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Connect the World
Ukrainian Peace Talks Begin In Belarus: U.S.'s Wrong Strategy in Ukraine; Belgian Court Convicts Islamist Group Leader; Three Muslim Students Shot to Death in US; Egyptian President Reassures Gulf Leaders After Leaked Audiotape; Egyptian PM Says Leaked Tape Fake; Digital State: South Korea Brings Health Care Online; Jon Stewart Leaving "Daily Show" After 16 Years; Parting Shots: Sour Note in Putin Welcome
Aired February 11, 2015 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LYNDA KINKADE, HOST: Four world leaders, one big problem. Violence continues to rage in eastern Ukraine as hopes for peace rest around a table
in Belarus. We'll take you live to those talks in Minsk and bring you reaction from Moscow.
Also ahead, military maneuvers on another front. President Obama submits proposals for battling ISIS, but will congress go ahead?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART HOST, DAILY SHOW: I thank you for watching it, for hate watching it, whatever reason you were tuning in for...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: And the man who made TV news a funny business announces he's stepping down from the Daily Show. We'll examine the legacy of Jon
Stewart.
ANNOUNCER: This is the hour we Connect the World.
KINKADE: We start in eastern Ukraine where even as leaders are arriving for peace talks in neighboring Belarus, more people have lost
their lives. This Wednesday, mortar fire at a bus station in the rebel held city of Donetsk has killed four people, that's according to the
Breakaway Enclaves News Agency.
Meanwhile, leaders from Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France will all be meeting in Minsk later for negotiations on how to end the fighting.
On the eve of those talks, U.S. President Barack Obama spoke to Russian leader Vladimir Putin by phone stressing the need to end the 10-
month long conflict.
CNN's Senior international correspondents are standing by in Belarus and Russia. Matthew Chance is in Moscow, Nic Robertson in Minsk.
Let's start with Nic. Nic, what are the main points of negotiation? And how deep is the divide over the future of Ukraine?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The divide is very deep, the stakes are very high. The Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko
has just arrived here in the last couple of minutes. He was greeted on the red carpet outside the Palace of Independence here by the Belarus President
Alexander Lukashenko, shook him by the hand, took him inside. We're expecting Angela Merkel and President Francois Hollande both to be arriving
here shortly. We're told they're traveling in the same car so they will have a chance of some discussion before they get into the building here and
begin those very important talks.
What we expect is the fundamental is to get a ceasefire. The details, then, become much harder to work out, the pull back of weapons, a buffer
zone between the two forces. Those are technicalities that should be -- that shouldn't be too hard.
But then you get to the even more difficult issues, which is the nature of the political discussions that would go on in the future between
Ukraine, the Ukrainian government and the separatists, what sort of autonomy should the separatists have? And one of the things we've been
hearing as a potential sticking issue as well is who should man the border between any separatist area and Russia?
The Ukrainian government has indicated it would want to see the European monitors from the OSCE doing that, its territorial integrity and
sovereignty, everyone here saying is paramount, is important.
So, the control of its borders by an independent authority in those areas where the -- where the separatists have control.
So, these are some of the much tougher issues to work out. And this is what we've been hearing from the French and the Germans in advance of
these talks. There are many big issues, many big questions to be worked out here.
KINKADE: Very complex talks.
Nic Robertson, thank you.
Now to Matthew Chance.
Russian President Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama has spoken, a very rare occurrence. What was said?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well it depends on which version of the conversation you want to listen to.
The Kremlin have issued their summary of what was spoken about and they say that the two presidents talked about the need for political dialog
as a way to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, also that Vladimir Putin and President Obama spoke about the challenges of ensuing -- ensuring a
peaceful settlement to the Ukraine crisis. So, that was the Kremlin take on what the conversation.
The White House take on it was much more hard-line, essentially saying that, you know, the President of the United States, President Obama said
that Russia -- the costs on Russia for its continued aggression supporting those pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine would rise unless there's a
diplomatic solution to this crisis -- I'm paraphrasing that there.
But essentially the difference in tone between the two summaries of the telephone conversation was quite distinct.
KINKADE: And let's talk about those costs, because Russia's economy is of course under a lot of pressure. Oil prices are slumping, sanctions
are increasing. And given the threat of more sanctions, what will it take for Putin to accept these negotiations, to move forward with peace?
CHANCE: Well, I mean, I don't think that the threat of more sanctions is going to alter necessarily Vladimir Putin's negotiating position. He's
had an awful lot of international pressure piled against him over the past several months in the form of international sanctions and that hasn't
altered his policy one iota.
And so I'll expect he'll be going into these negotiations demanding what he's been demanding all along, which is first and foremost rights for
ethnic Russians, for Russian language speakers in eastern Ukraine in the form of -- you know, giving the language equal status, official status.
