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Japanese Prime Minister Addresses U.S. Congress; Update From Nepal; Saudi King Reshuffles Line of Succession; Baltimore Residents Continue To Demonstrate. Aired 11:00-12:00p ET
Aired April 29, 2015 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:12] BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Beyond the capital, and too often beyond the reach of help, remote areas in Nepal see the first trickle of
aid as rescue teams meet huge obstacles. We are live in Kathmandu for you in just a moment.
Also ahead this hour, a royal reshuffle in Saudi Arabia. We look at who is in, who is out. And what it means for the Middle East and the
world.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My heart breaks for these young men and their families. We have to come to terms with some
hard truths about race and justice in America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Strong words from a U.S. presidential contender as anger and mistrust divide Baltimore and other parts of the United States.
ANNOUNCER: CNN Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: A very good evening. It is just after 7:00 here in the UAE. The death toll from Saturday's earthquake in Nepal has crept past
5,000, I'm afraid. And as rescuers scramble against the odds to find survivors, another challenge they certainly didn't need is presenting
itself: weather conditions.
Near the isolated epicenter are making access extremely difficult with landslides posing a new threat to those who made it through the weekend's
ordeal.
Well, two landslides reported Tuesday in the Langtang region north of Kathmandu. It's up to 200 people reported missing in each case.
Well, in the capital itself the painstaking search through the rubble continues four days on the scene CNN captured one of the city's holiest
sites, gave little pause for optimism, I'm afraid.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has played his part in the aid effort in Nepal and he joins me now live from Kathmandu. And I know the delay on this line
is fairly long, but what you are seeing and hearing clearly incredibly important, Sanjay. Just give us the lay of the land, as it were.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know we are now more than four days out from this. And this is a critical period,
Becky, in so many ways to try and still rescue people who can be saved. People talk about 72 hours as being the golden time period. But certainly
we're hearing stories about people who are being found after that time period and still, you know, being found, being rescued and actually
starting to make recoveries.
So that is a critical issue right now. It involves so many different factors, Becky. As you know, you've covered these types of stories getting
the resources in, getting them distributed, making sure you have air support, getting to these remote areas, all of that is coming into play.
And right now, it's an incredibly critical time.
ANDERSON: The government today suggesting that, and I quote, life is returning to normal, albeit slowly. But conceding that they aren't
properly able to manage relief yet.
You've had firsthand experience of what is going on in and around the hospitals, for example, what are the priority needs where you are at this
point?
GUPTA: It's hard to say that life is returning to normal, that might be a rosier picture of what is happening here. There are a lot of people
who are still living outside. It is raining out there. It is cold. There's a lot of pain. There's a lot of misery still.
There were lines of buses today, some of them that came in from India, basically there to try and take people away from Kathmandu. People not
going into their homes either because they've been destroyed or because they're just fearful to go into a home when the earth still shakes from
time to time, because of these aftershocks.
From the hospital standpoint alone, there are the issues of getting resources, basic resources -- the food, the water, antibiotics, things like
that. But also this notion that space in and of itself, Becky, has become a commodity. Why? Because again people aren't inside the buildings, that
means they're outside and space as a concept becomes a little bit of a thing that they need to try and find for people -- safe, space.
They also need to get to those remote areas. The weather has not helped sometimes. It's tough to get a helicopter into the air to an area
that has been devastated, that has not yet seen medical help. But that is what needs to happen.
So, you have very talented doctors and nurses here. But no one could have anticipated the demand for healthcare services as they've seen it over
the last several days.
ANDERSON: Sanjay, I was with a team from the UAE who are search and rescue in the first instance. You've been trying to get permission to land
in Nepal now for some four days. It's so frustrating for them. I know that they are taking off this afternoon.
They've slightly changed the contingency plans, as it were, and they are less search and rescue now with their heavy equipment and more
medically focused.
But I know when they get there, the difficulty will be, the sort of organization, the logistics, how you get these sort of humanitarian teams
up to where it matters most.
How would you describe the organization? Are things getting better?
[11:05:37] GUPTA: I think it's fair to say that they're getting better, but they are nowhere near where they need to be, ultimately. And
that's not to even point fingers or place blame.
I mean, simply getting from point a to point b here, Becky, is a challenge. And it's a challenge on levels that maybe you don't even
anticipate.
Obviously the roads in many places have been damaged, if not completely destroyed. So ground travel is near impossible because of the
weather. Sometimes air travel is near impossible.
