Return to Transcripts main page
NEWS STREAM
Moon: Keep Sanctions On North Korea; Rudd: Authorities Know More About Substance Used On Spy; Litvinenko Case Echoes Other Suspicious Deaths In U.K.; Top Economic Adviser Resigns Over Tarrifs Dispute; Porn Star Sues Trump Over Alleged Affair Hush Agreement; U.S. Aircraft Carrier Makes Port Call In Vietnam; World Headlines; Germany Terror Trial; The Struggle to Avoid Unwanted Pregnancies in Philippines; Two-Year-Old Girl in Awe of Michelle Obama's Portrait; Oldest Message in a Bottle Found on Beach. Aired at 8-8:45a ET
Aired March 7, 2018 - 08:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to News Stream.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: A North Korean message for the U.S. -- South Korean delegation will relay Pyongyang's position to Washington on a trip later this week.
Possible cause -- British authorities have more information on a substance that led to a former Russian spy becoming critically ill.
And fighting for the right to birth control -- we look at teen pregnancies in the Philippines ahead of International Women's Day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: And we start with words of hope and a firm warning from South Korea's president. Moon Jae-in says complete denuclearization of the
Korean Peninsula is the ultimate goal in the upcoming North-South Korean summit, but he is urging the international community to keep up sanctions
against Pyongyang, until there's actual progress on that issue.
Mr. Moon made those comments amid signs of a major diplomatic breakthrough. The special South Korean envoy is heading to Washington this week to brief
the U.S. on his delegation's meeting with Kim Jong-un, and they will be bringing a message from North Korea.
Let's get the very latest now from Seoul. Paula Hancocks joins us now. And, Paula, wow, after yesterday's big breakthrough, we heard from the
South Korean preside today and he offered a more cautious tone. What more did he say?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Kristie. He was cautious, which was fairly unexpected considering how significant
yesterday's development was. But he did that say you can't be too optimistic at this point, because it is just the starting line.
So trying to inject some caution into what's happening at this point. He also, as you said, pointed out that he had no intention of relief --
relieving any of the sanctions, the international sanctions, he says will stay in place, even while dialogue between North and South Korea is
progressing.
And he also was talking about the option of nonproliferation from North Korea. He said that is important. He said, also that it is not the
ultimate goal.
Even a freeze on the nuclear and missile program from North Korea is not the ultimate goal. What they want is to make sure that there is complete
denuclearization.
Another interesting point he made within this meeting, as well, was that the South Korean side, when talking about this potential summit with North
Korean leader Kim Jong-un said that they were happy to meet in Seoul, in South Korea, in Pyongyang, in North Korea, or at the DMZ.
And it was the North Koreans that decided that it should be in the DMZ, but on the South Korean side. Now, if this does go ahead at the end of April
as we are expecting at this point according to officials.
Then that would be the first time that a North Korean leader has actually crossed the DMZ, the dividing line between North and South Korea into the
South since at least the Korean War. Kristie.
LU STOUT: Yes, and making that a very landmark upcoming summit. Now, Donald Trump has also reacted. He said that he believes that North Korea
is sincere in its peace talks with South Korea, But, Paula, looking at history, should Trump be so sure about Pyongyang's intentions here?
HANCOCKS: Absolutely not. This should be dealt with -- with cynicism. This is the message from officials here, certainly in Japan, as well,
saying that they have to see concrete steps before they want to see whether or not talks have any chance of working.
And they want to see nonproliferation. They want to see absolute steps taken by North Korea that they are serious and verifiable steps about a
potential denuclearization.
There have been summits in the past between North and South Korea, back in the year 2000. Back in 2007, there were agreements made, there were peace
deals signed. All of those have been effectively ignored by North Korea.
So -- so history teaches us that it's very difficult to say, outright, that the North Koreans are being sincere. Officials really around the world are
welcoming what is happening, but they are also withholding judgment until they see exactly what North Korea does with this.
LU STOUT: Yes, hopes have been raised, hopes have been dashed before. So what is North Korea thinking here? You know, Kim Jong-un is suddenly
willing to talk with the U.S. over dismantling his atomic arsenal. Why now?
HANCOCKS: Well, it's the key question. And obviously, the only person who knows for sure is North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. He knows why on New
Year's day, at the address that he gives every year, he decided to reach out to South Korea. And say that they had to resolve the issues of the
Peninsula, that he wanted to send a delegation to the Olympics.
