mean the argument for the deal, which does not impact all of the world's dealings
with Iran, just specifically the issue of the alleged nuclear program.
Well if Iran's don't want that deal anymore, there are those analyst who say they might feel threatened and therefore, move head along towards try
to obtain that kind of nuclear tech technology, like currently deny that they have.
If you see that happen and the Israelis who can't even how do say they will do whatever they can to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear technology.
They may feel obliged to act in some possible way.
There have been suggestions, they might take unilateral strike action against military facilities. And then also to internally in Iran, those
moderates and the government who said, let's go along with this deal that brings us closer to the outside world.
We may start seeing whom it benefits. We don't really necessary need to be that much of the forefront in sort of nuclear technology at all.
Those moderates will have the rug pull from under them and the hardliners may well take a greater say in how the country is necessary run when it
comes to modern decisions like this.
So it could be worst everything frankly, doesn't look like we're about to get better in the next couple of days. But certainly, this continue sort
of monthly fit until we go through with the current White House occupant, that I think make many across the region, those likely more on edge in the
past needs to.
You know the history of Iran having a nuclear weapon is no joke but anybody's imagination, there is a world of all possible scenarios for their
neighbors.
They will feel obliged to be in some sort of arms race with Iran, without to occur and this deal, you know now, nearly two plus years old now has put
that question to one side. And everybody's opinion it seems with exception of Donald Trump. You seem to feel that he could have done a better deal
somehow. Kristie.
LU STOUT: And he keeps repeating that again. Again, Nick Paton Walsh, reporting live for us. Thank you, Nick. Now after months of apocalyptic
rhetoric from Donald Trump, the White House now says, President Trump is open to talk with North Korea at the appropriate time. Will Ripley,
explains why this is a major shift in tone.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, less than 24 hours, South Korea's President Moon Jae-in had phone conversations with the leaders of the two
world superpowers, Donald Trump of the United States and Xi Jinping of China. From President Trump, a notable change in tone when it comes to
North Korea.
President Trump is saying that he may be open to having talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un under the right circumstances, also saying that a
stronger U.S.-South Korean alliance could lead to conversations between the U.S. and North Korea that would eventually achieve denuclearization.
Something the President Moon has vowed to do as well as solidifying peace with North Korea by the end of his presidential term. But a bit of a
reality check for North Korean state media publishing article just today, talking about their nuclear program saying quote, the nuclear deterrent of
the DPRK is the life and soul of the nation.
They cannot be bartered for anything and the eternal foundation for a rosy future of the country. That article really gets to the mindset of the
North Koreans about their nuclear weapons.
They have said repeatedly, they think their nukes will bring peace and stability to the region, a better future for their people, a view
counterintuitive to much of the rest the world that it shows the real uphill battle that the United States and South Korea would face in trying
to get North Korea to give up their nuclear weapon, something that they have stated repeatedly.
[08:10:10] They are just not willing to do. President Moon also speaking with President Xi of China who congratulated him on the resumption of
inter-Korean talks this week also saying that China supports those talks, also talking about the upcoming Olympics, President Moon extending a formal
invitation to President Xi to attend the closing ceremonies of the games in Pyeongchang, which are kicking off in less than a month. Kristie.
LU STOUT: Will Ripley there. Thank you, Will. Now, Mr. Trump also wants to be very clear about the Russian investigation. He told reporters
several times now the candidate, eight times but there was no collusion.
As he held a news conference with the Norwegian prime minister, that came after he tweeted on the subject calling the Russia probe quote, the single
greatest witch hunt in American history.
But he wasn't so forthcoming about the prospect of a search and interview. Joe Johns joins us now to live from Washington. Joe, the president says
now collusion multiple times but won't commit to an interview with Robert Mueller. What's going on here?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's clearly a contradiction there, isn't it, Kristie? The president clearly frustrated and making
contradictory assertions in one hand saying, it's an open question as to whether there will be an interview with the Special Counsel in the Russian
investigation, Robert Mueller.