But even just picking up a phone, Becky, and calling, even down the street or to another city can be a challenge. I mean, we're so used to
saying, OK, we have what you need here. We're calling you. Where are you? Let me get you the supplies.
Just that basic communication oftentimes is not happening, because it can't happen, because the communication has been so poor.
So those are real challenges. And there's an infrastructure problem here.
Some of that has been obviously existed even before the earthquake, but it's been made so much more worse since the earthquake.
ANDERSON: Sanjay Gupta on the ground for you reporting from Kathmandu. Sanjay, always a pleasure. Thank you.
A new generation now in line for the throne in Saudi Arabia after a major power reshuffle. Just months after assuming the throne himself, King
Salman has appointed this man, interior minister Mohammed bin Nayef as the new crown prince and heir apparent.
Well, the king named his son, defense minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman as deputy crown prince. He is believed to be in his late 20s and is
now second in line to succession.
Well, our Nic Robertson has been covering the Saudi royals for years. He has been recently in Riyadh. He joins me now from London.
What are the implications of what we've heard out of Saudi over the past 24 hours?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, I think the biggest implication here is that they've made it very, very clear that the
next king is going to be from the next generation. And a lot of, you know, analysts and experts have been looking at Saudi Arabia to see when that's
going to happen.
You know, it's gone -- the leadership has gone from brother to brother to brother. And a process really which is in effect the monarchy has
become older and older and older and if you will less agile in a region that is -- a region that is, a, in foment; and b, has a very, very youthful
population. So I think what he's doing here is setting the stag, you know, to have a younger generation of royals running the country, and it is
interesting that the second in line to the throne now will be his -- the king's son who doesn't have as much political experience as Prince Mohammed
bin Nayef, the interior minister. He's in his mid-50s. He was, you know, interior -- he was deputy interior minister to his father. So he's sort of
been in running the business of running the country for a lot longer, Becky.
ANDERSON: I also thought it was interesting to see that the new foreign minister who has been the very successful Saudi ambassador in
London for some time moving back to the country showing that there is no difference between royals and non-royals as it were when looking to high
office.
I think for our viewers, those watching around the world, will be wondering what the message is here internationally. What would you say it
is?
ROBERTSON: Adel el-Jubeir, again a man in his early 50s, will be the most senior non-royal in the Saudi government. What's important, perhaps
for the Saudis about this is that Adel el-Jubeir has become a very effective communicator, indeed that's sort of how he got into the business
of assisting the royals more than a couple of decades ago when he started out in Washington, D.C., been there for the past almost decade or so as
ambassador.
So -- he obviously is very well versed with the sort of leadership in the United States, but also around the world. And I think it's his success
in that position and the context that he has made there and the importance of that relationship with the United States that he becomes a foreign
minister. Prince Saud al Faisal who was a foreign minister 40 years in that job. His health has been ailing. Certainly a lot of analysts have
been saying that about him recently.
So, again it -- this is a sort of -- it really is a resetting for a younger leadership. And I think Adel al-Jubeir is somebody who has really
succeeded under the monarchy. And the message there is that you don't have to be a royal to do well.
[11:10:14] ANDERSON: Fascinating. Nic, thank you. Nic Robertson is in London for you tonight.
Now, schools have reopened in Baltimore, in Maryland. And things are much calmer following violence earlier this week that brought the U.S. city
to its knees.
Monday's looting and rioting followed protests over the death of Freddie Gray, a young black man who died from a spinal injury while in
police custody.
Now on Tuesday, some diehard protesters did face off with police, enforcing the first night of a citywide curfew aimed at stemming the
violence. But in the end, 10 people were arrested, mainly for curfew violations.
Unrest did spread, though, to other U.S. cities. In Ferguson, Missouri Tuesday demonstrators flooded the streets in solidarity with the
Gray family. At least two people were shot in separate incidents.
Well, there is other evidence beyond the reopening of schools that things, though, are calming in Baltimore. Baseball's Baltimore Orioles
will play, albeit to an empty stadium. And the symphony will hold a free concert.
CNN's Ryan Young joins me from the city right now. Things, it seems, are fairly quiet this morning. Ryan, what do we know about the symphony's
plans to perform as well as prayer vigil, I believe at the state attorneys office later.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're hearing more and more about community members trying to come together to hold different events
throughout the city to make sure that maybe they keep this relative calm.
