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Donald Trump Set to Address Congress; Two Women Face Murder Charges in Death of Kim Jong-nam; Working to Stop Human Trafficking in North Africa. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired February 28, 2017 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[10:00:13] DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES This budget will be a public safety and national security budget.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNAH VAUGHN JONES, HOST: Turning campaign pledges into presidential plans. Donald Trump is set to lay out his vision for America and how much
it will cost in his first address to a joint session of congress.
Next, a preview of exactly what Mr. Trump is going to tell lawmakers. Also...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have, I think, reached no conclusion, nor could we in terms
of issues of collusion, because we haven't called in a single witness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Some members of the U.S. Congress say they will do more investigating into alleged
contact between President Trump's campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential race, others say, though, case closed, nothing here. Coming
up, what we know and what we don't know yet.
Plus, the two women accused of killing Kim Jong-un's half brother will face murder charges. Details later. Live from Kuala Lumpur.
Hello, welcome to Connect the World. I'm Hannah Vaughn Jones live for you here in London. Thanks for watching.
Donald Trump is just hours away from giving what may be the most important speech yet of his presidency. He'll make the case for his America first
policies in his address to congress. Now, it is a chance to build bipartisan support in front of his biggest audience since the inauguration.
But as Joe Johns now reports, Mr. Trump could be facing a tough sell on several fronts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The White House says President Trump's speech will lay out an optimistic vision and bold agenda. Lawmakers
on both sides of the aisle looking for the president to outline specifics on the many campaign promises that got him elected.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This budget will be a public safety and national security budget.
JOHNS: The president unveiling his budget outline Monday, which aims to boost defense spending by $54 billion...
TRUMP: We're going to spend a lot more money on military. We really have to. We have no choice. And a lot of people think it's a tremendous amount
of money. It could be, actually, $30 million, $30 billion more than that.
JOHNS: ...while slashing other government departments, like the EPA and State Department, with a big focus on cutting foreign aid.
TRUMP: We're going to do more with less and make the government lean.
JOHNS: Democrats say the president faces an uphill, nearly impossible battle.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: The priorities they are pushing are way out of touch.
JOHNS: President Trump's budget outline doesn't touch Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, which puts him at odds with House Speaker Paul Ryan,
who wants Congress to tackle entitlement programs.
The president also facing mounting pressure to deliver specifics on how he will repeal and replace Obamacare. But Mr. Trump now admits that it's
unbelievably complex.
TRUMP: Nobody knew that health care could be so complicated.
JOHNS: Meanwhile, President Trump is pointing the finger at his predecessor, without evidence, for White House leaks.
TRUMP: I think that President Obama's behind it, because his people are certainly behind it.
JOHNS: And for scenes like this...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do your job!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do your job!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do your job!
JOHNS: ...at town halls for Republican lawmakers across the country...
TRUMP: I also understand that's politics. And in terms of him being behind things, that's politics. And it will probably continue.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: President Trump says his plans to strengthen the military will help the United States
start winning wars again. He wants a 10 percent increase in defense spending and the new strategy for fighting ISIS. The White House is now
reviewing preliminary recommendations from the Pentagon. And Mr. Trump asked for new options for defeating ISIS last month. One of the scenarios
puts U.S. troops, boots on the ground, in Syria.
Let's get the details now from Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr. And we're also joined by senior international correspondent Arwa Damon who is
here with me in London.
Barbara, to you first. And let's talk about tackling ISIS and the options on the table - military, financial, and diplomatic, understand. Tell us
more.
BARABAR STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: All of that, Hannah, and they had their first meeting at the White House just yesterday to take a look at some of this. Btu from the military perspective, one of the things they
are looking at what they could do in terms of U.S. troops inside Syria to accelerate the fight against ISIS. One of the ideas, maybe put some
artillery units in there to provide that long-range fire power as local forces try to advance against ISIS in places like Raqqa, Syria, provide
some other aid and assistance. But putting U.S. troops inside Syria, very dangerous business. All of this very costly - no one really knows how much
-- And risky to U.S. troops.
It comes, as you say, as they are trying to look at a broad range of ideas, options in diplomacy, options in financial matters like sanctions. But the
administration already looking at cutting State Department funding - Hannah.
JONES: Arwa, over to you now. One of the options we understand that might be on the table is
for the U.S. to arm Kurdish rebels. Just explain why that would be so controversial, anathema really to Turkey.
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the U.S. is already providing a fair amount of support to the Syrian-Kurdish fighting force,
the YPG. The reason why this is so controversial is when it comes to Turkey. Turkey, a key NATO ally views the YPG as basically being an
extension of the Kurdish separatist group, the PKK, and therefore views them as a terrorist
organization.
