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Hala Gorani Tonight
Macron Addresses Congress Stresses Special Bonds; Rouhani Questions Trump's Qualifications; Trump Warns Iran Against Restarting Nuclear Program; South And North Korea Count Down To Historic Summit; Former Israeli Policeman Sentenced In Palestinian Teen's Death. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired April 25, 2018 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:31]
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Live from CNN London, I'm Hala Gorani. Tonight, after the kisses, the hugging and the
hand holding, President Macron takes aim at Donald Trump's agenda in a speech to Congress. Climate change and nationalism were both in the
crosshairs.
Also, the Supreme Court in America is deciding right now on the latest version of President Trump's travel ban. We're in Washington for that.
And a verdict in the gruesome murder of a journalist that shocked Denmark. We'll have the details later this hour.
And fresh off of a huge speech on Capitol Hill, the French president, Emanuel Macron, is winding up his visit to the United States by meeting
with the next generation. He's due to address students at a town hall at George Washington University in D.C. You're seeing live pictures from
George Washington University.
President Macron will give one final news later today before it's wheels up back to Paris. And some of the other events from the description there
coming to us from George Washington University includes even (inaudible) game.
So, some traditional French activities as well as that hour and a half, 3:00 to 4:30 is how long the event is. President Macron expected to start
at 3:30 so in about 30 minutes time. Now President Macron received a three-minute standing ovation from Congress this morning before he even
said a word.
(VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: He stressed the friendship and special bonds between France and the U.S., saying that together they can find solutions to tough global
problems, but despite his chumminess with Donald Trump the day before, Mr. Macron took direct aim at some of the U.S. president's policies. Listen to
what he said about the Iran nuclear deal and climate change.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: There is an existing framework called the JCPOA to control the nuclear activity of Iran. We signed it at the
initiative of the United States. We signed it, both the United States and France. That is why we cannot say we should get rid of it.
By polluting the oceans, not mitigating CO2 emissions and destroying our biodiversity, we are killing our planet. Let us face it. Let us face it,
there is no planet be. We have to work together. With business leaders and local communities, let us work together in order to make our planet
great again and create new jobs and new opportunities while guarding our earth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, just to drive his point home, Mr. Macron, added that, "quote, he is sure that the U.S. will one day rejoin the Paris Climate
Accord.
Let's bring in our congressional correspondent, Sunlen Serfaty. Have you heard any reaction there on Capitol Hill to this Macron speech? Because he
did take aim at some policies, Donald Trump policies, that he positioned himself in stark opposition to, including obviously nationalism,
international organizations and international climate accords.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right, Hala. I think that was really the elephant in the room that you could see clearly during
that speech today at a joint meeting of Congress calling together the House and Senate up here on Capitol Hill. And you did see some lawmakers react
visibly to his speech today.
As you said, there was a standing ovation. Many times he was interrupted with rounds of applause, but in essence at many times during his speech,
you have the French president really taking a lot at some policy stances of President $ump, as you said, on the climate deal.
Most notably on the Iranian deal, a lot of lawmakers up here telling us that they wanted to hear specifics. The fact that Macron had just come
from 24 hours of spending time with President Trump and meeting with him in the oval office.
That big high-profile state dinner at the White House where his mission number one was in essence to persuade him not to back out of that. A lot
of lawmakers wanting to know more, get some clarity on what was discussed and what exactly was agreed to, if anything.
[15:05:12] I'm not sure that he left with that today, but I certainly think his speech overall was well received, most notably by Democrats. A lot of
those things about climate change are things that they want to hear.
GORANI: Yes, we heard a big cheer there when he mentioned the Paris Climate Accord. Other issues we mentioned, nationalism, that was his world
view essentially, urging countries including obviously the United States, he's giving the speech in Washington, obviously not to respond to
legitimate fears by sort of walling yourself in and becoming nationalistic.
SERFATY: That's right. I think this was really one of the most interesting threads of the French president in speech today, Hala,
especially given the fact that he came off of the heels of being so well received by President Trump and the first lady yesterday at the White
House.
Then the French president comes up here on Capitol Hill, just a short distance from the White House, and in essence slammed a lot of President
Trump's world visions, his view, obviously, the America first policy, the rise of nationalism and really warned about the fall of international
organizations like the U.N., like NATO. Here's a little bit more of what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACRON: Closing the door to the world, will not stop the evolution of the world. It will not douse that inflame the fears of our citizens. We have
to keep our eyes wide open to the new risks right in front of us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERFATY: So, those sorts of subtle digs certainly were peppered throughout that speech, and I think especially notable given the fact that was so
close to this state visit that he had, this oval office meeting.