But here in the neighborhood, which is really important to show is the fact that what 24 hours will do. This intersection was shut down just
yesterday as protesters had taken over and police were actually blocking that side of West North.
If you look now, you can see officers have moved to the side. We're actually seeing people from the community, officers having conversation.
That conversation very important, because we believe in -- and people in the community believe that that conversation between police and the
community has helped so much defuse the situation.
Now that's the CVS that burned that everyone saw burning just a few hours ago. Now there are people setting up a picnic and a barbecue in
front of that to make sure they can service this community.
What a difference it makes when the community came out and actually formed a human chain to make sure that police and the people who were in
this community didn't have any negative interactions.
So, you can see some of the differences in the last 24 hours.
ANDERSON: And Ryan, it's fascinating that you say that there are these conversations going on quite literally behind you. Are residents
getting any answers at this point? Because it's the lack of answers that has got people out onto the streets, of course, isn't it?
YOUNG: I think the lack of answers is still frustrating to many people. But now where people are having conversations about how people
should talk to each other. People are still coming up and having some things to yell at the officers, but now sometimes they're having a
conversation, OK, if you want to protest, hey, how about stand on this side of the road.
And they're having that conversation, really mediating everything right here in real-time.
So it's something to see what a difference 24 hours can make. The yelling has calmed down a lot compared to what was happening before.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Ryan. He's in Baltimore in Maryland for you tonight.
And still to come, a first for Japanese prime minister. We'll look at Shinzo Abe's big speech in Washington. What he's pushing for and what some
hope he will say.
That is a little later in the show.
First up, though, much more on Saudi Arabia's dramatic power shuffle - - or reshuffle. We'll see how it could reenergize an aging leadership at a time of what is regional turmoil.
You're watching Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:16:08] ANDERSON: You're looking at live pictures coming from Washington. The Japanese prime minister entering the U.S. congress. In
just a few moments, he'll become the first Japanese leader to address a joint meeting of that body. He and U.S. President Barack Obama have been
discussing a Pacific Rim trade deal.
And let me tell you, there are a lot of lawmakers in that audience very skeptical of what any deal can mean to their constituents back home.
We will monitor this for you and we'll have live reports from Tokyo and Washington a little later in the hour.
Well, black smoke rises about the airport in Yemen's capital after a wave of Saudi-led Airstrikes. Saudi Arabia says it bombed the runway to
prevent an Iranian plan from landing there.
Now the strikes underscore the kingdom's determination to stop an uprising by Iranian allied Houthi rebels.
The operation is the first major conflict spearheaded by Saudi King Salman. He moved quickly after assuming the role in January to rally
regional allies into combat.
Well, Saudi Arabia wants to maintain its leadership role in the region and is putting a new generation in position to do it. Let's bring in Saudi
journalist Jamal to discuss what is a dramatic new royal decree.
He is general manager of the al Arab News Channel joining us tonight out of Saudi.
How long has this been in the works, Jamal Khashoggi? And did those who were replaced have any real say in the matter?
JAMAL KHASHOGGI, JOURNALIST: No. It was done through the royal circle only. But rumors were leaking out recently. But to me as a Saudi Arabian,
I liked what happened. It saves my country from aging, because we have had a problem with an aged leadership for the last 15 or 20 years. And now
King Salman is resolving this matter by passing the -- or fixing the succession to the new generation.
The other thing we are in a very difficult time, that we need a more dynamic leadership. And I think those two Mohammeds are going to be
dynamic enough to lead Saudi Arabia into those challenges, you just mentioned -- Yemen and Syria is about (inaudible). And not to mention
local challenges we have.
ANDERSON: Right. OK.
Jamal, let's take a look for a moment at some of the defining images in Saudi Arabia of the operation against Yemen's Houthi rebels, for
example. Saudi TV broadcast these pictures of the young defense minister directing the airstrike campaign last month. A statement by King Salman
says his son earned the new title of deputy crown prince, at least in part, because of his, quote, "massive capabilities displayed during the Yemen
war."
Just how important has that latest conflict been in what is going on today, how Saudi Arabia is being shaped for the future?
KHASHOGGI: Oh, this conflict (inaudible) operation in Yemen is very important to us. It's shaping the new Saudi Arabia that it is affirmative,
strong, more dynamic, independent. And that's what we need.
Our confidence began to shake in the last few years seeing the Iranians expansionism in Syria, in Yemen. We began to worry, we the
(inaudible).
