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CNN NEWSROOM

Chaos in Venezuela Rise Dramatically; William Barr to Face House Democrats Over His Mueller Memo; Emperor Naruhito Inherits his Father's Throne; Justice Served for an Untimely Death; Anti-Maduro Uprising Turns Violent In Venezuela; Naruhito Becomes New Emperor of Japan; Barr Summary Did Not Capture Context, Substance; Pompeo, Russia Persuaded Maduro Not To Leave; President Trump Demands Cuba Cease Military Operations In Venezuela; Monarchy Faces Potential Succession Crisis; Emperor Naruhito Takes The Chrysanthemum Throne; Notre Dame Students May Help Notre Dame Rebuild; Facebook And It's Privacy; A Night In The Museum. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired May 1, 2019 - 03:00   ET

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


[03:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: After a violent day of uprising, Venezuela's opposition leader says he will keep up the fight.

A new era in Japan, Emperor Naruhito takes the thrown after his father's abdication.

Plus, the latest person to complain about the U.S. attorney general and his four-page summary of the Mueller report is Robert Mueller himself.

Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church, and this is CNN Newsroom.

And we begin with breaking news from Venezuela where more clashes are expected in the coming hours. At least 71 people were hurt Tuesday after the National Assembly leader, Juan Guaido called on his supporters and the military to rise up against President Nicolas Maduro.

Some members of the armed forces joined the protesters but Mr. Maduro still seems to have the backing of the military top brass even so Guaido is sparing his supporters on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUAN GUAIDO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER (through translator): Tomorrow, May 1st, we will continue with this, we will continue out on the street and meeting points throughout Venezuela. We will be out on the streets. We will see you out on the streets on our territory. This is not a coup in Venezuela, but rather a peaceful transition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Mr. Maduro address the nation just a few hours ago, saying a coup attempt against him failed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Our cause is the cause of Bolivar, our liberator, not Monroe. Our cause is the cause of dignity and rebellion of a complete people who denies becoming pre-colonial, denies to surrender to the imperial United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Although he still holding on to power the chaos in Caracas may indicate Mr. Maduro's days are numbered.

CNN's Hala Gorani has our report. And we do warn you it contains some graphic video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Clashes in the streets of Caracas as the military loyal to President Maduro takes on opposition protestors. The crowd runs wild. At one point an armored vehicle plows into a group of people.

The violent has been building all day since protestors gathered on a bridge near a military airbase.

Under a cloud of tear gas shots rang through the air, sending protesters and reporters alike running for shelter including CNN's team.

As the hours went by, the crowd swelled with some members of the National Guard switching sides to join the opposition donning blue arm bands. Both sides in the escalating confrontation are accusing the other of attempting a coup since both claim they are the legitimate government.

It wasn't long before the fences of the military base had been breached. The first sign that today would mark a new phase in the Venezuelan crisis came at dawn.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido appeared in a video on Twitter flanked by men in military uniform alongside armored vehicles he said the time had come to launch operation liberty.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUAIDO (through translator): Today, brave soldiers, brave patriots and brave men loyal to the Constitution have heard our call. We have finally met on the streets of Venezuela.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: Guaido is joined by another opposition member Leopoldo Lopez, believed to have been under house arrest until now. Together they called for Venezuelans to take to the streets and for more members of the military to join the struggle.

Many of the nation's security forces are still loyal to embattled President Maduro. Whether they remain so, will likely determine how the next chapter plays out.

Hala Gorani, CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Juan Guaido was named National Assembly leader back in January. And most western nations including the United States supporter his claim to the presidency is Venezuela. Mexico and Uruguay are calling for dialogue but Nicolas Maduro has some powerful supporters as well including Russia, China, Iran, Turkey and Cuba.

And Russia is denying a claim by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Mr. Maduro had an airplane waiting on the tarmac to take him to Cuba.

[03:05:02] Russia, apparently, talked to him out of it. Now Moscow denies that ever happened.

Meanwhile, U.S. national security advisor, John Bolton, is making it clear all options remain on the table for Venezuela.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BOLTON, UNITED STATES NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: If this effort fails, they will sink into a dictatorship from which there are very few alternatives. It's a very delicate moment.

I want to stress again, the president wants to see a peaceful transfer of power from Maduro to Guaido. The Cubans, we believe have played a very significant role in propping Maduro up today, possibly with help from the Russians. That's the speculation certainly in Caracas. We think this demonstrates why we need Venezuela ruled by the people of Venezuela and not by external forces.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, President Donald Trump is threatening a full U.S. embargo against Cuba if it doesn't end military operations in Venezuela.