The fact that so much had been said over the last 24 hours both internationally and here in the United States about this, you know,
bromance, this relationship that the two had had for him to come out in a big way, take these subtle digs at Trump's world view sends a big message.
GORANI: But are they being seen as digs or are they being seen as sort of, you know, among friends highlighting disagreements in certain areas?
SERFATY: Yes, I think we'll know a lot of that based on how President Trump himself responds. We haven't seen that specifically yet, but we do
know that he intended to watch the speech. He kind of hiked it up beforehand.
Trump taking to Twitter talking about how this is a rare occurrence, the fact that you haven't seen a foreign leader address a joint meeting of
Congress for nearly two years. Certainly, his audience of one from President Trump today was definitely tuned in. We'll see what the White
House says about that reaction.
GORANI: All right. I checked his Twitter just minutes ago, and nothing on the speech itself, but we'll see. We'll see whether or not we hear from
the president online. Sunlen Serfaty in Washington, thanks so much.
As you heard, Iran and the nuclear deal are front and center of those talks between France and the U.S. President Macron is trying to sway Trump to
stick with the deal, which Mr. Trump has branded as the worst ever.
Meantime, the president of Iran has thrown some cutting words in Mr. Trump's direction, questioning his qualifications and judgment on
international affairs.
Let's get some insight. We go live to Tehran now. Amir Daftari is there. So, Amir, you have even Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, saying
we're not going to leave the deal, but we could perhaps compliment it, widen it, make it more comprehensive. Iran doesn't seem like it's on board
with any of that.
AMIR DAFTARI, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: That's right, Hala. A few political digs from Tehran towards Washington as well. Iranian President Hasan
Rouhani calling into question President Trump's expertise when it comes to global affairs, saying, what does a former real estate developer really
know about international politics and diplomacy? Take a listen to what he had to say exactly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HASSAN ROUHANI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): U.S. President Donald Trump says this deal is a very bad deal. Well, if it is a very bad
deal, then why did you, the U.S. government, signed it? He says this is a very dangerous deal. If that's the case, then did your predecessors not
understand anything?
Are you the discover of all things bad? You don't have any background in politics. You don't have any background in law. You don't have any
background on international treaties. How can a tradesman, a merchant, a building constructer, tower constructer, make judgments about international
affairs?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAFTARI: Hala, a few digs there definitely. The Iranian president also added that President Trump wants to be part of the deal's future, yet you
know nothing about its past -- Hala.
GORANI: Yes. All right. Amir Daftari, thanks very much for that update from Tehran.
[15:10:05] Let's stay on top of this one with someone who has a broad view of the Iran nuclear deal and has reported on it for many years. Robyn
Wright is a foreign affairs analyst, journalist, and a joint fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Woodrow Wilson International Center, and she
joins me now via Skype from Washington.
Robyn, thanks for being with us. So, first of all, what do you think Macron is doing here? Do you think he's trying to sort of -- put a bit of
pressure on Donald Trump, come up with some creative solutions so that the U.S. president doesn't pull out of the Iran deal and salvages it in some
way?
ROBYN WRIGHT, JOINT FELLOW, U.S. INSTITUTE OF PEACE AND WILSON CENTER: President Macron is just the first of three leaders who will weigh in with
President Trump this week to try to salvage the deal. The idea really is to create a supplement to the deal that would be only agreed to by three
European powers who are signatories to the deal and the United States.
It would not try to involve the Russians and the Chinese, and it really wouldn't change the language in the deal, but it would layout a framework
to deal with some of the most controversial issues.
In some ways, it's an understanding among the western powers, a supplement that says that their understanding is Iran will never develop a nuclear
weapon even though there are time limits in the deal.
It will also address other controversies that are not in the deal, such as Iran's intercontinental ballistic missile program and its intervention in
hotspots across the Middle East.
It's an attempt to coax President Trump into agreeing to save the deal, not walk away from it and to add language to it, but also to carve out a policy
that all the western powers could deal with in addressing hotspots in the Middle East.
GORANI: But would you get Iranian buy-in to this? It doesn't sound like it coming from Tehran.
