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Hala Gorani Tonight
General Motors Pulls Out of Europe with $2.3 Billion Sale; Trump Fails to Shake Off Russia Questions; Putin Spokesman Slams Russia Hacking Allegations; "Students for Freedom" Tackle Slavery; Japan: Where Food is an Art Form; Controversy Over "Beauty and the Beast Scene; Trump Signs Executive Order On Revised Travel Ban; Newly Revised Travel Ban Does Not Include Iraq; North Korea Fires Another Four Ballistic Missiles; Fillon to Stay In Race, Juppe To Stay Out. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired March 06, 2017 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Hala Gorani live from CNN London. Thanks for being with us this Monday. This is THE
WORLD RIGHT NOW.
It was a little bit later than promised, but U.S. President Donald Trump today signed a revised and reined in travel ban. We have only this single
still image of Mr. Trump signing because the White House press corps was not allowed in the oval office.
Instead, he sent his cabinet to face the media. The secretaries of state and homeland security and the attorney general showed a united front
defending the president's authority. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REX TILLERSON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Hello, good morning. And thank you for joining us. The executive order signed by the president earlier
today protecting the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States.
JEFF SESSIONS, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: This executive order, responsibly provides a needed pause so we can carefully review how we scrutinize people
coming here from these countries of concern.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Just like their boss, none of the three cabinet members took reporter questions. The details now on what this means for travelers
coming to the United States. If you're an Iraqi citizen, your country is now off the banned list.
That leaves six Muslim majority countries, Iran, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan. For some Syrian refugees, there may still be hope for a
future in the United States. The indefinite ban is scrapped, replaced by a 120-day pause in the resettlement program.
Those with existing green cards and visas should be let in. Now, that wasn't the case with the first ban. Some people might be eligible for
waivers, like those with urgent medical care or those who are visiting close family. But the power there lies with immigration enforcement to
decide who qualifies.
My first guest has insight into national security issues. Mike Rogers was a Republican House member and former chairman of the House Intelligence
Committee. Thanks for joining us.
So your reaction to this revised executive order. You still have the six countries on the list, but they're trying to tighten the language there in
order to make this immune, presumably, to any court action.
MIKE ROGERS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY COMMENTATOR: Yes, I think this was a much more responsible approach to the pause on immigration from those six
countries. Remember all of the places that are listed on that list with the exception of Iran is in some sort of conflict. When that happens, it
diminishes the amount of information U.S. immigration officials can get to make a determination on these visas.
So, it's a temporary pause. Many called for this, even Barack Obama, before he left office, had a special review for these countries, plus a few
others and I think --
GORANI: But it wasn't a ban. It's not the same, though.
ROGERS: This is a ban for 120 days, and so many were calling, when President Obama did it, should they ban it and then fix the problem versus
trying to fix it while it's in motion. And I think that's what they decided to do today, was to try to fix the problem with getting the
appropriate information to make a good decision on these immigration visas.
I think that's what they're doing. This one will -- I think this one will pass constitutional muster. The last one, clearly, was not going to do
that. The way they laid it out was bad, all of those things.
I think this one, and now you have both the Department of Homeland Security, former General Kelly and Tillerson and the attorney general, all
signing off on it. I think this was a much better way for them to try to fix some of these problems we're having.
GORANI: But it still doesn't answer the questions that were raised with the first travel ban.
[15:05:01]Why not, if you're going to sign an executive order, calling for the pause in the issuance of visas from certain countries, why not include
countries where you've actually had citizens from those countries commit terrorist attacks in the United States, Pakistan being one of them, for
instance. Why not Saudi Arabia? What threat is this exactly addressing, some people in the region are asking?
ROGERS: Yes. So you have to remember one thing. A as a former FBI guy and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee can tell you, some
governments, even though you wouldn't assume that we're each and every day an ally, sometime we agree and sometimes we disagree.
In most of those other countries or most all of them, we have some relationship with the government that helps us get through the visa
process, meaning, can you help us vet, can you determine if this person is going to cause the United States problems or not.
In the countries listed, we don't have those kind of relationships. That causes a special kind of problem for our immigration officials, and that's
why I think, in this more responsible approach, you're going to get this pause.
What are some of the extra things that they can put in in the next 120 days to make sure you're catching people who intelligence knows is trying to get
to the United States for bad purposes. And I think that was the intent of today's work.
GORANI: So you sound like you think this is a good idea.
ROGERS: I think this is much better than the first one. I did not think the first go-around was appropriate, at all. It included green card
holders and people who already had visas. I think we did have a visa problem that we are going to have to work through in this country, in
places where we know there is conflict.
And we know we have information, through intelligence sources and methods, that someone from those countries is trying to infiltrate into the United
States, it seems to make sense to me. Now, at the end of it, this should not be a permanent ban.
