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Jones' Win May Affects Trump's Agenda; U.S. Willing to Meet with North Korea's Leader; Authorities in High Alert After Monday's Failed Attack; Bitcoin Surging in South Korea; Gillibrand: Trump Tweet A Sexist Smear Against Me; Trump Decision On Israel Ignites Global Protest; Muslim Leaders Hold Summit On U.S. Policy Change; Pushing The Paris Climate Accord Forward; Royal Appearances In Star Wars The Last Jedi; Vladimir Putin Portrayed As Superhero. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired December 13, 2017 - 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: A surprising end to a contentious campaign. A democrat wins a Senate seat that should have been a sure thing for republicans. How the Alabama upset will impact national politics.

America's top diplomat says he's ready to talk to Pyongyang despite what his boss has said in recent weeks.

Plus, a new roll. We will you about a royal twist to celebrity cameos in the new "Star Wars" movie.

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

For the first time in more than 20 years the staunchly republican state of Alabama will send a democrat to the U.S. Senate. Doug Jones defeated republican Roy Moore in the states contentious ways. The margin was very thin, just under 50 percent for Jones and a little over 48 percent for Moore.

But that's enough for Jones to save the victory. The states Republican Party says the race is over and Alabama's Secretary of State says it's highly unlikely Jones one be certified as the winner.

Jones' win narrows the republican Senate majority down to 51. The Democrats will have 49 seats. Jones addressed his jubilant supporters earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUG JONES, (D) ALABAMA SENATOR-ELECT: Alabama has been on the cross rough roads. We have been in the crossroads in the past. And unfortunately, we have usually taken the wrong approach. Tonight's race of gentlemen, you made the right vote.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Allegations of child sexual misconduct with teenage girls

overshadowed Roy Moore's campaign, the race tightened in recent days after Moore got a boost from President Trump's endorsement. Late Tuesday Moore refused to concede.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROY MOORE, (R) U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: I really want to thank you for coming tonight and realized when the vote is this close. It is not over, but we also know that God is always in control.

You know, part of the thing...

(APPLAUSE)

... part of the problem with this campaign is we've been painted in unfavorable and unfaithful light. We've been put in a hole, if you will,

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Now despite the stunning loss, President Trump congratulated Jones on Twitter but said republicans will have another shot of the seat very soon.

And we have much more to come on this stunning upset in just a few minutes. We will talk to CNN politics reporter that Eric Bradner, he's at Roy Moore's election headquarters in Montgomery, Alabama.

But first, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has a new offer for North Korea. He says the U.S. will seat down the diplomatic talks with no preconditions, no strings attached.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REX TILLERSON, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: We said from the diplomatic side we're ready to talk any time North Korea would like to talk and we're ready to have the first meeting without precondition. Let's just meet and let's we can talk about the weather if you want, we can talk about whether it's going to be a square table or round table if that's what you're excited about.

But can we at least sit down and see each other face-to-face.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Now despite Tillerson's offer the White House says President Trump's views on North Korea have not changed. Here are some of the president's tweets from October, and I'm quoting here directly. "I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with little rocket man."

He also wrote this. "Being nice to rocket man has not worked in 25 years. Why would it work now? Clinton failed, Bush failed, and Obama failed. I won't fail." Well, CNN's Matt Rivers joins me now live from Beijing. And Matt, pretty mixed messages coming from the U.S. president and his secretary of state. What are we to believe when it comes to the U.S. approach to North Korea?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the simple answer to that question, Rosemary, is that we don't really know what the final position of the United States government is at least publicly whether this is some kind of good cop bad cop routine between the United States President, Donald Trump, and his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson or if they are really are disagreements in their positions over this.

[03:04:54] But it is significant nonetheless that the Secretary of State choose to say what he said publicly. I mean, the fact that he is willing to have talks without preconditions is something that we haven't really known so far in the past.

I mean, there he had hinted that it would take a low in missile testing and a decrease attentions before any talks can start. And so, this is significant that he is putting this out in the public.

And we should say is that Tillerson is talking about the very beginning stages of this. It would be talks about talks, if you will, it will be negotiations about the negotiations to potentially dismantle the nuclear program in North Korea down the road.

This is extremely preliminary what the Secretary of State is talking about here and we should note that, but it is significant nonetheless.

But you know, those tweets, Rosemary, that you read just off the top here, that happened right after a meeting that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had with journalists here in Beijing. CNN was a part of that meeting and that was the first time that the secretary of state had publicly said that during the Trump administration there have been some sort of back channel communications not formal communications.