WRIGHT: Well, that's the big question, of course. It's a real challenge for Iran. I interviewed the foreign minister of Iran who's been in New
York for six days over the weekend. He said -- he made the case that Iran has complied with all of the requirements, destroying many of its
facilities, cutting back on centrifuge and uranium enrichment as verified multiple times by the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
Whereas the United States has not complied with its obligations to allow foreign businesses and banks to do business with Iran. So, Iran makes the
case, why should we accommodate additional demands when we're the ones who were compliant and the United States is not?
So, you may get some kind of agreement from the western powers. It's still tentative. It's not final, but then the big question is, can you get the
Iranians to accept it even if it doesn't change the language in the deal itself?
GORANI: But I wonder if they don't accept it, what's the most likely scenario here going forward if Iran pulls out?
WRIGHT: Well, there are three different options for the Iranians. One is that if the United States opts to pull out, which is still one of President
Trump's options. It too could pull out, but it could also go to the commission set up by the Iran nuclear deal that would allow 45 days to try
to resolve the differences between the two, which would buy more time for the Europeans to try to weigh in with the Americans.
The third option, which is the most dire, is for Iran to decide that it doesn't want to be part of the nonproliferation treaty, the foundation of
preventing nuclear weapons and their spread around the world.
So, there are a lot of different scenarios that could play out. But if there's going to be a lot of drama over the next month.
GORANI: And the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is headed to the U.S. She'll be meeting with Donald Trump in Washington this Friday. Germany's
response has come out today to this idea. Its Foreign Ministry spokesperson told journalists, "Our position is clear, top priority is the
existing Iran nuclear deal.
Seven states in the E.U. negotiated the agreement and it cannot be renegotiated or replaced by a subgroup. A new one, nuclear treaty is not
on the agenda." So here it sounds like Germany is not on board with the French idea.
WRIGHT: No, it's very much the Europeans have been negotiating very quietly with the United States since January. The French, British and the
Germans are all in sync. They all he taken a common position. They are not talking about a new deal. That's where some of the language from the
press conference was a little bit misleading.
It is in many ways a supplemental. It doesn't revise the deal or change the language. It's many ways a document that supplements the deal. So,
the Germans are very much on board and British Prime Minister Theresa May is also expected to have a lengthy telephone conversation with President
Trump this week. So, it's a full court press by Europe.
GORANI: All right. And we'll see then what happens, because in May the president of the United States, Donald Trump, has to decide whether he
recertifies this deal. What's your guess on which way he's headed?
[15:15:06] WRIGHT: Well, the president began Tuesday morning with inflammatory language that suggested that he was prepared to go to war with
Iran, talking about they will face a bigger problem than they've ever faced before if they try to resume enrichment.
But after talks with Macron, it was fascinating to watch the conciliatory language. So, I think there's (inaudible). I'm not sure it's a
probability yet. It will take some intense diplomacy this week and perhaps beyond before that May 12th deadline.
GORANI: Robyn Wright, thanks so much for joining us. Really appreciate your analysis live in Washington.
Here in the U.K., the question of a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump has been around the block a few times. The White House did schedule a trip
at one point, but then cancelled it. You'll remember Mr. Trump blamed his predecessor, Barack Obama for the cancellation, citing frustrations over an
embassy deal.
Now sources say a visit by Mr. Trump is on the cards for July, but it's worth noting, it's a working visit, not an official state visit. The first
state visit extended by the president was not to Theresa May but to Emmanuel Macron, who's called his country's relationship with the U.S. a
very special one.
Still to come tonight, his life was cut short by a bullet in 2014. Now an Israeli court has sentenced the former policeman who pulled the trigger,
killing this Palestinian teen. We'll tell you what the sentence is.>
And it was a murder that shocked the world. The Swedish journalist stepped onto submarine and was never seen alive again. Her killer was sentenced
today. We have the details coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Well, we're coming up on a meeting of two leaders that follows years of spiraling tensions. Now as South Korea and North Korea prepare
for the historic summit, they are not ignoring any details it seems. Paula Hancocks has our report from Seoul, South Korea.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There is intense focus on the summit coming up on Friday between Kim Jong-un and South Korea's
president, Moon Jae-in. There have been rehearsals this Wednesday at the DMZ in the (inaudible) village of Panmunjom where this summit will take
place.
Now both North and South Korean officials were part of this. The South Koreans say that it went extremely well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If North and South can come out of this summit and declare denuclearization and the end of the Korean war, it
will be a huge success. I believe North Korea had to take this direction due to internal necessity. This sign of change came from a combination of
necessity and painful maximum pressure. So, I'm optimistic about the summit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: But they were going through minute details to make sure that the route that the leaders would take and that everything would be picture
perfect.
