Return to Transcripts main page
CNN NEWSROOM
Government Shutdown Continues; Congo With a New President; Another Defeat for Theresa May's Brexit; Mike Pompeo Meets Middle East Allies. Trump Storms Out Of Shutdown Meeting With Democrats; Runner-up In Congo's Presidential Election Rejects Results; U.K. Prime Minister May Suffers Brexit Setbacks In Parliament; Kim And Xi Talk Denuclearization, U.S. Summit; Shutdown Standoff; Rod, Heading For The Exit; Trump Versus The Dems, Reviewing The Speeches. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired January 10, 2019 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:00:00] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. shutdown stalemate grinds on. No sign of compromise after the president storms out of a meeting with lawmakers.
A Brexit blow for Theresa May, the prime minister faces a setback as she tries to lead the U.K. out of the European Union.
And the presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo officials declared a winner, but the runner-up says he categorically rejects the result.
Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. And this is CNN Newsroom.
Government shutdown drags on with no end in sight. President Donald Trump met with Democratic leaders Wednesday but it did not go well. Kaitlan Collins has our report.
Another meeting and another day the U.S. government shutdown drags on with no end in sight.
President Donald Trump met with Democratic leaders Wednesday but it did not go well.
Kaitlan Collins has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, (D) NEW YORK, MINORITY LEADER: We saw temper tantrum because he couldn't get his way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Talks between the White House and Democrats crumbling tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NANCY PELOSI, UNITED STATES SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Our meeting did not last long.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: After President Trump stormed out of his meeting with congressional leaders when it became clear Democrats wouldn't budge on funding his border wall.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHUMER: The president just got up and walked out. He asked Speaker Pelosi, would you agree to my wall. She said, no. And he just got up and said, then we have nothing to discuss and he just walked out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Democrats, declaring that the president threw a temper tantrum. As he tweeted that the meeting was a total waste of time. Writing, "I asked what is going to happen in 30 days if I quickly open things up. Are you going to approve border security, which includes a wall or steel barrier? Nancy said, no. I said, bye-bye. Nothing else works."
Vice President Mike Pence saying Democrats were unwilling to engage in good faith negotiations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He ask Speaker Pelosi that he if he open things up quickly, if he reopen the government quickly, would she be willing to agree to funding for a wall or a barrier on the southern border. And when she said no the president said goodbye.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The episode dramatically escalating a shutdown where talks were already at a stalemate. During a bill signing in the Oval Office today Trump claiming he never wanted this shutdown to begin with.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is not the fight I wanted. I didn't want this fight this fight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Despite saying on camera he was willing to take the blame.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I am proud to shut down the government for border security.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: The president claiming today that the hundreds of thousands of federal workers who are bracing to miss their first paycheck Friday are backing his shutdown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: A lot of them agree with what I'm doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: After stopping short of declaring a national emergency on the border during his primetime pitch, Trump leaving the door open today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think we might work a deal, and if we don't, I may go that route. I have the absolute right to do a national emergency if I want.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Despite a growing number of moderate Republicans signaling they are ready to open the government with or without funding his border wall. Trump says the party is firmly behind him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Mitch McConnell has been incredible. He said if the president is not going to sign it, I'm not going to waste my time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That confidence as Trump seems to be increasingly concerned about losing Republican support.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We have tremendous support in the Senate. We have tremendous support in the House. We had great Republican support.
We will have border security. Tremendous Republican support and I think we're going to win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: After a lunch with the president on Capitol Hill today, some Republicans seem to be growing impatient.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RICHARD SHELBY, (R) ALABAMA: How can resolve this. We owe it to the American people. This is like a circus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now after those talks fell apart at the White House today, Jared Kushner and the White House legislative affairs director, Shahira Knight did travel to Capitol Hill to meet with some lawmakers. But CNN is told by sources that there is no meeting currently rescheduled between Nancy Pelosi and President Trump, the two people who ultimately reopening the government will come down to.
But right now, we are told by White House officials that the president declaring a national emergency on the border is still very much an option here in the West Wing.
Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.
CHURCH: CNN political analyst Nathan Gonzales joins me now from Washington. Good to have you with us.
NATHAN GONZALES, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Thank you for having me.
CHURCH: So, according to Democrat Chuck Schumer, President Trump threw a temper tantrum when he met with congressional leaders Wednesday. Republican Kevin McCarthy disputes that, saying the president was calm when he walked out. Whichever story is right, isn't it up to the president to try to find a solution on this issue, particularly when government workers are hurting due to this partial government shutdown?
[03:05:06] GONZALES: I think in a way this is a giant problem but a microcosm of what we see time and time again that sort of where you place blame depends on where you sit on the political aisle.