So, this operation is very important. And it is going to determine the (inaudible) position in the Middle East for some time. But it has to
succeed. It has to succeed.
[11:20:05] ANDERSON: I'm interested to see that the Washington ambassador is being sort of recalled, as it were, to become the foreign
minister. Clearly, he has incredibly strong ties with the administration in the United States. And that will be important going forward, won't it,
because you know, let's be quite frank this -- the end of Operation Decisive Storm most experts suggest was as a result of Washington really
putting pressure on Riyadh with what they were seeing on the ground so far as the sort of humanitarian crisis was concerned.
You're talking about just how important this Yemen war has been to the young defense minister. Has he really got it right?
KHASHOGGI: I think yes.
The operation did not end. Decisive Storm ended, but operation in Yemen is continuing. And it has to continue until we bring peace to Yemen.
The region of Yemen is a defeat for Saudi Arabia. Civil war in Yemen is another defeat. So it has to succeed. We have to bring peace and
security back to Yemen. And I think we are going in the right direction.
ANDERSON: Right. That was perhaps my question in a roundabout way.
What is the endgame here, because many people will say the way Saudi has gone about the conflict in Yemen simply has no end. There is not
strategy here. There will be no peace with these warring factions.
KHASHOGGI: No. The end is peace. The end is for the Houthi to accept peace and stick with the other Yemenis and form a future Yemen. The
news you begin the broadcast with about Iranians trying to force their way into Sanaa yesterday, probably that will make Saudi Arabia move into more -
- to end the war, because the attention of the Iranians is (inaudible). And the longer we let the war continue, the longer Iranian intervention
will happen. And it could bring us to a very confrontation with us.
So I believe there will be more Saudi action in Yemen in the near future to achieve that result.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. Jamal Khashoggi, good to have you on the show tonight. Interesting times in Saudi and the implications clearly wide
ranging. Thank you.
Live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. Coming up, a major American city on edge after rioting earlier
this week. We're going to get you live to Baltimore to see whether a nightly curfew is actually holding.
We're up next, though, Tanzania where a TV show is transforming learning, making maps and science fun and interactive for kids across
Africa. Good luck. That's next on African Start-up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is Ubongo Kids, an interactive television cartoon that aims to make kids smarter.
It's the brainchild of five entrepreneurs in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
In 2013, they founded the company Ubongo, which produces the program.
[11:25:04] DOREEN KESSY, COO UBONGO: Ubongo is a Tanzanian-based social enterprise that creates fun, localized, interactive edutainment for
African learners.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Doreen Kessy is the COO and CFO.
KESSY: Ubongo Kids is an educartoon that teaches math and science through fun animated stories. And we broadcast that on national TV here in
Tanzania, in Uganda, it's also in Burundi, Kenya and Rwanda.
UNIDENITIFIED FEMALE: So, we need to teach the kids how to take from the 10 side.
KESSY: Ubongo started in July 2015. None of us has experience creating a cartoon how before coming to Ubongo.
Initially, everyone was working for free.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: According to Kessy, after completing production on the first five episodes of Ubongo Kids, the team approached television
networks in Tanzania. To get it on the air, they had to get creative.
KESSY: A lot of networks across African don't have enough money to commission programs. so what we have to do is first get the airtime, but
we have to look for creative ways to pay for the airtime. So we came up with this idea of bringing on sponsors. They pay their broadcaster and we
make revenue from that.
There are a few challenges around sponsorship. We can't just really sign up everyone. We have to really select a few companies that have brands
that are kid friendly. So we can't have like beer or cigarettes on the show.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They've had some success and expanded the business. Ubongo now has 15 employees creating the half hour show. They
produce 26 episodes a year.
KESSY: There's been a lot of growth as we continue to produce and expand. We realize that there are so many other channels of streams of
making money.
Currently, our mainstreams are advertising and there's licensing, you know, rerun rights to broadcasters.
And then there's mobile and digital where we have an SMS interaction where kids can get questions and get feedback from their favorite cartoon
characters.
Our vision is to transform learning for the 450 million kids in Africa by bringing them a funny way to learn that opens the door to a future
additional learning.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:09] ANDERSON: This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Welcome back. The top stories for you this hour.
The deal toll from Saturday's earthquake in Napal has now passed 5,000. And officials say more than 10,000 people are injured.
Rescue workers battling worsening weather conditions to try and get to survivors and medical teams are in dire need of supplies and support.