From Turkey's perspective, America's support for the Kurds fighting inside Syria it's similar to say, for example, if Turkey were to then turn around
and support al Qaeda. Turkey has, on a number of occasions, warned the U.S. about its on going support for the Kurds inside
Syria, warned that it would potentially jeopardize the relationship between the U.S. and Turkey. And, in fact, the Obama administration had a very
tenuous relationship with the Turkish government, which has been hoping that perhaps things would begin to change under the Trump administration.
But if they were to turn around and provide even more support for the Kurds, that is definitely going to create a very difficult situation when
it comes to Turkish and American relations.
JONES: And Arwa, you have extensive experience in covering this story in the battle against ISIS at the moment across the Middle East. The Mosul
offensive is still ongoing. We know that. But what is the state of play in terms of taking out ISIS on the ground right now?
DAMON: Look, everyone is in consensus: eventually, ISIS, most likely, is going to be militarily defeated. Exactly how long that is going to take
remains to be seen and the battlegrounds in Iraq and Syria are quite different because of the dynamics that are at play there, the issue, when
you talk about the long-term defeat of an entity like ISIS has to be what happens the day after the battle, because to a certain degree, we have
already seen this. We have seen the previous incarnations of ISIS militarily defeated. We have seen them regroup and reemerge under a
different name, even more radical, even more powerful than before.
Defeating ISIS truly means trying to somehow break this cycle, and that cannot just be done
militarily. So, you do have to have a military strategy, yes, but then you also need the rest of it to
come into play. You need the politics to come into play, you need to eliminate the key factors that are allowing this radical ideology to grow,
spread and recruit more people.
JONES: And if, Barbara, indeed, one of those key factors in defeating ISIS finally is to have U.S. troops on the ground operating in Syria in Iraq, is
there any public appetite for that or will Donald Trump really be up against it in pushing this through?
STARR: Well, I suppose it depends on how low profile they may be, how few or how many troops they may be. But Arwa is exactly right, U.S. troops are
not going to be the ones to defeat ISIS and not defeat it permanently. And every commander will tell you that air strikes, troops on the ground, that
is not the solution to getting rid of ISIS. And that's one of the reasons you see so much concern developing about the Trump administration's
proposal to cut State Department funding. There is a very long-standing sense by the Pentagon, diplomacy, interaction with governments operating
abroad. This will be the thing that eventually defeats ISIS.
JONES: OK, all eyes on that speech. coming up later Barbara Starr and Arwa Damon in London. Thank you both very much indeed.
Now, a host of U.S. generals and admirals have asked congress not to slash foreign aid. Right now, the U.S. spends about $40 billion a year on
international economic development, humanitarian relief, and military aide.
The top recipients include Afghanistan, Israel, Egypt and Iraq. And more than 120 top U.S. military leaders sent a letter to congress, quoting the
Defense Secretary James Mattis who once said fund the State Department, then I need to buy more ammunition.
Well, the letter was organized by a group that advocates robust spending on foreign aid.
For individual countries that receive U.S. aid, the impact of these cuts could be really quite
considerable.
Our correspondent David McKenzie joins us now from Johannesburg, and senior diplomatic correspondent Michelle Kosinski is standing for us the State
Department in Washington. Welcome to you both.
David, just explain for us what and where exactly these initiatives are that could lose out on any cuts?
[10:10:07] DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this stage, it's still theoretical, because, Hannah, they said that they might
pull this funding, but it will have to go into a battle with congress. So, I don't want to get too ahead of the curve here.
But should there be demonstrable cuts in foreign aid, particularly in the State Department and USAID, the U.S. government agency that delivers aid
most frequently across the world. It could have a very real impact on real people. An example, of course, would be Petfar (ph), the U.S. outreach and
aid on AIDS - HIV/AIDS, that has been massively successful over the years, brought in by George W. Bush. It saves millions of lives. And if there is
any drawdown in that, people I'm speaking to today say that that will have a big impact on the ability to fight the pandemic and to solve this issue.
Late last year, we were reporting on the largest rollout of a vaccine trial here in South Africa, and scientists working on that said they feel they're
working up against the clock, because they're afraid that funding could be reduced. So, just on that one aspect it would be very detrimental if there
is a big drawdown. And if not that, then what? Because the amount of money we
are talking about, while big on paper, is actually spread through many different programs throughout the world and any one
reduction could have a big impact on each program.
JONES: OK. Michelle Kosinski who is live for us at the State Department. Michelle, this
letter from 120 retired generals and military leaders in the United States to congress, will it have any
impact whatsoever with the Trump administration and the plans going forward?
MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is hard to say at this point. I think that the letter itself was pretty stunning to see that number of
retired generals and admirals, people like David Petraeus, John Allen, a former CIA director, Michael Hayden, saying things like development and
diplomacy alongside a military component are critical to national security ending the letter by saying now is not the time to retreat.
It was quite powerful.
And as you mentioned, they quoted the current secretary of defense who said, when we spend money on diplomacy, that keeps me from spending money
on ammunition later. There was a former defense secretary who is a Republican, Robert Gates. And he said in the past that development is
a component of national security. It is important. It could prevent the U.S. from sending troops into a bad situation later, and as he put it, you
know, it's development programs are a lot cheaper than sending U.S. troops.