Autonomy for those areas as part of a constitutional change he wants to see enacted inside Ukraine, various other aspects as well -- the withdrawal of
Ukrainian troops specifically and Ukrainian heavy weaponry from civilian areas, or from within range of civilian areas, that's something that
Vladimir Putin has been emphasizing all along.
I expect those are the main things he'll be going, demands he'll be going to these negotiations with this time.
KINKADE: There is a lot on the table and a lot at stake. Matthew Chance in Moscow, thank you very much.
The streets of Athens are set to fill with pro-government demonstrators. Once again, many people in Greece are letting Europe know
they are squarely behind their new leader and its quest for better bailout terms.
Their protest comes as European ministers hear the latest proposal from the new Greek finance minister regarding his nation's massive debt
obligations.
Let's go straight to Athens now. Journalist Elinda Labrapoulou is watching the scene and joins us now.
Firstly, the new anti-austerity leader has said I want to assure you that there is no going back. Greece cannot return to an era of bailouts.
What plan will Greece put forward when it meets with EuroZone finance ministers?
ELINDA LABRAPOULOU, JOURNALIST: Well, Greece is planning to propose a change to about 30 percent of its current bailout, that's the part that is
called toxic. It says that what it needs to do is change these measures for something that would lead from austerity to growth.
Some of these measures have become more specific. It's talking about presenting smaller surpluses and therefore being able to throw more money
into the real economy.
It's also talking about other measures that will promote growth. It's talking about trying to make Greece more competitive, deal with corruption,
tax evasion, issues that are at the very core of the reasons that lead to the crisis to begin with.
That's something that has been very appealing to the Greek public. It's got a lot of support here with Greek voters.
All the polls show that the Greek public is very much behind them. This is one of the reasons why we've seen pro-government rally just
starting in Athens right behind me now to coincide with the euro group. We expect that thousands of people will turn up to say enough is enough. We
don't want any more austerity. And we're standing by our government to try and achieve this change, Lynda.
KINKADE: And despite that support, obviously EU officials have said that the most Greece can expect is an extension of the repayments.
Is there any chance that Greece will accept that?
KINKADE: Well, it's a little bit early to be able to tell whether this is going to be the case. For the time being, what we've seen is just
an escalation from both sides.
Before they met, both Greek side and its creditors have both stood very firm. They both said that from the one side, these are the terms of
the bailout. Take them or leave them. And from the Greek side saying, well, you know, we were elected simply on a mandate to get rid of this
bailout. So we can no longer go back.
So as a result what we've seen so far is a confrontation, it's the escalation we're expecting from this euro group to see where things are
likely to go next and see if we are going to have a compromise.
Greek people, since you ask specifically about that, are quite realistic. They do not expect that the government will manage to get all
its wishes. But they're hoping that the creditors will understand up to a point how much pain they've gone through as the result of austerity and be
willing to at least partly give way.
KINKADE: It'll be interesting to see what happens. We'll be watching it closely.
Elinda Labrapoulou, thanks so much for your time.
Now just one day after we learned of the death of an American woman held by ISIS, President Barack Obama has submitted plans to congress for a
military force against the terror group. But what form will any action take and what obstacles do the proposals face on Capitol Hill?
Michelle Kosinski joins us live from the White House to explain this. And Michelle, the authorization President Obama is seeking requests power
to fight ISIS terrorists without an enduring offensive combat role. What does that mean?
MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Right. I mean, the whole point of this is to look at how the White House is going to approach
this conflict. And the point is to strike this balance between tailoring it to ISIS, but also leaving at least some flexibility, because you don't
know how this mission is going to change, evolve over time.
Now, some areas where you see that balance right away is that the president said that this new request that would be an authorization for the
use of military force against ISIS would repeal the one from 2002 that relates to the war in Iraq, but leave in place the authorization from 2001
relating to al Qaeda and its affiliates. That's the authorization that the White House has been operating under thus far to fight ISIS.
So it's interesting that they leave that in place. However, we all know that al Qaeda and its affiliates, AQAP, are still a threat.
Other areas where there's an opening or a balance would be allowing the White House and the Pentagon to fight ISIS wherever they are. This
does not set any geographical limits.
It also includes those aligned with ISIS, groups fighting alongside the U.S. under this authorization could go against them.
Where it does set limits, though, and this is where there has been of debate, is on the use of boots on the ground, combat troops. The language
within the authorization says it would not authorize enduring offensive ground combat operations. And the president explained it a little further
in different language in a letter that he included with the AUMF saying that it wouldn't authorize long-term large-scale operations like those
fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
However, you can see that that would leave some window open, potentially, for shorter term, smaller scale combat operations.