A major shakeup in Saudi Arabia positioning a new generation in line for succession to the throne. Kind Salman appointed this man interior
minister Mohammed bin Nayef as the new crown prince and heir apparent. He named his son, the current defense minister, as deputy crown prince.
Filipinos are cheering Indonesia's last minute reprieve for a woman convicted of drug trafficking. Eight other convicted smugglers were
executed by firing squad, but Mary Jane Veloso's life was spared. Indonesia insists it is just a delay.
First night under a citywide curfew in Baltimore, Maryland has passed and police are now calling the city stable. Thousands of police and
national guard members patrolled the streets overnight. Around 10 people were arrested, but there were no further cases of looting or rioting.
Well, the outrage in Baltimore came after the April 19th death of 25 year old Freddie Gray.
He suffered a sever spinal cord injury while in police custody one week earlier.
Now, questions remain over how gray suffered that fatal injury. The rioting and looking happened right after the family laid the young man to
rest.
Well, let me bring in Duray, a community activist. He spoke to my colleague Wolf Blitzer yesterday. And that interview gathered a lot of
reaction on social media. I'm pleased to have you with me tonight on CNN International with reference to the disturbances the looting violence. You
made the point to Wolf that broken windows can be fixed, broken spines can't.
It was a good point. Clearly, though, no one wants a city scarred by violence, whether the police or the residents. What everybody wants are
answers.
Are you satisfied the citizens of Baltimore are going to get them?
DERAY MCKESSON, COMMUNITY ACTIVIST: You know, I'm hopeful that there will be justice here. And remember that the violent people in the city
that have been the city for a long time have been in the police force, that there's the depth of corruption runs deep, and that people are out here
because they are tired and they're saying enough is enough.
ANDERSON: Let's have a listen to what Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton said just about an hour ago. She's voicing concern over the
situation in Baltimore. And I want you just to respond to what she said. You may not have heard this, because I know you've been on the -- you know,
in Baltimore on the street.
She spoke at Columbia University calling for criminal justice reform. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: My heart breaks for these young men and their families. We have to come to terms with some
hard truths about race and justice in America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Clinton's campaign says that she will, and I quote, lay out a broader vision for criminal justice reform with policy proposals. You
are calling the system broken. What do you want to hear from her?
MCKESSON: Yeah, I'm hopeful that her words turn into action. This is an election year, so we are not going to be fooled by empty rhetoric when
we know that people are still being killed, that Tamir will never be back, that Freddie will never be back, that Michael will never be back and
neither will Raqiya (ph).
So I'm hopeful that Hillary's words turn into more than just words on the campaign trail, that she's actually committed to fixing this injustice
that's plaguing black American and marginalized communities across the country. And I'm hoping again that like justice is real, because a part of
justice is never experiencing the trauma in the first place. And black people have always experienced trauma in this country.
So if she's serious about talking about race, the country will be right behind her. But if not, if this is empty words, Hillary will be in
for a rude awakening.
ANDERSON: DeRay, I want to bring up a recent New York Times article, which says, and this will be important and interesting to our viewers
internationally, but there are effectively 1.5 million black men missing in America. Now the Times says its research based on census data found they
are missing largely because of early death or because they are incarcerated.
So in other words, more than one out of every six black men who today should be between 25 and 54 years old has essentially disappeared from
daily life. The implications of that are clearly enormous. Families without men involved, women who are effectively running households on their
own. Men just not playing a part in daily life.
How concerned are you when you hear statistics like that?
[11:35:12] MCKESSON: I'm concerned because what it means is that America is actually criminalized blackness itself. We see it in the death
of people like Freddie Gray, that Freddie was just outside. Freddie just ran. And he was killed. That Mike Brown was just walking across the
street. In America to be black is to be criminal and that's a problem.
So the missing stat is just making that real what people have known in marginalized communities for years and years, that again this country has
criminalized blackness.
ANDERSON: All right.
In a rare show of solidarity, rival gangs, and you'll know this, in Baltimore have actually come together to condemn police brutality. They
say they want justice for Freddie Gray. Some of these members spoke to CNN's Don Lemon. Again, have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's why it's not all about the colors right now, for real, it's all about the black man.
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Colors meaning?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Meaning the gangs and different organizations.
Yeah, a lot of the people may belong to certain things, but that don't mean nothing because we're all united right now. It's a bigger systematic
problem that we've got to deal with.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What they show on the news and what the through to the media, they're showing what they want to see. They don't actually let
them see what's really going on between us...