This should be an opportunity for immigration officials to catch their breath and put into place ways that we can catch people that we have strong
indications would come here to do -- with ill intent.
GORANI: But this hasn't happened before. Do you think this is based on intelligence that the government has, that it could happen in the future,
that they have intelligence that they've gathered, that people who are citizens of one of those six countries might present a bigger risk now than
they did, say, three months ago? I mean, ISIS has been an issue in Syria for years.
ROGERS: Yes, and there have been -- believe me, this discussion has been going on for years about how we fix the process of getting information for
a proper vetting of a visa from countries that are higher at risk. And think about it, in Yemen, it is all but civil war in Yemen. Lots of
conflict.
GORANI: But what about Iran? Iran is the one that has so many people puzzled. They have nothing to do with ISIS. It's a Shia country.
ROGERS: Well, I would argue, again, speaking from my experience in the past, Iran does have interests in putting people in the United States with
ill intent. As a matter of fact, a few years ago, there was a public case of Iranians arrested who were casing a particular critical infrastructure
site in New York City and were arrested and prosecuted, subsequently.
So we know that the government of Iran is not necessarily playing up to international rules or standards. And I would argue that there needs to be
a way to make sure that we have the right kinds of information to make sure that people who want to come here legitimately and get their visas can do
that.
And those that are here for, you know, the wrong purposes, have -- we're able to catch them. And so, again, this is a temporary pause. I like the
way that they've revamped this. It doesn't count people who are green card holders, if you already had your visas and have gone through that process,
you get to come in.
What they're saying is, you have to wait for four months. Let our immigration folks put in the right protections and then we're going to
reinstitute the visa process for those particular countries, who, with the exception of Iran, are in high conflict zones. And that, again, needs to
be noted, I think.
GORANI: Mike Rogers, thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate it.
Well, Iraq was excluded this time. The government apparently took action after the initial ban. They lobbied hard. A senior American official
tells CNN that the highest levels of the Iraqi government asked to have the country removed from the revised version. What did they say?
For that, we're joined by CNN senior correspondent, Ben Wedeman. So Ben, they were essentially expressing relief before the revised travel ban
executive order was within signed?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it came out this afternoon, local time. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry putting out a statement
saying that Iraq's exclusion from the new list is a step in the right direction.
It bolsters relations between Baghdad and Washington, particularly in the fight against terrorism. So, they were basically going upon premature, you
could say, press reports that Iraq was off the list.
[15:10:04]But we do know that Iraqi officials committed to, for instance, to provide additional information on Iraqi nationals applying for visas to
the United States.
So they've put in place, or they will put in place, information sharing that wasn't there before. And of course, Iraqis, when the first executive
order came out on the 27th of January, were absolutely enraged that a country that has suffered more than any from ISIS, that's engaged in a
bloody and long war against ISIS, would have been included on that list.
The Iraqi parliament, in fact, voted in favor of implementing reciprocal measures against U.S. nationals. It was never put into place, but that
certainly sent a message. So the Iraqi officials lobbied long and hard to get their country off of the new travel ban -- Hala.
GORANI: Right. And they succeeded with that. Thanks so much, ben Wedeman, is live in Iraq with the latest reaction from the Middle East.
Now, there are several legal issues to delve into today.
Let's start with whether the revised travel ban can withstand a challenge in court where the previous order failed because it was blocked. CNN legal
analyst and former federal prosecutor, Laura Coates joins me now for that.
Laura, thanks for being with us. First of all, the language of this particular executive order, can it withstand legal action where the other
one couldn't?
LAURA COATES, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it certainly has a much better shot, and here's why. There are really three problems with the last travel
ban. One was the administration failed to consider a little thing called due process.
Meaning, if you had a right or a property right in something like a visa or a right to enter our country, you actually have to be able to have an
opportunity to have a hearing and notice of it before it's taken away from you.
The second thing is whether or not you had this little thing called the Establishment Clause. In the United States, the Constitution says that
this government cannot promote, prefer, or advance any particular religion.
And when there was a prior clause that said they would give preferential treatment to a minority religion in certain countries that violated the
establishment clause.
And the third thing was the big one. What is the justification? Remember, the courts here said, excuse me, I know the president has, you know, has to
get deference for national security. You have a right to be able to say who can come in and out of the country.
But you can't make a bald assertion. Give us some facts to assert why the vetting measures in place right now are not sufficient and so this
administration came back and tried to explain that.
And as one point they made was, well, we've got 300 people who came into the country as refugees, who are presently being investigated for
counterterrorism.
That leaves the biggest window for the courts to continue to reject this particular ban, which is, there's no information that these people came in
as adults, first of all, were radicalized in the United States or elsewhere, or if they came from any of the six countries who are remaining
on that ban.
But in the prior two, the due process, the establishment clause, a much better fit for the Constitution.
GORANI: But they also removed language about leaving preferential treatment to non-Muslim religious minorities in some of those countries,
making it really easier to argue that this is a ban against Muslims.
