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U.S. Senate vote set to end shutdown; U.S. vice president at the Knesset in Jerusalem; Holy Land Christian leaders snub Pence's visit; How Asia views Trump presidency; Erdogan: Turkey won't step back in Afrin. Aired at 8-9a ET
Aired January 22, 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: Day three of the U.S. government shutdown, no agreement in sight and key members of the Trump administration are on the road, that includes
Vice President Mike Pence in Jerusalem, who says, it is an honor to be in, quote, Israel's capital, all these as we mark one year of Trump, and we
look at how U.S. leadership is viewed here in Asia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: The United States is waking up to a third day of a government shutdown. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been told not to
report to their jobs. In a few hours, U.S. Senate is expected to vote on a temporary measure that would reopen the government.
But there is no indication that there are enough votes to pass it. We'll have more from Capitol Hill in just a moment. But first, several key
administration officials are far from the Washington chaos pushing the Trump agenda across the globe.
We've got Vice President Mike Pence in Jerusalem speaking now to the Israeli Knesset. Live pictures on your screen there. While the U.S.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is meeting with the British Prime Minister Theresa May in London.
Now here is what happens during a U.S. federal government shutdown, hundreds of thousands of nonessential employees will be furloughed, meaning
that they stop working without pay until Congress is able to agree on the bill for the federal budget.
On the past however, they were paid retroactively after an agreement was reached. The military is considered essential and still reports for duty
but 1.3 million active duty personnel won't be paid if the shutdown continues after February 1st.
Members of Congress still get their paychecks. It's written into law. Some national parks, zoos, museums will be closed. Mail still gets
delivered, essential services like Social Security still gets funded and the Transportation Security Administration, air traffic control as well
will continue to run.
Now that the work week is starting, more Americans will begin to feel the impact of the shutdown. Republican leaders in the Senate have scheduled a
vote in four hours time that could reopen the government, at least temporarily. Suzanne Malveaux has the latest on three days of chaos in
Washington.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kristie, hundreds of thousand of federal workers this morning are being furloughed now. They're told not
to go to work. They're delayed. At the same time, members of Congress will be back to try to come up with some sort of deal -- a short-term deal
to fund and reopen the government.
Over the weekend, a bipartisan group of senators huddled together behind closed doors to try to come up with a plan. It was scheduled for a 1 a.m.
vote on the Senate floor. That was scrapped when they found out, they didn't have the votes to support it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Well, let's step back from the brink. Let's stop victimizing the American people and get back to
work on their behalf.
MALVEAUX: The government shutdown entering day three, after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer rejected a proposal that would fund the
government for three weeks in exchange for a commitment from the GOP leadership to take up a separate future vote on immigration and the
DREAMers.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: We've had several conversations. Talks will continue, but we have yet to reach an agreement
on a path forward that would be acceptable for both sides.
MALVEAUX: A top Democratic aide tells CNN that Schumer did not think the majority leader gave a firm enough commitment to bring the immigration
proposal to a vote, pointing to McConnell's vague language.
MCCONNELL: It would be my intention to resolve these issues as quickly as possible. It would be my intention to proceed to legislation that would
address DACA, border security, and related issues.
MALVEAUX: Majority Whip John Cornyn says that he's optimistic the Senate will vote today to break the impasse, adding that Schumer sought to push
back the vote to give his caucus a chance to chew on the GOP proposal.
But a top Democratic leadership aide disputes this claim, telling CNN they expect Monday's vote will fall short of the 60 votes needed to reopen the
government.
SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZONA: There's enough blame to go around. And I hope that we can move from that and just find a way to open the government
back up.
MALVEAUX: Republican Senators Flake and Graham, who both voted against a continuing resolution Friday, announced Sunday, they will now vote in favor
of the three-week proposal, meaning that Republicans need seven more senators to get on board.
[08:05:00] One senior GOP aide say Republican leaders think they have a shot of picking off enough Democrats to move forward. Five red-state
Democrats who voted against shutting down the government Friday, joined with a bipartisan group of moderate lawmakers who worked furiously over the
weekend negotiating the compromised deal.