LEMON: But what's really going on?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unity. The unity between all of these rivals that wouldn't even be together standing right here right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: As we heard, these gang members talking about unity and are condemning the rage that swept through their neighborhoods. You just said
to me that you hope that Hillary Clinton's words are more than just empty rhetoric. Can you rely on those gang members to be talking the truth,
getting together, unifying, making a difference for the people of Baltimore?
MCKESSON: Yeah, I remember we've seen it happen. It's not just empty words. Those gangs have been on the front line and they have been helping
to keep calm out there in the streets and protests as well.
So it's powerful that black people are coming together in new ways all across the country. And I won't condemn them for coming together.
What's real is that everybody in black America is traumatized by the police. And the gangs are no different. It's that everybody is coming
together to acknowledge that this is a crisis, and this has to end.
ANDERSON: President Obama has been speaking out. Are his words inspiring you?
MCKESSON: What words? What statement specifically?
ANDERSON: Well, he's talking about there being no excuse for the looting and violence. Do you think he understands what it's like to be a
young black man on the streets of America today?
MCKESSON: Yeah, I think that President Obama understands that he is a black man. I worry sometimes that he does not actually acknowledge the
conditions that create the unrest, but he just focuses on the unrest itself.
The reality again is that Sasha and Malia are just as at risk in America as Mike Brown and Rekia Boyd at this point.
And I hope that he someday publicly acknowledges that truth.
ANDERSON: What happens next? What happens next in Baltimore? What happens next in Ferguson?
MCKESSON: You know, Baltimore and in Ferguson and cities around the country there are strong organizing communities coming together in the
fight against police brutality. I think that we'll see in the next 100 days is people organized more strategically and continue to protest and
disrupt for systemic and structural change. And I have every faith that that will continue.
ANDERSON: DeRay, it's a pleasure having you on, thank you very much indeed for making some time for us and for our international viewers.
This is a story that resonates around the world. Thank you.
Still to come, Japan's prime minister speaks to a joint meeting of the U.S. congress. We'll have live reports from Tokyo and from Washington for
you this evening.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:41:22] ANDERSON: This is CNN and Connect the World with me Becky Anderson out of the UAE at 40 minutes past 7:00. Welcome back.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is in Washington where the pomp and circumstance of an official state visit are in full display.
A meeting with President Barack Obama at a state dinner highlighting the strong ties between the two countries. Right now, Mr. Abe is on
Capitol Hill addressing a joint meeting of the U.S. congress. Lawmakers in that chamber have some questions about a Transpacific trade deal. Some are
also concerned about Mr. Abe's view of history.
CNN's Will Ripley is in Tokyo. Jim Acosta is in Washington. They join me now to explain it all.
Let's start with you, Will. I know that you've seen the speech that the prime minister is currently making. What's his message to Washington
and the wider public?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the message that he's giving to the United States is one of an increase partnership in the coming years,
both in the areas of trade and security. And as he continues to deliver the speech right now, he will lay out the plans that Japan and the U.S.
have, including increased use of Japan's military, the self defense force, and also the TPP that trade deal that President Obama and Shinzo Abe have
discussed in detail during this Washington trip.
But I have to tell you, Becky, one thing that really stands out that he has not done is give what critics in this region would consider a
sincere apology for Japan's wartime atrocities during World War II. Three sentence in his eight page speech were devoted to the occupation of South
Korea and China, which he didn't mention specifically. And also the sexual exploitation and enslavement of tens of thousands of women during World War
II that's been an issue. There have been protesters in Washington, comfort women is what they were called back then. They've been speaking out
demanding a heartfelt apology from Shinzo Abe. He did not give that during this speech which continues right now, Becky.
ANDERSON: And as we speak, we're watching pictures come in from Washington. He's just got a standing ovation. It wasn't clear whether the
entire hall stood, but certainly a significant proportion of those gathered did.
Jim, you were just hearing what Will has been saying and what we believe will be said by the prime minister in this speech. How is he going
to go down?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, I think it'll be received well. This is the first time a Japanese prime minister has addressed a
joint session of congress -- or I should say a joint meeting of congress, only the president can address a joint session of congress. And it comes
at a critical time for the president and his trade agenda up on Capitol Hill.
You know, he wants to get this what they call fast track negotiating authority approved by congress. And, you know typically he runs in to a
lot of Republican opposition when it comes to his agenda.