[08:05:02] That he, in fact, in the end, sent his sister, Kim Yo-jong to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, and beyond then that, an invitation to
this summit.
I mean this has gone above and beyond what any South Korean official was expecting. I've been told this from officials across the board, that they
were surprised at just how forceful North Korea was in those talks at the Olympics, saying that it was the South Koreans who were holding back
somewhat, and the North Koreans that wanted to see even faster progress.
So this is a massive about-turn from what we saw just few months ago, when there were serious concerns about just how high the tensions were on the
Korean Peninsula. So it is massive turnaround.
And we don't know for sure what the North Korean leader is intending. He has said, though, that any denuclearization or talk of it has to make sure
that his country is secure. That there's no threat from the United States.
Now, of course many people read into that and say that clearly, what he wants is 27,500-plus U.S. troops who were stationed in South Korea will
have to be pulled out of South Korea before the North Koreans denuclearize. That's something that will be a major sticking point, to say the very
least. Kristie.
LU STOUT: Paula Hancocks reporting live from Seoul. Thank you. British Home Secretary Amber Rudd says investigators are learning more about the
substance that caused a former Russian spy become critically ill.
Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found unconscious outside of a shopping center on Southern England on Saturday. They have been in
intensive care ever since. Secretary Rudd said police will be updating us about the case in the upcoming hours.
CNN's Erin McLaughlin joins me live from Salisbury, England. And, Erin, investigators, still days on, they're still trying to figure out and piece
together what happened and what is causing the illness of Skripal and his daughter. What's the latest?
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kristie. This is still very much a mystery that authorities here in the United Kingdom are working
furiously to solve. The Home Secretary, as you mentioned, Amber Rudd, chaired a high level cabinet meeting called a COBRA meeting for
emergencies, normally chaired for emergencies here in the U.K.
She chaired that at Downing Street this morning, out of that giving a brief update saying that they do know more about the substance that is at the
center of this investigation, adding that police will divulge more details on that later in the day.
And she said that this is going to be a prolonged investigation. And it is clear, at this point, that police are still in the nascent stages of that
investigation. You can see behind me, the scene has remained cordoned off.
You can see behind me that the bench that Skripal, as well as his daughter were found unconscious, remain covered by police tent. Earlier today, the
Metropolitan Police releasing a statement, appealing to the public for more information.
They want any eyewitnesses to come forward, anyone who was in the nearby pizza restaurant, anyone who was in the nearby pub that day, to come
forward with any and all information. So it really gives you sense of where they are currently in this ongoing investigation, Kristie.
LU STOUT: And Erin, if the Russians are found to be behind the suspected poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, how would the U.K. respond?
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson yesterday, saying that if Russia is involved in any way, there will be a robust
response. He went so far as to say that it could impact the British delegation's involvement in the upcoming World Cup over the summer.
So British officials clearly looking at Russia in this case, who Skripal is, no doubt a big part of that, he's a former Russian intelligence
officer, who in 2006 was convicted of being a spy for the British government, sentenced to 13 years in prison, released in 2010 as part of a
high-profile spy swap.
He settled here in Salisbury, now in critical condition alongside his 33- year-old daughter. Boris Johnson himself drawing parallels to Alexander Litvinenko, who in 2006, the same year that Skripal was convicted, was
poisoned in a Mayfair Restaurant.
A British public inquiry later saying that that assassination was most probably ordered by Vladimir Putin, himself. Now, Russia, for its part,
has denied any involvement in that. Also denied any involvement so far in what has happened to Skripal as well. Kristie.
LU STOUT: Well, this is the stuff of spy novels. And this is real, very real. Erin McLaughlin reporting live for us. Thank you, Erin.
[08:10:00] Meanwhile, Russian media says trying to link the suspected poisoning to Moscow just doesn't make sense. Our senior international
correspondent, Fred Pleitgen, has more on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: After the comments coming from Britain's Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, saying that the
United Kingdom would have, quote, a robust response, if in fact Russia was behind the falling ill of the former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, the
Russian federation has reacted.
The foreign ministry in an initial statement calling the accusations made by the Brits, groundless and also saying that they were, quote, wild.
At the same time, you have the Russian media and also some Russian politicians coming out and saying, look, why would the Russians, the
Russian intelligence services, be involved in an operation like this?