On the other hand, the president repeating his mantra that there was no collusion which really raises the question of why the president wouldn't
want to sit down and clear the air with the Special Counsel if there is nothing there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: President Trump refusing to commit to a possible interview with Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
TRUMP: We'll see what happens. I mean, certainly I'll see what happens. But when they have no collusion and nobody has found any collusion at any
level, it seems unlikely that you'd even have an interview.
JOHNS: His remarks markedly different than this response last June after firing FBI Director James Comey.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you be willing to speak under oath to give your version?
TRUMP: One hundred percent.
JOHNS: The president, again, calling the Russia investigation a Democrat hoax and repeating this familiar defense eight times.
TRUMP: There has been no collusion. There's no collusion. I can only say this, there was absolutely no collusion.
JOHNS: Mueller and congressional investigators have not reached any conclusions in their Russia probes, but Mueller has obtained guilty pleas
from two former Trump campaign advisers for lying to the FBI about their conversations with Russians. And two others have been indicted.
Earlier in the day, President Trump encouraging the GOP to take control of the investigation, despite the fact that Republicans already are in control
of all three congressional probes and the Justice Department.
SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R), IOWA: I don't intend to have a discussion with the president on that point. And I hope he doesn't call me and tell me the
same thing that you said he said.
JOHNS: It comes after the president criticized Senator Dianne Feinstein, calling her sneaky for releasing the transcript of the Judiciary
Committee's interview with the head of Fusion GPS, the firm behind the now- infamous Russian dossier, without telling her Republican counterparts.
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: He tends to call people names very quickly, so I'm not alone. The one regret I have is that I should have
spoken with Senator Grassley before.
JOHNS: Mr. Trump responding to negative media coverage by vowing to make it easier for people to sue news organizations.
TRUMP: We are going to take a strong look at our country's libel laws. Our current libel laws are a sham and a disgrace.
JOHNS: The president also insisting there will be no deal on the DREAMers without a wall, after sending mixed messages the day before.
TRUMP: It's got to include the wall. We need the wall for security. We need the wall for safety. We need the wall for stopping the drugs from
pouring in.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: And the president here in Washington this morning has been tweeting quite regularly referring in one of his latest tweets to the schedule House
vote on extending government surveillance powers.
The administration has said, it supports that amendment. Nonetheless, the president sounds like he's not so supportive, here is the tweet, House
votes on controversial FISA Act today. This is the act that may have been used with the help of the discredited and phony dossier -- this so badly
surreal and abusive Trump campaign by the previous administration and others.
And an earlier tweet, the president also referred to the controversial dossier that was put together which brought forth salacious allegations
about the president during the campaign. This is how the second tweet rates, disproven and paid for by Democrats.
Dossier used to spy on Trump campaign and did FBI use Intel tool to influence the election, the Dems are caught to pay Russians, where are
smashed DNC servers, where our crooked Hillary emails, what a mess.
[08:15:03] Once again, harking back to his favorite target, the candidate he defeated in the 2016 election. Kristie.
LU STOUT: Even though the White House insists that they no longer talk about Hillary Clinton, still it is his favorite target again and again, and
proven in that tweet.
You know, the president is angry about that dossier. He's calling for Republicans to take control of the Russia probes. How -- is he asking GOP
to shut down the investigations?
JOHNS: Well, it's just not clear because the fact of the matter is, as it has been widely reported, Republicans control all three committees that are
investigating the allegations of Russian involvement in the election.
As a matter, the Special Counsel Robert Mueller is a registered Republican. So it's hard to see how or why the president is asking for them to take
control because the fact of the matter is, they are firmly in control of the investigations as it stands right now.
LU STOUT: Yes, very puzzling, head scratcher there. Joe Johns, reporting live from the White House. As always, thank you. Now in Moscow, the
Kremlin calls fears of Russian meddling in future U.S. elections quote, unfounded. It is reacting to a report from the U.S. Senate committee on
Foreign Relations. CNN's Brian Todd, tells us all about it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A jarring new warning that Vladimir Putin's hackers are still targeting America's elections and will only get more
aggressive.