So, there are plenty of people out there speaking out. And you could say there aren't too many people on either side of the political divide who
wouldn't want to see the U.S. government function in a more efficient way to eliminate waste, to streamline itself but, by the same token, there are
plenty of Republicans out there in congress who also see some of these State Department programs as enormously important for national security.
So, I think, realistically, you are going to get pushback. And, you know, it is not to say that everything that looks like it is going to be cut now
will in the end.
JONES: OK. David McKenzie, live for us in Johannesburg in South Africa. Donald Trump, of course, famous for saying it's America first, that's his
priority. But there is a strong argument that overseas investments do actually keep Americans much safer at home. Is
there any hard evidence of that being the case with some of the projects and the initiatives across the African continent?
MCKENZIE: You know, I have to say over my reporting on this for more than a decade, there is plenty of hard evidence all of the time to say that
certain aid and development projects, if done successfully, and many of those really depend on U.S. funding, can have a demonstrable effect on the
homeland in the U.S. and their security.
An example will be from relatively recently: the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, when you had AFRICOM, the U.S. Africa Command combining with the
USAID and other actors getting in there quickly, putting in emergency funding and helping to stamp out that awful outbreak affecting several
countries in West Africa. Had they not done that, or had there not been the level of international response, you could have had a global pandemic.
And that was partially through U.S. leadership that that was avoided.
So, there is a very direct answer for you right there - Hannah.
JONES: David, thank you.
And Michelle, just finally, to you. If, indeed, there is a cut to foreign aid and a cut to the
State Department's funding, might we see some sort of backlash from employees at the State Department, from the staffers there?
KOSINSKI: Oh, I think yes. And already employees here aren't sure what the final numbers are going to be. You know, it has been circulating
around. Some officials have been quoted as saying it is going to be like a 30 percent cut to total State Department funding. They are calling that
devastating at this point.
It is likely in the end, you know, when you need to have congressional weigh-in and final approval of it, it may not be that much. But I don't
think there is going to be a whole lot that they can do. The administration seems determined to really slash programs that they feel are
nonessential. And even before the inauguration, we saw the Trump administration going to agencies, including the State Department and
saying, tell us about all the programs that focus on gender equality. Who are the people working on those programs? And going to the Department of
Energy and saying, what are the programs that focus on climate change?
So, the writing was on the wall from the beginning that those are likely some of the programs
that are going to be cut. And I don't think there is going to be, like I said, a whole lot that employers
are going to be able to do about it. But obviously, this is going to be a headline for some time to come.
JONES: Certainly will be. Michelle Kosinski, live for us there at the State Department and David McKenzie live in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Thank you both.
Now, we turn our attention to other stories on our radar today. Al Qaeda's number two in commandhas apparently been killed in a missile strike.
Multiple sources they say a missile hit his car in the Syrian city of Idlib. American officials tell us the attack was directed by U.S.
intelligence.
And the the heir to Samsung has been indicted on corruption charges in South Korea. Now, prosecutors accused Jay Y. Lee of bribery, embezzlement,
perjury, concealing criminal profits and hiding assets overseas. This is all part of the growing political scandal, which led to the South Korean
President Park Geun-hye's impeachment.
Lee and Samsung deny all of the allegations.
Now, still to come on Connect the World today, a Russian connection. U.S. lawmakers agree on
investigating the Trump campaign's's alleged ties to Moscow, but there is deep division over the details.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JONES: Hello, you're watching CNN. This is Connect the World. I'm Hannah Vaughn Jones. Welcome back.
Russia says its ambassador to Washington did not discuss sanctions with former U.S. national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Flynn himself stepped down after acknowledging he mislead the Trump administration about those phone calls.
Well, U.S. lawmakers have now agreed on the scope of a probe into those communications. Our Sunlen Serfaty has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[10:20:01] SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Devin Nunes, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee says there's no evidence that
contacts between President Trump's campaign and Russia during the 2016 race.
REP. DEVIN NUNES, (R) CALIFORNIA: Right now I don't have any evidence that would -- of any phone calls.
SERFATY: But the top Democrat on that committee, Adam Schiff, calls that premature.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF, (D) CALIFORNIA: We have I think reached no conclusion, nor could we in terms of issues of collusion because we have not called in
a single witness or reviewed a single document on that issue as of yet.
SERFATY: One thing the committee agrees upon, investigating any connection between Trump's campaign and Russian officials and leaks coming from
government and intelligence officials.
NUNES: No one is focusing on major leaks that have occurred here. We can't run a government like this.
SERFATY: As calls grow for an independent prosecutor to investigate potential ties to Russia.
SCHIFF: If we get to a point where there is a criminal referral, then yes, I think the attorney general has to recuse himself.
SERFATY: Republican Congressman and Trump supporter, Darrell Issa, joining those who say Jeff Sessions can't lead the probe.