COATES: Well, it's actually a little bit of the opposite. What they're trying to say is, when they took away the preferential treatment, they were
essentially violating the establishment clause that says the United States cannot promote particular religion.
When they took that particular clause out, their argument is, they can say, well, this shows it's not a Muslim ban, because those minority religions in
those countries we named would actually be Christians, perhaps.
And so the administration is trying to use the backdoor aspect of saying, listen, if we wanted to ban all Muslims, we wouldn't have chosen just these
six countries. We perhaps would have expanded to other countries you already named earlier in your broadcast, perhaps.
And that would have been a more clear indication. So, this looks a little bit more constitutional. But, again, the last part remains the courts. It
is their duty --
GORANI: But there's no specific -- what I'm saying, there is no specific allusion here, reference to religion.
COATES: Exactly.
GORANI: There's no reference to a religious minority in one of those Muslim majority countries.
COATES: Exactly.
GORANI: For preferential treatment.
COATES: You're absolutely right. The reason for that is because the lower courts here in the United States gave a blueprint and said, we've got a
real problem with the establishment clause here. This looks like, combined with your campaign rhetoric that was for months and months talking about a
Muslim ban, and the former mayor, Rudy Giuliani talking about that Trump came to him and said, figure out a way to make a Muslim ban legal. The
courts look behind that veil and say, is this a pretext for religious discrimination or a benign opportunity to advance national security
interests? I think this time, the courts out.
[15:15:04]GORANI: OK. We'll see. Because there will be legal challenges and the ACLU, for instance, who we spoke to said, we'll want to litigant
this issue. It's going to happen. We'll see when and how. Thanks so much, Laura Coates. Always a pleasure.
What do people who have already immigrated to the United States think about this latest move? Nick Valencia is in Clarkston, Georgia, where you might
be surprised to know there is a large immigrant population there.
And Nick, you were able to speak to a Syrian man a little bit earlier and ask him for his reaction.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just to set the scene a little bit, Hala. Clarkston, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta was designated a great place
to resettle refugees by the U.S. State Department about a generation ago and since, they've done exactly that. There's population of about 13,000
people, half of them are foreign born.
Majority of those that are foreign born are refugees from places like Somalia, Ivory Coast, Syria, Iraq, Iran, the list goes on and on. More
than 50 languages spoken here.
So when President Trump announced this new executive order banning travel from six countries of predominantly Muslim countries, it really resonated
here in this community.
So earlier, we sat down with people from the Somali community and Syrian community as well to get their reaction about this announcement. One of
them is Dr. Herval Kelly, who you are about to hear from.
Fifteen years ago, he arrived in the United States, two weeks after September 11th. He was washing dishes to support his family and now he's a
cardiologist fellow at Emory University just a few blocks away from where he washed dishes. I got his reaction as well as the mayor of Clarkson to
this new announcement of the travel ban that affects six Muslim countries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would have been devastated if someone told me I cannot come to this country and be who I am today. It's the greatest place
in this country, and it's great because we accept refugees and immigrant who want to come to this country and make it a better place.
VALENCIA: And you know people in Syria who are impacted by this right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I have nephews who their father was killed by ISIS who are trying to come here and (inaudible) apply for them to come to the
U.S. and I want to take of them.
VALENCIA: And when you hear the Trump administration isolating predominantly Muslim countries, he says it's about securing America,
protecting from terrorist activities. Your thoughts on that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a Muslim. I'm a Syrian. I'm also an American serving the veteran hospital here in Atlanta. That speaks for itself.
VALENCIA: You've been the mayor here in Clarkson for the last four years. Your critical role here in welcoming refugees. What is this impact to your
constituents in Clarkston, Georgia?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clarkston is known as the Ellis Island of the south and so our entire local economy is really revolving around refugee resettlement
and welcoming in these new Americans.
And already just in the last 30 days, this sort of hold on resettlement is already affecting local grocery stores, causing more vacancies in apartment
complexes and really affecting the local economy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: Those perspectives are obviously just one side, Hala. The side of the refugee and those who support them. Plenty of people here in the
United States also support President Trump and they say that this decision will take the steps of securing the United States, but if you talk to
people here in Clarkston, they say it's the diversity that refugees bring that really makes this a safe place to live -- Hala.
GORANI: All right. All sorts of opinions and reactions and we'll be also talking about the latest Donald Trump approval ratings that have gone up in
the last few days. Thanks so much, Nick Valencia, reporting from Clarkston.
Still to come this evening, no (inaudible) from this French politician. He's vowing to stay in the country's election race despite facing scandal.
We'll be right back.
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[15:20:42]
GORANI: The U.S. and NATO are denouncing North Korea's latest missile test. So are regional powers, including the hermit kingdom's only ally in
the world, China. North Korea fired off four missiles early Monday, which landed uncomfortably close to Japan.