A report just out from Democratic Senator Ben Cardin of the foreign relations committee who's led the push for sanctions on the Kremlin.
He says the U.S. won't be prepared to defend against possible Russian meddling in the 2018 midterm elections or in the next presidential cycle in
2020 unless it takes action immediately.
SEN. BEN CARDIN (D), MARYLAND: Putin directs these attacks with an asymmetric arsenal, cyber-attacks, disinformation, support for fringe
political groups, the weaponization of energy sources.
TODD: Cardin and his investigators say the U.S. and its allies have to coordinate their cyber defense against Russia, have to target Putin and his
cronies and freeze their money.
And they have only a few months to do it before the mid-terms. Cyber investigators are warning that Putin and his hackers are ready to strike
this fall.
TONI GIDWANI, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH OPERATIONS, THREATCONNECT: What we would expect to see are similar efforts to leak compromising information
that would embarrass candidates and efforts to use the open nature of our political system and our media environment against us to so, fake news
stories or themes that undermine Americans' confidence in our elected leadership.
TODD: Cardin's team spent months talking to European officials about how Putin tried to disrupt their elections. In France, they determined that
Kremlin used multiple, quote, warfare tools, to discredit then-candidate Emmanuel Macron, including social media infiltration and hacking the
campaign's e-mails.
Putin has always denied meddling in the elections of America and its allies. But experts say the Russian president is trying to sow chaos in
any democracy where there is vulnerability.
MATTHEW ROJANSKY, DIRECTOR, WOODROW WILSON INTERNATIONAL CENTER: He sees weaknesses in the domestic politics of Europe, the United States, but also
parts of the developing world.
If you look at Latin America, if you look at Southeast Asia, if you look at the Middle East, opportunities where Russia can move in and they can
advance influence for the Kremlin at the expense of what in the past has been influence for Washington. That's the sense in which is the contest
between Washington and Moscow.
TODD: Senator Cardin, always a vociferous critic of President Trump, balusters the president and his team in this new report for, as he puts it,
turning a blind eye to the Russian threat.
CARDIN: Never before has a U.S. president so clearly ignored such a grave threat and a growing threat to U.S. national security.
TODD: A White House official is pushing back at Ben Cardin, telling us this threat is far from being ignored. A Department of Homeland Security
official told us that department has been coordinating closely with local election officials across the United States and with the U.S. Intelligence
Community to assess the threats and vulnerabilities in the election system and to coordinate cyber tools for combating Russian hackers in the 2018
midterms. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: You are watching News Stream coming to you live from Hong Kong. And up next, outrage in Pakistan after a young girl was raped and killed in
the same area as 11 others before her. Anger against the authorities is growing. Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERKELEY JOHNSON, MUDSLIDE SURVIVOR: We heard a little baby crying and we got down and found a little baby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: California are crumbling to a blanket of mud and debris. They are looking for any signs of life after Tuesday's mud slides.
[08:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: All right, coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back, this is News Stream. Now in California, more than 500 first responders are
sifting through a carpet of debris, two days after walls of mud from fire ravaged hillsides slammed into the neighborhoods below.
Now you can see it almost completely small of these homes. And at least 17 people were killed, more than a dozen are still missing, including a couple
in their 80s.
Survivors described hearing a deep rumbling sound and then the mud can quickly. It was like a dam breaking, they said. Now the disaster hit
while most people were asleep. Paul Vercammen reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The wall of mud came in the middle of the night.
MIKE ELIASON, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, SANTA BARBARA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT, SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA: It just obliterated this little
neighborhood to turn the houses into matchsticks. t blew them off their foundation and threw them up against trees.
VERCAMMEN: Survivors became heroes.
BERKELEY JOHNSON, MUDSLIDE SURVIVOR: We heard a little baby crying and we got down and found a little baby. We got it out, got the mud out of its
mouth. I hope it's OK. They took it right to the hospital.
But it was just a baby, four feet down in the mud in the middle of nowhere under the rocks. I'm glad we got it but who knows where else is out there.
