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House Republicans Celebrate Obamacare Replacement Vote; China Unveils First Passenger Jet; Two Candidates Battle for Presidency Ahead of Vote on Sunday. 08:00a-09:00a ET

Aired May 5, 2017 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[08:00:27] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream.

Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen have only a few hours of campaigning left ahead of Sunday's pivotal presidential election in France.

Republicans in the U.S. celebrate after the House passes a bill to pass Obamacare, and Democrats warn millions could lose their health insurance,

but the bill's fate in the Senate is uncertain.

And China's first large passenger jet takes flight for the first time as Comac takes on Boeing and Airbus.

We begin in France and two candidates vying to be its next president. One wants to turn the country inward, to shut its borders and to leave the

European Union, and the other has called for a united Europe and backs an open economy. Now, Friday is the last chance

for Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron to win over voters. The latest polls show Macron holding a steady lead ahead of

Sunday's election.

Now, let's go live to the French capital. CNN's Melissa Bell joins us live from Paris. And Melissa, this is it, this is the final day of campaigning.

There's still a number of undecided voters out there. How are the candidates making this final push for votes?

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Really trying to use every last minute, Kristie, until midnight tonight when campaigning ends, as you

say, before that strange lull into voting on Sunday morning.

And of course, each of them knows that every vote will count. Marine Le Pen's challenge really is to bounce back from Wednesday night's debate,

which she was very much considered that have lost to Emmanuel Macron. He knows he still needs to convince a lot of undecided voters about who

exactly he is and how he intends to govern without the benefit of a party behind him. So, both of them really using all the time that they have

left.

For now, Emmanuel Macron enjoys a substantial lead in the polls, Iristie, one that has increased

since Wednesday night's debate. And yet, Marine Le Pen supporters believe that their candidate can still do it, as you're about to hear.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BELL: Renee the Renaud is nearing at the end of her road. With France preparing to go to the polls we've taken one last drive to seek out the far

right electorate. Down in Poitiers (Ph) we found Marine Le Pen's supporters worried about national identity. Her northern stronghold of voters are more

worried about industrial decline and poverty but what of her support in France's cities?

ALAIN AVELLO, PRESIDENT, COLLECTIF PLACINE: In big towns that have been gentrified, Marine Le Pen doesn't do very well. But in poorer areas, rural

regions, that's where Marine Le Pen gets her biggest support.

BELL: In Francois in the suburbs of Paris Alain, Daniel, and Mikhail have all agreed to jump in and tell us why they support Marine Le Pen in her

battle against the independent centrist Emmanuel Macron.

DANIEL AUGUSTE, PRESIDENT, COLLECTIF MARIENNE: Macro's France is the France of those who are included, those who have won. Marine Le Pen's is

the France of the excluded, of the forgotten, those who (inaudible) from the advantages of globalization.

MIKAIL SALA, PRESIDENT, COLLECTIF CLOISSANCE BLUE MANNE: If you can afford living in Paris, it means that you've gained from globalization. You are

part of the happy few.

BELL: So what kind of a change would a Le Pen victory bring to France?

AUGUSTE: An education revolution, because we will rebuild our schools around the fundamentals. A republican revolution, we restore secularism,

and the principles and values. A revolution everywhere.

BELL: But what chances are there given Macron's substantial lead in the polls?

SALA: Human nature is such that it will in many occasions favor, you know, stability over change. But the situation we're in right is not sustainable.

So, either we go on this way with Macron, and then we die. Because this is what's going to happen, we are going to die as a country or we face the

hardships.

AVELLO: The French people are a mature people, a free people, so I believe there'll be a last (inaudible) democratic surge Sunday.

AUGUSTE: I'm expecting a victory. A victory of an idea of France. Even if we lose on Sunday, we will have won Sunday, because our ideas have been

heard in this debate, our values have been heard in this debate, our point of view has been heard in this debate and (inaudible) importantly we

campaigned around our beliefs.

[08:05:14] BELL: They are an idea of just how Marine Le Pen supporters are feeling here in Poitiers (Ph) in the outskirts of Paris just ahead of the

big day. And as you've seen they really believe that she can still do it.