REP. DARRELL ISSA, (R) CALIFORNIA: You're going to need to use the special prosecutors statute.
SERFATY: Issa doubling down in a new statement, saying, quote, "Right now we have speculation and assumptions but not clarity and fact. Any review
conducted must have the full confidence of the American people." The president dismissing questions about a special prosecutor.
TRUMP: I haven't called Russia in 10 years.
SERFATY: A bizarre response considering Mr. Trump spoke to Russian president Vladimir Putin just a few weeks ago.
SEAN SPICER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: How many people have to say that there is nothing there before you realize there's nothing there?
SERFATY: White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer zealously defending the president. Spicer even leading the White House crackdown on internal leaks.
Sources telling CNN that the president signed off on checking aides' cell phone to make certain they weren't texting reporters or using encrypted
apps during an emergency meeting last week. But Spicer denied the president was involved in that decision.
TRUMP: I would have handled it differently than Sean, but Sean handles it his way, and I'm OK with it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: Well, for more on the divisions on this topic at home and abroad let's bring in CNN's
congressional correspondent Sunlen Serfaty whose report you just heard - Sunlen is in Washington for us - and and our senior international
correspondent, Matthew Chance, in Moscow.
Sunlen if there is no special prosecutor into this Russia story, the story still doesn't go away. So is it the case of the Republicans on Capitol
Hill happen to decide at the moment whether it's congress or indeed the media, which is going to get to grips with this?
SERFATY: Well, you are absolutely right, Hannah, that this is not going away regardless if they appoint a special prosecutor or not. Capitol Hill
is really frankly aflurry with investigations into this. It's not only the House intelligence committee that did decide on their barrage scope of
where they're going with their own investigation, but many other intelligence committees in the House and
Senate are looking at this.
This is really a top concern for many Democrats and a rising concern for many Republicans on
Capitol Hill. So, I think it is likely this will be led from Capitol Hill. He heard from Speaker of the House Paul Ryan earlier this morning who said
--he brushed off these questions about a special independent prosecutor, but he said he believed that they are handling it
appropriately. As of right now, that's true the regular intelligence committees on the hill. He said, after all, that is our job.
JONES: Matthew Chance live for us in Moscow, I'm wondering what the Kremlin makes of all of this. Is it a badge of honor or a badge of shame
to be the talking point in so many cases on Capitol Hill right now?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it is probably neither in this instance. I think there is a good deal of consternation
with which the Kremlin and other Russian officials are looking at the political situation in the United States and wondering what it means for
them.
I mean, they have had very mixed messages, of course, from the Trump administration. They were expecting somebody, a president, to come in who
was going to be sympathetic to the Russian point of view on so many issues in international diplomacy. But what they have got is something quite
different, and it is partly because of what the Russians say is the anti- Russian sentiment that is so prevalent in political circumstances in Washington.
One senior Russian lawmaker here saying that the United States has become awe major center
of the production of anti-Russian measures and pressure on the Trump administration. So that the overriding sentiment is that anti-Russian
statements have become a rallying point around which everybody who is opposed to Donald Trump, whether they're Republicans or Democrats, have
gathered. And Russia feels, unfortunately, that it is paying the price for that.
JONES: Matthew, The New York Times, in an article saying that there is some suggestion that the Kremlin is perhaps trying to make hay out of the
chaos at the moment, or the perceived chaos within the Trump administration, within the White House. Is that story being covered at all
in the Russian press or touched on at all where you are?
CHANCE: Well, I think it is not actually getting a lot of play as much as it is in the western press it seems, this idea that this idea the Kremlin
is being - is taking advantage of the chaos in Washington for its own ends. But I certainly think it is true that given
that there is this distraction of the United States administration, given that it is kind of involved in its own political crises, that may mean that
Russia will be able to go and do whatever it wants to do in whichever corner of the world, whichever corner of international diplomacy it chooses
to, without the kind of focus and scrutiny that it's had in the past.
But I think a more important sentiment and concern is that that, you know, Russia wants to know what kind of policy the United States has towards it.
It wants to know what kind of partner it will have when it comes to the big issues of foreign affairs like in Syria, like in Ukraine, like on the issue
of NATO expansion. And at the moment, it's confused. I think Russian politicians, the Kremlin, are confused about what they are dealing with.
And they don't like that kind of confusion.
JONES: Certainly there. All right, Sunlen Serfaty, final word to you. The fact that the Trump
administration, President Trump himself, his White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, everyone is so adamant that there is nothing here to
investigate, that this story is dead in the water, I mean, that suggests there is something to hide doesn't it?
SERFATY: The very fact that many Democrats up here on Capitol Hill, Hannah, are making the fact that they do look defensive as they push back
very, very strongly to these stories and have since the time of the campaign and now the time in their new administration. You hear White
House Press Secretary Sean Spicer every day pushing back, stronger than the day
previous, on these reports. And that certainly adds to this notion that they are just saying point blank, there is no there there. What if there
is? And Democrats bringing up the point, if there is no there there, why not let us go forward with the investigation and then come to the same
conclusions. But they want to reach those conclusions for themselves.