VERCAMMEN: There were many more in need out there, like the family in this house surrounded by mud water. The youngest survivor, a newborn baby. All
five in the family rescued, others still searching for their loved ones.
HAYDEN GOWER, SEARCHING FOR HIS MOTHER: We just, you know, go down the creek and see what we can find.
VERCAMMEN: This man's mother was swept away while clinging to the back door of her home.
GOWER: I thought she'd be all right. She was in the -- in the voluntary evacuation.
VERCAMMEN: What made this mudslide so horrendous, the steepness of the terrain. Look up there. The Thomas fire burns on above Montecito. It
goes from 3,000 feet to sea level in just several miles.
So the water came off those ashy hillsides and just poured right through here. It had a high-velocity, as they call it. And you can look right
over here and you'll see where the waters just a little bit more than a mile from the ocean took a house right off its foundation.
Other houses swallowed by mud or destroyed by fire. Highway 101, the main freeway connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco, in a moment, was turned
into a river of mud and boulders.
In all, hundreds of homes destroyed or damaged in a natural disaster covering 19,000 acres. And tonight, many families grieve while others
simply hope that their loved ones will find their way home. Paul Vercammen, CNN, Montecito, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[08:25:00] LU STOUT: Heartbreaking scenes there in Southern California and turning now to Pakistan, protests have erupted for second day in the
eastern city of Kasur over the brutal murder of a 7-year-old girl.
She is the 12th young girl to be killed in the same area. Many in the local say authorities have not done enough to keep their children safe. At
least two people died, Wednesday, as protesters clashed with police.
Now CNN's Sam Kiley joins us from Abu Dhabi. He has been following the story very closely. And, Sam, this beautiful little girl was brutally just
abuse and strangled to death. What's the latest on the outrage over what happened to her and also the fight for justice?
SAM KILEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the battles try to find out who has done this is now become a national issue across Pakistan, not before time
the local people would say given that she as you say is the 12th victim of what may well be a serial killer.
Police have confirmed to CNN this morning that there is a DNA evidence that links five of the -- this girl and five previous others, which would
perhaps indicate that there was a single individual or perhaps individuals linked to this by a DNA evidence.
Nonetheless, a locals do believe that this has gone on far too long that the local police and indeed regional politicians are more interested in
feathering their own nest and protecting themselves, than protecting ordinary poor people in the country.
Of course where there is a massive wealth gap. There has been today some extra level of demonstrations, very much further away in Peshawar, on the
other side of the country.
This murder was committed in the east and in the west in Pakistan in Peshawar, a very conservative environment. Women and other groups took to
the streets to demonstrate their horror at what is going on, and demand that the central government and the regional authorities in the Punjab do
something about to it.
These images here actually show of police fighting back against demonstrators yesterday when those two individuals would come down when the
police opened fire with live ammunition to try to control this crowd.
This is an extremely volatile issue. The abuse of children possibly linked to the family, on allegations have been coming out from local politicians.
These have been hotly denied indeed by most senior figures in the judiciary. But nonetheless, I think this is a story that is going to run
and run, and is starting to spread right across Pakistan.
LU STOUT: Yes, it seems like this, protests across Pakistan, there has been protest online and social media as well. The protesters are saying,
authorities are not doing enough. They're not doing enough to stop the abductions, to stop the abuse and the killings of children, of girls and
young women. So, is the brutal death of this young girl and the protest that followed, is this going to be a catalyst finally for change?
KILEY: Well, there was always hope particularly in women's groups that when there are atrocities like this could eventually comes and we look back
of course, Malala, the famous case of the young woman who was attacked by the Taliban for when she go to school is now an international figure and
peace laureate.
But nonetheless, I think that really -- ultimately, it really depends on how much the religious community gets involved in this issue, and that of
course is an extremely dangerous issue within Pakistan because very often, religious conservatives in particular are associated with much more
militant issues.
But I think it's intriguing and in Peshawar, women were taken to the streets and demonstrating against this amendment, and that is a tunnel in
the past when you have seen almost secular issues taken up, they have been hit very hard by a religious conservative groups. So it's interesting that
so far, at least anyone in Peshawarm the demonstration seem to have had almost across the broad support.