I think what's remarkable about Washington is that for years and generations the two parties have disagreed on where to compromise or how to compromise, but now we can't even agree on when to compromise. I mean, that's typically when we're talking about the raising, the debt ceiling or the fiscal cliff that used to be a point were both party said OK. We're finally at the edge and if we don't compromise then the whole thing is going to go down.
But now where we're a couple -- almost a couple of weeks into a shutdown or more than a couple of weeks into a shutdown and the parties can't even agree on if they shouldn't even compromise at all, let alone what is that look like.
CHURCH: This is the problem, isn't it? The president digging in still threatening to declare a national emergency if he doesn't get his $5.7 billion border wall and then on the other side of the political spectrum, the Democrats refusing to fund his wall. How can a compromise be found at this juncture? This is a stalemate. No one refused -- they all refuse to budge while government workers struggle to pay their bills. It's not sustainable.
GONZALES: You know, Rosemary, I'm supposed to be since I'm on TV I'm supposed to have all the answers. I'm not sure how this end. You know, I think one of the things we know about the president is that I think he's a dealmaker above all else, and usually he wants to get a deal done and doesn't really care about what's involved with it or who's involved with it. But because this situation involves a campaign promise it's particularly prickly insensitive because he feels like this is something that he needs to deliver on. And I cannot -- don't know what it's going to take.
I mean, there are people that are going without paychecks. There's a -- it's a -- once we got a month into this and paychecks aren't coming in it's going to start hitting some people, but I don't know how this end.
CHURCH: Yes. And the problem is that some of those people that will go without paychecks are leaving their jobs to find alternative employment. So, the system is sort of starting to break down.
And it's not only the Democrats who are unhappy about this shutdown. Some Republicans are speaking out too despite the president calling for unity on the issue Wednesday. Could that potentially bring enough pressure to bear on the president to consider opening up may be parts of the government, or does he have enough support to sustain this for however long is necessary as he said?
GONZALES: You know, I think one of the reasons why we've gotten this far is because both sides believe that a shutdown, particularly the president and the Democrats believed that a shutdown that they have the people around their side that they're going to benefit from this politically.
But for some Republicans on the Hill this is where it gets sticky for a couple of Republicans in the Senate like Cory Gardner of Colorado, Susan Collins of Maine who were up for reelection in 2020 in competitive states. They're feeling the pressure, they're more likely to, they are the one saying let's open the government.
There have been -- there are eight House Republicans right now who were siding with Democrats to open the government. Some of them are members up for reelection in 2020 who represent districts that Hillary Clinton carried in 2016 so they're feeling that political pressure. But I'm not sure that they are enough to influence the president because they are just in two very different political situations.
CHURCH: Right. Just very quickly, and finally, how likely do you think it is that Mr. Trump will ultimately use the power he's threatening to use to declare a national emergency to get military funds for his wall?
GONZALES: You know, I think with this president we can't rule anything out. I mean, I just think, you know, we have to sort of leave any option on the table in terms of what he might do to solve this. You know, maybe the compromise is that there is some sort of wall fund, specific wall funding, but Democrats get a whole list of things that they want on citizenship and pathways to citizenship that they may not have -- that they may not have otherwise gotten.
CHURCH: Impossible to see where this is all going. Right? Nathan Gonzales, thank you so much for your analysis all the same. I appreciate it. GONZALES: Thank you.
CHURCH: To Britain now and it's one defeat after another for Prime Minister Theresa May. In a vote on Wednesday, lawmakers decided if her Brexit deal fails in parliament next Tuesday which is likely, she must come back with a plan B within three days, instead of the 21 days she would've had originally.
Meanwhile, debate is set to resume in the coming hours, but lawmakers still nowhere close to backing the deal that's on the table.
Let's turn to our Anna Stewart. She joins us now from outside parliament. Good to see you again, Anna. Another defeat for Theresa May, what does this latest blow mean for Brexit?
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: So, it's just another setback really. And what we're seeing here is the government just losing control day by day of the whole Brexit process.
This latest amendment essentially means as you said there that the prime minister will have to come back to Parliament within three days of losing the vote which is expected to happen when that takes place on Tuesday and set out what she expects to happen next her plan B.
[03:10:12] Then the parliament will get to vote on various different types of Brexit policies, whether that's a softer and always said (ph) Brexit a second referendum, whether or not it's a manage no deal Brexit. It won't be binding but will get a better sense of what the support is full within parliament.
And the problem is there are so many different shades of gray in this. There are so many different options that could be possible. And all this uncertainty has been really damaging for businesses who just don't know what Brexit is going to look like and what the trading relationship will be with the Europe.
The U.K. government said it was a hard Brexit test run, a chance for trucks to practice biting their time backed up at the border. For British businesses, the scene confirmed a no deal nightmare.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UMESH PARMAR, JOINT MANAGING DIRECTOR, TILDA: The goods will only trickle into Europe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: Goods like this basmati rice milled by a company called Tilda. Last year, Tilda generated $150 million in revenue processing up to 250 tons of rice a day at its factory on the edge of London.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARMAR: A no deal Brexit looks like we have to outsource 20 percent of our production, so we'll have to produce that in Europe and sell in Europe. STEWART: What does that mean for the facility here, are you going to lose staff?