They traveled almost a thousand kilometers toward the Sea of Japan and three reportedly landed inside Japan's exclusive economic zone, as it's
called. It's highlighted there. It stretches 200 nautical miles from its coastline.
As an American official tells CNN, a fifth missile failed to launch and that all of them are considered intermediate range. These missile tests
coincide with South Korea and the United States' joint military exercises.
Alexandra Field is following all of this from CNN Seoul. So Alexandra, usually it's when these joint military exercises happen between the United
States and South Korea that North Korea usually ends up doing something pretty provocative.
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, the timing here certainly comes as no surprise. Just last year when you saw those joint military exercises
happen, North Korea did its missile test and now in the beginning week of this two-month-long exercise period, you are seeing this firing off of four
missiles.
But analysts are considering this significant, even if it starts to seem like business as usual here in the region. And that is because of the
frequency with which we are now seeing these missile tests.
It was just last month, when you saw North Korea fire off another intermediary range missile, a new type of missile that could be fueled up
more quickly, they said, and it was about five months before that when they sent off another three missiles, also towards the Sea of Japan.
So the analysts who are looking at this are saying that there are signs now that North Korea is starting to develop a more sophisticated missile
program. They seem to need less time between the launches.
Again, the timing of this one nearly predictable, given that those joint military exercises are happening between the U.S. and South Korea. That
has, for a long time, raised the ire of North Korea. Kim Jong-Un Has been calling for an end to those exercises.
Pyongyang perceives that as a getting ready for an invasion. He has demanded a stop to these exercises and said that there would be retaliation
for them. So, yes, seeing this missile launch at this time does certainly jive with the kind of behavior that you have seen from North Korea in the
past.
But it is drawing strong rebuke from other countries in the region, certainly, obviously, from Japan. Also, of course, from South Korea and
the U.S., and even North Korea's strongest ally, China, also condemning the launch.
But noting that this is coming at the time of the joint military exercises and calling for restraint from all parties here -- Hala.
GORANI: All right, Alexandra Field in Seoul, thanks very much.
To France now where the road to the Elysee Palace is taking some unusual twists. The Republican candidate, Francois Fillon, is again saying he will
not quit the presidential race, despite a scandal over accusations he paid family members for work they didn't do.
Fillon now says it was a mistake to hire them, but he says they did perform meaningful work. He also says he has nothing to hide. But whether Fillon
goes or stays, one man has ruled himself out as a possible replacement, this man.
The former prime minister said once and for all, he said, I will not run. I will not jump into this race. This is one crazy election. I have
covered elections in France, we can get back to our studio here.
Hello! Covered elections in France since 2002, Melissa Bell. I've never seen so much drama. Two candidates, potentially, under investigation. You
have another one who's just coming out of nowhere, who's never been elected to any kind of public office.
The socialist candidate is so far in the polls, people are barely mentioning his name. Melissa Bell, what's happening? What's the impact of
Francois Fillon saying, I'm sticking with it?
MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: It's huge. He's essentially won his battle tonight, Hala. This is a man who's been fighting for his
political life for days. Not only in the face of this judicial inquiry, but also amid these growing calls for him to stand down.
Alain Juppe's refusal to stand against him helped, and tonight he held a meeting with all the traditional (inaudible) party here in France and won
that argument. He came out of the meeting with the party behind him. He will now be the Republican candidate, come what may.
[15:25:10]GORANI: Yes. And he had this big rally at (inaudible) in Paris and it was all about the numbers. And people did show up, even though the
weather wasn't great all the time. So that gave him a bit of a boost. The question is, who does it help or hurt the most, the fact that Fillon is
staying in the race, between Marine Le Pen, Macron, or the others?
BELL: As you say, it was all about the numbers, which sounds awfully familiar. There he was, holding a rally, attacking the media. We've seen
this all before, Hala, and fairly recently, too. This is very good news for Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader, into whose hands and narrative it
really plays, that these are political intrigues aimed at keeping the same elite in power, whatever they've done wrong.
She, of course, is facing a judicial cloud of her own. But it plays into that notion, that idea that she has that she's fighting the system,
fighting Europe, and doing it for the people. It doesn't actually harm her. It reminds her electorate that she embodies her party and all that it
stands for.
And that this wrangling amidst the traditional right should be happening so late in the game. We're less than seven weeks away from the first round --
Hala.
GORANI: Melissa, up until this morning, when before Alain Juppe addressed reporters, there was still that outside chance that he might jump into the
race a few weeks before Election Day. I mean, obviously, you have these scandals, but it doesn't -- they don't seem to be hurting a candidate like
Francois Fillon much, right?
I mean, in the polls up until a few days ago, he was still second after Marine Le Pen. Do you think that the last few days will have an impact at
all on his popularity?