The back channel medications between both sides. And that was obviously made public by CNN and others. The president responded to those reports by saying those kinds of contradictory tweets.

And so it brings us back to your original question. Where does the United States actually stand on this issue? Well, you have heard the president say different things, you heard the Secretary of State say different things, but in the end, usually Rosemary, the box stop with the president.

CHURCH: Yes, it must definitely does. But this is you say, this is just a very preliminary, but a diplomatic olive branch nonetheless and coming from the U.S. secretary of state. What's being said about that in China and are we able to gauge how North Korea is viewing this?

RIVERS: So far nothing from the North Koreans yet. We know that China is very much in favor of the dialogue at a regularly scheduled press briefing this afternoon. China said the exact same thing that it always does, didn't endorse or really specifically acknowledged Tillerson's comments there.

The Chinese spokesperson just said we've seen these reports and we remain committed to the Chinese position on this, which is that all sides must restrain an urge restraint on all relevant sides, as they say, and return to the dialogue table.

So that certainly something the Chinese would very much be in favor of. No real response yet from North Korean state media.

CHURCH: All right. Our Matt Rivers watching that story very closely from Beijing with a live report at nearly just after four o'clock in the afternoon there. Many thanks.

All right. Let's go back now to Alabama's shocking election upset. A source close to the White House says Roy Moore's loss to Doug Jones is an earthquake and devastating for Donald Trump, adding that the president invested his political capital and it blew up in his face.

The president wound up endorsing Moore after initially refusing to do so. And at a rally a few days ago not far from the Alabama border, Mr. Trump urge people to get out and vote for the republican.

Well, CNN politics reporter Eric Bradner joins us now from Montgomery in Alabama. Good to see you, Eric. So Roy Moore says it's not over yet. He won't concede and he's even pushing for a recount. How's that playing out across the state as Doug Jones and his supporters celebrate his shocking win.

ERIC BRADNER, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: That's right. Moore seems to be holding onto a little bit of hope, but he seems to be the only one right now. The Alabama Republican Party essentially conceded defeat tonight. And the Alabama secretary of state laid out the procedures for a recount and made clear that with a 1.5 percentage point gap. Roy Moore is not really close to the automatic trigger which is a race that's 0.5 percentage points or less.

So there are some outstanding ballots from military members, but there aren't enough active duty military members in Alabama to make up that gap for the Moore campaign.

So it appears that this was just sort of a way to save off the inevitable for a night. It doesn't look like there is a path toward a recount for Roy Moore at this point.

CHURCH: Yes, certainly he doesn't look that way from here. And what message were voters trying to send the U.S. president do you think and why did not Doug Jones win in this deeply republican state.

BRADNER: Yes. Jones won in large part because of an absolutely enormous turnout from African-American voters. Black voters made up 30 percent of the electorate here in Alabama, according to CNN's exit polls that's a bigger share of the electorate than those voters made up in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections.

So, that's sort of a recipe for success for democrats moving into the 2018 midterms that they can replicate that in other states. Part of that was backlash over Moore who is a uniquely controversial candidate, but part of that was also about President Trump who is less popular here than he was on election day 2016.

[03:10:05] Suburbanites also either stayed home, or in some cases switched parties and voted for Jones, which is another key element of democratic success here.

CHURCH: Of course, for a lot of our viewers joining us from all around the world they might be thinking why are we making so much of this. I mean, you know, we're talking about 48 percent to -- you know, that it's a thin margin, what is it, 1.5 percent.

But when we know that Jeff -- that Jeff Sessions won this 97 percent of the vote he won, didn't he. So this is why it's so a significant, of course we're talking about the balance of power.

BRADNER: That's right. Republicans had 52 seats out of 100 in the Senate going into the night. Now they have just 51 and it's a really important time because the president is trying to pass a massive tax reform bill. There are other legislative items that Congress will get to next year and it just got a little bit harder for an already unruly Congress to deal with any defections at all in the Senate.

It's also important because this is sort of a big cultural moment and the accusations of sexual assault and child molestations that Moore had face were being sort of temps down by the president. And this was really sort of a big response to that.

So, it was an important election and a big setback for President Trump in that regard as well.

CHURCH: Eric Bradner, joining us there from Montgomery, Alabama. Many thanks to you. Stay warm.

And Doug Jones' win has defied the odds and expectations for a democratic U.S. Senate candidate from Alabama.

CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash explain why it is so remarkable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: One of the most republican state that there is a state so republican. The last they elected a democrat to the Senate, two years later, he changed parties and became a republican.

This is deep, deep, red. Trump trounce Hillary Clinton in the state but tonight, a democrat won and it's a resounding rejection of everything that republican and what President Trump were standing to.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: When President Trump chose Jeff Sessions, the then-senator from Alabama to be his attorney general no one even considered the notion of what we're seeing right now, that a democrat could be the one to win his seat.

But it is the stunning turn of events, particularly within the Republican Party. And the fact that such a flawed candidate, republican after republican told me. And I'm sure you, too, Jake, that this is probably the worst republican candidate that they fielded incorrect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And the results of this election will make the republicans already slim majority in the U.S. Senate even slimmer.

CNN's Tom Foreman explains how that could affect President Trump's agenda.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Take a look at these numbers. These are the ones that really matter. Republicans came into this election with 52 seats under their control in the U.S. Senate. Democrats and their allies had 48 and the new numbers will be 51 and 49.

It may not look like much, but that is a world of difference. That's why President Trump so wanted Roy Moore to win and not Doug Jones. Because with that one shift of a vote it becomes significantly harder for the republicans to pass any of his legislation on border control, budgets, entitlements.

In fact, if you even talk about this giant tax reform package they're working on. If Doug Jones is seated before the final vote on this a single republican defection could burn it to the ground. So what are the odds if that happened? Well, we have to look at the calendar.

The secretary of state in Alabama has to certify the vote result before Jones can take the oath. That will probably happen down here around 27, 28, 29 which means Jones probably get sworn in early next year, January.

But what are republicans trying to do is get this tax plan fully approved finished by the 22nd, so if nothing else changes and democrats can do nothing to speed this calendar, they have no power over that, the two will not come together in all likelihood, and Doug Jones will not be able to derail the republicans last big stab at some kind of big legislation this year before the numbers change, and maybe the whole equation changes with it.

CHURCH: Tom Foreman reporting there.

Well, as voters went to the polls in Alabama U.S. President Donald Trump started a public spat with a senator who said he should step down.

[03:14:57] Lawmaker Kirsten Gillibrand called for the president's resignation because of the multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

He tweeted that she was someone who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago and would do anything for them.

Gillibrand held a news conference later slamming the president for his comments. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D), NEW YORK: It was a sexist attempting to silence my voice and I will not be silent on this issue. Neither will the women who stood up to the president yesterday and neither will the millions of women who have their marching since the women's march to stand up against policy they do not agree with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders defend the president's words by saying this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH HUCKABEE-SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: That comment, frankly, isn't something new. If you look back at past comments that this president has made he has used that same terminology many times in reference to manners. There's no way that this is sexist at all.

APRIL RYAN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Did Gillibrand owes an apology for the misunderstanding on the president's tweet this morning because many, including Senator Flake (Ph) said it is about sexual innuendos.

SANDERS: I think I'll leave to your mind in the gutter if you have read it that way, so, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: All right. We'll have more on this, but let's take a little break. The political fallout from that spat, as well as analysis of whether republicans went wrong in Alabama. That still to come.

Plus, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is set to meet with other Muslim leaders in Turkey. How they might respond to U.S. Jerusalem policy.

And after a would-be suicide bomber targets midtown Manhattan security officials warn a potential lone wolf attacks over the holiday season. We will get the latest from Washington.

We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, two and a half years of conflict in Yemen has led to one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Access for western journalists there is extremely rare, but CNN's Clarissa Ward get a firsthand look at what has been called the world's forgotten war.

It's where families are struggling to survive in the middle of a proxy war, sickness and famine are rampant, close to a million people have cholera, and medicine and food are in short supply.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONALCORRESPONDENT: So they some bread. Some onions. No meat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And you can watch Clarissa's full report Wednesday at 11 p.m. in Hong Kong and 3 p.m. in London.

To New York now where the man accused of blowing up a homemade bomb in the middle of Manhattan took a swipe at Donald Trump on Facebook just hours before Monday's attack.

[03:20:00] Investigators say 27-year-old Akayed Ullah criticized the U.S. president, saying "Trump, you failed to protect your nation." He told them he was inspired by ISIS. And that's making authorities nervous.

Jessica Schneider reports.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Officials have sent a warning, especially at this time of year, ISIS has called for attacks around the holidays and with their loss of territory in the Middle East, experts fear not only that foreign fighters will try to make their way to the United States but that homegrown extremists will attack with more intensity and in non-typical like we saw that this would-be suicide bomber on Monday.