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: We recognize that ultimately it is the decision of Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer as to how to proceed. And
we're not trying to preempt that, but we are trying to be helpful in showing them that there is a path forward.
MALVEAUX: Senator Graham pointing fingers at the White House over the impasse.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: The White House staff has been pretty unreliable. As long as Stephen Miller is in charge of negotiating
immigration, we're going nowhere. He's been an outlier for years.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: White House deputy press secretary giving a response to Graham, saying as long as Graham is on the side of those in this country illegally,
instead of U.S. citizens that they are going nowhere when it comes to negotiations.
It should be noted, Kristie, that there was some progress over the weekend on both sides, you had McConnell gave up the requirement to check in and
make sure that President Trump signed off on immigration -- anytime on immigration bill before sending to the Senate floor. He gave that up.
And then on the Democratic side, you had Schumer, who offered to pay for Trumps border wall in exchange for some protections for the DREAMers, so
some progress there. The Senate talks will resume shortly in just a couple hours before that known vote. Kristie.
LU STOUT: All right, CNN Suzanne Malveaux reporting there. Now as the U.S. government shutdown consumes Washington, U.S. Vice President Mike
Pence is in Israel. In fact right now, he is at the Knesset, that is Israel's parliament, he is delivering a speech. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We must also be resolved and vigilant to prevent old adversaries from gaining any new ground.
To that end, the United States will continue to work with Israel, and with nations across the world, to confront the leading state sponsor of terror,
the Islamic Republic of Iran.
(APPLAUSE)
PENCE: As the world has seen once again, the brutal regime in Iran is merely a brutal dictatorship that seeks to dominate its citizens and deny
them of their most fundamental rights.
History has proven, those who dominate their own people rarely stop there. And increasingly, we see Iran seeking to dominate the wider Arab world.
That dangerous regime sows chaos across the region. Last year alone, even as its citizens cried out for help with basic necessities, Iran devoted
more than $4 billion to malign activities in Syria, Lebanon, and elsewhere across the region.
It has supported terrorist groups that even now sit on Israel's doorstep. And worst of all, the Iranian regime has pursued a clandestine nuclear
program, and at this very hour is developing advanced ballistic missiles.
Two-and-a-half years ago, the previous administration in America signed a deal with Iran that merely delays the day when that regime can acquire a
nuclear weapon. The Iran nuclear deal is a disaster, and the United States of America will no longer certify this ill-conceived agreement.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: The U.S. Vice President Mike Pence there speaking live from the Knesset, expressing a joint U.S.-Israeli front against threats, main
checking Iran there.
Earlier in the day, he said it was an honor to be in, quote, Israel's capital of Jerusalem. He said the U.S. will move its embassy to Jerusalem
before the end of next year, another point of contention.
CNN's Oren Liebermann is in Jerusalem. He joins us now, and, Oren, your thoughts in the message being delivered right now on the Knesset by the
U.S. vice president, on the statement that the U.S. will move to confront Iran?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well that part of the speech that we just heard could have been written directly by Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, that hit was his favorite talking point, going on the offense about Iran.
And that is where the U.S. and Israel are exactly the same page confronting Iran's growing influence in the region and trying to do something to change
or fixed, or if it comes down to it, canceling the Iran nuclear deals, so that is where these two administrations, the Israeli and the U.S. are
exactly the same page.
Before that, Pence talked about and reaffirm the connection between these two, Israel and the U.S. Netanyahu and President Donald Trump, nothing
unexpected, they are exactly the part of the speech we expected to hear.
[08:10:00] It is worth pointing out that as Pence started speaking, Arab members of Israel's Knesset, held up a picture of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the
Old City of Jerusalem and started protesting Pence' speech. We knew they had something planned, and we got to look at it, either after they were
removed from the Knesset chamber there.
And that is a sign of the bigger issue here that the Trump administration faces as they are still pursuing what they have called, their ultimate
deal, a peace process between Israelis and Palestinians' lasting anger.
Not only from Arab states but from Palestinians in particular, at Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, even as Pence told the
Israelis, the Egyptians, and the Jordanians, stops before he was here that Trump is still committed to a peace process and is willing to commit to a
two-state solution if both sides agree.