PARMAR: Well, potentially yes because we have to shrink our operation over here.
STEWART: It's not just border delays if there is a no deal Brexit the company could face a roughly $200 tariff on each ton of rice it sends to the continent.
PARMAR: We want free market access into Europe for our goods.
STEWART: Time to sit up to get a closer glimpse of the milling process. The rice gets cleaned and then screened any bag that goes against the grain is rejected.
PARMAR: This is the brown rice cargo rice that comes in.
STEWART: Tilda brings in rice from India and that's a problem.
A lot of the food that the U.K. sends to the E.U. actually had its origins elsewhere, whether it's corn from the United States, wheat from Canada or rice from India. Now even if the U.K. manages to negotiate a free-trade agreement with the E.U., a company like Tilda is unlikely to benefit. Based on the E.U.'s rules of origin, this rice wouldn't be considered British enough and would face stiff tariffs.
The foods that's serious (ph) calling it a hidden hard Brexit.
ALEXANDER WAUGH, DIRECTOR GENERAL, U.K. FLOUR MILLERS: Exports in the arable sectors of whole are valued around 800 to 900 million pounds a year to the European Union. In any event that those trades don't happen, there's going to be an impact on jobs.
STEWART: Tilda has been a U.K. staple since the 1970s. It started out family-run and many of the employees count their service in decades.
It's Umesh Parmar's job to see the face (ph) of an anxious workforce as the clock ticks down towards Brexit day.
PARMAR: The biggest issue is the uncertainty which still stands today.
STEWART: Do you feel a sense of urgency?
PARMAR: Yes, absolutely. Immediately (ph), we need to know what's going to happen to us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: Certainly, not the only business looking at contingency planning. We had banks like Citibank, Deutsche Bank moving operations to Europe already. And others like Rolls-Royce, the airplane engine maker, they have said that they are stockpiling that's a part in case there are delays at the border. All these businesses would like to have a very soft Brexit stay in the customs union or have no Brexit at all. But frankly, at this stage, they definitely want some certainties. They know how to plan further ahead, Rosemary.
CHURCH: That's a problem no one really knows what the impact will ultimately be. Anna Stewart joining us there from out-front of parliament, many thanks.
Well, the electoral commission in the Democratic Republic of Congo says there's a winner in last month's election. They have declared opposition leader, Felix Tshisekedi, as president-elect. And this provisional result paves the way for the first handover of power in the DRC in nearly two decades.
Our David McKenzie joins us now from Johannesburg with more. Good to see you again, David. So, this, of course, is a surprise announcement and Tshisekedi's rivals they're a crying foul disputing the results. What are you learning about all this?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Rosemary. It is a surprise announcement and possibly a monumental transition in the DRC, which hasn't seen a peaceful transfer of power from the votes since frankly independence from Belgium in 1960s.
So, Felix Tshisekedi has been announced the winner provisionally by the electoral commission but there are a number of question marks already. The French foreign minister speaking to French media in the past few hours said that the results didn't match their expectation of who the winner would be.
[03:15:02] Now possibly, it's the runner-up in these announced results that is shouting the loudest, the Martin Fayulu, a popular businessman and who was backed by powerful politicians not able to participate in this election. He has said he will not accept this result, he said it's a electoral coup. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN FAYULU, LEADER, ENGAGEMENT FOR CITIZENSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT PARTY (through translator): To all those who learned of the ballot boxes, especially to the Congo's National Bishop Episcopal Conference, CENCO, and the church of Congo LCC through historical observations, we ask you to reveal to the Congolese people and to the whole world to name the person who really was our people's choice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: Well, that will be the critical next step. That Catholic group, which is well-respected in the country had observers throughout this massive country and they said that they knew who the winner was last week. So, that would be the key what they say in the coming hours about these provisional results.
Also, what will be key to see, Rosemary, is what South Africa where I'm sitting now has to say about this. They have been in the past a key player in Congolese politics, but the pressure will be on the international observers to try and get these transitions smoothly because it has been such awful violence into Congo in the past.
CHURCH: Right. And we will of course be watching to see the outcome there. But I do want to ask you this because rumors are swirling that a back-room deal was perhaps made between Tshisekedi and Kabila. Any evidence to suggest that's the case or is this just unsubstantiated rumors?
MCKENZIE: I think it's more than just unsubstantiated rumors. A key piece of evidence for that was that Tshisekedi's own camp just days ago was praising Joseph Kabila as a great leader and saying they were working on a transition with the outgoing president who's been in power for 18 years.