Although it's clear the White House doesn't want to do that, there is still some opening for interpretation, as these things always have. And
you could say that's why we've been operating under an authorization from 2001, Lynda.
KINKADE: OK, Michelle Kosinski, thanks very much for that update.
So that's part of the debate over what the U.S. should do about ISIS, but the White House is facing a crisis on another front in that region.
This one in Yemen.
Houthi rebels there have seized weapons from dozens of U.S. marines. The marines were told to hand over the arms as they prepared to leave the
country from the airport in Sanaa. Rebels also commandeered vehicles left by departing diplomatic staff at the airport.
Both the U.S. and Britain have suspended operations at their embassies since Houthis dissolved parliament and put the Yemeni president under house
arrest. A senior interior ministry official says that he expects Houthis to enter the U.S. embassy within the next 24 hours.
Still to come this hour, Egypt's prime minister denies that the president may fun of Gulf leaders in a leaked audio tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IBRAHIM MAHLAB, EGYPTIAN PRIME MINISTER: It's unfortunate and force. And this has nothing to do with reality. The respect between Egypt and all
our brothers is huge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: But first, as fighting in eastern Ukraine escalates, who is urging Obama to send arms and why? We ask a guest to take a closer look at
U.S. involvement in this European crisis. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Yet another tragedy is unfolding off the coast of Italy's Lampedusa Island. A UN spokesman says as many as 300 migrants are feared
dead after attempting to cross the Mediterranean. We're told they were packed into several rubber boats that tried to reach Europe from Libya on
Saturday. 110 people were rescued by the Italian coast guard and a merchant vessel.
But dozens may have died of hypothermia. And one boat is still missing in rough waters.
You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World with me Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back. Let's return now to our top story: those talks in
Belarus about ending the simmering conflict in eastern Ukraine.
The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France are preparing to meet in Minsk. It's believed negotiations will focus on the withdrawal of
heavy weaponry from conflict areas and the creation of a demilitarized zone. They'll also be looking at the future of those regions in eastern
Ukraine that have declared that they won't accept the government in Kiev.
Well, despite those peace talks, Ukraine is asking the U.S. for weapons, saying it is out-gunned by pro-Russian rebels. Germany is against
this with Chancellor Merkel saying last week, quote, "I can't envisage any situation in which improved equipment of the Ukrainian army leads to a
situation where President Putin is so impressed he will lose militarily. There's no way to win this militarily. That's the bitter truth."
But at home, Mr. Obama is under pressure to send weapons with a range of voices saying it's time to stand up to Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: If we help Ukrainians increase the military cost to the Russian forces that have invaded their country, how
long can Putin sustain a war that he tells his people is not happening? That's why we must provide defensive arms to Ukraine."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: So what's at stake if Washington gets even more involved in a crisis that's 8,000 kilometers away, but for Russia it's right on its
doorstep? To talk about how ties with Russia could be affected and how U.S. arms would impact the situation, I'm joined by Stephen Walt, professor
of international affairs at Harvard University.
Professor, thanks for joining us.
Firstly, what do you think about arming Ukraine in terms of whether it will escalate this conflict. Is that your thought on this?
STEPHEN WALT, HARVARD: Well, everyone is concerned by the situation in Ukraine, but in this case arming the Ukrainian government will actually
make the situation worse. It will cause more Ukrainian suffering and it's not going to lead to a resolution of the conflict.
And the basic problem here, as Chancellor Merkel recognizes, is that support from the United States or from others is not going to tip the
balance in favor of Kiev. Any actions we would take to arm the Ukrainian rebels can be countered by Russia, which can simply escalate and provide
more support for the rebels or get more actively involved itself.
So, escalating in this case by sending arms to Kiev simply prolongs the conflict. It makes it worse. And is ultimately worse for the
Ukrainian people.
KINKADE: And in terms of the U.S. involvement, what are the dangers of the U.S. getting involved in what many see as a European crisis?
WALT: Well, the central problem is that once you begin to escalate a conflict you don't have full control over where things might lead. So if
we decided to arm the rebels and they unexpectedly did well, Putin and Russia are likely to escalate in return. And that leads us down a road
whose final destination is uncertain.
The key thing to recognize here is that Putin and Russia believe Ukraine's political alignment is a vital strategic interest to them.
They're going to be willing to pay a much higher price to keep Ukraine from shifting towards the west than we're going to be willing to pay to try and
make that happen.
If that's the case and if they have local military advantages starting down an escalatory road just doesn't make sense for us.
KINKADE: And as we heard earlier, U.S. President Barack Obama also has been considering increased military involvement in Syria and Iraq,
targeting ISIS. The U.S. is of course already leading air strikes against the military group and in the last couple of hours, Mr. Obama asked
congress to formally authorize military force.