But this time around, Becky, he is having a tough time convincing members of his own party, especially members of his party are on his left
flank, people like Bernie Sanders, the social independent in the Senate who is going to be running for president as a Democrat, it appears. He's
deeply opposed to this fast track trade authority and this new Transpacific partnership that the president wants passed.
And the president last week irritated a lot of liberals in his party when he said that, you know, basically opponents of this deal were not
being honest about it. And the president said yesterday that it's going to be the most progressive trade deal in history.
So he's going to have a tough time making this case, especially with members of his own party.
[08:45:07] ANDERSON: What do the critics say is the reason why they are so opposed to this deal?
ACOSTA: Well, what people have to understand around the world, Becky, is that there have been lots of trade deals passed in this country over the
last quarter century. The most famous one of them all is NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement that was passed when President Clinton was in
the White House.
That, you know, in the view of a lot of people in the labor movement in this country and the unions, that shipped a lot of jobs overseas and
started this whole process where you saw the manufacturing sector in the United States dismantled and a lot of low paying jobs cropping up in China
were replacing high paying jobs in the United States. And what the big labor movement in this country doesn't want to see is another trade
agreement that expands that and continues that trend.
And so the president is going to have a tough time convincing members of his own party -- you know, keep in mind Hillary Clinton who is running
for president right now, she has not given a full-throated endorsement of this trade deal that the president wants approved. So he's got a tough
road to hoe in the coming weeks.
ANDERSON: Yeah, fascinating.
Will, when I was living in the states, sort of the late 80s and early 90s, there was sort of this big fear of this sort of expansionist Japan,
this very successful economy until it sort of crashed and burned as it were and went into sort of decline over the last 20 years with this sort of
deflationary spiral as it were.
How important is this trip to Japan and the Japanese? How well watched is this trip?
RIPLEY: It's interesting, Becky, because those same feelings that you observed in the U.S. during the 80s at the height of the Japanese bubble
economy now those feelings now exist in the minds of many Americans as the Chinese economy sees the same explosive growth. In some ways China's
growth has surpassed -- China has done in much shorter time what Japan did in the decades post-World War II. Now 70th anniversary.
But this, what we're seeing right now on your screen is extremely important for Shinzo Abe, not only his relations with the United States and
how his speech is received domestically in the U.S., but also to show the regional neighbors here that have some friction built up against Japan.
China, South Korea, both countries had portions of their land occupied by Japan pre-World War II. They lost a lot of people during the war.
This is sending a message on the part of Shinzo Abe that the U.S. and Japan have a very close partnership that's only getting stronger. And
therefore, Abe wants the others in the region to get on board and move forward instead of dwelling on the past, Becky.
ANDERSON: Jim, finally, how much of this deal is trade? And how much solidifying the sort of security doctrine, as it were, the bilateral
security doctrine between the two countries, given what Will has just said?
ACOSTA: I think that's a very important part of this. And it's a big part of the president's sales pitch to congress, and that is closer ties
with Japan, closer ties with the Pacific region, building up this Transpacific partnership that they want to get passed will act as a
counterbalance to the rise of China. And that is a big message that the president is talking about up on Capitol Hill that if you want to counter
China's rise, support this trade deal.
Now, part of that is overcoming some of the opposition to all of this in Japan. And the president and Prime Minister Abe, they probably hoped to
solidify this deal while Prime Minister Abe was here in Washington. That did not come to pass. And part of the reason why is because the automotive
industry in Japan does not like what they're hearing from this Transpacific trade deal. And you heard the president talk about this yesterday in his
remarks. He wants to see as many American automobiles being sold in Japan as you see Japanese automobiles sold in the United States.
The president likes to say time and again talking about this trade deal, when you go to the streets of Tokyo you don't see Fords and Chevys
and Chryslers all over the place because of the restrictions on the auto sector in Japan and those trade barriers that are in place.
So there are lots of layers of this onion to peel back. And really a lot of complications to work through before they can get to a final deal.
Nevermind the domestic politics for this president, which are always treacherous.
ANDERSON: Will Ripley is in Tokyo and Jim is in Washington for you this evening. Thank you, gentlemen.
And the speech continues.
I'm Becky Anderson. This is Connect the World. We're in Abu Dhabi for you. Coming up, a story of survival, how six young men from Dubai made
it home from Nepal after the quake. That is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:51:25] ANDERSON: Well, some good news amid the bad in Nepal. We are now learning that a four month old baby boy was rescued at least 22
hours after Saturday's quake. Local media report that the little boy is in stable condition.