Cuba's president fired back on Twitter saying he strongly rejects the embargo threat. He says there are no Cuban troops in Venezuela and calls on the international community to stop what he calls a dangerous and aggressive escalation.

Well, with Russian troops on the ground, and long-standing ties to Nicolas Maduro, Moscow has a significant stake in the future of Venezuela.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is in the Russian capital and has this report.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Moscow, one of the strongest supporters of the Maduro government reacting very strongly to the events unfolding in Venezuela.

Now, the Russian foreign ministry reacted to some of the comments coming from John Bolton, the U.S. national security advisor, and him, of course, calling for the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down immediately.

Not the spokeswoman for the foreign ministry Maria Zakharova, she texted CNN saying that she called that both illegal under international law and also against common sense.

The Russians of course, have longstanding ties to the Maduro government militarily and economically as well but especially militarily. One of the things that the Russians have acknowledged is that they do have troops on the ground in Venezuela.

Now the Russians claim that those troops are only technical personnel on there for maintenance, for some of the weapon systems that the Maduro government has acquired from the Russians federation, some of them apparently also, trainers to train Venezuelan personnel how to use those weapons.

The Russians are saying that the forces they have on the ground will absolutely not get involve in the situation that is unfolding in Venezuela right now.

We do know that the Russian government was briefed at the highest levels. The spokesman for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov coming up on Tuesday and saying that Vladimir Putin had been briefed in a National Security Council meeting here in Russia and the whole complex of what's going on in Venezuela took out a large portion of that time.

Now the Russians for their part seem to be squarely laying blame on the Venezuelan opposition for what's going on in Venezuela. They say that what the opposition is doing there is inciting violence.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

CHURCH: And David McKenzie is part of CNN's team that's being reporting extensively on Venezuela's crisis. He recently returned from Caracas and joins us now live. Good to see you again, David.

So, of course, earlier, it looked like self-declared leader Juan Guaido had the support of Venezuela's military or at least some of them but something suddenly changed, didn't it? And Nicolas Maduro was able to declare victory over what he called a coup attempt. What's your understanding of what actually happened?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was a pretty dramatic piece of political theater here that predawn addressed on social media from Juan Guaido with elements of the military behind him. I don't think he can say that he had the support of the military earlier in the day.

What they hoped, I think, was for the military to come out on the streets and support the opposition in large numbers. That did not happen, not in Caracas, and certainly not from people I spoke to in the rest of the country.

By the end of the day, as you say Maduro got on television saying that he was in full control, I think that's also probably an overreach, but it was important that he was surrounded by those political generals in that statement which shows, at least for now, he does have the top brass of the military focusing on his government and his leadership.

In the days we were in Caracas there were, and other parts of the country, Rosemary, a lot of people express frustration at Maduro, not just the opposition members. But there is a difference between expressing frustration and heading out onto the streets in massive numbers to try and unseat the regime.

So, the next few hours as dawn breaks, a few hours' time in Caracas will be absolutely critical. Rosemary?

[03:10:04] CHURCH: Yes. Because it's a tug of war, isn't it, for the military. We know, of course that whoever has control of the military has control of the country.

So, it has to be asked, how long Maduro can possibly hold into power? Some have suggested his days are numbered. And how much support he actually has there in Venezuela.

MCKENZIE: Well, the rank and file military the professional soldiers are the ones to watch. Many observers and you know, just people I spoke to in Venezuela feel at least at this stage the political high command of the military will stick behind Maduro. And you saw that just a few hours ago.

If some of those senior military members turn on the president, then his power really becomes worthless and he will probably be forced to step down. The other scenario is, if you see a large number of militaries heading up to the streets, that hasn't happened yet.

So, yes, he is in power. How much hold he has in power, it's really an open question. I think some of the talks from the White House and from national security advisor Bolton was probably a little bit optimistic or hopeful in the early part of the day.

By the end of the day they might fell more pessimistic. And certainly, those who want a change in the scenario in Venezuela who want a beter life and to get out of this economic crisis will feel that perhaps they missed an opportunity, but Guaido has frequently said that this will be a long fight, a long battle, it is certainly in a new phase. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Indeed. Guaido said it's not over yet. We'll continue to watch and see what happens in the hours ahead. David McKenzie bringing us the very latest there. Many thanks.

Well, Japan's new emperor has taken the throne. Naruhito inherited the royal regalia hours ago after Tokyo ceremony. And it marked the start of the Reiwa era, meaning harmony.