Yet none of that gotten away with simply having a good time here. As he said a short while ago, here is part of what Pence has said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PENCE: It is deeply humbling for me to stand before this vibrant democracy.
(APPLAUSE)
PENCE: To have the great honor to address this Knesset, the first Vice President of the United States to be afforded that privilege here in
Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: This is the big event of today and perhaps, the biggest part of this stop on Pence's trip, which is really the victory lap of his visit
to the Middle East. Tomorrow, Pence will visit the Western Wall in Yad Vashem, Israel's holocaust museum. Kristie.
LU STOUT: All right. Oren Liebermann, reporting live from Jerusalem. Thank you, Oren. Now, despite his warm welcome from Mr. Netanyahu, Pence a
devote Christian is receiving less than warm welcome from Christian leaders in the Holy Land. Now, CNN's Ian Lee, explains why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Incense wafts into the air. Ancient prayers reverberate off stone walls. An Armenian priest performs the sacred
rituals.
Sunday service at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, in the grotto, on the spot, Christians believe Jesus was born, above Greek orthodox worshippers
receive the holy sacrament.
And in the room over a Catholic congregation sings hymns of peace. Despite centuries of war, famine, and disease the local Christians remained. But
now church leaders fear a complete exodus.
RAMI ASKARIAN, CATHOLIC PRIEST: Our biggest challenge is to keep them here. You need to build a government, the country, the identity for the
people. And this is we pray for that to have peace in this country.
LEE: Three denominations share the birthplace of Jesus, just right through that door. And while they don't agree on theology, they all agree that
U.S. Foreign policy is hurting the local Christian community.
When President Trump declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel, 13 of the city's church leaders from 13 denominations denounced it. Before the
declaration, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence announced a Middle East trip to help embattle Christians.
Now, not one of the local church leaders wants to meet him. The major threat to Christians in the Middle East comes from the White House, that
according to former Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah.
MICHEL SABBAH, FORMER LATIN PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM: If he wants to defend Christians in the Middle East, he has to stop changing the American policy
in the Middle East to start a new vision of politics build on life, a new life in all countries.
LEE: What's seen here as the U.S.' preferential treatment toward Israel and the occupation of Palestinians lands is driving Christians away to the
clergy.
People's lives, opportunities, and movement restricted by Israel. In a Christmas message, Prime Minister Netanyahu defended Israel saying it's the
only country in the region where Christians have equal opportunity.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: I'm proud that Israel is the country that in which Christians not only survive but they thrive because
we believe in this friendship among people and we protect the rights of everyone to worship in the holy shrines behind me.
LEE: But local Christians see the opposite and look abroad for a better life.
MORIN BUTTO, CATHOLIC: We want to raise our kids here and we don't know what makes to a deep but most -- the most that we know that most of our
related left the country for these political situations.
LEE: If the American Vice President truly wants to help the Christians of the Holy Land, Sabbah offers this advice.
[08:15:04] SABBAH: If you love Israel, it's very good. But you love the Palestinians, if you are Christians they say love everyone.
LEE: Otherwise a Church without a congregation becomes just another shrine. Ian Lee, CNN, in Bethlehem, the West Bank.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: In the past hour, America's top diplomat met with the prime minister of Britain. The U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is also
meeting with his British counterpart, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.
They are expected to discuss Syria and Iran. Now this comes after Donald Trump canceled his trip to the U.K. which had been expected next month.
And the U.S. defense secretary James Mattis is in Asia right now.
He's trying to strengthen ties with Indonesia and Vietnam. Maritime cooperation is high on the agenda, however, the U.S. government shutdown
looms in the background. When it happened, Mattis worked to reassure allies, saying defense operations will continue.
But some here in Asia are not impressed, China's Xinhua released a scathing editorial saying the shutdown exposes chaotic flaws in the U.S. political
system. All this happened on the one-year anniversary of Mr. Trump's presidency.