BELL: It's certainly very bad news for the Republican Party, the sort of disarray that we saw today. A party that seemed to be on the verge of
implosion right up until that meeting at the 11th hour tonight. It is very bad news, in an election, that as you said, in the beginning, Hala, is
already extraordinary.
That sort of populist wave really shaking everything up here in France, just as it in the United Kingdom and the United States, with these two
candidates now, Marine Le Pen on one hand and Emanuel Macron, who are now predicted by the polls to go into the second round, excluding the two
traditional parties of right and left that have dominated France's political life since the start of the fifth republic.
In fact, they've shared power since 1958. Neither is predicted to get into the second round. This is the most extraordinary election. And from hour
to hour, you get a sense that you can't really tell which way it's going to go.
Marine Le Pen and the complete rupture that she represents or someone like Emanuel Macron, who would really show the strength of feeling here in
Europe for the sort of liberalism that he represents, despite the sort of populist age in which we find ourselves -- Hala.
GORANI: Right. Although, let's not look at polls anymore, Melissa. I think let's just be on the safe side, just say polls say this, but they've
been so wrong in the last year. They have been. Maybe we should find another gauge, crowd size, media coverage, something else. Anyway, we got
to go. Melissa Bell, thanks very much, live in Paris.
America's largest automaker is pulling out of Europe. GM is selling off Opel and Vauxhall and there are big implications for jobs on both sides of
the Atlantic. We'll discuss that marriage, next.
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[15:30:48] GORANI: Donald Trump has signed a revised version of his controversial travel ban. The new order takes effect next week and affects
citizens from six Muslim majority nations. Now, it won't affect travelers from Iraq anymore or current visa holders and permanent residents.
Also among the top stories we're following, the U.S., Japan, and South Korea are strongly condemning North Korea's latest missile test. Pyongyang
fired four ballistic missiles into the sea early Monday. Japan says three of them landed within 200 nautical miles of its coastline. China spoke out
against the launch and called for restraint from all sides.
The German Chancellor has condemned remarks by the Turkish President. Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Germany of Nazi practices after two rallies
supporting his government were canceled. Angela Merkel hit out at President Erdogan, saying those comments belittled the crimes of the Hitler
regime.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELA MERKEL, CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY (through translator): I tell you quite honestly, such misplaced statements deserve no serious comment. They
cannot be justified, not even with an election campaign with a referendum of the introduction of a presidential system in Turkey. It is especially
serious.
And personally, I feel it is simply sad that Nazi comparisons always just lead to one thing, namely to the fact that the incomprehensible suffering
of the crimes of humanity of nationalist socialism is belittled. And for that reason alone, comments like this disqualify themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Angela Merkel there.
Now, one of the world's largest carmakers is pulling out of Europe with a $2.3 billion sale. I'm talking about General Motors. It's selling its
loss-making operations, including Opel and Vauxhall to the French automaker Peugeot PSA. And that is the Europe's second largest carmaker behind
Volkswagen. Now, the G.E. CEO -- or I should say, G.M. CEO, Mary Barra called the merger a win for both sides.
All right. Let's put this in plain language for you. Paul La Monica joins me now from New York.
So G.M. has this loss-making operation, Opel-Vauxhall. It sells it to Peugeot in Europe. What does Peugeot hope to achieve here?
PAUL LA MONICA, CNNMONEY DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT: I think they are hoping that they can gain some more market share by adding these brands, even
though there have been problems with sales and G.M. being able to make a profit in Europe.
And it sounds like the final straw for Mary Barra and G.M. was Brexit. She talked about the geopolitical challenges in Europe that makes it difficult
for them as an American company to continue doing business there.
GORANI: But, so, why does Peugeot think it could do a better job? I mean, there are going to be job losses, presumably, in some of those U.K. plants
if they believe Brexit will hurt them.
LA MONICA: Presumably, in the U.K. plants and also Germany, there have been some concerns raised by both Theresa May and members of the German
government about potential job losses. And unfortunately, usually, what happens when you have one large company buying another or a subsidiary of a
large company, there are, inevitably, some job losses.
It would not surprise me if Peugeot does cut back a little bit to try and make Opel and Vauxhall more profitable because, unfortunately, it's not
something that G.M. has been able to do.
GORANI: What is the problem with Opel and Vauxhall? Why does it lose money?
LA MONICA: It has just been very challenging for G.M. over a period of years. They've never been able to really get the market share and the
increased sales that you would expect from a brand as well-known as G.M. They have struggled against Volkswagen, despite the many problems that that
company has obviously had. And interestingly, Volkswagen, their CEO said earlier today that they're expecting even more mergers in the auto industry
around the world.
GORANI: Now, and there's not just job losses potentially in the U.K. and Germany, but also in the United States?
LA MONICA: Yes. G.M. has announced that, unfortunately, there will be over a thousand job losses at a production plant in Michigan. This is, I
believe, the fourth time now in the past couple of years that G.M. has been forced to cut jobs in Michigan.