It also comes after the emperor's father broke with centuries of tradition. Akihito stepped down on Tuesday, citing health reasons. He became the first Japanese emperor to abdicate in 200 years.

So, for more, let's turn to Will Ripley who joins us live from Tokyo. Good to see you again, Will. So, a new emperor for Japan heralding in a new era for the country. So, what lies ahead, what are the expectations and how did that ascension ceremony play out?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, it played out in many ways as it has for centuries. This is the 126th Japanese emperor in a dynasty, the world's oldest hereditary monarchy that dates back more than 2,000 years.

But this was unique in terms of nobody living in Japan right now has ever seen an imperial transition like this because there hasn't been an abdication of a living emperor in more than 200 years.

So, when Emperor Akihito signaled back in 2016 that he wanted to retire, given the fact that the law requires the emperor to serve until he dies, the lawmakers in Japan had to pass an exception to the law, one-time exception allowing the emperor to step down.

So as supposed to the somber tone of the previous imperial transition back in 1989, this time around, it was more celebratory. Coupled with the fact that Japanese people get a 10-day holiday, which is the first time in this country's history that there's ever been a public holiday that has last 10 full days.

This is a workaholic culture and people don't quite know what to do some of them with all of this time off. But in erms of the ceremony that we saw, in many ways it's reflective of centuries of tradition here in Japan. From the handing over of the imperial regalia, these ancient treasures that kind of replaced the crown worn by other monarchs around the world.

Here in Japan it's this sword and in ancient mirror and a jewel that symbolize valor and benevolence and the wisdom, and also the seals that the emperor will use as he signs official documents, we see him standing by side by side with his wife, the Empress Masako who has struggled in her role as the crown princess, but has rebounded in recent years and a lot of people in Japan are rooting for her as well, moving forward that she will be able to be front and center.

She's a former diplomat, Harvard diplomat, speaks several languages. People would like to hear more a lot from her and hopefully that will happen. Well, we'll see.

CHURCH: Yes, indeed, very impressive credentials of course. So, what all do we know about more about this new emperor, Naruhito, and of course his wife, the empress. And what might he have in terms of changes for the country?

Because a lot of people are talking about succession changes, perhaps they're looking at a better and bigger role for women. Where I think 70 percent of the population across Japan want to see these changes take place, so presumably that's going to happen. In what form may there be? [03:14:58] RIPLEY: Yes. It really is a debate of that in many ways,

even though it directly affects the emperor and the empress and the imperial family. But they have to stay out of the political fray.

They, by law, are required to be neutral, to not have an opinion on issues such as this. But certainly, through the comments that they make and the statements that they make, they can signal -- they can signal their views about things in a very nuance way and we do have influence around the country.

Even though a lot of Japanese people think it's time for women to play a bigger role in the imperial family, you do have those in the conservative side, including frankly, the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who would like to see Japan cling to these patriarchal imperial traditions.

Like for example, the key ceremony of the day, the handover of the imperial regalla, it was men in the room with an except made for one of the prime minister's female cabinet members, but the empress and other female members of the imeprial family did not witness that key ceremony.

That is the kind of thing that every time the spotlight shines on Japan, it's the world's third largest economy, and yet, still, in terms of advancing the role of women it lags behind many other developed countries.

And so, what the emperor and the empress will, one of their roles, perhaps, would be to for their roles and the role of women to reflect, you know, the wider transition that should be happening in Japanese society.

At a time when there is going to be a lot of attention on this country later this year, in the fall you have the rugby World Cup. And of course, next year, you have Tokyo 2020. The Summer Olympics for which the imperial family will be playing a very important role at various ceremonies and whatnot.

CHURCH: Yes. A lot going on there, and we should watch to see if there wil an expansion of the role of the emperor in this era. Our Will Riley joining us live from Tokyo. Many thanks as always.

Well, congressional Democrats were quick to complain about the summary of the Mueller report. Now we are learning the special counsel had concerns as well. We'll take a look at that when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Well, it will be a pivotal day on Capitol Hill later Wednesday when U.S. Attorney General William Barr defends his handling of the Mueller report.

In a stunning development we have learned Special Counsel Robert Mueller himself raised concerns about how Barr summarized his conclusions. In a letter late last month, Mueller said Barr's summary didn't fully

capture the context and substance of his conclusion. In Barr's appearance on Capitol Hill on April 10th, he was asked about Mueller's reaction to his summary.

[03:20:03] Keep in mind Barr received Mueller's letter on March 27th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD): Did Bob Mueller support your conclusion?