JONES: All right, Sunlen Serfaty live for us there in Washington also, Matthew Chance in
the Russian capital, Moscow. Thank you both very much indeed.
Do stay with us here on Connect the World. The latest World News Headlines are just ahead. Plus, what goes up must, indeed, come down. But until
then, the traders on Wall Street are enjoying the Dow's wild ride into record territory. Stay tuned for much more on this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
[10:31:09] JONES: Now, it could be looking at number 13 on Wall Street today. For the last 12 day, the Dow Jones industrial average has seen
record closes. That's only happened twice in the last 120 years. And while it has never closed at a record 13 days, though, you can see now that
the Dow is trading just below a .1 percent, currently, down, 20,800 points approximately.
Well, if this comes partly in anticipation of U.S. Donald Trump's address to congress that we've been telling you about. S&P 500 and NASDAQ are also
flirting with record levels.
Well, for more on this, let's bring in CNN Money's Maggie Lake joining us now from the New York Stock Exchange. Maggie, how is it all looking? Down
at the moment, but another rallyexpected?
MAGGIE LAKE, CNN MONEY: Yeah, down but not out, Hannah. You really can't put too much stock in these numbers. Because we have seen day after day,
even when we are drifting slightly down at this time, the bulls come back at the end and just tip it into positive territory.
It hasn't been runaway rallies every day, but the fact they have been able to string together that
consecutive streaks does put us in pretty lofty territory. And a lot of it, as one trader told me today, is all based on hopium, on the hope that
Donald Trump really is going to deliver on a lot of policies they've talked about, he also they have talked about.
He said said interestingly, that there's a lot of money has been sitting on the sideline that hasn't been able to get in, hasn't enjoyed this 18
percent rally from election day when President Trump won. So, that is lending some support underneath. So, the feeling is, are we going to get
the streak? I don't know the answer to that. But there is an awful lot of support underneath this market that bodes well for the days to come,
Hannah.
JONES: Maggie, he's been - Donald Trump is being credited with much of this rally so far. But with this speech that he's about to give in the coming
hours, what are the buzz words or the announcements that the markets, in particular, will be keeping a very keen ear out for?
LAKE: Tax reform. This is really all about tax reform. That is one of the number one items on the agenda that's been fueling a lot of the
optimism down here. I don't think anyone thinks in a speech that we are going to get a guarantee that that's going to go through. But they want to
hear that this is still a priority, that they are going to see tax reform, maybe infrastructure spending, less regulation. And I think just a focus
on business, on doing what they can for the business community, sort of unlock potential in growth and help boost the economy.
If the president stays on message with that and continues to push to try to get it done sometime in the summer I think that is going to be enough for
all the a lot of the people who are believing that that can help get things rolling here.
We had GDP today, 1.9 percent. It's sub-par growth. There's some good things are happening in the economy, but a lot would like to see that
increase. So, if the president stays on message, I think it is going to be received as a success down here.
But there are areas to worry about. And investors are closely watching those, too, they don't like the trade talk, some of the foreign policies
issues are a concern, can they get a budget through. Those are big question marks as well. So, there is some risk, Hannah.
JONES: All right, Maggie Lake, staying across all of the action there on the New York Stock Exchange for us. Maggie, thanks very much indeed.
LAKE: Sure thing.
JONES: Now, North Korea has executed five security officials by anti- aircraft guns. That's according to South Korean lawmakers.
The officials are accused of accused of making false reports to the country's leaders, Kim Jong-un. Their boss, the head of state security,
was recently fired and he is now thought to be under house arrest.
Well, let's turn now to the investigation into the killing of Mr. Kim's brother, half-brother, Kim Jong-nam. Malaysia plans to charge two suspects
with murder later this week. The Malaysia attorney general says a third suspect is also under investigation.
Well, for more on all of this, let's bring in CNN's Matt Rivers who joins me now live from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. Matt, all of reports at the
moment out of North Korea really exposing a brutal, a paranoid maniacal regime, but what's the latest on these who are these people and why
have they been killed.
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in terms of those executions, we don't think that they have anything to do with the Kim Jong-nam alleged
assassination. We do think that that is a separate instance, at least that's what we're hearing from South Korean's intelligence.
But it does go to your point there that this purge, his willingness to kill members of anyone, really, who he sees - Kim Jong-un sees as a threat to
him is really a live and well. And that is what South Korean officials say happened here, that Kim Jong-nam's death was ordered by Kim Jong-un
himself. And in terms of the investigation into that death, as you mentioned, we are expecting that the two female suspects who are alleged to
have smeared that deadly toxin on Kim Jong-nam's face, they will be charged with murder here, local time tomorrow. And throughout the day today,
though, we got some insight into what one of those female suspects was doing in the hours leading up to this attack and what you see might
surprise you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SINGING)
MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The night before she allegedly assassinated Kim Jong-nam, her friends sang Siti Aishah happy
birthday at a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur seen in this video obtained by CNN.