Now the White House wording limits the use of any ground forces and sets a time limit of three years for the operation.
So, how does a decision on tackling ISIS differ from the situation regarding Ukraine?
WALT: Well, I think here the clear difference is that the Obama administration believes that the limited use of American military force can
have a decisive strategic affect against ISIS. I think the administration also realizes that ultimately that problem can only be solved by local
actors -- by Iraqis, by eventually some form of Syrian support and by the Kurdish forces as well. That we're not going to be able to solve that with
a large-scale American ground force presence.
But limited American support might be able to help the anti-ISIL forces tip the balance in their way and ultimately defeat ISIS. So in that
sense it's very different than the situation we're facing in Ukraine.
KINKADE: Now you say Moscow is acting from a position of weakness and a fear of NATO expansion. Why do you think there is this image within
Washington of Russia being the all-powerful aggressor?
WALT: I think it reflects a lack of real strategic thinking in Washington. The tendency to immediately to look back to analogies to Adolf
Hitler, the 1930s or appeasement I think shows a sort of poverty of historical and strategic reasoning here.
The fact is Russia is not a rising revisionist power the way Nazi Germany was in the 1930s. It is ultimately a declining power. It's also a
power that's made it very clear for many years that it viewed the expansion of NATO and the movement of American influence eastwards as a threat to
their long-term strategic interests the same way the United States would view a great power moving into the western hemisphere as a threat to our
long-term strategic interests. And this is one of these cases where the smart thing for the United States to do is end that process and not
continue to provoke Russia in circumstances where Russia both has greater resolve, but also a greater capacity to shape events.
KINKADE: Professor Stephen Walt, we really appreciate your time today. Thanks for joining us.
Now, as we were talking, Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande met in Minsk for those talks: geography, politics, culture all of those factors
have played a major part in the current conflict in Ukraine.
On our website we've broken down for you the 12 most pivotal days in shaping this crisis since it started more than a year ago.
To check it out, just head to CNN.com/international and search Ukraine everything you need to know.
Later in Connect the World, there are some big shoes to fill following the announcement of one of America's most popular comedians is leaving his
show. We'll take a look at what's in store for the Daily Shows Jon Stewart.
And if you've ever wondered what to do with your old clothes, an entrepreneur from Kenya has a solution. Find out how recycling people's
castoffs is earning him a living. African Startup is after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOHAMMED AWALE: Hi, this is Mohammed Awale, I started suave in Nairobi, Kenya. Let me show you what we make.
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In 2013, Mohammed Awale started a company that converts secondhand clothes into trendy bags.
AWALE: Here at Suave we make bags from recycled materials like backpacks, messenger bags, iPod sleeves.
What we have here was a material that was once a pair of jeans that we have now cut up. That's the first process. Then after we cut it up, now
we're going to take it now to stitch. And here, we have some more pieces of material that we have stitched together. Basically, these were
(inaudible), shirts, a bit of denim and trousers that are now stitched up now into a big material and we're going to cut the bag out of it.
DEFTERIOS: Awale graduated in 2012 from United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya, then went on to work for an oil company
before he ventured into the fashion industry.
AWALE: A cousin of mine who was doing that business before and stopped actually encouraged me to start it.
But I didn't now do leather as what he did. What I found leather to be expensive and I changed it now and these other materials. So we started
with the messenger bags and we started actually showing our friends, asked them how they looked. And as we went on, people started liking them.
We change a few designs, whatever they told us maybe needed changing. Then as we continued now this one branched off into backpacks.
DEFTERIOS: Awale mainly markets his products online through Instagram and Twitter, though he still experiences some difficulties.
AWALE: One of the challenges that I have is actually convincing people that the local products are actually as good or even better than
imported products. The price is also another challenge when you actually sell them. So now every time you keep on telling them about your bags and
tell them that it's a recycled bag, so they always compare to a secondhand bag, and explaining the whole thing of building it and actually maybe it
from scratch and using materials that are already available.
The labor that goes into that, they're (inaudible).
This is the finished product. This is made out of (inaudible) as you can see here. This was made out of a pair of jeans. And this is the
patchwork.
What I hope for Suave in the next actually maybe year or two is that to be a regional brand, hopefully east Africa and now be shipping
worldwide.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: This is CONNECT THE WORLD, the top stories this hour. The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France are gathering in Minsk to
hold talks on ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine. It's believed negotiations will focus on the withdrawal of heavy weaponry from conflict
areas and the creation of a demilitarized zone. They'll also be looking at the future of the two regions, which have declared they won't accept the
government in Kiev.
Judges are deliberating the trial of Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino. He's charged with, among other things, manslaughter and
abandoning ship and faces up to 26 years in jail if found guilty. Thirty- two people were killed when a cruise ship crashed off the Italian coast of Giglio in January 2012.