Remember, there are other questions about this election worth noting. There were no international observers allowed into the country. Ahead of the polls they said that three key cities were not able to conduct the polls in time because of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the northeastern violence in the western part of the country.
Now those are key supporting blocks for Fayulu and that opposition party. So, there's a lot of question marks on this election and its result. I think the French foreign minister's statement is significant.
But what will be far more significant is what that bishops' conference says in the coming hours. And whether they diametrically opposed this announcement and what that means on the streets of Congo, certainly in areas that are strong supporters of the runner-up in this election.
CHURCH: All right. Watching all those developments from Johannesburg, our David McKenzie just after 10.15 in the morning there. Many thanks to you.
Well, a top U.S. diplomat is on a trip through the Middle East. What he is telling American allies about the ever-changing plan to withdraw from Syria.
Plus, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered 100 days ago. Now there are new clues about what might have happened to his body. Back in a moment.
[03:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is trying to reassure Middle East allies in the wake of a shifting American strategy on Syria. He's in Egypt now after two stops in Iraq to meet with the prime minister and Kurdish leaders.
Pompeo says U.S. troops won't leave Syria until ISIS is defeated and Kurdish allies are protected.
CNN's Ben Wedeman is live in Cairo this hour. He joins us now. So, Ben, it is interesting that Mike Pompeo has the same talking points on Syria as national security advisor John Bolton putting both men at odds with U.S. President Donald Trump. How are those mixed messages being received in the region?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly the mixed messages have been a fact of life since the beginning of the Trump administration two years ago. But after the 19th of December when President Trump put out that Twitter video on which he announced pretty much out of blue that he wanted U.S. troops out of Syria.
Now, it has been a very difficult task for U.S. officials like Pompeo like national security advisor Bolton to try to figure out what this means in practical.
Now, in terms of regional reaction to this confusing situation as far as the U.S. policy in the Middle East goes. We did here Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei coming out with certainly is the harshest criticism of the U.S.
He said that some U.S. officials pretend they are mad. Of course, I don't agree. But they're first class idiots. Now you're not going to hear that sort of appraisal from the leaders who are meeting with Mike Pompeo on this weeklong tour of the Middle East. But there is concern that the United States simply does not have a policy.
It's significant, for instance, that on the 3rd of January of President Trump's first cabinet meeting he came out and said that Iran's leaders can do what they want in Syria after the U.S. eventually pulls out.
So, what we've seen as a result is this the Kurdish leaders in the north and east part of Syria who were allies of the United States in the war against ISIS have now opened a dialogue with the Syrian regime in Damascus, as well as Russia to try to figure out some sort of solution for their dilemma in the aftermath of an American withdrawal.
You have all the leaders of the region really scratching their head trying to figure out what to do in the presence of an administration in Washington that doesn't really have a plan. The president will tweet officials like Pompeo and Bolton, will try to make sense of them but at the end of the day U.S. policy is at the mercy of a man whose preferred means of communications is Twitter.
CHURCH: We shall see if -- we shall see if Mike Pompeo can calm some of those jitters in the region. Ben Wedeman joining us live there from Cairo. Many thanks.
Well, Pompeo will also stop in Saudi Arabia and it could be an awkward visit after the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi last October. The CIA concluded the Saudi crown prince likely ordered the killing. Now a group called the Open Society Justice Initiative is suing the CIA for its records on the case.
[03:24:56] It's been 100 days now since Khashoggi's murder. A new video may finally reveal what happened to his body.
CNN's Nic Robertson has the details.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It is 100 days since these fateful steps led Jamal Khashoggi to his brutal death inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Yet, his body is still missing. Saudi Arabia admits its operatives killed him but refuse to help find his remains blaming unnamed local collaborators for disposing of his body.
But what is now clear, Khashoggi's murder culminated in his dismemberment. Turkish officials have searched forests, remote farms, city car parks, damage dumps, the consulate where he was killed and the nearby consul general's residence but who refused to thorough access to the well and the property.
The most recent clue in the search this video made public last week by pro-government Turkish newspaper Saba appears to show heavy bags carried into the building. On the afternoon of October 2nd less than two hours after Khashoggi entered the consulate several vehicles left arriving minutes later at the consul general's residence. That's where the latest video comes into play.
Five heavy wheeled cases are rushed inside the consul general's house quickly followed by a man carrying two awkward large plastic bin bags. According to the Saba journalist, their Turkish source says believe Khashoggi's dismembered body was inside those cases and bags, something CNN cannot independently confirm.
It begs this question -- earlier in their investigation, Turkish officials wanted access to the well, saying that finding Khashoggi's body was their greatest priority. But more recently, they've been less vocal. Do they believe Khashoggi's remains were taken somewhere else or have they decided to dial back criticism of Saudi Arabia?