When Port Authority police discovered Akayed Ullah lying inside a Times Square tunnel the 27-year-old had just detonated a homemade pipe bomb. Ullah told investigators he was willing to die, declaring "I did it for the Islamic state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIRSTJEN NIELSEN, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: This terrorist was clearly planning to kill Americans. That was his intent. He showed up to do just that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: It was the second ISIS inspired attack in New York City in less than two months. The first carried out Sayfullo Saipov, he was spurred by Islamic state propaganda according to the complaint when he killed eight people driving a rental truck down a bicycle path on October 31st.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF SESSIONS, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL: This is physically impossible to, I mean, you know, to stop all attacks.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SCHNEIDER: That's because authority say both men appear to be lone wolves. Investigators believe Ullah began his path to online radicalization in 2014, three years after he arrived in New York from Bangladesh on a family visa. And Ullah took is lone attack to the next level.

It was a self-admitted suicide bomb attempts not seen in the U.S since 9/11.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Analyst have long feared that we would see this times the commotion on the stage now, and now it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: Lone tech attacks like these by individuals acting alone have occurred most often overseas, but officials warned as recently as last month there could be an uptick here, especially that the collapsed of the Islamic caliphate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER WRAY, DIRECTOR, FBI: We know that ISIS is encouraging fighters who aspired to travel to stay where they are and commit attacks at home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: And at that same hearing the director of the national counterterrorism center explained that ISIS have achieved a much broader reach than Al Qaeda ever did, using the internet to recruit anyone around the globe who would terrorize in the name of ISIS.

And while Monday's attack was in the form of a pipe bomb, experts are now still concerned mostly about attacks with firearms.

Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: And critics say the Trump administration is using Monday's blast to push for tough immigration reform.

President Trump wants Congress to drastically cut family-based immigration also called chain migration and the diversely lottery program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There are now been two terrorist attacks in New York City in recent weeks carried out by foreign nationals here on green cards. The first attacker came through the visa lottery and the second through chain migration.

We're going to end them. The lottery system and chain migration we're going to end them. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: But as Jessica Schneider noted, federal authorities say the suspect's radicalization probably started around 2014, three years after he came to the United States.

Critics argue the administration is focusing too much on cuts to legal immigration and ignoring the threat of online radicalization by terror groups.

All right. Let's turn to a very different story. Now bitcoin is pretty inescapable at the moment. The virtual currency has no central bank. No government and no major regulators. So on paper it doesn't exactly sound like a safe investment, and yet, people are reportedly mortgaging their homes to join the cryptocurrency bandwagon.

So do you know the difference between a bitcoin and Satoshi, how about a Kimchi premium? It probably sounds like gibberish to many of you, but the virtual currency is bringing a lot of fun new words to the table.

And now our Paula Newton reports on how the craze is sweeping South Korea.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bitcoin maybe a virtual currency. But here in South Korea the Kimchi premium is all too real. So, this is kimchi, spicy fermented cabbage, just a staple side this year. So what's the Kimchi premium?

Bitcoin is in such high demand on Korean one exchanges, traders says South Korean convey a 15 to 25 percent premium on global prices just to get a piece of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIM DUYOUNG, MANAGER, COINPLUG: They see it as gambling in some ways, they try to earn more money by using exchanges.

NEWTON: So to understand the bitcoin frenzy South Korea is as good a place to start a penny. Virtual currencies might be a fringe play elsewhere, in South Korea their mainstream.

[03:25:06] At least a million people buy it, trade it, cash it in its everyday banking and investing for everyday people non-more enthusiastic than college students like Isaac Chung.

He's in between classes right now checking his virtual currency portfolio. He's made thousands of dollars already.

ISAAC CHUNG, BITCOIN INVESTOR: It's like the stock market but it's like 10 times, a 100 times faster.

NEWTON: Is it more addictive?

CHUNG: Definitely like the emotions related to this it's more like inflated than like what you get in like a normal stock market because it's on like 24 seven. You have to be constantly on the rate of what's going on.

NEWTON: How popular is it on campus right now.

CHUNG: The speculative frenzy is pretty huge right now. The bitcoin price is this right now, the bitcoin prices is that right now.

NEWTON: Bitcoin prices they're so excessively tracked here. Bitcoin exchanges like Bitthumb have open storefronts and customer service base to make trading in virtual money much easier.

Three of top 15 virtual currency exchanges are located here and on any given say South Korea accounts for more than one-fifth of all time bitcoin trades done around the world.