WILLIAM BARR, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL: I don't know whether Bob Mueller supported my conclusion.

REP. CHARLIE CRIST (D-FL): Reports have emerged recently, General, that members of the special counsel's team are frustrated at some level with the limited information included in your March 24th letter that it does not adequately or accurately necessarily portray the reports findings. Do you know what they're referencing with that?

BARR: No, I don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, joining us now is Scott Lucas. He is a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham. Thank you so much for being with us.

SCOTT LUCAS, POLITICS PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM: Very good morning, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Right. So, what do you make of the release of this March 27th letter from Robert Mueller to Attorney General Bill Barr telling him that his four-page summary failed to capture the contest and substance of his Russia probe findings given this comes a day before Barr appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee?

LUCAS: Well, I'm far from shocked. You and I have discussed since the Mueller report was released and since the attorney general has spoken. And I've said all along his priority is to protect Donald Trump from political and legal consequences and Mueller's letter appears to bear this out.

I think we need to be specific here on what Mueller's letter appears to say. And that is where Barr has said that there was no evidence to establish obstruction of justice in the report. In fact, in eight of 10 cases in the report that were examined by Mueller and his team they did set out evidence that Trump either obstructed justice or try to obstruct justice.

So, it's not just the firing of the FBI director James Comey. Now when Barr put out his four-page letter on March 24th, to supposedly summarize the report, we learned from Mueller's team later that he set aside their own summaries. They had given him the summaries and said here, this is what you can make public. And Barr chose not to use them and instead to put his own spin on the report.

They said that in early April. And when you play that clip William Barr clearly either was forgetful or he misled Congress by saying that he did not know of any objections to his handling of the report when quite clearly, Robert Mueller has set out those objections.

CHURCH: Yes. The timing of the receipt of that letter and of course, those hearings are critical here. And Democrats are calling for Barr's resignation. Do you agree with this call, should he go as a result of this?

LUCAS: I don't want to get into his personal future, Rosemary. Because the key thing here is, clarity and understanding of what exactly happened between Donald Trump, his campaign and the Russian interference in 2016 election.

And from my perspective, William Barr tried to prevent that clarity. He either misspoke or he deliberately distorted what the report found not only on obstruction but on collusion between the Trump camp, WikiLeaks, and Russia.

I think it's important that questioning Barr focus on him specifically by getting the real story out. I think he'll have an earier ride today because this is s a Senate committee which is led by Republicans. I think the bigger question is, will he testify before the House Judiciary Committee?

Because earlier this week, he indicated that he was going to put conditions on any appearance before that body.

CHURCH: Yes. He's not happy with the format on Thursday, of course. And he said he won't turn up if he is questioned by lawyers and ten of course the Democrats, specifically Jerry Nadler, the chair of the judiciary committee has said we're not changing anything. We will go ahead with that hearing or whether Mr. Barr turns out or Attorney General Barr turns up or not.

So, Barr has until Wednesday to release the unredacted Mueller report. Does this apply even more pressure on him to make this happen? Given the optics of Barr appearing to do the bidding of the president?

LUCAS: Yes. It's quite clear that the House Judiciary Committee in addition to wanting to hear from William Barr without conditions has demanded for weeks that they are given the unredacted version of the report.

There are 953 redactions. Now some of those may have to continue to be redacted from us the public because they concern ongoing legal cases or because they concern intelligence matters. But the argument not only of Democrats but of analyst is, is that in the past such as in Watergate, reports were given unredacted to legislators. Why isn't that the case now?

CHURCH: Right, and as we mentioned Barr appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday morning to discuss his department's handling of the Mueller report. [03:25:00] What do you expect to come out of his testimony? Given as

you've mentioned, because it's the Senate they are going to go a little softer on him. And then if he does make an appearance eventually on Thursday before the House committee what would you expect to come of that?

LUCAS: Well, I think the question for today is, is that if Barr is protecting the president and going as far as he has done to distort the Mueller report, will Republicans on the Senate body protect Barr as he protects Trump?

We'll have to wait and see to be fair to the Senate Republicans, they have not been as partisan as the House Republicans over the past two years in hearings on this matter.

But I still think there will be a little bit of circling the wagons around the attorney general as the Democrats try to establish what happened.

I think in the House that you are going to have a very partisan hearing. I think Democrats will try to get to what is happening here politically and legally. But I think the House Republicans are going to try to block them at every step of the process.

CHURCH: Certainly, the release of Robert Mueller's letter has changed the landscape, hasn't it? We'll see what happens in the midst of that.