[15:20:03] They even checked on camera angles, on lighting, because most of this is going to be taken live and broadcast around the world. So, they
want to make sure that nothing goes wrong, and it will be a historic moment.
Kim Jong-un is expected to walk from the North Korean side across the lip of concrete which is the MDL, the military demarcation line into South
Korea. That is the first time a North Korean leader will ever cross over the border into South Korea.
We also know that South Korean officials are focused so much on this summit, they are not being distracted by anything else. For example, the
U.S. President Trump saying that he believes that Kim Jong-un is acting honorably.
That raised eyebrows here when you consider that North Korea and Kim Jong- un is one of the world's worst human rights abusers. That's well documented. There hasn'$ been any response at this point to that. There
has been also some controversy about the menu, if you can believe it. This is the menu that Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in will enjoy while they are
having this important summit.
But on one of the desserts there's actually a map of the Korean Peninsula. It's also engraved on the back of the chairs the two leaders will be
sitting on. It includes an island that the South Koreans called (inaudible) and that the Japanese called Tokushima.
It is a disputed territory and the Japanese are up in arms that this has been involved and included in this way. But at this point, the South
Koreans are just surging ahead. They are just trying to focus on Friday and make sure that everything goes perfectly. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
GORANI: Thank you, Paula.
Now the father of Palestinian teenager shot dead during a 2014 protest says justice was not served today for his son. An Israeli court sentenced the
former border policeman to nine months in prison for shooting. The teenager had joined protesters throwing rocks. He was unarmed when shot
and the court found that he posed no threat at the time.
Let's bring in CNN's Ian Lee for more. He is live in Jerusalem. Ian, some of the images in your reporting is quite disturbing.
IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Hala. That's essentially because this is one of those rare moments where cameras are rolling the
entire time from before the incident happened, during, and afterwards.
CNN cameras captured the moment when this border policeman shot and killed the teenager. Security camera footage also captured it. Like you said,
this is not swift justice as the incident happened four years ago next month.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEE (voice-over): A typical demonstration in the occupied West Bank turns deadly. Israeli soldiers fire tear gas and rubber bullets. Young
Palestinians throw stones including the 17-year-old (inaudible) highlighted here.
The soldiers and border police officers are about 70 meters away. A CNN camera captures the precise moment policeman takes aim and shoots.
Security cameras show the rest. The teenager seen here walking unarmed before collapsing as the bullet entered his chest.
The teenager died in hospital. An hour later, another teen was shot dead. A preliminary inquiry indicated that no live fire was used that day. But
investigators later found out it was. Four years on, in a civilian court in Jerusalem, a judge finds the soldier guilty of negligent homicide,
sentencing him to nine months in prison.
An earlier plea deal saw the charge reduced from manslaughter. His family insisted the soldier knew he was firing live ammunition.
SILAM NUWARA, NADIM NUWARA'S FATHER: No justice in Israel. His case is the strongest case we have all evidence, strong evidence. I collected all
evidence and gave the court. No justice. No way in Israel.
LEE: Videos like CNN's played an important role in the investigation, submitted as evidence in court, painting a picture of events surrounding
the killing. But the prosecution says the video evidence wasn't enough to convince the judge of a harsher sentence.
GULA COHEN, PROSECUTOR: We thought the sentence should have been longer, but still the fact the court says someone will go to jail, although he was
there as a soldier.
[15:25:04] LEE: Deri and his girlfriend quickly left the court after the verdict. His lawyer pleased with the outcome but adamant the case should
have never gone to trial.
ZION AMIR, DEFENSE LAWYER (through translator): We don't like the fact they're putting fighters on trial in these circumstances. We think that
they're carrying out their roles and the judge outlined the excellence of this fighter. In the end we should be happy this is over.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEE: Now, Hala, what this case does show is it really highlights Israel's use of deadly force during protests with Palestinians. And what is
happening right now, we've been monitoring weeks long protests on the border with Gaza. There, Israeli soldiers are using live ammunition
against protesters, dozens of Palestinians have been killed.
They've come under quite a bit of scrutiny and condemnation from the international community, human rights groups. The E.U. has called for an
investigation into these killings as well. Israel has defended its actions along the border, saying it is defending its sovereignty.
But as we see, these kinds of protests happening on the border with Gaza and in the West Bank, you know, we are seeing video evidence coming out and
showing these situations happening in a situation that we really haven't seen before.