I spoke to Keith Richburg, the director of Hong Kong University's Journalism and Media Study Center about Asia's perception of Trump's
leadership.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH RICHBURG, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: It just feeds into this idea that the Western democracies and the U.S. are dysfunctional right now. You
know, I've sat on panels here including one from the SCMP here in Hong Kong recently where there's a lot of talk -- this talk about whether the Western
model doesn't work anymore, democracy doesn't work.
And China's offering this alternative system saying look, we're really glad we didn't follow Bill Clinton's advice when we join the WTO and open our
economy and make it more liberal politically.
Look at the mess in your countries are in now with Brexit in the U.K. and now with the U.S. with the Trump election and you guys can't even keep your
government open. So it just feeds into this narrative that the West is in decline.
China is in the ascendancy. China is offering an alternative model for a lot of people out there. So that's why it looks really bad.
LU STOUT: And that was narrative that Chinese President Xi Jinping really capitalized on last year when he spoke at Davos, the World Economic Forum.
We understand that Donald Trump is set to go to Davos. He is on schedule to give a big speech there on Friday. Could we see a new persona out of
Donald Trump -- a globalist Donald Trump?
RICHBURG: I don't think you would see that as much because he's going to go there and push this America First agenda and try to tell these world
leaders gather there what America First really means.
You might try to soften the rough edges of it. But the irony would be if you can't even go because the government is shutdown. I mean, imagine Xi
Jinping goes there and he gives a very open speech about the word, need for trade and globalization.
And then Donald Trump is stuck in Washington dealing with the shutdown when he supposed to be the consummate deal maker. As I wrote, The Art of the
Deal, can't cut a deal to keep the lights turn on in Washington. Think of the irony of that.
LU STOUT: You know, one year into the Trump presidency, has Trump conquered Asia or has Asia conquered Trump?
RICHBURG: Well, I think Asia has got the measure of this guy.
LU STOUT: Yes.
RICHBURG: They figured him out pretty early on. I mean, some of the earliest guest in Mar-a-Lago where Xi Jinping and he came with gifts. He
knew that Trump likes flattery.
He likes to be able to say I got something. I got to win. So what do you do, he lifted the ban on U.S. meat -- U.S. beef going into China.
But, you know, he brought in this -- he opened up the market of China, the U.S. beef. Then you had Shinzo Abe. He was there even before. You know,
they played around golf together. They had this bromance together.
And then when Trump made his trip to Asia, they knew how to flatter him. All of the things he was talking about during the campaign, he was talking
about the bad free trade deal with Korean, talking about Japan as a currency manipulator, talking about China -- he was going to name them a
currency manipulator.
None of that happened. He got flattered. He got this lavish reception of the Forbidden City in Japan. He played around golf with Abe, who gave him
a hat that said, you know, making the alliance greater -- even greater.
That was Donald and Shinzo, and I think now the Asian leaders, they figured him out. You flatter him, you give him something that he can take home as
a win. You make him think that he is the most important guy.
Even with the Koreans, they are willing to say, hey, you know it's all because of you we're having this dialogue now with North Korea. It is all
because of you Donald. And I think he loves that kind of praise.
LU STOUT: Human rights and press freedom, a priority for this U.S. president. So, what are we going to seen happened in Asia, especially in
places like Myanmar and in Philippines?
RICHBURG: Absolutely. I think that's the one distressing. Some people say will say, there has been a huge change from the Obama administration to
Trump would be those who are, you know, concerned about human rights issues, those who are concerned about press freedom.
A lot of these authoritarian rulers around Asia have started Trumpeting or parroting Trump's fake news mantra that he repeats at every turn.
You are actually starting to hear in Duterte in the Philippine say it's fake news and he shuts down news organizations like Rappler as he did.
You're starting to hear the prime minister in Malaysia saying it's all fake news when the 1MDB scandal stories are exposed.
[08:20:03] Hun Sen in Cambodia has shutdown Voice of America, Radio Free Asia is no longer able to broadcast there, the Cambodia Daily shutdown.
It's very specifically -- Hun Sen has very specifically quoted Trump, saying it's all fake news.
You guys broadcast fake news and in Myanmar, the journalist who expose the Rohingya massacres, they've been told they're just sprouting fake news.