For them, she represents the change that France needs and what they say is that even if the polls are right and Emmanuel Macron does win on Sunday,

then Marine Le Pen will seem to be a revolution waiting to happen the next time France goes to the polls.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BELL: Kristie, listening to the Marine Le Pen supporters you may have been struck by the similarity, and so much of what we heard in the American

presidential election. And, ideed, the far right candidate does believe that Trump's victory there could lead to her's here.

It is that anger, that sense that there is a need for a change, that she believes could still push her all the way to the Elyees Palace, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, expert handling of the issues you discussed there with the Le Pen supporters as well as expert handling of that Renault Four. I mean,

not an easy feat.

Before you go, I've got to ask you about an interesting endorsement from Obama. The former president has thrown his weight behind Macron. How is

that being received there in France?

BELL: Oh, with a good deal of surprise. I mean, it's simply not the kind of outright intervention you tend to get in French presidential elections

from a former foreign leader. But again, it is a reminder of the fact that actually this campaign in a sense is a continuation of the battle that

began in the United States just a few months ago, not so much between left and right, Kristie, but between a closeness, a retreat behind borders or a

continued sort of openness onto the rest of the world.

And it is that battle that will oppose Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen among along very different fault lines, that anything that has separated

presidential candidates in the past, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And Melenchon, the leftist candidate out of the race. He denounced Le Pen, but

refused to endorse Macron. So, how could that affect the election outcome?

BELL: It's a really good point and a really interesting question, because he had nearly 20 percent of the vote in the first round. It is a

substantial part of the French electorate. They are the far left independent candidate's supporters.

And what's so interesting is the way Marine Le Pen in the last few months has really changed tact, placing herself economically almost in line with

what Jean-Luc Melenchon was proposing. Both candidates believe that France should withdraw from the European Union and NATO, both candidates want to

introduce economic protectionism to boost France's economy and to keep the sort of welfare state, very strong welfare state, that's in place here in

France intact.

And so there are people that voted far left in the first round whom it is believed will go on to vote far right in the second round.

Clearly that is what Marine Le Pen is counting on. She's really put that at the forefront

of her campaign leading in to the second round of voting, the fact that Emmanuel Macron is the one that is pro-globalization, that he's a former

banker and that essentially he's going to bring more of the same to France.

LU STOUT: All right, CNN's Melissa Bell reporting live from Paris. Thank you.

Now moving now to Washington where the U.S. president wants to seal the deal to repeal and

replace Obamacare. Now, he won a big legislative victory on Thursday when the House narrowly passed the Republican bill to overhaul the health care

system.

But there is an uphill road ahead in the Senate. Some Republicans there are already casting doubt. And Democrats say the new health care plan will

leave millions of Americans uninsured.

Now, for more of this, let's go straight to CNN's Suzanne Malveaux. She joins us live from Washington. And Suzanne, again, a big legislative win

for the president, but the fight far from over.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It certainly is a short-term victory here. You have House republicans who are on recess now, breathing a sigh

of relief. This is a significant development, a move forward for a promise, a campaign promise to push forward and pass their health care plan

on the House side. But of course, it does go to the Senate side, and already we are hearing Senate Republicans rejecting major provisions, even

some of them vowing to start from scratch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: I think we'll get it through. Mitch McConnell knows how to do things.

MALVEAUX: The Republican effort to repeal and replace Obamacare now in the hands of the Senate with a controversial bill that narrowly passed in the

House --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bill is passed.

MALVEAUX: ...faces an uphill battle.

TRUMP: It could change a little bit. It could get maybe even better.

MALVEAUX: Senators on both sides of the aisle aren't in any hurry, vowing to do things their way.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I) VERMONT: Mr. President, I'm sorry to disappoint you. This bill in its current form is not getting through the Senate. No

way, no way.

SEN. BILL CASSIDY, (R) LOUISIANA: The Senate will write its own bill. I don't think that the House bill necessarily predicts what is in the Senate

bill.