They say that Sergei Skripal had been out of the intelligence services for a very long time. After all, he left Russia in 2010 after that pardon and
had lived in the United Kingdom for quite a while.
So they say he was not of enough value, not enough of a threat to the Russian federation for the intelligence services to go to such a length and
to so much trouble and possibly causing an international incident between the U.K. and Russia for them to be behind any of this.
Nevertheless, it is certainly true that there was a lot of bad blood towards Sergei Skripal here in Russia. The FSB, Russia's intelligence
services -- intelligence service, after the arrest of Sergei Skripal, even made a film, talking about what they call, his betrayal of the Russian
federation.
So there certainly was some bad blood towards Sergei Skripal, but what the Russians are saying, what they want to see right now before any accusations
fly, is a full investigation and they first and foremost wants to know what exactly this unknown substance might be. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Now, the mystery surrounding Skripal has prompted comparisons with Alexander Litvinenko, also a former spy, who was killed in Central
London in 2006.
An inquiry into his death concluded that Moscow was most likely behind his assassination. But he's not the only person with links to Russia to have
been killed while in the U.K. Nic Robertson looks at some of the other suspicious deaths.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian spy, who fled Russia to work for British intelligence, is the most famous
recent spy murder in the U.K.
As this hotel security camera revealed, he was poisoned with deadly radioactive polonium in 2006, given to him in tea by two Russian
intelligence agents in the heart of London.
It took 10 years for the U.K. government inquiry to conclude Russian intelligence was likely responsible, although Russia dismisses the
allegation as nonsense.
ROBERT OWEN, CHAIRMAN, LITVINENKO INQUIRY: The FSB operation to kill Mr. Litvinenko was probably approve by Mr. Patrushev, then head of the FSB, and
also by President Putin.
ROBERTSON: Georgi Markov's murder in 1978, harder to trace. At the height of the Cold War, the Bulgarian dissident turned BBC journalist was poisoned
by a deadly pellet jammed into his leg using an umbrella as he walked the streets of London. No one has ever been charged.
Not clear yet who murdered Alexander Perepilichny in 2012. The Russian businessman collapsed while running near London. Traces of the poisonous
plant gelsemium were later found in his stomach. In 2013, Boris Berezovsky, an exiled Russian billionaire was found hanging in an apparent
suicide in the U.K.
He was waging a high-profile media battle against his one-time protege, Vladimir Putin. Berezovsky's associate, Scot Young, died about a year
later, another apparent suicide -- impaled on railings, four floors below his apartment. After Litvinenko's murder inquiry in 2016, his wife called
for tough action.
MARINA LITVINENKO, ALEXANDER LITVINENKO'S WIFE: I am calling immediately for expulsion from the U.K. of all Russian intelligence authorities.
ROBERTSON: Instead, British officials called in Russia's ambassador to demand cooperation. Russia has so far refused to extradite the two
principle suspects. Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: And the self-styled sex coach who claims to have evidence of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election will remain in a Thai jail, at
least for now.
Police tell CNN they are checking to see if Anastasia Vashkevich faces any other outstanding charges, a process which could take weeks.
[08:15:05] The model was already charged with working without a permit for running a so-called sex training sessions. She claims to have photos and
recordings, linking a Russian billionaire to the election meddling but she says that she won't reveal them unless the U.S. grants her asylum.
Now under a looming trade war and a feud over tariffs, Donald Trump's chief economic adviser is stepping down. Just ahead, what Gary Cohn's
resignation means for the White House and potentially for the global economy.
Plus, the USS Carl Vinson received a warm welcome when it docked in Vietnam, but there's plenty of controversy surrounding the ship's arrival.
All that and much more coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. You are watching News Stream. The European Union is getting even more specific in
a threat to retaliate against the U.S. if President Donald Trump follows through on steel and aluminum tariffs.
Now, the world's biggest trading block has added peanut butter, cranberries, and orange juice to the list of products it says, it would
consider imposing tariffs on. The E.U. officials already said motorcycles, bourbon, and denim jeans might be targeted.
Now President Trump's top economic adviser, who is firmly opposed to these tariffs, is just the latest to walk through the revolving door at the White
House.