Last week, Saudi authorities put on trial 11 people they accuse in Khashoggi's murder, calling for the death penalty for five of them. But they insist they need more evidence from Turkey and have rejected Turkey's demand that the suspects are extradited.
U.S. officials say the trial has not reached the threshold of credibility and accountability they expect. But President Trump has insisted he doesn't want to punish Saudi Arabia.
In life, Jamal Khashoggi was much more than an internationally respected journalist. He was a beloved father and a doting grandfather. But a hundred says after his death, he has become a pawn in a complex power game.
Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
CHURCH: We'll take a break right here. Still to come, Kim Jong-un has wrap up a surprise visit to China. What he discussed with Xi Jinping and why South Korea's president is sounding so optimistic.
Plus, they aren't getting a paycheck but still have to show up to work. The impact of the U.S. government shutdown on airport security workers. That when we return.
[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back everyone. I'm Rosemary
Church. Time to update you now on the main stories we've been following this hour. U.S. President Donald Trump, stormed out of a meeting with Democratic Congressional leaders Wednesday after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi again refused to fund a border wall. Mr. Trump called the meeting a total waste of time. Democrats say he threw a temper tantrum and so the government shutdown continues.
The runner-up in Congo's presidential election on December 30th says he categorically rejects the results of the vote announced by the Electoral Commission. Hours ago, opposition candidate Felix Tshisekedi was named the winner. He sent -- he sent to replace President Joseph Kabila who has led the country since 2001. The French Foreign Minister is also raising questions about the results.
British lawmakers have handed Prime Minister Theresa May another Brexit blow. In a vote on Wednesday, they decided if her deal fails in Parliament next Tuesday, she must come back with a plan b within three days, instead of the 21 days she would have had originally.
Well, South Korea's President says a second summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un will happen soon. Moon Jae-in says he expects the path toward peace will speed up even more this year and the planned summit will be a turning point for the Korea's. Kim discussed plans for his second meeting with the U.S. President during this week's trip to China.
Let's turn to CNN's Paula Hancocks now. She joins us live from Seoul. Good to see you Paula. So what other details is the South Korean President revealing about this upcoming second summit between Kim Jong-un and President Trump and sounding very optimistic?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, he was sounding extremely optimistic when he gave this press conference to reporters here in Seoul this morning. He was saying that the fact that Kim Jong-un had gone to China and was meeting with Xi Jinping really did show that the second North Korean-U.S. summit could be very close.
He said he was expecting some kind of details to emerge from that very soon. He is also saying that, if that summit goes ahead it could actually smooth the way for Kim Jong-un to come to Seoul.
Now, we were expecting that last month, so that was really a suggestion from the South Korea leader as to what kind of order we could expect the summit season to be in, so suggesting that the next summit could be between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un and then after that the North Korean leader could come to the South Korean capital, the first North Korean leader to do so.
He also had one interesting thing to say about denuclearization. Now clearly this is part of the stalemate, the fact that they are perceived to be very differing views of what denuclearization means, whether you're in United States or whether you're in North Korea.
President Moon today said that he believed that North Korea's definition of denuclearization was in keeping with that of the international community saying that he believed Kim Jong-un had said that very clearly to President Trump and to other leaders that he had met. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Yes. That is an interesting point. And what are analysts saying about reports on state media that Kim remains committed to his agreement with Mr. Trump to denuclearize the Korean peninsula.
HANCOCKS: Well, there was really nothing surprising about the statements that came out of China with that summit. We were expecting to hear this kind of thing that Kim Jong-un said he is still committed to denuclearization. He is committed to bringing peace to the Korean peninsula.
An interesting thing from both KCNA, North Korea State Run Media and Xinhua in China was -- that the Chinese leader had said that he has sympathies with the point of view of Kim Jong-un, so the North Korea point of view.
This was really a meeting for the -- potentially for the two leaders to strategize ahead of potential U.S.-North Korea meeting. It's also according to many experts and officials a way of North Korea showing the United States that they do have this very powerful ally, their biggest ally, the country that is effectively keeping North Korea afloat at this point in China.
[03:35:15] So, what we heard on the New Year's Day address from Kim Jong-un was if things don't work out, they could look for a new path. Potentially this again is what they are showing. They have friends in high places. They don't have all their eggs in one basket and they don't necessarily need to have a lot given to them by the United States because they do have this very close relationship with China. Rosemary?
CHURCH: All right. We'll keep watching this story. Paula Hancock joining us live from Seoul where it is 5:35 in the evening. Thank you so much.
Well, as the U.S. Government shutdown drags on there are growing questions about air travel safety. Experts say it isn't compromised for now, but delays could be coming. Transportation Security Administration officers and air traffic controllers will miss their first paychecks Friday. TSA officers have been calling out on their shifts. One couple is especially hard hit by the shutdown. They're both government employees. Randi Kaye has their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These days family is the only thing Marc Schneider can count on. The 48-year-old air traffic controller from Indianapolis is working. He is considered an essential employee, but he isn't getting paid because of the government shutdown.