The government says it worries that virtual currencies are corrupting the country's use. With so many small investors all in there could be a crash out.

So just like the Kimchi this is made in Korea problem. The government is already working to ban new virtual currencies, ban the sale of bitcoin futures contracts and other derivatives and maybe in future taxing virtual currency transaction and profit.

And there are other uniquely made in Korea problems. South Korean government fears virtual currencies are arming North Korea with new financial weapons making it easier to hack or launder money. And it warns North Korean hackers will aggressively target virtual currency exchanges in the year to come.

All good reasons to keep a keen eye on Korean exchanges as virtual currency goes from market niche to market obsession.

Paula Newton, CNN, Seoul.

CHURCH: And we'll take a short break here but when we come back, we'll return to our top story and the broader political implication of democrat Doug Jones' victory in Alabama's Senate race.

Plus, Turkey's president hosts Muslim leaders in Istanbul, how they may tackle U.S.-Jerusalem policy. That's still to come.

And then later, meet Superputin, the Russian president is keen on puppies, self-promotion and power. And he is running for a fourth term.

We'll have that and more when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:10] CHURCH: A very warm welcome back to CNN Newsroom, I am Rosemary Church. Update to our main stories that we had been following this hour. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says he wants it. Any preconditions for talks with North Korea, the White House says President Trump views on the matter have not changed, implying he does not support Tillerson take on the negotiations. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump is tweeting backlash after a tweet that slam

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gellibrand, she has said he should resign, because of allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct. Mr. Trump called her a lightweight, who would do anything for campaign contributions. Gellibrand responding saying she would not be silenced by what she called a sexist (inaudible).

A stunning upset in Alabama's hotly contested Senate race Democrat Doug Jones narrowly defeated Republican Roy Moore in Tuesday's closely watched election. Moore so far has refused to concede, but Alabama's Republican Party says the election is over and Jones is the winner.

Doug Jones stunning offset victory makes him the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Alabama in a generation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUG JONES, (D) ALABAMA SENATE CANDIDATE: This entire raised has been about dignity and respect.

(CHEERS)

(APPLAUSE)

This campaign has been about the rule of law. This campaign has been about common courtesy and decency and making sure everyone in this state, regardless of which zip code you live in, is going to get a fair stake in life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Alex Marquardt has more now from Jones headquarters in Birmingham.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

ALEXANDER MARQUARDT, SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well the party here at the Doug Jones headquarters is winding down, it was a ruckus one following this victory, you can see here there is still a couple stragglers basking in the glow of Doug Jones win. I spoke with the campaign chairman for the Jones campaign.

He said he had a glass of wine in hand. They too, are celebrating tonight. Now, as you know what happens in these situations is the victor, gives a victory speech with we heard from Doug Jones and the loser get a concession speech which is often followed by phone call to Victor congratulating him or her.

Now those last few things did not happen. There has been no contact between the Moore and the Jones campaigns. The campaign chairman for the Jones campaign Perkins told me that he is disappointed that the proper thing to do what it had been for Moore to call and congratulate Doug Jones. He said that it is a clear win and he hopes that they wake up in the morning and concede this race.

Now what we expect to happen in the coming weeks as the Secretary of State for Alabama will certify these votes for the end of December and in all likelihood Doug Jones will be sworn into the Senate in early January. Back to you.

CHURCH: Thanks you Alex. Joining us now is Leslie Vinjamuri, Associate professor in international relations at the University of London. Thanks so much for being with us.

LESLIE VINJAMURI, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON: Thank you.

CHURCH: So big a blow is this to President Trump and why do you think Democrat Doug Jones won despite Alabama being such a deeply Republican state, was it the sexual allegations against Roy Moore wasn't nothing else?

VINJAMURI: Well I do think it is a very big blow to President Donald Trump because remember he hesitated initially and then he decided to really come in very strongly endorsing Roy Moore and so that endorsement has been rejected by the majority of voters in the states. I was clearly blowing it below. Also for his ability to govern going forward, because he is now losing a very critical state in the Senate, but as for what drove that election.

I think one of the very big stories here is voter turnout, it would be expected a much lower turnout across the board. I think the numbers anticipated were somewhere around 825,000 look like well over 1 million people turned out which is greater than exceeded and especially the African-American vote turnout was much higher.