[15:35:00] And in this case, they are shifting some production of a couple of vehicles to Tennessee, so there are probably going to be, potentially,
you know, at a bare minimum, if not job losses in another plant in the U.S. There could be some job gains, but they're not shifting that particular
model to Mexico or other areas where President Trump might be, you know, might wind up tweeting angry things at them as he's done in the past.
GORANI: All right. Paul La Monica, thanks very much.
LA MONICA: Thank you.
GORANI: The Trump administration can't seem to shake questions about its dealings with Russia, and that apparently has President Trump fuming.
Sources tell CNN that an angry President Trump has been taking out his frustration on senior White House staff. He blames them for allowing the
fallout involving his Attorney General and Russia to overwhelm the positive response to last week's address to Congress. This, as the President courts
new controversy by accusing his predecessor of wiretapping him.
A lot to unpack here. Let's talk about the internal turmoil that appears to be going on in some parts of the White House.
Craig Fuller was Chief of Staff to former Vice President George H.W. Bush and a co-chair of Bush's presidential transition team. He joins us now
from Easton, Maryland, via Skype.
Thanks for being with us, sir. First of all, let me ask you a little bit about what you make of some of these reports that President Trump has been
fuming at his staff, very angry about leaks and also very angry, apparently, about some of the coverage that his Attorney General, Jeff
Sessions, has been getting.
CRAIG FULLER, FORMER CO-CHAIR FOR PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH TRANSITION TEAM: Well, last week was one of those sort of best of weeks, worst of
weeks for President Trump and his staff. Certainly, his address to the joint session of our Congress viewed, really, around the world as a speech
that was perhaps one that exceeded expectations. Certainly, the news was positive flowing out of it, only to, 24 to 48 hours later, be engulfed in
another story about Russian contacts with now Attorney General Sessions.
It is frustrating. It is the sort of thing that heads of state have to deal with. Events tend to push one story off the front page to another
one. But I can understand his frustration, especially when a lot of work went into that joint session speech. But these are the realities of
Washington.
GORANI: Right. But then, also, we saw that series of tweets accusing Barack Obama, his predecessor, of wiretapping him, offering no evidence,
and then saying the White House would like Congress to investigate this. There will be no comment until an investigation takes place. I mean, this
doesn't really answer many, many questions that people legitimately have about such a statement.
FULLER: No, indeed, it doesn't. None of us really quite understand this concept of tweeting early in the morning. And these tweets, with respect
to this wiretap, seem to have all of Washington puzzled.
In some unprecedented ways, intelligence and former intelligence officials have come out and said it just didn't happen. There's reports, of course,
that the Director of the FBI would like the Justice Department to deny it. I really haven't seen this kind of rapid response where officials are
denying something that usually they simply don't talk about. It's highly unusual.
I guess it was meant to deflect attention. Unfortunately, I think it's put this story right back on the front pages and right front and center on
coverage, on CNN and on other stations. And again, it detracts from the kinds of messages I would think the President would want to get out.
GORANI: Now, you were a White House insider. We're hearing reports that Reince Priebus, the White House Chief of Staff, is trying to reassure his
staff that everything is fine, everything is under control. We're almost 50 days in there to the Trump administration.
Is this something that is typical, that there is just a bit of kind of chaos in the first few weeks before staffers find their feet and, you know,
get comfortable in their roles in the White House? Or is this something you would consider unusual?
FULLER: It's not unusual, in my experience. I do think that (inaudible) 70 days between the election and the inauguration of the United States
President. And I do think that they did not get as far along as they perhaps should have in that period of time, and so now things are coming at
them very fast.
This sorting out process in the first hundred days of top staff is not completely unusual. That's not to say that changes will be made. But I do
think there needs to be some clarity around the authorities and the direction that people are taking there.
GORANI: And what do you make of the Press Secretary? I mean, first of all, Sean Spicer -- and you might remember this, that CNN and others were
excluded from an expanded gaggle media briefing in Sean Spicer's office. But he hasn't held an on-camera briefing since Monday, so it's been a week.
What should we make of that?
FULLER: Now, I really think they're trying to find the right pace of their interaction with the media. I, for one, have never understood why the
confrontational approach to begin with. You need to be out in front of the press every day.
[15:40:10] The State Department is experiencing the same thing (inaudible). This administration has to become more transparent, more willing to explain
what they're doing, and frankly, focused on the initiatives that brought Trump to office and the real work of the White House as opposed to tweets
and all of the drama that goes on around him.
GORANI: Because, one last thing, I mean, you know, we haven't heard from Sean Spicer in a week. But also, very interestingly, the President signed
this new travel ban executive order without a camera in sight, without giving access to the press, and only issued one White House-approved still
photograph. And that contrasts so much with what we've seen in the first few weeks of, basically, almost stage-managed productions inside the Oval
Office.