[08:10:01] MALVEAUX: The legislation passed in the House eliminates the tax penalty for Americans who choose not to buy insurance, replaces the

generous subsidies offered under Obamacare with tax credits, and rolls back Medicaid expansion starting in 2020. It also increase the limit on what

insurers can charge older enrollees and allows insurance to charge customers more if they have a pre-existing condition. Among those who would

lose the most in this plan, those with pre-existing conditions, the elderly, and low income Americans, while younger Americans, the healthy,

the middle and upper class, and insurance companies stand to benefit.

Democrats who voted unanimously against the bill taunting Republicans after the vote, which they say will be a political liability in 2018.

NANCY PELOSI, (D-CA) HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Some of you have said, well, they'll fix it in the Senate. But you have every provision of this bill

tattooed on your forehead. You will blow in the dark on this one.

MALVEAUX: Republican Senator Lindsey Graham stressing that the bill should be viewed with caution because it was rushed through the House without a

cost and impact estimate.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: We should have had a CBO estimate. I don't always agree with CBO. In fact, quite frequently I disagree. But we should

still have an assessment from them. MALVEAUX: Some House Republicans admitting they hadn't even read the

legislation before voting yes.

REP. CHRIS COLLINS, (R-NY) COMMERCE COMMITTEE: I will fully admit, Wolf, I did not. But I can also assure you my staff did.

REP. TOM GARRETT, (R) VIRGINIA: I would be dishonest if I said I individually read it all. That's why we have a legislative staff.

MALVEAUX: Something then Congress Paul Ryan blasted Democrats for in 2009.

REP. PAUL RYAN, (R-WI) SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: I don't think we should pass bills that we haven't read. We shouldn't rush this

thing through.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Now, the Congressional Budget Office score, that CBO score, the estimate cost is expected to take a couple weeks. It then goes to the

senate and it will take several weeks for them to take a look at that through their process.

And some Senate Republicans are already vowing that the process will be very different than that on The Hill. They say it will not be rushed, it

will be delivered to them and they will also consider some compromises, hoping to win over some Democrats. Once that happens, that bill goes back

to the House side and the debate over all of this starts all over again - Kristie.

LU STOUT: Wow, this will not be rushed. There will be more challenges, more drama

ahead. Suzanne Malveaux reporting live for us, thank you.

Now, as you've seen, President Trump is celebrating this legislative victory. But some comments that he made after the vote have raised some

eyebrows. Here is CNN's Jeff Zeleny.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Trump savoring a victory, the first major legislative win of his presidency. Visiting New

York last night for the first time as president, a new air of confidence after House Republicans united to repeal and replace Obamacare.

TRUMP: Republicans came together all of a sudden two days ago, and it was like magic. They just came together. They're very, very united.

ZELENY: The president meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, making new promises to voters.

TRUMP: Premiums are going to come down very substantially. The deductibles are going to come down. It's going to be fantastic health care.

ZELENY: The president also making this off-handed remark.

TRUMP: I shouldn't say this to our great gentleman and my friend from Australia, because you have better health care than we do.

ZELENY: Democrats quick to point out Australia has universal health care.

SANDERS: Well, Mr. President, you're right. In Australia and every other major country on earth, they guarantee health care to all people. They

don't throw 24 million people off of health insurance.

ZELENY: The president delaying his first face-to-face meeting with the Australian prime minister after taking an impromptu victory lap in the Rose

Garden, surrounded by House Republicans who helped deliver a much-needed win on his 105th day in office.

TRUMP: We're going to get this passed through the Senate. I feel so confident.

ZELENY: Presidential promises on health care can be hard to keep. Just ask President Obama.

BARACK OBAMA (D), FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor under the reform proposals that we put

forward. If you like your private health insurance plan, you can keep it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kill the bill! Kill the bill!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kill the bill! Kill the bill!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kill the bill! Kill the bill!

ZELENY: Under his watch, Democrats lost control of the House and Senate, largely over health care. The question voters will ultimate decide: is

Trumpcare better than Obamacare?