People were very worried that voter suppression would dampen that turnouts and there was the this considerable money put into making it possible to mobilizing that most of voter turnout seems to be up but undoubtedly the sexual allegations casts a very dark cloud over Roy Moore's candidacy is not a very popular figure at all in any case in the states, a deeply Republican state. So it's a very significant and I think for many people actually surprising result but Roy Moore was not a popular candidate and the sexual allegations against him in the broader context of course of the me to movement has certainly color that campaign.

[03:35:08] CHURCH: And what will Doug Jones's win mean for the balance of power in the Senate given, now 49 Democrats, 51 Republicans and that is very significant.

VINJAMURI: That is very significant. It looks like he is not likely to come in until the new year. So there will be a very big push right which I think right now by the Senate Republicans to get that tax reform through, because it's not clear that John has come out against that proposal.

More recently, so it's not clear where he would end on that, but nonetheless it alters the balance very considerably. This is a President Trump had a very difficult time getting anything through the Congress is now going to face a much more significant uphill battle.

And of course it raises a lot of questions about what will happen in the midterm elections having that one extra seat makes it more possible, more plausible, perhaps, that the Democrats could conceivably take the Senate. I after the midterm elections is a very significant election and definitely changes the politics in Washington.

CHURCH: Roy Moore lost to this race, although he says it's not over yet and he's a refusing to concede, but given Mr. Trump endorsed him, what message a voter sending to the president, do you think? And could Moore proved to be an albatross around the president neck going forward.

VINJAMURI: Yes, I think it certainly sends the message that the voters in Alabama are not willing to support a candidate who's got the sorts of allegations that the Senate Republicans didn't come out strongly endorsing the RNC went back and forth on this and clearly many people wrote it. I think there what right now or singer over 18,000 people who wrote in a candidate so those were voters that Roy Moore would otherwise have expected to have on his side, so that he just simply couldn't carry the state in the and as you as he said the state of the Republicans have carried since the early 1990s, and in the Senate so it is a very strong message.

CHURCH: And I do want to shift the conversation now to a scathing editorial in the USA Today newspaper that calls President Trump unfit for office in response to a tweet the president send out Tuesday. The editorial said this, I do want to wait it out. A president who would all but cool Senator Gellibrand or is not fit to clean the toilets in the Barack Obama presidential library or to shine the shoes of George W Bush.

It goes on to say Obama and Bush both failed in many ways they broke promises and told untruths about the basic decency of each man was never in doubt, Donald Trump the man on the other hand, is uniquely awful, his sickening behavior is corrosive to the enterprise of a shared governance based on common values and consent of the government.

How significant is that a new statement that rarely wide scathing editorials about anyone would use such strong language against the leader of the free world? And could this possibly signal some sort of tipping point where the countries says enough is enough when it comes to certain behavior we are saying from the President of the United States.

VINJAMURI: It is extraordinary. Remember that the newspaper that's very widely read and it hits the large number of middle Americans and is clearly a very strong statement by Sen. Gellibrand has really taken the lead in calling out the behavior in the number of individuals and of course against President Trump and his response.

I think was interpreted by many people to be really very odd below any standard that would be expected of a President of the United States of America and so the tightest thing of the tight has absolutely turns and the good it does the title have when it comes to what some public opinion of the United States is willing to accept on his questions of inappropriate behavior. So this is not a statement that we would've anticipated our takeover that we should take lightly. It's a very significant statement.

CHURCH: Leslie Vinjamuri, thank you so much for joining us with your perspective and analysis, always a pleasure to talk with you.

VINJAMURI: Thank you.

CHURCH: All right. The new U.S. policy on Israel has created global approval protest have been happening around the world up to President Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The decision was criticized by many countries and Muslim leaders are grappling with what to do next. A number of them are gathering in Istanbul Turkey right now for emergency summit of the organization of Islamic cooperation.

CNN's Arwa Damon is in Istanbul. She joins us now with the very latest. So whereas these Muslim leaders gather there in Istanbul for this emergency summit, what are some of the options that they will be discussing when it comes to finding a response to Mr. Trump's announcement on Jerusalem?

[03:40:16] ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well it is really going to depend on how much muscle they actually want to put behind any sort of declaration that they do. You may we have heard repeatedly from leaders in the region, including Turkey leader President Erdogan that this decision by the United States to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is null and void. It is illegal, and it will not be accepted.

We heard earlier from Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu who put out a statement effectively saying that in that case other nations should recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. What we have today is representation from some 48 country, 16 heads of state in the summit that has just begun to Turkish President still speaking once again calling Israel a terrorist state and I was saying vowing that this will not be recognized, but in terms of options and so as to ensure that this does not just end up being another declaration of condemnation within what many Palestinian leaders refer to as a library of condemnation is going to be up to the various nations gather here to try to come up with some sort of consensus as to how much force they actually want to use.