MARC SCHNEIDER, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: I'm being paid on the IOU.
KAYE: In IOU, he hopes the government will make good on.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Many of those people maybe even most of them --
KAYE: When President Trump said that many people who aren't getting paychecks quote, "agree 100 percent with what he is doing and are fans of what he is doing," don't count Marc in.
SCHNEIDER: I don't know many of those people. It must -- he -- I assume that he is getting his data from somewhere. I don't know many of those people that are big fans of not getting paid.
KAYE: And when asked if he considers a safe border, his safety net as President Trump has suggested for this unpaid workers.
SCHNEIDER: I can't spend border security, if that's what you're asking me? Border security isn't going to pay my mortgage next month. It's not an immediate need for me right now. I would prefer to be able to pay my bills, to take care of my family.
KAYE: None of this is good for Marc's family and it could be downright dangerous for airline passengers. The system is already stressed. The number of air traffic controllers is at a 30-year low. And many of them are working six days a week and 10 hour shifts. Also about 2,000 of them are eligible for retirement.
If they retire early, because of this shutdown, there could be massive delays nationwide. Delays and distractions, Marc is worried about passenger safety and how his fellow air traffic controllers will handle the stress of not getting paid.
SCHNEIDER: The last thing I want is my air traffic controller worried about where his next paycheck is coming from.
KAYE: At Marc's house, the shutdown hit twice as hard as some others. Marc's wife isn't getting paid either. You and your wife are both air traffic controllers. How did it feel to just lose both your paychecks like that?
SCHNEIDER: I know, it's terrifying. I don't have a plan b. I have my savings account and then after that I have no idea what we are going to do.
KAYE: Congress is still getting paid and you're not. Is that OK with you?
SCHNEIDER: Why am I different? What's less valued on my job? What's less value about a TSA employee? What's less value about a Park Ranger? Where is the difference? Why are my bills less important than someone else's?
KAYE: Marc, was last paid two weeks ago. If he doesn't get a paycheck this Friday due to the shutdown, it will be the first check he's miss as a federal employee. He has some savings, but can't hang on more than a month or so.
SCHNEIDER: Am I upset about it? Absolutely. Do I think it's right? It's not. It's not. Someone should be paid for the work that they do, period. That is what our country has always stood behind, a day's wages for a day's work.
KAYE: Randy Kaye, CNN, Indianapolis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Well, the man in charge of the Russia investigation says he is ready to resign. The one thing Rod Rosenstein wants to see happen before he heads for the exit. We'll have that for you when we come back.
[03:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: In Phoenix, Arizona, a sickening story of sexual assault at a nursing home. Police are trying to determine how a young woman who's been in a persistent vegetative state for more than a decade gave birth four days after Christmas. CNN's Sara Sidner says police are using DNA to identify the man responsible.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Phoenix police revealing a disturbing new detail in an already horrifying case. A baby born to a female patient living in a vegetative state for years at this facility had coded. Meaning his life was in danger. He and the incapacitated mother wisp a way to a hospital. Investigators finally addressing the public moments ago after days of silence.
SGT. TOMMMY THOMPSON, PHOENIX POLICE DEPARTMENT: This woman was unable to move, she was unable to communicate. In other words, she was helpless.
SIDNER: Police have obtained search warrants to get DNA samples from male staffers at the medical facilities hoping to find who may have sexually assaulted the woman who has been in a vegetative state for more than a decade. Attorney Brian Claypool said the criminal exposure in this case is very clear.
BRIAN CLAYPOOL, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: If the woman in Phoenix was in a vegetative state and she gave birth to a child, then she was raped, because she could not have consented to a sexual relation.
SIDNER: Karina Cesena says she and other parents where children in this facility are stunned and scared. Cesena's 22 year old daughter is living here with severe brain damage. She is extremely vulnerable. She cannot walk and can barely talk.
KARINA CESENA, MOTHER OF PATIENT: We were just so scared, because who knows what would happen if it was a staff member, if it was a family member, if it was a stranger. We have no idea.
SIDNER: What did you decide to do personally to make sure your daughter who is inside is safe?
CESENA: I stay here 24/7 now to make sure that she is in a safe environment as well, and just move forward, because trust has been severely broken. SIDNER: The woman's family isn't talking due to the emotional distress, but shared their feelings to an attorney saying, they are outraged, traumatized and in shock by the abuse and neglect of their daughter. They also revealed the baby is a boy, who has been born into a loving family and will be well cared for. The San Carlos Apache Tribes said the woman is a 29 year old registered member of their tribe.
As for the medical facility, the CEO Bill Timmons abruptly resigned this week. Hacienda Healthcare's Board of Directors released a statement saying what happened is an absolutely horrifying situation and an unprecedented case, but they gave no specifics about the case.