In Yemen, a top airport official says Houthi gunmen have seized vehicles of departing US diplomats and staff left at the Sanaa airport.
They also took weapons of departing Marines. Operations at the US and British embassies there were suspended and staffers were moved because of
the deteriorating security situation. French -- France says it will close its embassy doors on Friday.
Two men in Australia have been charged with plotting a terror attack. The suspects were arrested in a raid on a home outside Sydney on Tuesday.
Police say they've seized an ISIS flag, a machete, and a threatening video recording.
As world leaders arrive in Belarus to broker a peace deal on ending the crisis in Ukraine, violence continues on the ground there. Now, let's
go live to CNN international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh in Donetsk. And Nick, the fighting is escalating where you are?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, behind me, we've been hearing intermittently for the past hour both
incoming and outgoing shelling. Slightly higher, frankly, than normal for this time of day we've been hearing.
Now, of course, today began here in the very center of the city where the horrifying events, a bus stop hit by one shell. We went to the scene
there, saw two vehicles incinerated by it. The driver, unfortunately, killed and burned in his very seat of the main bus, one of four people
killed, many injured as well.
And I think many in here, in the center of the next terrified to see that kind of shelling hit so close to the city center, teeming with
civilians at rush hour, hours before those peace talks we've been talking about in Minsk were supposed to get underway. Today, we went near --
(DISTANT EXPLOSION)
WALSH: -- and you can hear some of those explosions behind me just there. Today, we went towards the town of Uglegorsk, where there's
fighting continuing for that key strategic hub of Debaltseve and saw ourselves --
(AUDIO GAP)
WALSH: -- separatist artillery in action, firing, it seemed, in that direction. But also too, as we can hear behind us, the separatist
territory is also on the receiving end of what must be Ukrainian military hardware.
Although I should stress both sides deny they fire at civilian areas and blame the other for doing it as a provocation, in their words. But
tonight in Donetsk, the sound is anything other than that of an imminent peace agreement. Lynda?
KINKADE: OK, Nick Paton Walsh in Ukraine, thanks so much for that update.
A Belgian court has sentenced the leader of an Islamic group to 12 years in prison for sending jihadist fighters to Syria. The head of
Sharia4Belgium and several of his followers were found guilty of terror charges. CNN's Atika Shubert has been following this story for us, and she
joins us now from London.
Atika, 46 young men accused of plotting violence in the name of Islam. Only a handful were present during the five-month trial. What can you tell
us about the sentences that were handed down?
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, only a handful were present because most of them were actually fighting in Syria and Iraq.
In fact, quite a few of them are believed to have died while they were fighting out there.
The main focus of the case has been on Fouad Belkacem, the man who founded the group Sharia4Belgium, an extremist group that campaigns for
Sharia law in Belgium. And according to the judge at the trial, she says Sharia4Belgium is a terrorist organization.
And that Fouad Belkacem is guilty of recruiting young men to fight not only for Sharia4Belgium, but sending them onward to Syria and Iraq to join
ISIS and other terror groups. So, he was sentenced to 12 years.
So that's a victory for the prosecutors, but for many parents of those young men that are traveling out there, they want to see more being done.
They wanted to see Sharia4Belgium being basically dismantled much earlier. And they also blame the Belgian government for failing to prevent these
young men from traveling.
I spoke to the father of one of the men who was actually on trial today. Take a listen to what he told me a few months ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHUBERT: Did you blame Belkacem?
DIMITRI BONTNICK, FATHER OF TEEN WHO WENT TO SYRIA: I don't blame only Belkacem. I blame the Western governments also, because they have
blood on their hands also.
SHUBERT: Because they didn't arrest him?
BONTNICK: They didn't arrest Belkacem. They know that Belkacem was recruiting and selecting Western children. If there was no Sharia4Belgium,
my son would never have gone to Syria.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHUBERT: That's Dimitri Bontnick, and he has a fascinating story. He actually went into Syria to bring his teenage son back. He was fighting
with an al Qaeda-affiliated group, there, Jabhat al-Nusra.
And so, his son actually testified against Sharia4Belgium, his former friends and fellow fighters in Syria, and as a result, he was also found
guilty, but only sentenced to a few months suspended sentence.
KINKADE: Incredible that he went into Syria to get his son back. Atika Shubert, thanks so much for that.
Now, in the US, police are saying a dispute over a parking spot may have played a part in the shooting deaths of three Muslim students. Forty-
six-year-old Craig Hicks is being held without bond on murder charges. Police say he killed three family members at an apartment near the
university of North Carolina's Chapel Hill campus.