FULLER: Well, I think they're beginning to realize that they have to manage the way they roll these stories out. And they know that a question
period around the signing of an executive order would unlikely to have been much about the executive order and a lot more about the tweets.
They've got to find a balance. They need to put a good new story out every day. They need to stick to that message. And right now, they're still
struggling with that, to be sure.
GORANI: Craig Fuller, thanks so much. We really appreciate your time. Thanks for joining us.
FULLER: My pleasure.
GORANI: In the past hour, the spokesman for Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, have slammed these allegations about Moscow's involvement in U.S.
politics. Matthew Chance just sat down with the official and can tell us more.
Hi, Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hala, thanks very much. That's right. Some context -- the Kremlin were hoping that when
Donald Trump came to office, it was going to be a very different relationship with the United States. It was going to be a turning point in
that Moscow/Washington relationship that's been so rocky over the past couple of years, in particular.
Now, I spoke to Dmitry Peskov earlier. He's the spokesperson for the Kremlin, the spokesperson of Vladimir Putin. And I said to him, you know,
look, you know, you always made the point that you didn't view the Trump administration through rose-tinted spectacles. But even you must be
surprised, at the very least, to see how this Trump administration, how poisonous the Russia issue has become in U.S. politics.
Take a listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DMITRY PESKOV, PRESS SECRETARY FOR THE PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA: Well, I read the story about the situation that we are facing now. I mean, it is, I
would say, emotional extremism, trying to make a toxic country out of Russia, to make it toxic ambassador out of Russia's ambassador. This is
something unbelievable, actually. And I don't think it at all corresponds with our national interests. I mean, both interests of the United States
and Russia.
CHANCE: Who do you blame for this? Because, I think it was Donald Trump that promoted the issue of Russia and building a relationship with Russia
as a central part of his platform. Do you think, in retrospect, that was unwise on his part to privilege Russia in that way, to make it such a
central part of his election campaign?
PESKOV: I cannot answer your question because answering your question will mean that we interfere. So we don't have the slightest intention to
interfere. The only thing I can tell you is that all these hysteria in public opinion, hysteria in the official Washington, hysteria in American
media, this is doing lots of harm to the future of our political relationship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: I also asked Mr. Peskov what Vladimir Putin, his boss, the Russian president, thought when he watched his old Cold War rival, the United
States, tear itself up politically in this way. It must be satisfying, I suggested to him, to watch an old rival disintegrate politically in this
way.
And he said, no, not at all. We want America to be united. We want it to be a stable, predictable partner. And that's obviously something the
Kremlin do not have at the moment in the Trump administration, Hala.
GORANI: Well, what is it most unnerving to Russians and Russian officials you speak to? Is it the fact that you're hearing maybe mixed messages?
You hear the ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, say one thing about sanctions in Crimea, maybe something different, you know, from Donald
Trump, the U.S. President during his speech. Is it that they don't really know where this relationship might be going?
CHANCE: You know, I think that's exactly right. I mean, the Kremlin want, more than anything else, to know who they're dealing with on the opposite
sides of all the diplomatic issues that they've been at odds with United States over.
They thought they knew what Donald Trump was going to be, a man who'd promised during his election campaign to look again at the annexation of
Crimea, to do a deal with Russia over Syria, and to cooperate on international terrorism. They don't know what they're going to get now,
though. Something they expect to be very, very different and unpredictable.
[15:45:01] GORANI: All right. Matthew Chance, thanks very much, live in Moscow.
Members of the Sikh community in the U.S. state of Washington are in shock after a Sikh man was shot outside his home near Seattle. The gunman
allegedly told the victim to go back to your country before shooting him in the arm. The victim, an American citizen. Doctors expect him to make a
full recovery. Police are searching for the attacker, and they are investigating it as a possible hate crime.
This is THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. Still ahead, an exercise in empathy. The schoolchildren getting a firsthand insight into the horrors of child labor.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Childhood is obviously a special time, one that's supposed to be filled with love and enjoyment. But many children today don't have that
basic right because they've been forced into some sort of slavery, like sweat shops. It happens a lot around the world.
Now, it's a distinction one school in Hong Kong is keen to impress on its students. And it's going about doing that in a pretty unique way.
Alexandra Field has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT FRIEDMAN, CEO, THE MEKONG CLUB: I need you to take a bolt. Slower. Another row here. Five in a row.
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's 8:30 in the morning at this Hong Kong high school, but this is not a regular day.
FRIEDMAN: My name is Mr. Friedman. I run a company and our company makes nuts and bolts, and you have one of them in your hands.
FIELD (voice-over): Classes are canceled, Mr. Friedman says. Their labor is his for the next five hours.
FRIEDMAN: And you're going to take the nut; you're going to put it on the bolt. You're going to take the nut and put it on the bolt continuously. I
do not want you to talk to anyone else. I don't want you to even make eye contact with me.