GORANI: Ian Lee, thanks very much with that report live from Jerusalem.
A lot more to come this evening, it is fair to say based on the last few days that President Trump and French President Macron have a special
relationship. How do French people feel about the bromance? We'll be live in Paris with more.>
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Let's return to our top story. Emmanuel Macron's joint address to Congress today, as you'd expect with big occasions like this, the speech
was full of symbolism, soaring oratory, and carefully scripted reminders of the U.S. and France's shared history.
And he made references to big thinkers, authors, (inaudible), Hemingway's movable (inaudible), referencing Voltaire, and it had the audience in front
of him wrapped in some parts. There were standing ovations for the French president as well.
But what about the audience across the Atlantic? Over the last few days we've seen the blossoming of a presidential friendship, lengthy handshakes,
warm embraces, and even cheek kisses.
Melissa Bell explores how the bromance or liberal-mance is playing out with the French public.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: There were hugs and handshakes and still more hugs. In fact, it seemed the two presidents simply couldn't
keep their hands off one another.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I like him a lot.
BELL: So much so that Emmanuel Macron even got an Oval Office grooming.
TRUMP: We have to make him perfect.
BELL: But whatever the strength of the bromance and the French president's hopes of compromise on Iran, once the journalists got Donald Trump started
on the subject, things quickly got out of hand.
TRUMP: If they restart their nuclear program, they will have bigger problems than they have ever had before.
BELL: After the two men had had some time alone together, however, the American president did seem calmer.
TRUMP: We've really had some substantive talks on Iran.
BELL: So, how was the whole extraordinary day seen from this side of the Atlantic? Well, this morning only two of France's main newspapers bother
to mention it at all on their front pages, and even then they don't give it that much space what has captured the French imagination, however, on the
inside of the country's newspapers is the whole dandruff episode with a number of different publications wondering whether it wasn't troubling or
strange. So, do the French agree?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Super weird. I don't know if he wants to show his superiority because he's taller or I don't know. I find it a bit like
annoying.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that he's just teasing him just to see how Macron reacts.
BELL: French TV was also this Wednesday morning digesting what had, by any measure, been an extraordinary day.
ERIC NAULLEAU, JOURNALIST: It was staged so they have mutual interest and then showing how much they love each other.
BELL: One final image doing the rounds this morning here in France is this one, with the French president accused of following too blindly where the
American president leads.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, if you're following, does he have the strategy, perhaps? Let's get more on this. CNN's Stephen Collinson is in Washington. The
Regis Le Sommier, the deputy editor-in-chief of Paris Match joins me from the French capital.
Regis, what are French people saying about this relationship that Emmanuel Macron has been sort of happy to create with the American president, what
looks like a close friendship now?
REGIS LE SOMMIER, THE DEPUTY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, PARIS MATCH: Well, the French are seeing it as a follow-up of the last 14th of July where Donald
Trump attended the military parade. And you must remember that at that time it gave him -- it gave him the idea of creating his own parade in
Washington. So there's a habit of those two men wanting to show both the French and the Americans that they have a special relation. And people are
sort of getting used to it. Though we had -- it was a bit of a surprise to see so much display of bromance, especially in the White House on the part
of Trump and Macron. And so there was a bit of curiosity. People were always curious to see where would that lead and especially what would
Macron achieve with this trip, which is still a little bit murky.
I mean, we don't know if anything is to be changed, you know, if Macron actually convince Donald Trump to move on the Iranian deal or on the trade
deal. There's no clear answer on that. We've seen some move on both parts. The two men have been talking about a new deal which apparently
triggered waves abroad with the Iranian and the Russians saying that they won't renegotiate the agreement. And also the German and Brussels who was
very skeptical in a possibility of getting a new agreement. So on the political part, I don't know what was achieved.
Now, on the human part, you know, they did their best. And also one thing I would add is the French were very surprised to see the level of English
used by our president especially in front of Congress this afternoon. And given the fact that the former presidents, the two former French president
had a very poor level in English.
GORANI: Yes. Well, he speaks very fluent English. We've heard him in interviews even during the campaign as well when he gave interviews to CNN.
So I wasn't surprised. But I imagine Americans, Stephen Collinson, were probably somewhat surprised that a French president is so fluent in
English. I wonder, was he able to do think convince Donald Trump not to pull out of the Iran deal?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I don't think we can say that for sure. The crunch moment comes in the second week of May. And
Macron will be back in France by the end of this week and that gives a lot of time for Donald Trump's more hawkish advisors to gather around him.