Scott Lucas, many thanks to you as always for your perspective and analysis. I appreciate it.

LUCAS: Thanks to you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Well, a case that outrage residents in Minneapolis, Minnesota came to a conclusion Tuesday when a jury found a police officer guilty of killing an unarmed woman from Australia.

CNN's Scott McLean has the details.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It took jurors in Minneapolis 11 hours of deliberations to find former Police Office Mohamed Noor guilty of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for the death of 40-year-old Australia native Justine Ruszczyk.

It is believed to be the first time that a police officer in Minnesota has been found guilty of murder. Now the question of why Noor fired at Ruszczyk back in July 2017 was confusing from the get-go.

Ruszczyk had called police to report what sounded to her like a woman in distress in the alleyway. Ten minutes later, Noor and his police partner drove through that alley and found nothing.

Just before they were about to leave, they heard a sound behind their squad car and seconds later Ruszczyk was shot. She was unarmed and dressed only in her pajamas.

After the verdict was read her fiance called the story complete transformation of policing in the city.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON DAMOND, JUSTINE RUSZCZYK'S FIANCE: That night there was a tragic collapse of care and complete disregard for the sanctity of life. The evidence in this case clearly show an egregious failure of the Minneapolis Police Department.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLEAN: The Minneapolis police chief apologize to Ruszczyk's family and promised that the force would learn from this case. Now the trial lasted exactly one month. They called 60 witnesses to the stand including Noor himself who said that he shot because of the startled reaction of his partner, and also, because Ruszczyk's arm had been raised.

The story has gotten tons of attention in Ruszczyk's Native Australia. It also forced the resignation of the police chief at the time of the shooting, and also, forced a policy change that now requires Minneapolis police officers to turn on their body cameras before they respond to any call.

And Noor was taken into custody after the verdict was read. The sentencing will be in June. The minimum sentence for third degree murder is three years.

Scott McLean, CNN.

CHURCH: Well, much more on the breaking news from Venezuela are ahead this hour, including details on Nicolas Maduro's apparent plan to flee the country. Where he was going who stopped him. That is next.

And why U.S. President Trump is threatening to impose a full embargo on Cuba, and how some Cubans are responding to that?

[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back everyone, I'm Rosemary Church. I want to update you now on the main stories that we've been following this hour. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro remains defiant in the face of growing protest against his government, at least 71 people were injured after national assembly leader Juan Guaido called on supporters and the military to rise up and overthrown Mr. Maduro.

Japan has a new monarch, Emperor Naruhito, inherited the imperial Regalia just hours ago. He succeeds his father Akihito who abdicated on Tuesday. The 85-year-old became Japan's first Monarch to step down in two centuries.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General, William Barr, late last month, expressing concerns about the summary of his investigations. A source says, Mueller complained the summary did not fully capture the context, nature and substance of his conclusions. Barr is set to testify before a U.S. Senate committee later Wednesday.

The leader of Venezuela's national assembly, Juan Guaido is calling for more protest against the government of Nicolas Maduro, at least 71 people have been injured as demonstrators and military forces clash. We should warn you the video of one of them is graphic, it happened near here a government airbase in Caracas, a military vehicle plows into the crowd of protesters, knocking people to the ground, and running over some of them.

And I spoke last hour with Jennifer McCoy, a distinguished University professor of Political Science at Georgia State University.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: At one point, it look like self-declared leader Juan Guaido had the support of the Venezuelan military, at least some of them. Then we saw president Maduro in that late night address declare victory over what he called a coup attempt. What is your understanding of what happened here?

JENNIFER MCCOY, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR, GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY: Yes, it seems that Guaido tried to spur again as he has twice before, a massive military defection to come to his side, but it did not succeed. What it does show is that Maduro does not have total support either of the military. That they are fractioned or at least unsure (inaudible) forward. So hopefully, this will open the door for a negotiation which is what is crucial to move Venezuela forward out of this impasse and terrible misery.

CHURCH: Yes. So, at this stage, as you point out the military is divided and we all know that whoever controls the military controls the country here. So, this is tug-of-war going on right now. And Guaido has made it clear this is not over yet. This is going to continue on in the days ahead. So, how much support at this point do you think Maduro actually has on the streets of Venezuela and of course, within the military? Is that difficult to gauge?

MCCOY: It is difficult to gauge. First, because Maduro people yesterday called for a massive outpouring of his supporters toward the palace to support him and that did not happen, but the military is always typical and the general armed forces and security forces to know, because there's a lot of surveillance inside and they fear that if they express dissent or try to coordinate any kind of rebellion that they will be in prisoned themselves.