The next morning, Malaysian police say she and a Vietnamese woman, Doan Thi Huong approached Kim Jong-nam in terminal two of Kuala Lumpur airport and
smeared his face with VX nerve agent, one of the deadliest chemicals on Earth.
Videos from the night before, a stark contract to what unfolded at the airport the next morning. They show a happy young mother of one, someone
friends say was kind and easily manipulated.
"She was naive," said this woman who got to know Aishah over the last two years. Whatever people said, she would believe.
CNN agreed not to show her face to protect her privacy.
Authorities from her Aishah and Huong's home countries, Indonesia and Vietnam, say both women claim they thought they were just part of a prank.
If that was true, they would be victims, too. A pair of young women taken advantage of by others.
But Malaysian police aren't buying it calling the two women trained killers, instead. On Wednesday, authorities say both women will be charged
with the murder of Kim Jong-nam, a death health officials in Malaysia said was swift and painful.
Just over two weeks ago, Siti Aishah blew out candles for her 25th birthday. Now, she faces a murder charge, a trial and, if convicted,
execution by hanging.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIVERS: And we did speak to a criminal defense lawyer here in Kuala Lumpur today. He expects that this trial will take place rather quickly between
one to two months because of the international media attention that this case has gotten. And one more thing, Hannah, we did see an envoy from
North Korea, a former ambassador from North Korea to the United Nations come here to Malaysia to try and secure Kim Jong-nam's body, which remains
in a morgue here in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysians say the North Koreans have not done what they need to be doing on their end for the Malaysians to
securely release this body so that the intrigue surrounding all this just continues.
JONES: And ever twisting, turning tale. Matt Rivers covering the story for us live from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. Matt, thank you very much
indeed.
Now, police are trying to clear Jewish settlers on the West Bank and they are facing some stiff
resistant. Protesters gathered at the nine homes in Offra (ph) to try and stop the eviction. A court ordered the homes cleared, because they were
illegally built on private Palestinian land.
Residents say it is their home regardless of what the courts might say.
Here is our Oren Liebermann with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police are down to evacuating their last few homes here in the West Bank settlement of Ofra.
You can see here behind me what they'll have to deal with. Protesters not only surrounding the homes, but also dozens of young protesters have gotten
on to the roof of that final house, as a way of resisting police, many more inside.
We've heard them singing and chanting both religious and Zionnist songs as a way of protesting and urging police not to carry out their evacuation
orders. But police have done just that throughout the day, moving steadily, slowly from one house to the other, as they evacuate these homes that the
high court ruled was built on private Palestinian land.
The religious settlers here tried to file one last petition with the high court, urging them not to tear down the homes, but only to see them. That
was rejected and these homes, after they are evacuated, will be torn down.
It has been fairly peaceful and calm, as police have moved from one house to the other. Many of these protesters leaving fairly quietly. However,
police have had to pull some out by force, holding them by their arms and their legs.
Police have said two protesters were arrested for attacking police. Again, now, police down to their final few homes here. This is a very different
story from the evacuation of the illegal outpost that was actually only one hilltop away from us.
That was very tense and police were resisted forcefully at every step with thousands of protesters against hundreds of police. This has gone much more
smoothly, much more quietly. There have been moments of tension, moments of difficulty, but the evacuation of these nine homes has pressed forward.
Oren Liebermann, CNN, Ofra in the West Bank.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[10:40:31] JONES: Live from London, you are watching Connect the World. Coming up on the program The Deadliest Root. We look at what child
migrants in Libya are going through to desperately try and reach Europe.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JONES: OK, your watching CNN. And this is Connect the World. I'm Hannah Vaughn Jones live in London. Welcome back.
Millions of people have arrived in Europe in recent years. Refugees from war and poverty. A new UNICEF report on the treacherous route taken
through Libya exposes many of the risks that these people take. It says women and children are routinely raped, abused and starved during their
journey by smugglers or in detention camps.
The agency, UNICEF, is calling for urgent action to keep the most vulnerable migrants safe.
Well, Justin Forsythe is UNICEF's deputy director. I'm delighted to say he joins me live from New York. Justin, we have heard so many stories over
the years of the migrant crisis and the perilous journeys that many of these people have to take. I'm wondering now is this now unprecedented,
though, is this on a scale that we simply haven't seen before?
JUSTIN FORSYTHE, UNICEF: Yes. We have heard terrible stories over many years but we have all been shocked about what we are hearing about what's
going on within Libya. I met one young woman, who is 16, a girl, who had traveled through Niger from Nigeria into Libya. And she was being
trafficked by a gang into prostitution in Italy. She was held for eight months in an underground detention center in Libya and raped almost every
day. She was eventually sold into slavery, into prostitution in Italy. She was rescued by the authorities and UNICEF was helping look after her in
a children's center. That's just one stories.