Gary Cohn resigned on Tuesday, adding his name to the long list of high- profile departures. Now, the news rattled Wall Street, Dow futures tumbling overnight. CNN's Abby Phillip has more on the fallout.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump's top economic adviser Gary Cohn becoming the latest in a string of White House advisers to
abandon ship after butting heads with the president over his decision to impose stiff tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. News of Cohn's
departure coming just hours after the president insisted that there is no chaos in his administration.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I read where, oh gee, maybe people don't want to work for Trump. Believe me, everybody wants to work
in the White House.
They all want a piece of that Oval Office. They want a piece of the West Wing. I could take any position in the White House and I'll have a choice
of the 10 top people having to do with that position.
PHILLIP: The president later reiterating this message on Twitter, noting that he'll be making a decision about Cohn's replacement soon.
Sources say the president is considering trapping trade adviser Peter Navarro, who unlike Cohn is in favor of imposing tariffs. Trump also
considering informal adviser Larry Kudlow who has been a vocal critic of the tariffs and lamented Cohn's resignation.
LARRY KUDLOW, AMERICAN COMMENTATOR: I think it's a turn for the worse. I think he did a great job. I'm really sorry he's leaving.
PHILLIP: Less than a month ago, Cohn was being considered as a possible replacement for embattled chief of staff John Kelly after successfully
ushering in the tax bill.
[08:20:02] But sources say his feud with the president over taxes was the last straw. Cohn considered resigning last year after the president
equated neo-Nazis and those protesting them in Charlottesville.
TRUMP: Very fine people on both sides.
PHILLIP: The revolving door at the West Wing may not stop there. Speculation continues about national security adviser H.R. McMaster and
chief of staff John Kelly.
CNN has learned President Trump has emboldened former campaign director Anthony Scaramucci who was fired after just 11 days on the job, to continue
attacking Kelly publicly.
ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, FORMER WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: There's a fear, culture of fear, culture of intimidation. People are afraid to talk
to each other.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Coming from the president, they're afraid of the president?
SCARAMUCCI: No, I think it's the chief of staff.
PHILLIP: When asked about the infighting at the White House, president Trump saying this Tuesday.
TRUMP: I like conflict. I like having two people with different points of view, and I certainly have that, and then I make a decision.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: And that was Abby Phillip reporting. Now on top of all the staff departures, Donald Trump has another potential headache.
He's being sued by a porn star, Stormy Daniels whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims that she had an affair with Mr. Trump several years before
he became president and now she is taking him to court over a so-called hush agreement. Sara Sidner has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Porn star Stormy Daniels suing President Trump, seeking to invalidate the nondisclosure agreement she signed just
days before the 2016 presidential election, preventing her from talking about their alleged sexual encounter.
JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, ABC'S JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE: You can't say whether you have a nondisclosure agreement. But if you didn't have a nondisclosure
agreement, you most certainly could say, I don't have a nondisclosure agreement, yes?
STORMY DANIELS, SUING DONALD TRUMP: You're so smart, Jimmy.
KIMMEL: Thank you very much.
SIDNER: The lawsuit argues that the agreement is null and void, because it was not signed by Mr. Trump, referred to in the document by a pseudonym
David Dennison.
Daniels's lawyer says Mr. Trump, purposely did not sign the agreement so he could later, if need be, publicly disavow any knowledge of the contract and
Ms. Daniels.
According to the complaint, Daniels had an intimate relationship with Mr. Trump that began in the summer of 2006 and continued well into 2007. The
adult film star, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, considered sharing her story in 2016 after the Access Hollywood tape surfaced.
TRUMP: I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do
anything.
BILLY BUSH, FORMER ACCESS HOLLYWOOD HOST: Whatever you want.
TRUMP: Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.
SIDNER: The complaint alleges Trump's long-time attorney, Michael Cohen, intervened, paying Daniels $130,000. Daniels says Mr. Trump knew about the
payment, which she calls hush money.
Last week, Cohen admitted to paying Daniels but insisted that neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was party to the transaction with
Ms. Clifford, and neither reimbursed me for the payment either directly or indirectly.
The lawsuit says Cohen has continued to intimidate Ms. Clifford into silence and shut her up, in order to protect Mr. Trump, even as recently as
February 27th, when Cohen filed a bogus arbitration against Daniels without giving her notice of the proceeding and basic due process.