And that makes it very difficult to know the extent of this contempt, but we'll see today both sides have called out massive Marches for May 1st, so we'll see about that. I think the people will be very confused though and perhaps uncertain and insecure. So, I'm not sure what to expect today with these marches.

[03:35:08] CHURCH: And no doubt a lot of fear as well for consequences of choosing one side or the other. So, what do you make of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's revelation that Maduro was about to leave the country for Cuba when Russia talked him into staying. Russia says that is false. What are you hearing on that? MCCOY: Well, it's most likely a part of the game, a part of the

pressure and psychological pressure that the U.S. is trying to impose. Trying to divide the military and make Maduro's people feel like that they are not alone. That they are against him and that they can't count on him. So whether that actually happened or not is unclear, but it could be very well just be a ploy as part of the effort to undermine Maduro's support within his inner circle.

CHURCH: And let's look at Juan Guaido, because now -- he is been out there. He's been talking to the people, he's calling on people to get out on the streets. How safe would it be for him right now in the wake of these events in Venezuela? And of course, with the optics of Maduro there on his address with his defense minister by his side. How dangerous is this?

MCCOY: That is unclear. And what I think also the people will be unsure about. And whether they will be competent to go out or not, but what we do know though is that yesterday, the repression was much less than in the past. And so, it appears that the security forces and the National Guard may be unwilling to repress people. And most telling they have not detained Juan Guaido or Leopoldo Lopez. There had been perhaps up to 100 arrests, but much fewer than in the protest one year ago.

So the tide could be turning in terms of allowing people to protest and that may show more pressure against Maduro. One other thing, there are many armed gangs, the Colectivos, as well as another security forces called the Feist (ph) which are lethal. And so those still posed a significant threat to protesters.

CHURCH: Yes. Absolutely, we'll continued to watch what happens in the hours ahead. Jennifer McCoy, thank you so much for sharing your analysis with us, we appreciate it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, U.S. President Trump is threatening to impose a full embargo and more sanctions on Cuba if it's government does not stop supporting Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, but U.S. threats are nothing new for many Cuban's, veterans of the Bay of Pigs Invasion tell our Patrick Oppmann that Cuba will prevail, despite pressure from the Trump administration.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are greater now and don't move as quickly as they once did. These are the Cuban's that faced off against a U.S. back invasion of Cuban nearly 60 years ago and prevailed. Every April, the Cuban government celebrates their victory at the Bay of Pigs.

In 1961, afraid of the newly installed government of Fidel Castro was siding with the Soviet Union in the cold war, the U.S. sent a secret force of over 1000 anti-Castro Cubans to take back the island. The CIA disguised some of the invaders to make them seem like rebelling Cuban troops. Unlike the long list of U.S. coups elsewhere in Latin America, the Bay of Pig's invasion failed. Thanks in part of the ferocity of the pro-government Cuban fighters like Atanacio Suarez Rodrigues, now 87.

The planes were shooting up the road, he tells me. Everything they saw, they were painted like Cuban planes, but it was a lie. They killed a lot of our comrades, because it said Cuba in the planes.

OPPMANN: The celebrations this year had added residents as tensions between the U.S. and Cuba are once again simmering. The Trump administration has implemented the toughest sanctions on Cuba in decades. For the first time allowing U.S. companies that loss assets after the Cuban revolution to sue for investors for using that property in Cuba.

National Security Adviser, John Bolton, in April told a gathering of Cuban exiles that fought on the U.S. side of the Bay of Pigs, that the administration will place more restrictions on Cuban Americans sending money to relatives on the island. And our Americans visiting Cuba all with the hope of depriving the Cuban government of badly needed currency.

AMB. JOHN BOLTON, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: We have a responsibility to tell the truth about the dangers of these evil collectivist ideologies. The immense human suffering they cause and the perils of their spread. Together, we can finish what began on those beaches.

[03:40:09] OPPMANN: U.S. and Cuban relations were supposed to be on the mend. Following then President Obama's historic visit to the communist run island. Where he said it was time to move on from the bitter past of conflicts, like the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

This is the beach where hundreds of CIA trained Cuban exiles came ashore with the mission to topple Fidel Castro, the very kind of cold war history that Barack Obama said he came to Cuba to bury forever. President Trump though had other ideas, and once again, the U.S. and Cuba are at each other's throats. The Cuban soldiers here are old now, but still defiant.

If they come again they will be defeated he tell me. Cuba has to be respected.