Two of the victims, newlyweds, were in their 20s. The third was just 19 years old. There's a further question, though, as to what role if any
did the victims' religion have to do with the shooting. Now, for more on that, I'm joined by senior Washington correspondent Joe Jones.
And Joe, this obviously a tragic story. All the three young people were all under the age of 23. What can you tell us about them and how this
transpired, what their religion may have had to do with this?
JOE JONES, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Still trying to get a handle on this. Obviously a big shock for the college community. The
suspect in these murders, as you said, a 46-year-old man, Craig Stephen Hicks. And apparently, according to police, an ongoing neighbor dispute
over parking may have precipitated this, but there continue to be questions about motive.
The police said in a statement that their investigators are exploring what could have motivated this. They say they understand the concerns
about the possibility that this was hate-motivated and that they are going to exhaust every lead to determine if that is the case.,
Hicks turned himself in on Tuesday night, charged with three counts of first degree murder. Police say the victims in this case are all Muslim,
Hicks is not. The victims are Deah Barakat, Yusor Mohammad, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, both -- all very young. As you said, 19 years old.
Yusor was 21, Barakat was 23.
Barakat, Yusor Mohammad were married, shot in the head. Barakat was a second year dentistry student and apparently raising money to provide
dental care to Syrian refugees in Turkey.
The news of these killings has really gone viral here in the States. The Council on Islamic-American relations and others questioning whether
this was essentially because of the victims' religion.
Hicks, based on Facebook postings, appears to be an atheist and has suggested atheism is or could be the thing that solves the so-called Middle
East problem. A lot of questions right now for those police in North Carolina as they try to sort out this very tragic case, Lynda.
KINKADE: And given we now know about some of those posts on Facebook, will they be seen as potentially some of the warning signs that perhaps
should have been looked at long before this happened?
JOHNS: It's pretty clear that they are going to look into everything, and also pretty clear that they are going to exhaust all the leads before
they determine whether or not this was in fact a hate crime.
So, Facebook certainly plays into all of that. They are talking with this individual. He apparently is cooperating with the authorities, so
they hope they will be able to figure it out in due course.
KINKADE: Joe Johns, as always, thanks so much for joining us.
Several reports say Egypt's president has called Gulf Arab leaders to reassure them that a leaked audio recording is a fake. On that tape,
voices supposedly Mr. el-Sisi and senior aides discuss how to get more donations out of Gulf Arab leaders who they say "have money like rice."
Mr. el-Sisi hosted the Russian, a sign some say he is now looking farther afield for support and not simply relying on his extremely generous
Arab allies.
Egypt's prime minister told CNN's emerging markets editor John Defterios that the tapes are not real and have not damaged relations
between Egypt and its Arab allies.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IBRAHIM MAHLAB, PRIME MINISTER OF EGYPT: I am sure those tapes are forged and false. And this has nothing to do with reality. The respect
between Egypt and all our brothers is huge.
And also, the link and the future between us and the unified objectives are so strong, you can neglect all those tapes. Those are
forged. Those are false. They are not reflecting the aim of cooperation between our countries.
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: As you know, the rule of law for investors is very important, and we saw the pardoning of the Al
Jazeera journalist Peter Greste. Isn't it wiser to pardon the other two journalists that are going for a retrial? It's very complicated to pursue
that line.
MAHLAB: Well, we are building our institutions. And we are not mixing things. I think there is a judge, there is a court, and we respect
the court. At the same time, we are taking this from the human point of view, and I think there is a balance between a court judge and the human
point of view. And already, we took some actions, and one Mr. Greste is already out of the country.
DEFTERIOS: Will you pardon the other two, then, after this trial starts?
MAHLAB: We are studying the case and the judge. I think the case is going to be reviewed soon.
DEFTERIOS: How soon are you suggesting, Prime Minister?
MAHLAB: I hope it to be soon, very soon.
DEFTERIOS: In the next two to three weeks? What are we suggesting?
MAHLAB: I hope.
DEFTERIOS: You hope so?
MAHLAB: I hope so.
DEFTERIOS: Also, we've seen a case since the start of the month where another 183 members of the Muslim Brotherhood have been sentenced to death
row. There's 16,000 in detainment. Does this government have any plans --
MAHLAB: Well --
DEFTERIOS: -- to work with those members of the opposition, even if they're not listed under the Muslim Brotherhood?
(CROSSTALK)
MAHLAB: It's not a question of opposition, it's when there is something criminal. As prime minister, I respect the institutions. I
cannot really comment on any court case. But I can assure you that level of appeals are really -- they can study the case, they are going to get all
right to defend themselves.
DEFTERIOS: Prime Minister, what does the stampede that we saw at the football stadium tell us about the Egyptian people, particularly the youth
today? It's quite alarming to see a case like that unfold before your eyes and the world's eyes.