This is a president who it does seemed like he did listen to Macron. He did give some sign of flexibility. Yet this is someone that can react to a
report on Fox News and go on a Twitter spree about it. So I think it's a little early to say even if there was an agreement between Macron and
Trump, some kind of compromise which could see the U.S stay for now in the nuclear deal or at least not try and disrupt it. It's too early to say yet
whether that would stick until May. We have Angela Merkel coming here on Friday. She's going to reinforce the message that the Europeans want this
deal to stand and that there's alternative. But I think it's going to be very interesting to see the dynamics in that encounter and compare it to
the real friendliness between Macron and Trump.
[15:35:55] GORANI: And, Regis, I've seen some analysis, read some analysis today. I'm not sure I necessarily agree with it, but I mean it's something
to consider. Is Macron positioning himself now as the leader of Europe, trying to at least, as being kind of the representative, the voice of the
entire region with the United States, wanting to elevate himself to that position?
LE SOMMIER: Well, I think Macron has always been willing to push Europe and to put it in his platform. And even though he's tried to convince many
of his partner in Europe to join -- to join him in that -- and got sort of chilling welcome, I would say. But I'm sure he has spoken about Europe.
And we haven't heard publicly, but I think it's very important on his agenda to bring everybody on board.
However, speaking strictly about the Iranian deal, we've had a reaction from Brussels that was -- that Europe doesn't want to -- the agreement to
be renegotiated. And Macron is talking about the new agreement strengthening, putting more pressure on Iran, possibly including the topic
of the ballistic missile and even Syria. So I don't know if the two are on the same page at this point, but definitely Macron would like to -- so I
don't think Macron would go in a competition with Merkel, but he is very eager to push the European agenda.
GORANI: And quick last one to you, Stephen. In his address to Congress, Macron kind of -- sometime not so subtle way took jabs at positions that
are dear to Donald Trump and his administration, saying don't embrace nationalism and a response to fears. I'm sure one day you'll rejoin the
Paris Accords. We don't have a planet b. On the Iran deal as well, there was lots of daylight. Do you think -- is this surprising -- do you think
this will be surprising to the president, that after two days of hugging and kissing, that he makes this speech?
LE SOMMIER: I think that Macron probably raised these exact issues with the president privately behind closed doors in the White House meeting, but
I don't think that there is any other way to view this speech as anything but a repudiation of the America first populist nationalism that brought
Trump to power and has been sort of eating away at the edges of Europe and even was a big issue in the French and German elections and of course with
Brexit. So I think you're seeing two things. You're seeing Macron position himself as the guardian, if you like, of western values and
liberal internationalism. At the same time to accomplish what he wants to do in foreign policy, to make France a central player. He has to have the
buy-in from Donald Trump. So you're seeing both side of this kind of intricate French policy playing out here.
GORANI: Thank you, Stephen Collinson and Regis Le Sommier in Paris. As always, great talking to you. Thanks so much.
And as I mentioned, by the way, President Macron is at George Washington University in Washington. We'll go to that live when it happens. But I
don't believe it's started yet. He was scheduled for 3:30. Yes, nine minutes ago and that hasn't started yet. It's a town hall type of setup.
And there you see it. These are live images coming to us from GW. And we'll go there if it starts in our hour.
Check out our Facebook page, Facebook.com/halagoranicnn.
Murdered while doing her job, journalist Kim Wall was killed and dismembered by a man whose story she just wanted to bring to the world.
Today, Danish inventor, Peter Madsen was found guilty of her mutilation and her murder. And he has been sentenced to life in prison. Atika Shubert
has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[15:40:59] ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The brutality of this real life Scandinavian warm mystery has kept Denmark in
the global spotlight since a mutilated torso of Swedish journalist Kim Wall washed ashore in August of last year.
Now, more than eight months after her body was found and 36 witnesses later, the trial against accused murderer and well-known Danish inventor
and adventurer Peter Madsen, also known as Rocket Madsen is now over. The prosecution painted a picture of Madsen as a man motivated by dangerous
sexual motives. He acknowledges moving on the fringes of SNM societies and had interest in snuff films and the torture and killing of women. He is
accused of intentionally killing and torturing Kim Wall on his submarine when she joined him to do a story and then cutting her up and tossing her
body parts into the ocean, even weighing her body down.
The charge reads murder, also indecent handling of a corpse, as well as sexual relations other than intercourse of a particular dangerous nature.