For these veterans of a long war that neither side fully won, history is now repeating itself. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, the Bay of Pigs, Cuba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: We will take a short break here. Still to come, Japan's royal family could be running out of royals, why the new emperor has revived some old debates about succession? We will be back in a moment.

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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Well, Emperor Naruhito has become Japan's new monarch inheriting the throne from his father Akihito. This begins a new era. It also becomes as Japan and the royal family face serious challenges. CNN's Will Ripley explains.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Crown Prince Naruhito inherits the chrysanthemum throne at the time of transition for Japan. Once the region's economic powerhouse, today, the Japanese economy is struggling. The population aging and the workforce shrinking.

The royal family is also shrinking. Women are leaving and giving up their official duties. The law says if a woman marries anyone outside of her own 18 member imperial family, she automatically becomes a commoner. A man keeps his royal status for life.

As his princess marries and becomes a commoner, the royal family keep shrinking. Fewer people that fulfill all the responsibilities.

[03:45:04] TSUNEYASU TAKEDA, AUTHOR (through translator): You're exactly right. And I believe there is a certain number of imperial family members are needed, as the number have been decreasing rapidly.

RIPLEY: Japan used to have many noble families, but after the war, just one. Now, there the royal equivalent of an endangered species. Japan also used to allow women to sit on the chrysanthemum throne, but that was centuries ago. Today, it's a different story.

The crown prince and princess only have one child. 17 year old, Princess Aiko. Under current law, she cannot ascend to the throne. So her cousin, 12 year old Prince Kizahito (ph) will be second in line after the abdication. Conservative commentator and Imperial officer Tsuneyasu Takeda argues against women reigning again. The reason? Preserving the male bloodline of the world's oldest continuous hereditary monarchy.

Why is it necessary for the emperor to be a male?

TAKEDA: First, is essential to know why the emperor is an emperor. I think it's very important as an emperor historically is that the principle of pedigree.

RIPLEY: But does that mindset put the whole existence of the royal family at risk? What if there is in a male heir? What if a male isn't born, then what?

TAKEDA: This male line succession has been in effect for more than 2000 years. There were some periods when succession became difficult, but historically they solve the problem not by putting a daughter or sister of the emperor on the throne, but by bringing in someone who had the male line pedigree. Even if he was a distant relative.

RIPLEY: Can the Japanese public continued to accept an imperial family perceive by some as outdated? Out of touch? The Japanese government will soon discuss whether secession law needs to change. Some argue if it doesn't the Imperial family faces an uncertain future.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: And for more I am joined from Fukushima, Japan, by Michael

Watson, he is a professor of international studies at Meiji Gakuin University. Good to have you with us.

MICHAEL WATSON, INTERNATIONAL STUDIES PROFESSOR, MEIJI GAKUIN UNIVERSITY: Good to be with you.

CHURCH: All right. So, now that Japan has a new emperor, a new era begins for the country, what might be a head in terms of changes in Japan particularly for women and rules of succession?

WATSON: Well, it puts off the whole question of changing the rule of succession. It was raised about 10 years ago and then there was the birth of a young boy who has mentioned in the report, Kizahito (ph) who is now 12 who is the nephew of the previous emperor. So, the leader of the current emperor. So, yes, that doesn't give much security, because he will have to marry and give birth to a boy. So, 20, 30 years down the line there could be a major problem, so that's the issue.

So, I think it makes sense to revise that whole question to talk again about the possibility of a female heir. And the public by a large number in Japan actual support that, they are actually sympathetic to the idea.

CHURCH: yes, I understand, it's about 70 percent or so that sympathetic which would -- you would think that then some changes will be made. So, what does the new 59-year-old emperor Naruhito bring to the table? And what are his hopes and dreams going forward?

WATSON: Well, as much as possible for someone raised in the Imperial palace. He has been brought up in the more normal way. In a way that we would recognize normal. He wasn't brought up by white nurses and chamberlains, he was brought up by his parents.

Of course, he had a very special upbringing but he went to school with ordinary (inaudible), the elite, but ordinary people, he went to studied abroad, he studied in Oxford and had two very good years there. And he studied in Australia. So he is much more open looking than his father, who did suffer from those white nurses and chamberlains when he was growing up, rather sad beginnings.

The new emperor has married a woman who speaks many different languages. Educated in Harvard, so the two of them are really global couple. And Naruhito, the new emperor has said that he will follow in his father's footsteps, he's emphasize continuity, but I think he will be looking to see more outgoing and global perspective in the framework of this -- the restriction of the emperor is very -- has strong restrictions from conservative parties in Japan.