So, you know, not only has Trump not gotten the backs of the journalist, but he is actually giving some of these authoritarian leaders an excuse to
kind of crackdown on their own press, which is not something I think the White House intended but I think it's one of those unintended consequences.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Keith Richburg there. You are watching News Stream. Still ahead, a complex picture of a devastating war, and as Turkish forces
advance inside Syria. We have the latest on the military operation that Turkey has dubbed Olive branch.
Plus, terror at a hotel in the capital of Afghanistan, how militants were able to bypass heavy security and storm the hotel in a deadly scene that
lasted for 12 hours.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. This is News Stream. I want to draw your attention to this graph, which looks at the
various forces at play in serious conflict. As you can see, it is pretty complicated but at the center of it all, is one group that everyone is
trying to defeat, ISIS.
But now the situation in Syria has become more complicated still. in the past hour, Turkey's president said that there is no taking a step back for
launching a ground and air offensive in Northern Syria. The main target appears to be a U.S. ally, a Kurdish group, the YPG.
But Turkey says it is also fighting ISIS. France has called for a U.N. Security Council meeting. For more in the story, Sam Kiley, joins us now
live from Istanbul. And, Sam, what is the latest on this offensive, and what is Turkey's ultimate objective here?
SAM KILEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest is that the Free Syrian Army, which is an Arab organization. They are originally born to fight
against the Assad regime but now, backed by the Turks has open a new front to the East and South of the Afrin enclave, Kurdish dominated play in
northern Syria.
So that effectively now is a pincer movement going on with Turkish ground troops coming in from the north, following a day or more of air strikes
yesterday. There have been some rocket report -- reports of rocket attacks inside Turkish territory, the Turkish state news agency reporting in one
village, that one person was killed.
And one of these -- and at the same time, President Erdogan has just given a very long speech in which he laid out really Turkish aims for this
mission.
[08:25:00] And also, bitterly criticize the United States. Now his aim is in the first instance. He is very clear about this to take over and drive
what he calls a terrorist organization, the YPG to put them out of business effectively because in their view of hearing Turkey, they are part of the
Kurdish Worker's Party, which has long-standing secessionist terrorist campaign against the Turkey proper.
That said, he's also very angry indeed about the continued American support for the very same organization, the YPG which supported -- which was
supported by the United States in its very effective ultimately campaign against the so-called Islamic State.
A few weeks ago the Americans announced that they were going to set up a border force of some 30,000 YPG soldiers that would be on the Kurdish held
areas not in the Afrin so much, but further east.
And ultimately, that is going to be Turkey's target, as far as the Turkish president is concerned. Pretty much piecemeal, they are going to grind
across that border area between Turkey and Syria that is occupied by Kurdish forces and drive them out of that area.
Because in the words of the Turkish president, these are not freedom fighters, this is a terrorist border organization that Americans have
helped to established.
LU STOUT: And that is what, Erdogan has defined the international outcry where Erdogan is vowing his Kurdish opponents inside Syria. Let's talk
more about the YPG.
We know the Kurdish militia is armed and trained by the U.S. to join its fight against ISIS and Syria. There are reports out there that they have
fired back.
They have sent rockets into Turkey. I mean, this is -- how difficult the challenges is this going to be for Turkey to fight and somehow bring down
this Kurdish militia?
KILEY: Well, it's going to get harder and harder. Afrin if you like is very low hanging fruit as far as the political context of this is because
this section of the YPG is not really part.
And here's a load of alphabet soup for you, not part of the Syrian Democratic forces which is the not only Kurdish but Arab force that was
combined and trained, and armed by the Americans to combat ISIS, further over in the Eastern area dominated by the Kurds.
This pretty much stayed out of the fight, indeed they did a deal at a peace with the Russians in the Assad regime. So they don't have a lot of friends
on the ground. It is a mountainous area that traditionally the Kurdish terrorist organizations have used to launch attacks inside Turkey.
So from that perspective, a lot of anger bogged down in the mountains and probably certainly with the help of some Arab fighters might be able to
pull that off fairly rapidly.