That's because of the multiple wounds inside and around Kim Wall's genital area.
Madsen has consistently denied both the murder and sexual assault. He said he lied earlier to protect Wall's family from hearing quote, a gruesome
tail. But in court he testified that Kim Wall died by accident from carbon monoxide poisoning and that he dismembered her body and toss it into the
sea in a state of panic. And as his defense lawyer maintained should give a maximum of six months in prison.
BETINA HALD ENGMARK, DEFENSE LAWYER (through translator): He admits two of the charges but not the rest. He admits indecent handling of a corpse and
he also admits violating the law regarding safety at sea but not the rest of the charges.
SHUBERT: Madsen himself said in court, "As I see it, I am now at fault in a serious crime. I expect to be charged with involuntary manslaughter, and
I expect to go to prison for a long time."
Atika Shubert, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Still to come tonight, America's highest court weighs a signature order from the Trump administration, the protest, the argument and what the
Supreme Court could do about the travel ban. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Well, the Supreme Court is deciding whether the travel ban is constitutional. The travel ban was one of those orders that came to define
the Trump presidency. Protesters are also making their voices heard today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALL: No hate. No fear. Refugees are welcome here. No hate. No fear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: That was outside the U.S. Supreme Court earlier as justices heard arguments on the latest version of the White House travel ban. Our Supreme
Court reporter, Ariane de Vogue joins me from Washington. So we're hearing already from some of the justices here, listening to arguments for and
against which way does the court seem to be leaning?
[15:45:04] ARIANE DE VOGUE, CNN SUPREME COURT REPORTER: Well, like you said, the Supreme Court heard the center piece of President Trump's
immigration policy. This was the third version, right? It restricts entry from seven countries of varying degrees. And the key vote in the Supreme
Court will likely be Justice Anthony Kennedy. And he seemed ready to vote with the conservatives here in favor of the president. At one point though
he did seem worried about some animus like a candidate's animus during the campaign and he said, would that be irrelevant? But he also seem to side
with the government on two other issues. One is that the travel ban itself is reviewed after 180 days. And he said, is this question really up to the
courts, or to the president when you're thinking about this kind of national security concern? The liberals on the court did seem concerned
with some of the statements that the president made during the campaign. Listen to Justice Elena Kagan. She's a liberal. And she had a good
question here.
ELENA KAGAN, U.S. ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT (via telephone): So this is a hypothetical that you've heard a very hint before. So let's
say in some future time a president gets elected who is a vehement anti- Semite and says all kinds of denigrating comments about Jews and provokes a lot of resentment and hatred over the course of a campaign and in his
presidency. And in the course of that, asks his staff or cabinet members to issue recommendations so that he can issue a proclamation of this kind.
And they dot all the Is and they crossed all the Ts. And what emerges, and again, in the context of this virulent anti-Semitism, what emerges is a
proclamation that says no one shall enter from Israel. This is an out of the box kind of president in my hypothetical.
DE VOGUE: See that's what's interesting there, the liberal justice, Elena Kagan. She's sort of referencing Trump, not really, but she's bringing up
this hypothetical. And she thinks that people should care about some of those statements that came out during the campaign. But the conservatives
like I said with Justice Anthony Kennedy, they seem to be looking much toward -- much more toward Congress and the president's authority. And
they seem to think that the president acted within his authority in this travel ban. We won't know for sure. We'll only know the final answer
probably by the end of June when we get this -- when we get this opinion.
GORANI: So why then what Justice Kagan brought up, this idea that during the campaign, Donald Trump was saying things about Muslims and people from
Muslim majority countries and refugees and then that turned into -- this is now the third iteration, but into a travel ban. Why would that not be
taken into account by the conservative justices in this case?
DE VOGUE: Because the conservative justices could say, you know, those were statements made during a campaign and we can't look at that. We have
to look at what's in front of us. And we're being asked to look at whether the president exceeded his authority here, whether this ban violates the
law and we shouldn't look toward what a candidate for president said. So if they don't want to look at that, then they're just going to look at
what's in front of them. And that's what the government wants them to do. And they'll say, look, Congress has given the executive broad authority
here and they won't take those campaign statements so much into consideration.
GORANI: Ariane De Vogue, thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate it.
DE VOGUE: Thank you.
GORANI: The U.S. president's harsh statements on another group of immigrants has done little to deter them. Families from Central America
have been stepping off buses in Tijuana, Mexico. They're part of an annual pilgrimage known as a Caravan heading for the U.S. border where they plan
to ask for asylum. Donald Trump slammed these people on Twitter, suggesting they carry drugs and crime. He's posted National Guard troops
to the border.