TRUMP: We suffered with Obamacare. I went through two years of campaigning, and I'm telling you, no matter where I went, people were suffering.

ZELENY: The president basking in the moment. Vindication from failing to pass the bill more than a month earlier.

TRUMP: How am I doing? Am I doing OK? I'm president. Hey, I'm president! Can you believe it? Right?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was CNN's Jeff Zeleny reporting.

OK, as you saw in that report President Donald Trump met Thursday with Australia's prime minister and talked up America's close relationship with

his long-time ally. He also mentioned that phone call back in January when he reportedly got a little testy with Malcolm Turnbull.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[08:15:10] TRUMP: You know, they said we had a rough phone call. We really didn't have a rough phone call, did we? Everyone is talking about

this phone call. The media was saying what do you think about the phone call? You didn't hang up? No, we had a nice call, right? Good. Now the

record is straight.

We had a very nice phone call. A little testy, it got a little bit testy, but that's OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: All right, let's get the latest now from CNN's Anna Coren here in Hong Kong. She joins us live. Anna, this was a closely-watched, face-

to-face encounter especially after that - and Donald Trump admitted their testy phone call.

Ultimately, how did the meeting go?

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, I think you'd have to say the meeting went better-than-expected, very well, from the smiles

and the handshakes we just saw then.

There was a great deal of concern that that testy phone call that Donald Trump referred to back in January perhaps did some permanent damage to the

alliance between the United States and Australia, an alliance that dates back almost 100 years.

That phone call was over a refugee deal which Donald Trump at the time described as dumb on Twitter. He had inherited it from the Obama

administration, which the United States was going to take on 1,250 refugees from Australia.

But since those comments were made, it looks like there's been quite a bit of work behind the scenes and now you can see those comments certainly

dismissed in that New York meeting. The two leaders obviously very happy to be in each other's company, and Donald Trump went so far as to say

Americans have no better friends than the Australians, we love Australia. He said the ties between the two countries were sealed with the blood of

our fathers and grandfathers.

And of course they were both there in New York to mark the 75th anniversary of the battle of the Coral Sea. And that was a turning point in World War

II when America came to the aid of Australians to stop Japanese invasion, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And what has been the reaction in Australia to all this. I mean, smiles for the camera, Donald Trump saying that the meeting was

fantastic. He loves Australia. But we know that he did scrap the TPP and he's promoting this America first trade policy. So, what's the reaction in

Australia?

COREN: Yeah, look, Australia has a bit of a mixed reaction to this meeting. Obviously, I think it's being seen as a bit of a victory for

Malcolm Turnbull. This is a man who stood his ground against the American president back in January. But there has been criticism from the

Australian opposition leader, Bill Shorter, and also from the Australian press because, as we heard from that earlier piece, Donald Trump did keep

Malcolm Turnbull waiting for some three hours, obviously celebrating that legislative victory over the repealing of Obamacare.

But when a journalist asked them about that testy phone conversation, both leaders dismissed it. Let's have a listen to what they both had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We had a good telephone.

MALCOLM TURNBULL, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: We had a great call.

TRUMP: You guys exaggerated that call, that was a big exaggeration. We had a great call. I mean, we're not babies. We had a great call, right?

We had a very, very good call. That was a little bit of fake news.

TURNBULL: Exactly right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: A little bit of fake news. Don't you love that?

But, look, that bilat (ph) they held, went on for some 30 minutes. The discussed North Korea, The fight against ISIS, trade, immigration, and

obviously that very strong bond and alliance between America and Australia, that it's renewed, reaffirmed and it will be a lasting partnership,

Kristie.

LU STOUT: Wow. Just a little bit of fake news. That throwaway line speaks volumes.

Anna Coren reporting live from Hong Kong. Thank you, Anna. Take care.

Now, we're going to look at another testy diplomatic exchange after the break, this one between the EU chief and the British prime minister and

what that could mean for Brexit negotiations.

Also, China is marking this major aviation milestone. What this jetliner means for the country's aerospace ambitions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:21:31] LU STOUT: All right, coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back. You're watching News Stream.