MAHLAB: Well, there are some investigations, but I can assure you that all those sometimes are planned and trying to jeopardize everything.
Because we are going very well for the third -- the last (inaudible). It is not an opposition, it's terrorists, planned terrorism. It's trying to
jeopardize everything in Egypt.
Egyptian people are really aware. Government is aware. But we are paying, really, a heavy bill to combat terrorism.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Live from CNN Center, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Coming up, no punchline, just a stunning announcement from one of America's
most popular TV personalities. The bombshell Jon Stewart dropped on his audience just ahead.
And after the break, a look at the latest service that South Korea is bringing online: health care. In Digital State, we learn how face-to-face
doctors' appointments could become a thing of the past.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREW CAREY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With a population of almost 80 percent mobile users, there's no doubt that South
Korea is smartphone savvy. For years, Seoul has topped Rutgers University's Digital Government Survey as it lays down the foundation to
truly become a Digital State.
And one of the biggest challenges it wants to tackle with technology is health care. Enter pilot program U-Health.
SUK-WHA KIM, PROFESSOR, SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: U-Health is the future of medicine. And the patients get -- have a problem, they
used to visit the hospital or the clinic. But in the case of U-Health, there's no need for doctors coming to the patients.
CAREY: Originally, 200 of these health monitoring kits were sent to the homes of the elderly. Now, the program is being used at this community
center. Senior citizens can conveniently pop into a location close to home and monitor their vital signs.
With just a few touches of a button, they can check things like blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and other routine stats. The information is
sent back to a doctor electronically, avoiding unnecessary doctors visits for simple check-ups.
Now, the program's architects are working to bring the health care entities together to streamline care and to work within existing laws that
make prescribing medicine digitally difficult.
KIM: There are so many stakeholders in the health care system. So, that makes it complex. There is a single very strong health insurance
system in Korea, so I believe that kind of a strong health care insurance system can provide the kind of good health management for the patients and
for the citizens of Korea.
CAREY: The hope is that this kind of technology can not only make Seoul and South Korea smarter, but its citizens smarter as well.
Andrew Carey, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, HOST, COMEDY CENTRAL "THE DAILY SHOW": I don't have an specific plans. Got a lot of ideas, I've got a lot of things in my head.
I'm going to have dinner.
(LAUGHTER)
STEWART: On a school night.
(LAUGHTER)
STEWART: With my family, who I have heard from multiple sources --
(LAUGHTER)
STEWART: -- are lovely people.
(LAUGHTER)
STEWART: I don't think I'm going to miss being on television every day. I'm going to miss coming here every day. And this is where -- I love
the people here. They're the best. They're creative and collaborative and kind and -- that's alliterative, but it's cheating because it's a K, but
you --
(LAUGHTER)
STEWART: You understand what I'm saying. They're -- I love them and respect them so much.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love you, Jon!
STEWART: Yes!
(CROWD CHEERS)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Satirist Jon Stewart announcing his decision to leave "The Daily Show" after 16 memorable years. You're watching CNN and this is
CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.
Not only did Jon Stewart help launch the whole news parody genre, he also helped launch the careers of some huge names in comedy. Let's take a
closer look at the impact he's made. Our senior media correspondent Brian Stelter joins us now from New York.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Hi there.
KINKADE: Hi, Brian. Now, obviously, quite a shock to hear Jon Stewart, he's leaving "The Daily Show." And although he admitted he was no
journalist, he was a very important news source for young people and did his best to hold the government -- the US government accountable. What do
you think will be his legacy?
STELTER: He definitely has served an accountability function, both for politicians and for the press. A lot of jokes were made at CNN's
expense over the years. A lot more jokes at Fox New's expense over the years.
But some of them were deserved, and I think comedians like Jon Stewart were and are able to touch on media issues and political issues in ways,
frankly, that traditional news anchors and other talking heads cannot.
And he was really able to pioneer that. For example, we see on TV sometimes mash-ups of a bunch of videos showing a politician flip-flopping
or changing their mind or the people on TV saying ridiculous things.
Well, Jon Stewart helped to pioneer that idea. He has a whole team of people recording videos, watching videos all day every day, researching and
excavating videos. So, he was able to come up with those kind of new forms of storytelling and new ways to take the punches and swings and cracks at
people.
Of course, he's not without his detractors. Stewart leans to the left. He's not a favorite of some conservatives. And of course, there's
some in cable news who cringe when they see him and thinks he takes some unfair shots, some cheap shots at television news.
But I think he has really been a pioneer. And like you said, what he has started, many others are continuing, people like John Oliver and Larry
Wilmore.
KINKADE: And obviously he spoke about wanting to spend more time with his family, but why now? Why do you think he's leaving?