LU STOUT: And as you point out, you know, in Pakistani society, also stakeholders, they have to be involvement in the room for change to come to
be.
Sam Kiley, reporting for us live from Abu Dhabi. Sam, thank you so much. You are watching News Stream. And still to come, a band of thieves stole
millions in jewelry from the Ritz in Paris, now hundred underway for the robbers who got away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:30:00] KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN NEWS STREAM SHOW HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream" and these are your world
headlines.
The European powers are reaffirming their commitment to the Iran nuclear deal as U.S. President Donald Trump decides whether to reimpose sanctions
on Iran. CNN has learned that his top security advisers are encouraging him to comply with the 2015 agreement and waive those sanctions. Mr. Trump must
decide by Friday.
Hundreds of rescuers are using dogs and helicopters to hunt for survivors after those mudslides in California. Seventeen people have been confirmed
dead after heavy rains sent a mountain of mud into neighborhoods in Santa Barbara County on Tuesday.
For the first time, Myanmar's army has acknowledged its soldiers were involved in the killing of Rohingya Muslim in Rakhine State. The statement
specifically refers to 10 Rohingya who were found in a mass grave. Myanmar has been accused of carrying out ethnic cleansing, sending hundred of
thousands of Rohingya into neighboring Bangladesh.
Germany's would be coalition partners are facing their most challenging issues and talks on Thursday. Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and
the central left social Democrats will decide whether to hold formal negotiations on establishing a new government. Both parties lost votes in
the September election.
A manhunt is underway in Paris after the Ritz Hotel was targeted in a smash-and-grab jewelry heist. And two of the five thieves got away. CNN's
Jim Bittermann joins me now from outside of Ritz Hotel with the very latest. Jim, this was a brazen heist. What was stolen? How did it unfold?
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Brazen is exactly the right word, Kristie, because as you can see on my right here is the
ministry of French justice, and on the left is the Ritz Hotel, right next to each other. These thieves went into the Ritz. They went down the
corridor that leads to some of the gallery in the back where there is a number of high-end jewelry shops and attacked one of them with axes.
They were able break the window in the shop and grabbed a bunch of jewels and tried to escape. However, because this area is so secure, because there
are 24-hour guards at the justice ministry and because there have been robberies here in the past in some of these jewelry shops, there are a
number of police patrols here.
So as well the guards at the Ritz were on duty and they saw what was going on in the gallery and shot an automatic system that closed the doors. Three
of the five were caught inside. Police arrived in the scene a little while afterwards and were able to take them into captivity.
Also arriving just a short while after is the mayor of the first arrondissement of Paris who has responsibility for security in the area.
Here is what he had to say.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
JEAN-FRANCOIS LEGARET, MAYOR, FIRST DISTRICT OF PARIS (through translator): I would say that this was a very violent armed attack by a large, well
organized, and professional gang. They are people who are known by the police services.
It's difficult to stop or completely prevent this type of very violent attack with weapons (INAUDIBLE) threats (INAUDIBLE) people. What we can say
is that the police were on the scene very quickly with an efficient intervention, given the three of the perpetrators
[08:35:00] were neutralized straightaway.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BITTERMANN: Just in the last couple of hours here, police have revealed a few more details and according to reports here, there was apparently a car
used, a get-away car that was used was found in the suburbs completely burned out. And police are going over right now for DNA indications of DNA.
There was also a motorcycle used as a get-away vehicle. One of the robbers did manage to get away on the motorcycle, but in the process struck a
pedestrian. He was not badly hurt, but he did get away. It's not clear how many -- how much, rather, of the heist, how much of the loot was actually
recovered. Apparently some was recovered on the scene, but that has not been confirmed by the police yet. Kristie?
LU STOUT: Avery bold heist with, as you point out, the ministry of justice just next door. Jim Bittermann reporting live for us from outside the Paris
Ritz Hotel. Thank you, Jim.