Now, voters in the UK appear to be showing confidence in Prime Minister Theresa May. Her conservative party made strong gains in Thursday's local

elections. Votes are still being counted. But the UK Independence Party that spearheaded the campaign to leave the EU has yet to win a single seat.

Now, it is a boost for the prime minister with less than five weeks to go until the general election on June 8.

Now, the road to Brexit negotiations remains rocky as the president of the European Commission takes another dig at the UK, and this time it was a

little harsh and it was well received

Fred Pleitgen has been following their touchy relationship. He joins us live from London.

Fred, exactly what did Jean-Claude Juncker say about the UK?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Kristie, I would say that what he said was well received by the audience that he was

speaking to, because it was in France. What he was talking about is the English language within Europe, which of course is always a touchy subject

in France, all the more so now that you're seeing these Brexit talks sort of being spoken about.

Let's listen to what Jean Claude Juncker had to say at this venue and how it plays into what we've been seeing the past few days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN CLAUDE JUNCKER, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: I will express myself in French because...

(APPLAUSE)

JUNCKER: Slowly but surely English is losing importance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: So, as you can see, he got some laughs from the audience in France.

But of course, it also speaks to how testy things currently are between the European Union and

Britain really in the past ten days. You've seen the atmosphere around those future Brexit negotiations and how they're going to be conducted and

what they're going to entail. You've really seen that go from being fairly constructive to being almost toxic. Of course, all of that started last

week, Kristie, when you had that dinner with Jean Claude Juncker was in London to meet with Theresa May, apparently it came out of that dinner, and

then according to European media felt that Theresa May was deluded about what Brexit may mean, about how these negotiations will go.

Theresa May then fired back saying that Jean Claude Juncker is going to find out how tough she was.

But since then you've seen a lot of very negative press come out over the past days and including this week. And that's led some in the EU to say

they question or they fear that a post Brexit deal may become impossible, but at least will become a lot more difficult, Kristie.

LU STOUT: You know, Juncker's comment about English losing importance is just the latest, as you point out, the fallout between Theresa May and Jean

Claude Juncker. And judging from his tone, which yous describe as toxic, and with EU unity at stake, how hard is Brussels going to negotiate with

the UK over Brexit?

PLEITGEN: Well, I think that's going to be the big question. I think it is going to be quite hard. And I think that's one of the things that's

currently mapped out by both sides, being defined by both sides, first and foremost, the European Union. But I think the big difference you have

right now, the difference in opinion is that when you hear Theresa May going around, she'll talk about how she wants a good deal for Britain and

she believes that Britain is actually going to benefit after Brexit where the EU is saying, look, by definition this is going to have to be a worse

deal for Britain than it was before, otherwise it might entice other nations to leave the European Union as well.

They are saying, look, it has to be punitive, it has to be worse than it was before. And that really seems as though it's something where both

sides really fundamentally disagree.

And then you have things popping up like new stories that the EU might ask Britain to pay some 100 billion euros as the final bill when leaving the

European Union. That's of course something where the Brits say they're absolutely not going to do that.

There's other questions as well, financial jobs possibly moving out of London, having to move to mainland Europe.

So, there are a lot of areas that are of great concern, and certainly the stakes are very high for

European citizens both living here in the United Kingdom and then, of course, also in mainland Europe as well. And that's why another top-level

EU politician, Donald Tusk, of the European Council, he came out and he said, look, we all need to tone this down. The stakes are so high, these

negotiations are so important that, if we poison them before we even start, it will make things very,very difficult and the deal almost impossible to

achieve, Kristie.

Yeah, that's right, the talks really have yet to begin in earnest and already we have this climate under way. Fred Pleitgen reporting live for

us. Thank you.

And as the UK gets ready for its national election, South Korea has been gearing up for its

presidential votes happening on Tuesday. How supporters of the candidates are trying to attract voters next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

LU STOUT: Now in South Korea, a high turnout for early voting in a critical election to choose the next president. The winner replaces ousted

former President Park Geun-hye. And while the current tension with North Korea is, of course, a major concern, voters are also looking at how any of

the 13 candidates would handle relations with the U.S. and the U.S. president.