FIELD (voice-over): The minutes crawl by. The students look bewildered, confused, even angry.
FRIEDMAN: You. Come over here. You're not doing it faster. Stand over here and do it faster.
Time is money. Come on! Faster!
OK, give her a detention. Right here. Just because.
Don't drop the bolt. Giver her detention.
FIELD (voice-over): The teenagers' struggled. The process is painfully slow.
FRIEDMAN: You're done.
FIELD (voice-over): Then Mr. Friedman reveals his true intentions.
FRIEDMAN: This was a simulation. It was to give you an opportunity to experience what it's like, for a short period of time, to lose control of
your life.
FIELD (voice-over): To help them understand what it's like for the millions trapped in forced labor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I was doing it, my hands started sweating. I was sweating. So I can't basically imagine how people would do it for like
14, 15 hours, every day.
FRIEDMAN: Do you think it was fair?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
FRIEDMAN: No?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
FRIEDMAN: Did you like me?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
(LAUGHTER)
FRIEDMAN: OK, very good. Thank you very much.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was pretty close to walking out of the room.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like, I felt pretty disheartened when I thought, you know, punishment.
FIELD (voice-over): Just an hour from their school day, designed to drive home the realities of modern-day slavery, an experience intended to
motivate young people to try and make a difference.
[15:50:10] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would definitely feel more sympathy for those who are, like, in slave labor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like, as students, we can actually raise awareness about this issue.
CROWD: Join us on March 14th to stand up to slavery.
FIELD (voice-over): Alexandra Field, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: That report is part of a series we're running this week on CNN, and teaming up with young people around the globe for a unique day of
action against this type of slavery on March 15th. It's called "My Freedom Day." And like these young people, we want to hear what freedom means to
you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom to me is to be always in pursuit of my passions and dreams and to achieve what I want to do in my future.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom, according to me, is an emotion. It's much more than a right or an expression.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom to me is waking up every day without having to worry that my rights will be taken away from me and living peacefully and
happy with my friends and family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To be free is to have the power to give, to make others free.
CROWD: Join us on March 14th to stand up to slavery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, I meant, March 14th. Apologies. If you're a young person and want to get involved, post a photo or a video using that hashtag,
#MyFreedomDay. You can also find out more at cnn.com/myfreedomday. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Well, if you've ever been to Japan, you'll agree, its cuisine is among the finest in the world, from sushi to ramen, yakitori to tempura.
Japanese dishes are nothing short of an art form and some take that literally. Will Ripley explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Edogawa is a suburb, like many on the fringes of Tokyo, the kind of place we don't
normally see much of in the movies, so different from the flashing lights and pulsing beat of Shinjuku.
But lined on these unexpected streets, you'll find some of Tokyo's most promising culinary talent. And their customers are just as unassuming as
they are.
TOMOMI MARUO, TEACHES CHARACTER BENTO: My name is Tomomi Maruo. I teach how to make kyaraben to the students.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Or character bento.
MARUO: When you make it with rice, first, shape the rice and make face parts with seaweed or ham, and just put them into the rice bowl.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Intricately molding rice, building facial expressions with seaweed, using bits of ham to illustrate emotions -- all to bring her
son's favorite characters to life, just in time for lunch.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
RIPLEY (voice-over): An art she's perfected over 13 years.
[15:55:03] MARUO: My kids like me to make people's face, like Michael Jackson or Obama, President Obama or Prime Minister Abe.
RIPLEY: A bento box communicated love in a culture where people don't very often say out loud, I love you. So mothers can express that in the bento
box that they make. And when kyaraben came along, they were able to do that and maybe take it to another level, you could say, because they were
able to make images on the bento box that their children already had an attachment to.
It's a practice that's become so widespread in the country, it's almost expected. But for Tomomi, it's the ultimate act of love.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Will Ripley reporting there. From love in your lunch box to love on screen, but not one that everyone is sharing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARIANA GRANDE, SINGER: Barely even friends. Then somebody bends. Unexpectedly.
JOHN LEGEND, SINGER: Just a little change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: It may be a tale as old of time, but some people won't be saying be our guest to Disney's new film "Beauty and the Beast." They're taking
objection not to the relationship between a woman and a monster but because this character briefly dances with another man.
Meet Lefou, sidekick to the villain, Gaston, the reason why a Russian politician wants the movie banned. Russian law forbids showing what it
called gay propaganda to minors.
Not just Russia. There's been controversy in the United States as well. Ever wondered what Russia and Alabama have in common? Wonder no more. A
theater in Alabama is refusing to show the film, saying it goes against the Bible.
You can decide what you think for yourself when the movie goes on release later this month.
This has been THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. I'm Hala Gorani. Thanks for watching. I'll see you tomorrow, hopefully. Same time, same place.
"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