Cesena says, the healthcare company didn't even inform the families about the incident until five days after the birth and only after local news reports exposed the situation.
CESENA: I think that there's an underlying link at somewhere that they're trying to hide under, you know, instead of being transparent. They're not being very transparent at all.
[03:45:00] SIDNER: Police say the woman and the child are both still in the hospital recovering. Sara Sidner, CNN, Phoenix.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: It is a shocking story. Well, a source tells CNN Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein plans to step down from the Justice Department. Now, it won't happen until after President Trump's nominee for Attorney General William Barr is confirmed. The source says Rosenstein is not being forced out, but it's the clearest signal yet that Robert Mueller's Russia investigation is close to wrapping up. Rosenstein's departure has some Democrats worried.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERROLD NADLER, (D) JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Well, it certainly does concern me, because he has shown himself to be an honest man and he has by all accounts defended the Mueller investigation against all kinds of attacks by Trump and by his minions, who have tried to sabotage the investigation in various ways.
So, yes, that disturbs me, especially in view of the fact that the new Attorney General -- well, the acting Attorney General, Mr. Whitaker, has expressed great hostility and prejudged the outcome of the investigation.
And the nominee for Attorney General, Mr. Barr has said that the very idea of the investigation was wrong. So that -- it makes me very nervous that Mr. Whitaker or more likely Mr. Barr, depending on how long Rosenstein stays will be supervising the investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: White House Press Secretary, Sarah Sanders, says she has not spoken to President Trump about Rosenstein departure, but she says, he is doing a great job. That hasn't always been the view of the White House. CNN's Chief Political Analyst, Gloria Borger, reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: If the President is your boss, this is not what you want to hear when he's asked if he'll fire you.
TRUMP: You figure that one out.
BORGER: Rod Rosenstein, the man who hired Special Counsel, Robert Mueller had lived life on the edge as Deputy Attorney General. With multiple near death experiences as a frustrated president lashed out at the Russia investigation.
TRUMP: The entire thing has been a witch hunt. And there is no collusion.
BORGER: Oddly enough, Rosenstein started out as a teacher's pet.
TRUMP: He is highly respected. Very good guy. Very smart guy. And the Democrats like him, the Republicans like him.
BORGER: Rosenstein's stock rose even higher when, after just two weeks on the job, he wrote a now infamous memo at the request of the President, lambasting FBI Director James Comey from mishandling the Clinton email investigations.
ANDY WHITE, ROSENSTEIN FRIEND AND FORMER COLLEAGUE: If the President asks you to look at this and give you your thoughts, you can't say no.
BORGER: So he writes the memo.
WHITE: He writes the memo.
BORGER: And then?
WHITE: All hell breaks loose.
BORGER: The President loved it almost as much as he hated Comey. So much in fact, that he received it, released it and fired Comey all on the same day.
Do you think he knew that it was going to be used by the President as the rational publicly for firing James Comey?
WHITE: Well, I think he had to know it was going to be used in some degree. I don't think that he realized that the President was going to put greyhound bus tracks on his back. With that memo, I don't think that he realized it was going to be used in that way.
ROD ROSENSTEIN, DEPUTY U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: My memo truthfully reflects my views. I'm not in a position to come on anybody else. So from my perspective, Senator, that memo is about what it's about. I do not know what was in anybody else's mind.
BORGER: But in Comey world, Rosenstein is seen as a Trump collaborator, not an independent actor.
So what's the motive?
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: I think the motive is to keep his job.
BORGER: What's Rosenstein rep now?
CAMPBELL: There's conflict there. He is someone that people are suspicious of, but in these, you know, interesting times, people are looking at him thinking he might be the last best hope that we have to ensure that Bob Mueller is allowed to do his job, which is a strange place to be in.
BORGER: Rosenstein is 53, married with two teenage daughters.
WHITE: He's a dad. You know, his world has changed a lot, because of this.
ROSENSTEIN: My younger daughter was 14 at the time when she heard I was going to become deputy. She asked me a very important question. She said, dad, does this mean you'll get your picture in the paper?
(LAUGHTER)
ROSENSTEIN: And I said no.
BORGER: But he keeps his own counsel even with his friends.
WHITE: With Rod, you scratch the surface and you get worse surface.
BORGER: He was confirmed 94 to 6 for his current job in April 2017, but the shine wore off quickly after the Mueller appointment. And then Trump became further enraged with Rosenstein after the Michael Cohen raid.
[03:50:00] TRUMP: So I just heard that they broke into the office of one of my personal attorneys, good man, and it's a disgraceful situation.
BORGER: And an increasingly tenuous one for Rosenstein.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you afraid of President Trump firing you?
ROSENSTEIN: No, I'm not, Congressman.