But with so many candidates in this race, how do you get the voter's attention? Well, it seems the answer always comes back to South Korea's

music creation: K Pop. Ivan Watson takes a look at this unique campaign culture.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SINGING)

[08:30:28] IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): In a basement studio...

(MUSIC)

WATSON: ...young dancers practice their steps.

(SINGING)

WATSON: Enthusiastic, but not exactly professional.

(SINGING)

WATSON (on camera): Have you ever been a dancer before?

UNIDENTIFIED DANCER: No.

WATSON: No?

UNIDENTIFIED DANCER: It's my first time to dance.

WATSON: You look like you're having fun.

UNIDENTIFIED DANCER: Yes. It's very fun to support a person who I like.

(SINGING)

WATSON: Believe it or not, this is politics Korean style. These young volunteers are part of a campaign for a politician who's running for

president.

(LAUGHTER)

WATSON (voice-over): These dancers are supporters of Moon Yae-in, the front-runner in the South Korean presidential election.

(SINGING)

WATSON: And in this unique political culture...

(SINGING)

WATSON: ...song and dance go hand in hand with politics, especially in a crowded field of 13 presidential candidates.

ANDREW SALMON, AUTHOR: This is a country where you go to any extreme to achieve your aim. And if your aim is to become president, you have to field

divisions of singers and dancers out on the street doing anything they can to grab public attention and seize those votes.

(SINGING)

WATSON: Look at the scene outside a TV station, ahead of a presidential debate. Cheerleaders for each candidate side by side at full volume,

welcoming each politician as their motorcades roar in for the main event.

(SHOUTING)

WATSON: Korea's flashy approach to politics may sometimes look silly, but the issues at stake are very real.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very worried about North Korea. Because other big countries, and we are a small country. Korea is a small country. And I'm

afraid.

(SHOUTING)

WATSON: Voter concerns about North Korea's nuclear threats, and growing youth unemployment also shared by politicians, like Yoo Song- min.

(on camera): What's the most important issue of this election?

YOO SONG-MIN (ph), SOUTH KOREAN POLITICIAN: Right now, economic -- overcoming economic crisis and national security crisis. That's the most

important issue right now.

(MUSIC)

WATSON: Even in times of crisis, candidates are expected to put on a show. This one includes a dancing Smurf.

(SINGING)

WATSON: It's all part of business as usual when it comes to South Korea and its K-pop style of politics.

(SINGING)

WATSON: Ivan Watson, CNN, Seoul.

(SINGING)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now supporters of candidates aren't just calling on music pop culture. This is a video of Justice Party presidential candidate Sim Song-

jung (ph). And it's in the style of popular video game, it's called Overwatch. It shows the candidate landing hits on her opponent and filling

up the bar for an ultimate attack.

Now, North Korea is accusing the U.S. and South Korea of attempting to assassinate leader Kim Jong-un using a biochemical substance. State media

report claims a terrorist group conspired with the CIA and South Korea's intelligence service to mount the attack. No evidence is provided and CNN

is unable to corroborate the report.

Now, South Korea says it knows nothing about this alleged plot.

Now, China takes a key step closer to becoming a contender in world aviation. And still to come, what this jetliner means for the country's

push to challenge a handful of global players.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:35:43] LU STOUT: Welcome back. Well, the keenly awaited U.S. jobs report for April has just been released, and U.S. economy added 211,000

jobs last month, that is more than what economists expected, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.4 percent, that is the lowest in a decade.

We'll have much more on this on CNN Money with Maggie Lake. It will all be happening in about 20 minutes from now.

Now, only a handful of countries have their own home-grown big airliners. And now China joins the ranks with this jet. The Comac 919 took its first

flight on Friday. And as Matt Rivers reports, it marks a major step in China's push to become a global aviation giant.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: China is the world's second largest aviation market with hundreds of millions of trips being taken each

year. But for now, those passengers are being flown on jets made by companies from outside this country, think Boeing and Airbus. But on

Friday, there was a big step taken towards changing that.