But as they try to work their way east, that is going to be a lot harder. And it's going to be a lot more problematic politically because it brings
them closer and closer into conflict with the aims, if not the individuals of the fellow NATO nation, namely, the United States.
Not just the United States that have got boots on the ground, there are British special forces at the (Inaudible), a number of special forces from
a number of NATO countries are operational there or have been alongside the Syrian democratic forces.
This Kurdish dominated but more ethnically spread force. So that is going be much harder done any politically because military, they are stronger as
you go east of the Euphrates. They are better trained.
They are very battle hardened after their fight with ISIS. And I think in all probability, he'll probably try and salami sliced territory out -- off
of them over possibly many years.
LU STOUT: Yes, and this appears to be shaping into a dangerous new front of the on going Syrian conflict. Sam Kiley, reporting for us live, thank
you.
Now, the Taliban have taken responsibility for a deadly siege to the hotel in the heart of Afghanistan's capital. Militant killed at least 18 people,
it began standoff with security forces that range for some 12 hours.
Local reports suggest the death toll could be much higher. At least 14 of those killed were foreigners, most of them from Ukraine. This attack
happened at the Intercontinental Hotel. The same hotel that Taliban fighters attacked in June 2011 killing 11 people, you can still see the
smoke rising from the building on Sunday.
And there were reports of people jumping from balconies, just trying to escape the gunmen. State Department warned of a possible attack on hotels
in Kabul.
And private company had reportedly taken over security at the hotel three weeks ago. And Reuters reports, there will be an investigation into
possible (Inaudible).
And there has been a deadly bombing in a market in southern Thailand where three people were killed and at least 20 were wounded when a motorcycle
packed with explosives, blew up. The attacker fled the scene just before the explosion.
It happened in the Muslim province of Yala, which has been struggling with a long-running insurgency. A Thai army spokesman tells CNN, the attack was
clearly aimed at civilians. You are watching News Stream. And coming up, North Korea's inspection team is in Seoul to get things ready for their art
troupe and athletes. The latest on the Olympic Press.
And hundreds crowded into Tokyo's underground tunnels as the city tries to make sure it is ready for a possible missile attack.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream." These are your wold headlines.
Republicans and Democrats in Washington are blaming each other for U.S. government shutdown, now entering its third day. Senate Republican Leader
Mitch McConnell has set a vote in just a few hours that could reopen the government at least temporarily. But, there is no indication there will be
enough democratic support for it to pass.
The U.S. vice president is (INAUDIBLE) where he just spoke. Right after he started, a small group of Arab-Israeli lawmakers build posters and started
shouting in protest. (INAUDIBLE) the U.S. embassy which removed from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem will open before the end of the year.
Former international footballer George Weah has been sworn in as Liberia's new president. You can see his supporters. He takes over from Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf. This is Liberia's first peaceful transfer of power in more than 70 years.
A North Korean delegation is in South Korea to inspect sites for performances performances during the Winter Games in February, but their
arrival has sparked controversy. CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson has more from Seoul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A North Korean delegation is here visiting the South Korean capital. As you can see, there
is a huge police presence. This all ahead of the upcoming Winter Olympics.
The delegation includes a North Korean musician named Hyon Song Wol. She is the closest thing Pyongyang has to a pop star. She leads an all-female
musical group, and she has been the focus of intense media attention here. Some media outlets have even been reporting on what she eats for breakfast
and how she likes her coffee.
The visit of the North Korean delegation isn't popular with everybody here in Seoul. The small group of anti-North Korean protesters here, they try to
burn a North Korean flag
[08:35:00] and the police won't let them do it. Also, tens of thousands of South Koreans have signed a petition opposing the move to include the North
and South Korean women's ice hockey teams.
The North Korean delegation has been scouting venues like the stadium, looking for places where they could perform during the upcoming Winter
Olympics. Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee has agreed to allow North Korea to expand its team of athletes who will be participating
to at least 22 athletes.