You are watching CNN. This is Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson for you. Welcome back.
Now another story of survival, six young men from Dubai went to Nepal for a vacation. And when the earthquake struck they feared they would
never see their families again. Well, now they are safely home and they share their journey captured on video with CNN's Jon Jensen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JON JENSEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They went to Nepal in search of adventure -- six young men all in their 20s trekking near the Himalayas.
But just one day in, Nepal's earthquake struck and their holiday turned into a fight for survival.
NIHAD KHAN: It happened all of a sudden that we didn't really realize what's happening and there are people screaming earthquake.
AZHAR ALI: I felt like I'm going to die. I mean, I could literally see the rocks falling down, big, huge rocks.
JENSEN: The young men, Hadil, Fenwir (ph), Azhar, Muzhar (ph), Sunil (ph), and Nihad were at a hotel some 100 kilometers north of Kathmandu when
the earthquake hit. Then came the aftershocks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were just tremors all over the place every 30 seconds, every half an hour there was a tremor. I mean, you never know
what's going to happen.
JENSEN: So they moved with the other hotel guests and staff into an open field far from the mountains. They had cameras, but little else. All
slept outside for three days.
KHAN: Night was really the toughest part. It was cold. It started raining. We didn't have anything to cover our heads from. We made sheds -
- he made sheds, but we put all the ladies and kids under them first and all the injured people under the roof.
JENSEN: The guys made beds out of hay and dry leaves. They had little food, just nuts, biscuits and a bit of rice.
With phones down, they also had no news and no way to call home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We pretty much thought that our family is going to like have our funeral without us.
JENSEN: Eventually, they hiked to a nearby village, fearing another earthquake could come at any time.
KHAN: We kind of huddle up and we had a small chat saying, guys, this -- we have to accept that this walk is going to be the most dangerous thing
we have ever going to encounter in our life.
JENSEN: Six hours later, they made it out and caught a bus to the capital.
More than 5,000 people died in Nepal's recent earthquake. Nihad said he saw one of those victims, a woman clenching her child, both trapped
under fallen rubble.
KHAN: It was really -- I can't say. It was very, very hard. Very hard for us to even explain it. I can't do it.
JENSEN: Now home...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Jon Jensen reporting there.
Well, on the day that Saudi Arabia announced its new line of succession, I want to get you away from the palaces and bring you a slice
of life in the kingdom. In tonight's parting shots, we meet a photographer who gives us a bit of insight into the range of architectural styles and
cultures throughout Saudi Arabia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[11:55:00] THAMER AL HASSAN, SAUDI ARABIAN PHOTOGRAPHER: My name is Thamer al Hassan. I am from Saudi Arabia. And I work as an IT specialist.
And I do photography as a serious hobby.
I've been doing a project called faces and places in Saudi Arabia I've been doing a project called Faces and Places in Saudi Arabia. All the
architecture in Saudi Arabia has been changing. It's become more modernized. And it's been inspired by the surrounding countries in the
Middle East, and also on the global scale.
Saudi Arabia have a different regions. Each one have a different accent and a different way of culture, even customs, the way they were and
the way everyone is different than the other. The crafters in the country, each of them have a story, each of them has a craft that they do. Some of
them work with clothing, some of them working with furniture and other work with antiques.
It tells the history of the culture.
In this photo, you can see a man wearing a turban. People in the western coast, in (inaudible) used to wear turban before. It's been
inspired by the surrounding countries. You can see people -- (inaudible) people from even people from Jizan (ph), which is on the border of the
Yemen as well.
But they wear differently. They call them the flower men. The flower men, they wear a jasmine (inaudible) on their heads, because they thinks it
looks appealing to them.
Unfortunately, nothing's been vastly documented in the past few years of the country. Unlike nowadays we're trying to catch up to whatever got
missing from back then.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Having just been in Riyadh there are some fascinating, fascinating buildings there.
You can send us your thoughts, your stories, reaction to any of what we've been covering tonight. We also want to hear from you. You can use
the Facebook site -- that's Facebook.com/CNNConnect of course. You can get in touch with me and tweet me if you are regular viewers you will know that
it is @BeckyCNN. That is @BeckyCNN.
I am Becky Anderson. That was Connect the World. From the team here in the UAE and those working with us around the world. It's a very good
evening.
END