How much pressure do they want to use. Will they call for those who do have ties with Israel to sever their ties, will they try to make some sort of public declaration that is accepted by the majority of those who are present, perhaps beyond that yet.

East Jerusalem will then be the recognized capital of Palestine. Will they once again as we have seen in the past call for a boycott of Israeli product? There are actually a fair amount of pressure point that various different nations can use especially Israel's neighbors such as Egypt and Jordan, who do have peace accord with Israel. There are these various different pressure point and again it remains to be seen how much muscle are the nations going to put behind their declarations and what will that can lead to? Rosemary.

CHURCH: And overall what are the expectations, because this is the problem is not of the options are limited, although the backdrop here is that no other country has followed suit. They come out and said that they not moving the embassies Jerusalem, they're not recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital. There is strength in that presumably, but overall, what can be achieved at the summit?

DAMON: There is a lot of strength in that Rosemary. There's also strength, Palestinians will tell you and the fact that we had seen feasible demonstrations in countries like Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan where the Palestinian people feel that at the very least, governments aren't willing to put muscle behind their rhetoric the population perhaps will be able to put in turn pressure on their various different respective government. The bar is actually quite low, because the vast majority of the time. Not every single time on the backend of these types of summit.

We only do end this thing declarations on paper, but you also have something that is fairly extraordinary. Given how turbulent the region is and that is the various different players you have now gathered at this one summit, countries that are normally at odds over various other issue that actually come together over this one.

CHURCH: All right. Many thanks to Arwa Damon joining us there from Istanbul, Turkey. Where it is nearly 11:45 in the morning. We will take a short break here, but still come as president is moving forward with the Paris Climate Accord even though the U.S. decided to pull out of it. We will look at what was achieved at the one planet summit. We are back just in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:45:53] CHURCH: Welcome back everyone at the one planet climate change summit in Paris. British Prime Minister Teresa May announced a $187 million funds to help the poorest countries most affected by climate change.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: What we are doing in the United Kingdom facing out (inaudible) and the work we are doing, we are the world leading electric cars. We can actually deal with emissions, but that can also - to the economy. And in terms of mitigating - we had announce today 140 million pounds that the United Kingdom will be sending to help those countries that are most impacted by the climate change.

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CHURCH: The Prime Minister's announcement is just the type of action. French Pres. Emmanuel Macron wanted to see, he is looking to reinvigorate the Paris climate accord after President Trump said he was pulling the U.S. out of it. Melissa Bell reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The idea of this summit from the very start. Emmanuel Macron determination within it should be a day of action rather than simply another day of talk. The French president have announce this meeting on the very day the American president had announced his withdrawal. He decided that a summit needed to be held to work out whether or not the world could stick to the commitment that they made in Paris despite by the American withdrawal, speaking to the crowd, some 50 or so head of state government would made the trip today to Paris, not to mention the many business leaders, and NGO's and individuals to make clear their commitments to meeting in Paris.

You will be delighted to see that the American delegation was strong, varied as it was. Among so persona are Arnold Swaszenegger, Bill Gates, John Kerry, the former Secretary of State and also Michael Bloomberg the former New York mayor who had to say about Donald Trump withdrawal from the Paris Accord.

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MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, CEO, BLOOMBERG: It was embarrassing for the country and I wish he hadn't done that and I hope one of these days he will look at the evidence and changes his mind, there is nothing wrong when people change their mind. You make fun of them, but I think it's a sign of a mature, intelligent person when the facts they have their command change and reevaluate and change the decisions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: Michael Bloomberg there, referring to those very many weather than we've been reporting on the course of the last year, not least in the United States. The theme of today was very much about the money how to find the huge amount of financing that will be needed to get the world ready to meet those target that was set in Paris here, exactly 2 years ago today, but also the target that involve getting the wealthiest country to help the least developed to meet their own targets and achieved their own energetic transition and given the number of the previous leader that are here in Paris, companies that had made the trip, this was also about the interest financial interests of financial actors in the global economy.

They all said about making the world a better place than trying to prevent climate change from reaching catastrophic level, it is also quite simply in the interest of the very many companies out there trying to think of their bottom line starting to think of their profit to turn towards the green economy.

So with or without Donald Trump the message from the Americans who made the trip here today was that Paris can still work the Paris deal can still be met and the fight against the climate change can still be fought even without the American administration. Melissa Bell, CNN in Paris.