They will be accompanied by hundreds of musical performers, a Taekwondo demonstration team, cheerleaders and of course North Korean government
officials. The South Korean government has invested heavily in this sports diplomacy. They have taken to calling the upcoming Winter Games the Peace
Olympics.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Many are hoping North Korea's participation in the Olympics will have diffuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula, but in Japan, they are
preparing for the worst. Tokyo held a missile drill on Monday, preparing citizens for the possibility of a North Korean missile strike. Will Ripley
reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right now, we are inside Tokyo Dome and just minutes from now, they are going to begin really a
rehearsal for what is Japan's nightmare scenario, a ballistic missile from North Korea traveling for the densely populated area. And of course, it
doesn't get anymore densely populated than the greater Tokyo area, home to some 35 million people.
(voice over): This is a nation that is prepared for natural disasters of all kinds, but they haven't had drills like this, drills to prepare for
possible bombing attack since World War II.
This is a simulation of what supposed to happen if an actual missile is approaching Tokyo.
(on camera): People get a message on their phones called a J Alert and it tells them they need to either go underground to a subway station like this
or inside sturdy building.
(voice over): There have been dozens of exercises like this here in Japan over the last year, but this is the first time they held one in Tokyo. And
a lot of the people were speaking without hearsay it's frightening.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We don't know what North Korea has on their minds. It is very frightening to think about what would happen
if Tokyo is severely damaged.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): There are many North Korean missiles flying towards us lately, so I want to be ready for it.
RIPLEY: But these protesters here say this is different. They say the Japanese government is politicizing the threat from North Korea because
they are trying to change Japan's pacifist constitution, trying to make the Japanese military have a more prominent role around the world.
These people say this drill is larger than it needs to be and essentially, the government is trying to mentally prepare citizens for war.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We know there are various opinions about this. But the reality is that missiles have been flying over to
Japan. The government believes it is important for people to understand what kind of action that the public must take.
RIPLEY (voice over): Last year, two North Korean missiles flew over this country and many more came very close. Things have been quiet lately with
those inter-Korean talks and the upcoming Olympics.
(on camera): But the question on many people's minds here in Japan, for how long?
Will Ripley, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Women are about to take their message and their energy to the ballot box. We are going to show some of the hundreds of marches for
equality this weekend.
[08:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: All right, broadcasting live from Hong Kong, welcome back, this is "News Stream."
Now, Sunday marked the last day of the latest round of women's marches in the U.S. And for the participants, it was a day of resolve to win political
office. Thousands gathered in cities to demand equality and rights for women. They took to the streets in cities like Miami, Florida, Buffalo, New
York, and Las Vegas.
That was one of the weekend's biggest rallies. Organizers and celebrities, they urged women to turn their attention to the 2018 U.S. midterm
elections. Seats in the House and Senate are up for (INAUDIBLE).
(START VIDEO CLIP)
ANNA GALLAND, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MOVEON.ORG: We are marching for a future where there is a place of honor and dignity for everyone. We are fighting
for a country where we understand our fates are bound up together. Together. We are all bound up in each other.
For an economy that lifts up everyone, for access to health care for all, for peace, for our climate, for racial and gender justice, for our
democracy itself, for our children and grandchildren. We are marching for the America that has never yet been but will be.
CHER, AMERICAN SINGER AND ACTRESS: This is one of the worst time in our history and that's why I honestly believe that women are going to be the
ones that fix it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: And Sunday marked another Hollywood celebration for the best in film and television, the Screen Actors Guild Awards. "Three Billboards
Outside Ebbing, Missouri." That movie had a winning night. The film's star, Frances McDormand, won best actress. Sam Rockwell won best supporting
actor.
The cast also won outstanding performance by a cast in a theatrical motion picture. The SAG Awards elevated the voices of women with first ever host
Kristen Bell and all-female presenters.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTEN BELL, ACTRESS, SAG AWARDS HOST: Everyone's story deserves to be told, especially now. We are living in a watershed moment and as we march
forward with active momentum and open ears, let's make sure that we are leading the charge with empathy and with diligence, because fear and anger
never win the race.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Amen. The Screen Actors Guild also announced a new code of conduct. That will be enacted on sets to keep actors safe.
That is "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere, "World Sport" with Amanda Davies is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)
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