CHURCH: And you mentioned Akihito, you, of course, joining us from Fukushima right now. One of his most memorable moments in recent years was just how compassionate he was after that nuclear disaster there. Talk to us about that. And will he have any sort of public role now that he is no longer on the throne? [03:50:18] WATSON: Well they talked about -- they are trying to avoid

the question of him that being a perception that there's two emperors at the same time. You know, we have the problem in Rome, (inaudible) pope and the new pope (inaudible) the certain discussion about whether having two popes at the same time. Well, of course you can, but that has happened many times before.

But I think he will no longer, Akihito step down yesterday and will no longer play a public role, but he will certainly advise his son, but he will no longer have to do the grueling schedule of visits, inside Japan and overseas that he has been kept up until the age of 85. Yes, he visited Fukushima, he visited people who were displaced, because of the radiation around the nuclear power plant and people were displaced further north, in Yagi and other prefectures who were affected by the earthquake and the tsunami and it was very, very striking that anybody would remember, it seem bending over going nearly down actually, not bending over and kneeling down and talking to people, talking in an ordinary tone of voice that actually using polite language to talk to people and no longer that special imperial language that his father adopted.

CHURCH: Michael Watson, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it. We'll take a short break here. Coming up, students from the University of Notre Dame looking to help Notre Dame rebuild, we are back with that in just a moment.

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CHURCH: Facebook founder says the social media giant is changing the way it does business. Mark Zuckerberg told about 5,000 people at a conference, there will be a major shift in how it handles privacy.

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MARK ZUCKERBERG, CEO FACEBOOK: Now look, I get that a lot of people are not sure that we are serious about this. I know, that we don't exactly have the strongest reputation on privacy right now to put it lightly, but I am committed, to doing this well.

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CHURCH: Zuckerberg says Facebook is focusing on private interaction encryption and secure data storage among other safety features. Facebook reaches two billion people around the world.

Well, some visitors are offering to help rebuild Notre Dame. The fire that hit at the heart and soul of Paris and France, has prompted students from the Cathedral's name sake University to come up with some design ideas. CNN's Ben Wedeman has more.

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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Pencil on paper, its very old school, yet perhaps it's the best way to capture the scorched majesty in Paris' 800 year old Notre-Dame cathedral. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced an international competition to redesign the roof in 300 foot spire the flames destroyed. The task the government flush with around a billion dollars in donations hopes to finish in five years.

[03:55:10] Architecture students from Notre Dame, the University in the U.S. state of Indiana, are here to draw and study this medieval marvel. They plan to join the competition. Texas (inaudible), Ethan Scott hasn't come up with a specific idea just yet, but they were thinking --

ETHAN SCOTT, ARCHITECTURE STUDENT, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME: It could be bigger, it could be gilded, it could be stone, it could be marble, but I think something that respects what is still there.

WEDEMAN: A balance between old and the new is what's needed, says classmate Jessica Most from San Diego, California.

JESSICA MOST, ARCHITECTURE STUDENT, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME: I think it's important to also stay relevant till. But (inaudible) is there as well as keeping it modern.

WEDEMAN: Keeping it modern however has its limits. Already some designers have posted their ideas online, some are interesting.

Notre Dame Architecture student Mary Repsinski, from Boston Massachusetts, puts it this way.

MARY REPSINSKI, ARCHITECTURE STUDENT, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME: They are kind of horrifying.

WEDEMAN: Paris base Heritage architect Marie Anne Tek is confident sober head will prevail, in a master piece like Notre Dame which took a hundred years to be built won't be rebuilt in a rush.

It's not a train station, it's not a museum, she tells me. It's a special place and I believe we should provide this special place all the needs necessary to express itself with genius and audacity. The outlines of genius (inaudible) been there, it would just take a brilliant mind to fill in what defy the risk. Ben Wedeman, CNN, (inaudible).

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CHURCH: Very inspiring. And we have one more story out of Paris for you. How would you like to sleep over at La Louvre, two lucky people did just that Tuesday night, the first overnight guests at the world famous museum, and hundreds of years, one of them won a contest sponsored by Airbnb, and Art Conservation student named Daniela and her boyfriend, Adam had a private tour of the museum, toasted with champagne next to the Mona Lisa, and then had dinner in front of the Venus de Milo before retiring for the evening. Sounds pretty fantastic! Well done. Congratulations.

And thank so much for your company this hour, I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with me anytime on Twitter, the news continues now with Max Foster in London. You are watching CNN, stay with us.

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