(END VIDEO)

CHURCH: That is something little lifestyles of the upcoming movie Star Wars, the last Jedi walked the red carpet for the European premiere at London's Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday. Among them two blockbuster names reported to be featured as extras in the movie behind storm trooper mask, Princes William and Harry. Neil Carrie reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

{03:50:02] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Red carpet appearance by Star Wars royalty are in evidently fewer this days, since the tragic death of actress Carrie Fisher and the on-screen demise of Harrison Ford character Hans Solo. But not for Luke Skywalker has been joined by a new generation of younger royals, the former Daisy Ridley, John Braga and Adam Driver who are continuing legacy of this much loved cinematic institution.

The younger members of Britain's Royal family acting out a similar role with the lives of Princes William and Harry entertaining viewers around the world. So when the princely pair paid a visit to the Star Wars set at London's Pinewood Studios, it was perhaps inevitable, but speculation would grow that they been granted a royal role.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you say?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There has been a tradition of celebrity cameos and Star Wars movies Stormtrooper helmets was reported to have hidden a familiar features of Daniel Craig in the Force Awakens.

The European premier, sightings of storm troopers and mask princes prove them founded. A royal spokesman declines the possible presence of princes in the film, but having seen the screen that I can reveal the last Jedi does indeed include several Stormtroopers which may or may not share a similar stature to William and Harry. In search of the truth, we tried persuasive power of Jedi mind control on cast and crew. Can you confirm or deny that the royal are actually part of.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Confirmed or deny.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The royal prince's in the film. I have heard that rumor, but I don't know. I was nit there that day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know no one told me, they should be under my command, technically, Stormtroopers apparently.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did they play a part of the film?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were so levelly when they visit the set, they were there really cool guys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is like having to direct them there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can neither confirm nor deny the Cameo's but it was lovely meeting seeing them Schumacher was surreal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here they come and I am in the (inaudible) suit went right over and gave them both big hugs and I think they like that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This particular royals are very good. I think understanding that royalism always about learning crowds and riding carriages, it is about, you know working with everyone, with all of the subject.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whether or not Prince's William and Harry will go down in history a Star Wars most famous cameos. The Royals were cast in the leading role (inaudible) with a late arrival of the red carpet. In terms of celebrity status. The force system was them. (Inaudible) CNN London.

(END VIDEO)

CHURCH: Out of mystery and still to come, Vladimir Putin the super hero.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Russian are used to seeing a muscular Vladimir Putin, but this goes further than that. This three bust and the colors of the Russian flag, the message here is written in Russia and Russia is Putin.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: There is no denying Russian President Vladimir Putin is a powerful man so much so that some of the country envision their leader with superpowers. Our Clare Sebastian reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

[03:55:08] CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Half man, half superhero. This is apparently how Russians see their president. And the new exhibition in Moscow calls Super Putin artist was commission too depictive in various (inaudible). A strongman (inaudible). Museum owner Alexander (inaudible) is a former provincial mayor known for its centric often antique kremlin stance including unsuccessful attempt to run for president in 2008.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATOR): We are representing the view of the majority of people who vote for Putin. They truly believe that he's a superhero, and without him Russia will fall apart. America or Ukraine will attack us nothing will be left of the country.

SEBASTIAN: Russian are used to seeing a muscular Vladimir Putin, but this goes further than that. This three bust and the colors of the Russian flag, the message here is that Putin is Russia and Russia is Putin. And that is likely to be the case for another six years. Putin has just announced he's running for a fourth time as Russia's president affect says journalist Miguel Fishman that will cement his place as Russia's sole sovereign.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This campaigns specifically about that it fixes Putin's standing as totally unaccountable Russian parallel, someone half DT half of human.

SEBASTIAN: At the exhibition we find (inaudible) and (inaudible) at 20 years old. They can't remember life without Putin.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Without him it would be like being without hands, I can't imagine anyone else in his place.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is kind of a supplemental right because I think he inspires other generation.

SEBASTIAN: Despite the prospect of new sanctions, a Winter Olympic ban and an economy that is barely growing, to Russian polling agency that Putin's approval rating more than 80 percent. The president's true superpower is (inaudible). Clare Sebastian CNN Moscow.

(END VIDEO)

CHURCH: Thank so much for your accompany this hour, I am Rosemary Church, remember to connect with me anytime on Twitter. The news continues with Max Foster in London, you are watching CNN. Have a great day.