In the lawsuit Daniels also alleges Cohen coerced her into signing this statement in January, which states that reports of her relationship with
Mr. Trump were false.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Sara Sidner with that report. Now the growing strategic relationship between two former enemies is on full display off the coast of
Vietnam this week.
The USS Carl Vinson's appearance is the biggest U.S. military presence there since the Vietnam War ended in 1975. As Matt Rivers now reports, the
visit has a dual purpose for the region.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. ship dominates the horizon as you get closer, more a couple miles off the Vietnamese coast on this trip
though, a symbol of U.S. ability to wage war has turned into a peace offering.
The USS Carl Vinson and its 5,000 sailors arrived in the Da Nang this week for an official visit decades in a making. Complete with a welcome
ceremony on shore and people to people exchanges over four days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It means tremendous deal to us to have a reliable strategic partner like Vietnam.
RIVERS: For Vietnam, this is primarily about strengthening a military relationship and aboard the carrier deck, you can see the appeal. Other
Navy ships have stopped here since 2003, but this is the first port call for U.S. aircraft carrier since Vietnam War.
This kind of ship more than any other shows the United States ability to project its military power to all corners of the globe. It is a kind of
ship frankly that can send a message if you want to other countries like China. China has stirred up tensions across the South China Sea, because
of these.
[08:25:00] Different sets of artificial islands it has built up and quickly militarized. CNN shot this video in 2015, but new photos published by the
Philippine newspaper in January, show substantial development since.
New radar stations, new runways and facilities analysts say could someday allow China to militarily dominate a crucial international waterway.
VICE ADMIRAL PHILLIP SAWYER, COMMANDER, U.S. NAVY'S SEVENTH FLEET: The militarization of the South China Sea is a concern that does not and will
not impact the operations of the United States Navy, we will continue to fly operating sail wherever international law allows.
RIVERS: Beijing claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, but other countries like Vietnam claim parts of that same territory,
because China's actions illegal under international law.
The U.S. agrees and since 2015 has sailed Navy ships like these within 12 miles of the island to show that it does not respect them as sovereign is
also making port calls China won't like.
JOHN KIRBY, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: So they had not been friendly to warming relations with Vietnam, they will be particularly sensitive to the visit of
an aircraft carrier to Vietnam.
RIVERS: U.S. Navy and State Department officials have stressed this week that a show of force is all about deepening peaceful ties between the U.S.
and Vietnam.
And that is absolutely true but when you ask why the U.S. and Vietnam created this historic visit just offshore, part of that answer lies in a
growing threat in the middle of the sea. Matt Rivers, CNN, De Nang, Vietnam.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. And still ahead, for the first time, far-right extremists in Germany have been charged with terror crimes.
And today, the so-called Freital group will learn its fate. We've got the latest from Dresden, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream and these are your world headlines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: South Korea says when its delegation heads to Washington this week, it will bring a message from North Korea. President Moon Jae-in says
he is aiming for complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but says the international community should not ease sanctions on North Korea
until there is real progress from future talks.
Britain's home secretary says investigators know more about the mysterious substance used in the suspected poisoning of a former Russia spy.
Officials are expected to brief the public in the coming hours.
Meanwhile, Scotland Yard is asking anyone with information about what happened to Sergei Skripal and his daughter to contact police.
Sri Lanka is under a state of emergency for another day. The government acted after violence broke out between Buddhist and Muslim communities run
the city of Kandy. Now at least two deaths are reported, dozens of mosques, pawns, shops and vehicles have been destroyed.
The U.S. secretary general says aid convoys must be given safe access into Eastern Ghouta. The rebel-held are outside Damascus is still facing attacks
from the Syrian military despite a U.N. agreed ceasefire. Aid agencies say that they will try to deliver more supplied on Thursday.
And now to a legal decision Germany. Members of the far-right Freital group had been on trial for terror offenses against refugess. And today the seven
men and one woman are expected to learn their fate when the verdict is handed down.
Atika Shubert joins us now live from outside the courthouse in Dresden. Atika, the verdict, I believe, was in now. What have you heard?
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. We've just heard it's actually still being read out by the judge, but we
understand that all eight suspects have been found guilty of being members of a terror organization.
And this is quite a legal shift here in Germany to start to see these kinds of far-right groups being charged as being part of terror organizations.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT (voice-over): They're known as the Freital group. Seven men and one woman charged with multiple attacks on refugees. Their trial sets a
legal precedent in Germany for the first time. Far-right extremists are charged with terror offenses.