You're watching "News Stream." Sony wants you to, again, get a robot dog. We will see how this brand new dog are melting hearts at CES in Las Vegas.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Welcome back. Sony's old dog just learned some sweet new tricks that are charming the crown at CES in Las Vegas. The cute new Aibo can
understand English and Japanese. It can recognize its owners and even develop its own personality. The positive reception is good news for Sony.
It pulled Aibo from production back in 2006, after popularity dipped. The robo pup costs almost $1,800 and at least for the time being is available
in Japan.
Now, Sony says Aibo's artificial intelligence makes it more of a companion instead of those smart (ph) systems like Siri or Alexa, but there are
similarities, and that's raising some security concerns.
James Barrat is the author of "Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era." He joins us now via Skype from Washington.
Thank you so much for joining us in the program. Before we get into the surveillance privacy angle, let's just talk about the gadget. Sony's new
Aibo robo dog is cuter. Is it doing more interesting tricks?
JAMES BARRAT, AUTHOR: Yes, it got a very powerful processor. It got four speakers to make yipping and yapping sounds. It got 22 different
articulated parts. It's quite a technological achievement. But as you said, there are some serious security concerns with this new toy.
LU STOUT: Yes. It has two cameras. One in its nose and another one near its tail. So, according to Sony, it can map out the home environment, even
find its own charging station. But, at what cost to our privacy?
BARRAT: Yes, the big downside to consumers is the daunting idea of having a household device that listens to every conversation. It can identify
everybody in the house. They can get map (INAUDIBLE) to that. One is, let's not just talk about Aibo, but Sony's -- Microsoft's Cortana, Siri, Amazon
Echo, all gather information.
They listen all the time. They see everything. The two points to that is, one, do you want all your personal data sold on the open market, which is
where this is headed. These are data gathering devices. And two, what about hackers?
[08:40:00] Do you really want hackers to have access to your home plans? To know everybody who's home and when they're home? I don't, really. And
so, you know, Aibo is part of the juggernaut of these very clever, very useful but too (INAUDIBLE) home devices that are big security concern.
LU STOUT: Yes, home assistance are here. There should be a security concern, you know, buyer beware, but they are a thing, you know. Can we
argue that, you know, compared to Amazon Echo and Siri has its own air hub and that comes out, Google Home, other home assistants that at least it is
better to have a data collection device in the form of a dog, so we're more aware of its presence?
BARRAT: Yes, I suppose so, you can make that argument. But, you know, (INAUDIBLE) for two hours at a time before it has to go find this
recharging station. My take on it is, it's a very nice toy. It's kind of expensive. You have to pay a subscription fee of $25 a month in addition to
the $1,700 it costs you.
But my argument is this. Each year in the United States, we put 1.2 million dogs to death because we can't find homes for them. Let's get old-fashioned
dogs. Old-fashioned dogs. Dogs, not robots, are man's best friend.
LU STOUT: Yes. I like that. But, just, you know, putting the focus back to Sony for a bit here. I am a dog lover myself too. But, you know, it's
interesting that Sony retired the Aibo in 2006. It brought it back. It believes that there is a market for it. You know, we just talked about the
new tricks it can do. Yes, there are privacy concerns.
It is a bit pricey. It has a subscription fee. It is cuter than the original one. Right now, it is only sold in Japan. But when it goes global,
do you think there is going to be a market for it? And what does that market going to look like?
BARRAT: I would say there would be market for that. There will be people - - it comes out of Asia, in Japan. The fastest demographic is old people. So, this is probably a really nice toy for old people. They don't have to
walk it. They can interact with it. It's probably good for children. It's probably good for apartment dwellers who don't have to go down the street
to walk their dog.
So, there is going to be a big market for this. It certainly going to be a novel toy. There's nothing in the field right now that approaches its AI,
where it can actually learn about the people, learn different commands, and responds to people. That's not happening with Amazon Echo or Google Home.
It's becoming -- in United States, it could be a very charming addition to a house. It wouldn't (INAUDIBLE) my house because, again, because of
security concerns.
LU STOUT: Yes, and also it's not as cute as a rescue dog, right? James Barret, thank you so much for joining us. We'll talk again soon.
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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