STELTER: Well, there's been speculation for years that maybe he's ready to hang it up. I was actually surprised when he renewed his contract
in his most recent contract window. Now his deal is up in September and he says he'll leave sometime between July and December, they're still working
it out.
I think it's probably a simple matter of tiredness, of exhaustion. He's been doing this show for more than 15 years, and it takes a lot out of
him. In addition, you can imagine there's a lot of other opportunities for him. He directed his first feature film recently, "Rosewater."
You could also see him in a more serious role, perhaps. I think he would make a great essayist on television or online somewhere. Maybe he'll
even make his own YouTube channel. There's a lot of opportunities for someone as famous and as appealing as Jon Stewart.
KINKADE: That, of course, Brian, is the big question, what will he do next? Now, let's take a look at an interview he did with Christiane
Amanpour. When she put to Jon Stewart what will he do when she interviewed him last year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: In my mind, this is all chicken. I'm just making chicken. Sometimes I'm making cutlet, sometimes I make a nice teriyaki, sometimes I
just grind it up and feed it to baby birds. But it's still chicken.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And do you think this chicken --
STEWART: Yes.
AMANPOUR: -- might decide to be a regular news anchor? A lot of --
STEWART: Regular news?
AMANPOUR: Yes, regular news.
STEWART: Like yourself? Like a real journalist?
AMANPOUR: Like myself.
STEWART: I would say no. I would say --
AMANPOUR: Like a "Meet the Press"?
STEWART: No.
AMANPOUR: No.
STEWART: I would say no. That I don't believe is in danger of happening.
AMANPOUR: No.
STEWART: Yes. That I can pretty confidently state that I will not have my own "room of situations." That's just a name I came up with.
(LAUGHTER)
STEWART: A room of situations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
STELTER: It's a good name.
KINKADE: Yes. So, he doesn't want to host his own media-type show. Do you think he could potentially enter politics?
STELTER: I've always thought he should be the president of a news network and actually experience what it's like to try to put on 24 hours of
news a day. But I don't think that's going to happen.
I'd be surprised by the political route. He sometimes seems very angry, very fed up with Washington and very fed up with the political
culture. I'd be surprised to see him try to step inside it. I think he's more interesting and more valuable, frankly, on the outside, as someone
looking in and trying to figure it all out for people.
But he is a guy that has surprised us over the years. He's evolved over the years. He's, frankly, gotten more serious over the years, and
that's one of the reasons why so many young people say they actually learn the news from him. People soak up the news like a sponge when they watch
Jon Stewart.
Now, they might be getting one version of the truth, but they are getting information that's useful and valuable. So, he has evolved over
the years, and even though he won't be on every day, I don't think, on television, I think we'll see him somewhere on television in the future.
KINKADE: So, of course, he's left big shoes to fill. Who do you think will take that spot?
STELTER: There's so many names already being bandied about. People like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who already have very busy careers. You can
imagine a lot of "Daily Show" correspondents, like Jessica Williams, who would be interested in the position. They have a whole stable of those
correspondents.
And in the past, Comedy Central has promoted from within, like Stephen Colbert recently left to go over to CBS's "Late Show" replacing David
Letterman. Most recently, they took the "senior black correspondent" of "The Daily Show," Larry Wilmore, and gave him his own show replacing
Colbert right after "The Daily Show."
I wonder if they'll do the same thing here, try to groom from within and take the long view. In television, sometimes you've got to think years
ahead, even though there's overnight ratings that stress everybody out.
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert took years to develop themselves and really become the stars they are today. Comedy Central might have to have
some patience in this case as well grooming his successor.
KINKADE: Brian Stelter, as always, great to talk to you, thank you.
STELTER: You, too, thanks.
KINKADE: So, what are your favorite memories of "The Daily Show"? The team at CONNECT THE WORLD wants to hear from you, and have your say at
facebook.com/CNNconnect. Or you can tweet me @LyndaKinkade.
And in tonight's Parting Shots, we'll leave you with a scene worth of a "Daily Show" segment. There was a sour note in the otherwise warm
welcome extended to Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, in Cairo. Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(BAND PLAYING RUSSIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM OFF KEY)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: That is the Egyptian military's orchestra's rendition of the Russian anthem. Mr. Putin remained stone-faced --
(LAUGHTER)
KINKADE: -- stone-faced throughout the off-key performance, which has been ridiculed, as you'd expect, online.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(BAND PLAYING RUSSIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM CORRECTLY)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: In case you're wondering, that's what the Russian anthem actually sounds like normally.
I'm Lynda Kinkade and that was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thanks so much for watching. We'll leave you with that crescendo in Cairo.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(BAND PLAYING RUSSIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM OFF KEY)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