And dozens and dozens of girls that I met just on that one trip had been through similar circumstances. And we know that some of those children
never arrived. I mean, 700 children in the last year have drowned in the Mediterranean. But even if they do arrive, they have these terrible abuse
on the way.
JONES: The perpetrators of this harassment, this terrible abuse as you've just portrayed, who are they?
FORSYTHE: They're gangs. They're criminal gangs. They're traffickers, smugglers. They are not just in North Africa, in Libya and Niger and
Sudan, they're also in Europe. I mean seven Nigerian girls who were younger than that one girl I met, they arrived off the boat in Kitanya (ph)
port and they all had telephone numbers for people to ring who were part of the local criminal gangs who were going to take them to railway stations
and pimp them as prostitutes. These are children that were going to be used as prostitutes.
So, there's a connection between the gangs in Africa and the criminal gangs in Europe. This is a big trafficking,it's huge amounts of money and
business. I mean, another child I met who had come from Eritrea been sold into slavery in the Sinai desert when he was crossed from Eritrea into
Sudan and kidnapped by a gang. And he finally got out. And then he was kept as a slave later in Libya in cell of 140 children made to work every
day.
This is modern day slavery.
JONES: I was reading in your report, this idea of a pay as you go agreement struck up often between the traffickers and the migrants. Just
explain what our viewers what exactly that is and why it's proving so costly in terms of human life?
FORSYTHE: Well, one of the models that it uses is pay as you go where you pay some money when you first start, but usually, you might get away with
almost no money at the beginning. But as you go along the journey, they keep you in detention centers and then they try and exhort money get money
from your family or parents.
I mean, this one other Eritrean child I met told me about how they used to beat him and ring up his parents and his wider family with him screaming in
the background as they were beating him with iron bars to exhort money.
They transfer it, you know, on telephones and using transfer systems using modern technology. And so it's difficult to trace.
But then if they do pay up, then they're often then go a little bit further on the journey. And then they're exhorted for even more money until they
finally get into Italy or the rest of Europe. And some of those children are then having to pay back even more money by being prostitutes.
JONES: UNICEF have put forward this six point plan to try to end this crisis in terms of migrant children. The second point of that plan is to
end the detention of children seeking refugee status or migrating by introducing a range of practical alternatives. What might those practical
alternatives be?
FORSYTHE: Well, in somewhere like Libya, we need to get the children out of the detention centers and into the community. There are local community
groups, actually, non-government organizations in Libya, that are able to look over them. We can set up foster homes.
But they are also detaining children in Europe and in the United States and in other places. And we know that children kept in detention centers are
often abused in any institution. So we have got to get them into foster care.
Now, there are ways of keeping track of children if people are worried about children and their families illegally coming to America or Europe.
But we need to make sure that they are not being locked up, because we know they're very vulnerable to abuse. And many of these children have been
through such who horrors, we have got to help them overcome that trauma.
JONES: Justin Forsythe of UNICEF, we very much appreciate talking to you today and your mission to try to take better care of these very vulnerable
young children. Thank you very much, indeed.
FORSYTHE: Thank you.
JONES: And if this story has moved you, or indeed inspired you, to make a difference, then do go to our impact your world page. There you can find
way to help affected by the refugee crisis. That's all at CNN.com/impact.
Now, it was a heartbreaking homecoming as the body of an Indian man arrived back in Hyderabad. Now, the 32-year-old engineer was shot to death at a
bar in the U.S. state of Kansas. The FBI is treating the case as a potential hate crime.
CNN's Ravi Agrawal has more now from New Delhi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: In Olathe, Kansas, an emotional display of unity. It's a call that's mirrored half a world away, in
Kolkata, India, as Indians come to terms with the news from America that a gunman opened fire on two of their own.
Shrinivas Kuchibhotla was a 32-year-old engineer. He was killed. His colleague, Aloch Marasani (ph) survived.
Witnesses told local media the shooter, an American named Adam Purinton, yelled out, "Get out of my country," before he opened fire at Austin's (ph)
Bar and Grill in Olathe. Those words are now reverberating across India even as authorities try to verify the statement and determine whether this
was a hate crime.
There are currently 166,000 Indian students studying in the United States. There are many more on work visas. At Delhi's famous Indian Institute of
Technology or IIT, many would-be engineers aspire to move to America. Now added to their concerns about a clampdown on immigration are new worries
about safety.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are opportunities over there, the (inaudible) facilities. But we would not like to sacrifice our own well-being for that.
[10:50:13] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are all attracted to the U.S. and the research, they have got the things that we are looking to our own progress.
So I would still like to go there, no matter how much incidents like this happen.