BORGER: But Rosenstein job always seemed in jeopardy, especially in September when he denied reports that he had seriously suggested wearing a wire to record conversations with an out of control president should he need to be remove from office.
TRUMP: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you planning to fire Rod Rosenstein?
TRUMP: I'm talking to him. We had a good talk. He says he never said it. He said he doesn't believe it. He said he had a lot of respect for me. And he was very nice and we'll see.
BORGER: Rosenstein survived hanging on once again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rod is -- he's life shockingly fatalistic.
BORGER: Now leaving, possibly as the Special Counsel finishes up on his own terms.
ROSSELLO: I'll head straight back to Washington, but you let the President know that his favorite Deputy Attorney General was here.
(LAUGHTER)
BORGER: And will be gone as soon as a new Attorney General is confirmed, probably around mid-February. Gloria Borger, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And he has a big smile on his face as he leaves. All right. On the other side of the break, each side of the U.S. border debate took a strong stands in their televise speeches, but viewers are not giving them many points for their on camera presence. The reviews in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri here talking about the weather story that has been so significant in recent days across portions of Europe. We're talking about not only impressive snowfall totals, but major disruptions across portions of Austria, Germany on into Greece as well.
I want to show you exactly how things had played out here, because fatalities, of course have been increased each and every single day when it comes to the significance of the snowfall, the avalanche risk that remains extremely high across these region.
In fact, red warnings, the highest level of warning in place there for portions of Southern Germany, much of Austria at this hour, and high risk for avalanche remains there with the additional of 20 to 60 centimeters of snow forecast on top of the two meters that is currently on the ground across this region.
And in fact, much of the avalanche isn't much of the most significant snow happening on the northern side of these mountains. It has often as called the STAU effect, the STAU and the FOHN effects certainly has to do with the elevation here.
As the wind is forced to rise on the northern fringe of these mountains. The air cools, condenses and you got yourself massive amounts of snow coming down on the Northern fringe of mountains. And in fact a very good way to lay the south, this just to show you that, 36-hour forecast. Look at Garmish there, as you worked away into the northern, reaches there of Austria. 234 centimeters -- millimeters of snowfall in the forecast in the next couple of days while you go to the North, to the West, you see about 30 to 50 millimeters of snowfall in that forecast.
A major, major difference when it comes to where you align yourself to see the amount of snow and the impressive nature of all of this, even in the snowiest places you could find in Europe at the snowiest time of year you can find is really remarkable. Because in Lofer, into the northwestern quarter of Austria there, we have 57 centimeters of snowfall. That's what average for the snowiest time of the year, right?
And then, when you look at the first week and a half or so, so far in 2019, we've more than doubled that snowy total in just a couple of weeks' time. So, Rosemary, it really speaks to the significant of what's happening here across parts of Europe.
[03:55:05] CHURCH: Unbelievable. Thank you so much Pedram for keeping a very close eye on that. I appreciate it.
JAVAHERI: Sure.
CHURCH: Well, President Trump and his Democratic opponents in Congress tried to connect with American viewers on the border debate Tuesday night, but as Jeanne Moos found, neither side got a passing grade.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), MINORITY LEADER: Good evening.
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Democratic leader shared six American flags, but only one podium. Guys, I think we found our Oscars co-hosts. Red one tweet.
PELOSI: President Trump has chosen to hold hostage --
MOOS: Actually Chuck Schumer looked like the one being held hostage. When you get back at 4:00 a.m. and your parents are still up. Other rebuttals have had more dramatic faux pas.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R), FLORIDA: Laid out tonight.
MOOS: Most memorably Marco Rubio desperately gulping down water in mid speech. But Nancy and Chuck were so static they reminded folks of the painting American gothic. They actually became a painting in memes. Not that President Trump was exactly a ball of fire.
TRUMP: This is a humanitarian crisis.
MOOS: Insults he used to hurl at rivals, boomeranged back at him. No energy, no stamina.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been more excited about colonoscopies than he was in this speech tonight. MOOS: And he did that sniffing thing he sometimes does.
TRUMP: -- at our Southern Border, ends this crisis.
MOOS: MSNBC harkened back to when candidate Trump distains stiffs.
TRUMP: How easy it is to be Presidential? I'm very Presidential. My fellow Americans. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here tonight. Tonight, I am speaking to you. God bless you. So help me god. Thank you very much.
MOOS: If you wanted to avoid the speech, Stormy Daniels provided counterprograming on Instagram sorting laundry, matches sox, folding lingerie. Tweeted one viewer, "Eucational, too. I learned how to fold a thong. Stormy smack on Cheetos when she was done. The ending as always hardest to nail, so we held Chuck by replacing the word shutdown."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But end this --
MOOS: Rebuttal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- now. Thank you.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Got to leave you laughing, right? I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with me any time on Twitter @rosemarycnn. I want to hear from you and the news continues now with our Max Foster in London. Have yourself a great day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