In 2015, the country was coping with an influx of more than a million refugees. Small German towns like Freital were pressed into service by the
government to provide refugee homes. While many welcomed the newcomers, others did not. Protest tried to prevent the entry of refugees into the
town unsuccessfully.
But according to the indictment, the suspects turned to violence including firebombing two refugee homes that left two people injured. Prosecutors
argued the suspects had formed, quote, a right-wing terror group. On Wednesday, the court is expected to deliver a verdict.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: Now, the verdict is still being read out. But what we know from this case is that it has been very closely followed here. We saw all eight
of the suspects being brought in. All of them came in handcuffs and were escorted by two police officers each.
And this is a very specific thing by the federal prosecutor to not only look at the crimes that were committed but to try and prove that all of the
suspects were involved in organizing and coordinating as a terror group. And this is part of the federal government's decision to try and crack down
on these kinds of hate crimes and far-right groups, especially in the wake of the refugee crisis. Kristie?
LU STOUT: This is an unprecedented terror case. The verdict is coming in. What is the reaction there in Germany, not to the verdict, because it is
still so fresh and new, but people have been following this trial. The people in Germany feel that these attacks on refugees should be tried as
terrorism.
SHUBERT: There has been a lot of discussion about exactly that, whether or not this constitute terror attacks. And it is certainly a shift, not only a
legal shift in prosecuting these cases, but a shift in thinking by the German public.
And the Freital case in particular, you know, a lot of -- a lot of details came to light that they didn't exactly hide what they were doing. They
talked quite openly in text messages. They actually met across from a police station, for example.
So what it has really done is prompted an open discussion now of what are some of these far-right groups doing. Is it more than just simply talking
or threatening? Are they actually going out and committing acts of violence?
And according to this verdict, it does seem like the judge is saying, yes, they are part of a terror organization and hopefully will hear very shortly
about the rest of charges they are also facing as well, Kristie.
LU STOUT: Atika Shubert, reporting live from Dresden, thank you.
Many in the Philippines lack access to birth control even education about modern family planning. Coming up, you'll hear the stories of women who
faced tough decisions in dealing with unwanted pregnancies.
[08:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back. This is "News Stream."
Raising babies as teenagers and struggling to find the resources to avoid pregnancy. A law mandating universal access to birth control is now in
place in the Philippines but in a country where abortion is illegal, activists say much more needs to be done to help those who need it most,
especially teens. Alexandra Field reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hazel Encarnacion (ph) became a first-time mom at 16, before she learned about
birth control. She thought contraception was only for married women or women with children. Something Magdalena Bacalondo (ph) has heard many
times before.
(on camera): You're going door to door, trying to help women stop unwanted pregnancies before they happen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. There are several activities. One of our activities, we have household visit.
FIELD (voice-over): Often you're finding women who don't want to have anymore children.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, like some of the women have 13 children.
FIELD (on camera): Thirteen children?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Nine to 13.
FIELD (voice-over): Bacalondo (ph) is part of an organization that hands out free birth control in Manila's most overcrowded district, Tondo, where
it's otherwise unaffordable for most people and many don't even know it's an option. We meet some women who say they never had the access to it or
the education.
A woman we're calling Anna (ph) to protect her identity says an unplanned pregnancy left her in a situation so desperate she considered killing
herself.
I didn't know how to react, she says, when I found out I was pregnant again. I just cried in the bathroom. We had so many kids already and we are
so poor.
FIELD (voice-over): Abortions are illegal in the Philippines. Anna (ph) considered a dangerous procedure before the birth of her fifth child. She
says, they were going to insert something made of metal. I was scared about and wondered how big was that piece of metal.
Another mother of 11 children says she ended three pregnancies, one with black market pills and a $3 procedure.
She just kept pushing hard on my belly, she says. Whenever the baby moved, she just pushed it down harder, so that, so it could be crushed.
They say they're sharing these stories with us, so painful, so private, to protect other women from having to make similar, devastating choices.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Most of the women are shy to tell us.
FIELD (on camera): They don't want to talk about it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They don't want to talk about it.