AGRAWAL (voice-over): The worries were mirrored on national TV news in India and also on social media. Foreign Minister Suchma Suraz (ph) tweeted,
saying, I am shocked at the shooting incident in Kansas, to which a popular Indian activist responded, "Don't be shocked, be angry. Trump is spreading
hate. This is a hate crime."
Meantime, Kuchibhotla's body arrived in his hometown of Hyderabad late Monday night. It was a community in mourning as they questioned whether
it's still safe to send their sons and daughters to America.
Ravi Agrawal, CNN, New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: Live from London, you're watching Connect the World here on CNN. Coming up, a new space mission offers people like you and me a chance to
fly to the moon and back. That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JONES: You are watching CNN. This is Connect the World. I'm Hannah Vaughn Jones live in London and welcome back.
The accounting firm that overseas the Oscar's voting and envelops is apologizing again and says it takes full responsibility for that quite
stunning best picture mix up.
La La Land was of course first announced as the winner on Sunday's live show, not Moonlight. Pricewaterhousecooper says an employee accidentally
gave the wrong envelop to the presenters.
Well, the first says both accountants in charge of handing out the envelopes should have corrected that mistake much sooner.
The Oscar's host, Jimmy Kimmel, talked about what happened on his Late Night Show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY KIMMEL, COMEDIAN: La La Land was simultaneously somehow the biggest winner and loser last night. Boy, the producers were very gracious, which
they do not have to be, on stage and off. They were very nice. They handled it well. It was a very amicable custody arrangement. They didn't
ask for visitation or anything.
(END VIDEO CLP)
JONES: Well, CNN's Jeanne Moos has more on the mixup that's going down in history.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When Warren Beatty...
WARREN BEATTY, ACTOR: And the Academy Award...
MOOS: ...paused for five seconds, it was a give away that the Oscar --
BEATTY: ...for Best Picture...
MOOS: ...would go to the wrong picture.
FAYE DUNAWAY, ACTRESS: "La La Land."
MOOS: Soon the staffer wearing a headset crashed the stage checking the envelope.
There was head shaking and mouths gaping.
Meryl Streep didn't even have to act to look like this. Cue the tweets. For instance, "We rob Oscars" with a still from Bonnie and Clyde.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a mistake. "Moonlight," you guys won Best Picture.
MOOS: Which got Billy Crystal tweeting, "Amazing ending, wish that had happened on Election Day."
Someone else asked, "Is there an envelope somewhere that reads Hillary Clinton?"
And when "La La Land's" producer held up the correct winner --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Moonlight", Best Picture.
MOOS: ...the name swapping began, featuring everything from Hillary's popular vote tally to the fast food chain, What a Burger, promoting itself.
One of President Trump's executive orders was rechristened "La La Moon."
There were jokes how Warren Beatty just handed the grenade to Faye Dunaway.
He knew something was amiss, even looked inside the envelope for another card before letting Faye proclaim...
DUNAWAY: "La La Land."
MOOS: Some invoked Steve Harvey...
[10:55:28] STEVE HARVEY, COMEDIAN: Please don't hold it against the ladies.
MOOS: ...since he mistakenly named Miss Colombia as Miss Universe and then they had to snatch the crown off her head.
HARVEY: I can get Warren through this. Call me, Warren Beatty.
MOOS: The accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers apologized for the Oscar fiasco saying the presenters mistakenly had been given the wrong category
envelope.
Right before the fateful mistake was consummated, the presenter's eyes met.
DONAWAY: You're impossible.
MOOS: Eerily similar to the last moments of Bonnie and Clyde.
(GUNFIRE)
MOOS: No point in shooting the messenger.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: Now, if you've ever wanted to fly into space, the newest frontier is now within your
reach. For quite a price, though. SpaceX found Elon Musk just announced the trip of a lifetime: two people now have the opportunity to loop around
the moon. And they've already paid a significant deposit to set up their journey into space.
The exciting news had Musk posting his appreciation. He tweeted out, quote, "fly me to
the moon."
OK.
Parting Shots for today. Two guys were playing tennis at a park in San Francisco when all
of the sudden, Serena Williams walked up and decided she would surprise them and ask to play the winner.
Well, the moment was captured on SnapChat. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERENA WILLIAMS, TENNIS STAR: Just having a stroll at night and I'm thinking about asking these guy if I can hit with them just to see their
reaction.
So, I think they are in the middle of playing out points. I am going to ask them if I can have the winner
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my goodness.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy crap.
WILLIAMS: So, who won?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I won two out of three.
UNIDENITIFIED MALE: Wow, oh, my gosh.
UNIDNETIFIED MALE: Is she serious?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: Well, as you can tell by this video, they were pretty shocked. Williams didn't have her tennis shoes with her so like any old pro, she
played in her boots. She is, of course, ranked as the top female tennis player in the world and says the moral of the story is, you never know when
she will show up at a tennis court near you.
You wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a Serena serve unwittingly.
I'm Hannah Vaughn Jones. That was account Connect the World. Thanks very much for watching.
END