Our Leyla Santiago has been speaking with these migrants in Tijuana, Mexico.
LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hala, the first wave of Central American migrants from this caravan has arrived in Tijuana so they are just
days away from reaching that border. That has been their goal to seek asylum here at this shelter in Tijuana. You can actually see they have
volunteer medical staff waiting to check on the patients, providing some medicines for those, because I got to tell you, even when we were here
early in the morning, we could hear the coughing and the sneezing of these migrants, many of them saying that this journey north is just taking a toll
on them.
I want to introduce you to one woman. Her name is Anna. And Anna is traveling with children. She has three children. She left Honduras saying
that she's fleeing the violence. She's been traveling for two months with the goal to seek asylum in the United States.
[15:50:17] I'm asking her what she says to President Trump's stance on this Caravan. He's been very critical saying that he doesn't believe any
migrants illegally should be allowed to come in.
So she's saying that they didn't just decide to come here, that they are coming here out of need. And she's saying that she asked President Trump
to understand that they are not criminals, that they're not delinquents.
I'm going to ask her, what's been the toughest part of the two months of this journey north?
She talks about getting on the train.
She says that she's asking Donald Trump to sort of tap into that conscience and allow them to come, because she wants her children to study.
I'm asking her, what if they don't get in?
So her answer was if she can't get in, the struggle will continue here, because she says she cannot return to her home country of Honduras. She
could be killed. And I've got to tell you, that is something that I have heard over and over, these horrific stories saying, we can't return. This
is a matter of survival. Because if they go back, they will be killed. That said, like Anna, many have considered staying here. Many are seeking
asylum here in Mexico. But still 130 migrants arrived yesterday more are on the way today. They are a matter of days from going to the U.S./Mexico
border and seeking asylum. The legal way to seek asylum, turning themselves into authorities at the border. Hala.
GORANI: Leyla Santiago, thanks very much. We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Well, these are highly anticipated. Facebook has earnings coming out right after the bell, just a few minutes from now. They follow the
most troubled quarter in the company's history. So, how could Facebook's recent issues affect their bottom line? Samuel Burke has this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Facebook's January earnings pushed its stock price to record highs.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: It really is an absolute bumper week for Facebook.
BURKE: But it's been a flood of bad news ever since.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Facebook under mounting pressure to answer questions about how a data firm with ties to President Trump's 2016 campaign
collected private information for more than 50 million Facebook users without their permission.
[15:55:10] BURKE: It was a revelation that rocked the social media giant.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Over the last five days, Facebook's stock fell over three percent.
BURKE: And shook public trust. The backlash forced founder Mark Zuckerberg on an apology tour. First, in the media.
MARK ZUCKERBERG, FACEBOOK CEO: This was a major breach of trust. And I'm really sorry that this happened.
BURKE: And then in front of a Congress now seeking to regulate Facebook.
ZUCKERBERG: I started Facebook. I run it and I'm responsible for what happens here.
BURKE: But that wasn't the end of Facebook's troubles this quarter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Facebook CEO was supposed to publicly defend his platform for the second time in as many weeks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been forced to disavow an internal memo that called for growth at any cost.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Facebook is having to deal with yet another controversy.
MARTIN LEWIS, FOUNDER, MONEYSAVINGEXPERT.COM: What I want is for Facebook to stop being complicit in scamming vulnerable people. Facebook needs to
police itself, not asking me to police it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The company was called out for collecting the call logs and text messages of its android users, scanning the photos and links users
sent over messenger and even accused of spreading hate speech on the platform that sparked violence in Sri Lanka.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every time Facebook comes forward to try put out one fire, another fire pops up.
BURKE: Amid the firestorm Facebook has hired more staff to police its platform. It's promised to make it easier for users to retain control over
their data, and it said it will adhere globally to tough new European Union data protections coming into effect next month.
CHRIS HUGHES, COFOUNDER, FACEBOOK: This was a turning point. The question is, how much -- how many many resources can they invest to solve these
problems?
BURKE: Wednesday's earning report may provide a clue about just how much heat the company can take before it affects the bottom line.
Samuel Burke, CNN, London.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, those Facebook earnings come out in a few minutes with the closing bell. And my colleague Richard Quest on "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS"
will be analyzing those numbers for you. I'm Hala Gorani. Thanks for watching. See you next time.
END