FIELD (voice-over): A Philippine law passed in 2012 aims to make birth control universally accessible. The goal is to save lives, manage
population, and reduce poverty. It was only fully implemented late last year when court challenges were lifted. Activists say it's still difficult
to ensure that all women who need contraception can get it, especially adolescents.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In our law, they need the consent of their parents. So -- and they're not going to ask their parents. No adolescent asks their
parents.
FIELD (voice-over): Hazel (ph) got a contraceptive implant two months after giving birth. A loving mother who says she wants to wait to have
another baby.
Alexandra Field, CNN, Manila, Philippines.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Alex's report, it does not end there. You can read much more about what is happening not only in the Philippines but throughout the
developing world in a special section of our website.
CNN has been partnering with the European Journalism Center over the coming year. And together, we'll show you the challenges that these women face to
live as equals with men, whether it is in the classroom or in the workplace, in politics or in health care. And you will see what's being
done to bring down barriers, wherever they exist. Just go to cnn.com/asequals and find out more.
Now, a 2-year-old girl captivated by the former U.S. first lady
[08:40:00] got to meet her and got to dance with her. It all began with moment that inspired many of us online. This photo went viral last week. It
shows Parker Curry fascinated by the official portrait and a beautiful portrait of Michelle Obama, who she believes is a queen.
Mrs. Obama invited Parker to meet her in her office. They had a dance party together. CNN's Don Lemon spoke with Parker and her mom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DON LEMON, JOURNALIST AND ANCHOR, CNN: What do you think is going to happen when she grows up to realize the moment what actually happened?
JESSICA CURRY, MOTHER OF PARKER CURRY: I think she will be inspired all over again, that she inspired so many people on. I think she will be
absolutely amazed. Look at that. Look at that.
PARKER CURRY, GIRL TRANSFIXED BY PORTRAIT OF MICHELLE OBAMA: My auntie.
J. CURRY: Yes. Is that your auntie?
P. CURRY: Yes.
J. CURRY: Now, that's her Auntie Michelle.
LEMON: Ask Parker. What does Parker want to be when she grows up?
J. CURRY: What do you want to do when you grow up?
P. CURRY: I want to be a queen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: She wants to be a queen, not a princess, a queen. Now, this is the first time that Mrs. Obama has danced with a fan. Back in 2016,
Virginia McLaurin, who was 106 years old at the time, became an internet sensation when she danced with the Obamas at the White House. She told
them, she never told she would lived to see then will meet a black president.
She is still having a good time. In fact, next week, she is turning 109 years old. She celebrated with the Harlem Globetrotters at an elementary
school in Washington. Look at her. She is playing (ph) basketball with her fingers with a little bit of help. She made some moves from her wheelchair.
She says the secret from a long life is to be nice to people and have love in your life.
Now, an Australian woman has discovered a message in a bottle that is believed to be at least 130 years old. It was tossed into the Indian Ocean
from a German ship. It washed ashore in a beach in Western Australia. Reporter Chenee Marrapodi has more on this potentially record-breaking
discovery.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHENEE MARRAPODI, REPORTER, SEVEN NETWORK AUSTRALIA (voice-over): Buried in the sand dunes, a message from the past.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a bit of a romantic thing, a message in a bottle.
MARRAPODI (voice-over): Tonya Illman was walking along the beach two hours north of Perth, when she spotted an old Dutch gin bottle very similar to
this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) it could have been 131 years old.
MARRAPODI (voice-over): Inside, a tiny rolled up note printed in German with some faint handwriting. Husband, Kym, started investigating.
KYM ILLMAN, HUSBAND OF TONYA ILLMAN: When you looked at the year, it said 1800. I thought, well, that's pretty significant. And then we looked up
towards the (INAUDIBLE) and realized that they were doing this as part of a research project.
MARRAPODI (voice-over): It is believed thousands of these bottles were thrown into the ocean in the 19th century to help scientists understand
ocean currents.
(on camera): Almost 132 years have passed since the bottle was thrown overboard, but researchers believe its journey was significantly shorter.
It is crazy to think but it probably washed ashore within its first year and spent more than a century underneath the sand.
(voice-over): The current Guinness world record is held by a bottle that spent just over108 years at sea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This one (INAUDIBLE) about some 23 years.
MARRAPODI (voice-over): It will now be on display in the WY Museum.
Chenee Marrapodi, Seven News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: That is a file format that can last. Message in a bottle. That is "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere, we got
"World Sport" with Rhiannon Jones, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)
END