That's because the first Chinese-made large passenger aircraft, the Comac 919, made its long-awaited debut down in Shanghai Friday, taking off on a

successful maiden flight. The plane has about 168 seats and is about the same size as other planes you've probably seen like the Boeing 737-800 and

the Airbus A320, the two most popular planes on the planet.

The goal here is to take advantage of the growing global market for air travel and more specifically the colossal growth being seen here in China.

It's set to overtake the U.S. as the biggest aviation market in the world by 2030 if not sooner. And in order to do that, airlines are going to need

a lot more planes, a trillion dollars' worth, according to estimates from Boeing. Comac or the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, wants a

slice of that pie. And China's state-owned carriers have already placed orders for the new jet.

But it hasn't all been smooth flying for the 919 up to this point. Years of technical delays pushed this debut back well over a year, and there is a

long way to go before you'll see lots of these in the skies over China. The aircraft is likely to go through months or even years of demanding

certification tests and meeting safety standards might require design changes. Comac will also need to gain trust of airlines in China and

beyond by showing the jet can operate efficiently and reliably on flights.

And once that happens, industry analysts say stealing market share in key markets like Europe

and the U.S. will be an uphill battle given the overwhelming dominance of industry leaders Boeing and Airbus.

For now, nearly all Comac 919 orders are for Chinese airlines.

But still, you know the saying, you've got to start somewhere. And China has made and flown its first big commercial jetliner, something only seven

other countries in the world have ever done.

Matt Rivers, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, earlier I said only a handful of countries have their own large passenger jets, there is of course Boeing in the U.S., Airbus in

Europe, but there's also the Mitsubishi regional jet in Japan which made its first test flight in 2015, it's the country's first new commercial

aircraft in 15 years.

And then there is Brazil's Embraer. It rolled out this passenger plane last year, its biggest to date. It's set to enter service in 2019.

And there's also Canada's Bombardier. It still dominates the market for passenger jets with fewer than 100 seats. But with growing competition, it

launched a bigger airliner called a C-series which is now flying with airlines in Europe.

And finally, a cautionary tale about laughing till you hurt. A member of Australia's parliament knocked himself out while watching the hit series

Veep. Jeanne Moos has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Veep is a political comedy that's supposed to leave you in stitches, but not these stitches. An Australian member of

parliament, Graham Perrett was at home watching the show.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened to your lip?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mad bit me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You should put her down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's my daughter, ma'am.

MOOS: Soon it was Perrett being asked what happened to your cheek bone. It all started with a little takeout sushi in front of the TV. Perreet told

BBC radio.

GRAHAM PERRETT, AUSTRALIAN MP: I just laughed at the wrong time and I think some rice like went down my airway and I started coughing and choking and

laughing at the same time.

[08:40:12] MOOS: The sushi got stuck while Perrett was laughing at this scene.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guards.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God.

MOOS: A TV anchor discovers a congressman shaving his head to say he had cancer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He recently had a closed shave with cancer.

MOOS: In the feat of choking and coughing, Perrett stumbled to the kitchen.

PERRETT: I think I hit the wall and then hit the kitchen island like a granite top.

MOOS: For a second he was knocked out. Next thing he knew his wife was there. She came running thinking she might have to do the Heimlich.

PERRETT: Had blood everywhere.

MOOS: They ended up going to the emergency room where Perrett got three stitches. Reminds us of the time President George W. Bush choked on a

pretzel while watching football and fainted. Check out the bruise.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Always listen to your mother who told me chew your pretzels before you swallow.

MOOS: And swallow your sushi before laughing. The star of Veep Julia Louis- Dreyfus said Perrett exchanged tweets. He praise the show was pure gold and called her your highness. "For God's sake, be careful," she replied. When

President Bush choked on his pretzel he woke up to barney and spot while Perrett woke up to his wife, at least she didn't give him the Veep

treatment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Be careful because that cabinet is valuable.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. Don't go anywhere, World Sport with Alex Thomas is next.

END