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U.S. Government Shutdown; Pence In Israel; Conflict In Syria. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired January 22, 2018 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[10:00:15] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let us step back from the brink, let us stop victimizing the American people and get back to work. We have several
conversations, talks will continue, but we have yet to reach an agreement on the path forward that will be acceptable for both sides.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LYNDA KINKADE, CONNECT THE WORLD, CNN: Bridging the partisan divide, can congress find a compromise? This hour U.S. lawmakers get back to work to
reopen the government. Next we are live at the White House for the resident is also weighing in. And a protesting Pence, the American Vice
president is in Israel, ahead we will have more from Jerusalem and a live report.
And a ground and air offensive in the northern Syria. What Turkey's military moves means to the region and its allies. That and much more
coming up on this hour of Connect the World.
Hello and welcome to "Connect the World," I am Lynda Kinkade in Atlanta feeling in for Becky Anderson. From NASA to National Parks to the internal
revenue service, hundreds of thousands of workers off the job today, day three of the U.S. government shutdown. At this our congress is a friendly
of activity Republican, Democrats meeting separately to talk strategy and a bipartisan group of senators trying to come up with a deal to reopen the
federal government. Suzanne Malveaux has more on how lawmakers is trying to get out of this chaos.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let us step back from the brink, let us stop victimizing the American people and get back to work on their behalf.
SUZZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The government shutdown entering date three after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer rejected a proposal
that would fund the government for three weeks in exchange for a commitment from the GOP leadership to take up a separate future vote on immigration
and the dreamers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had several conversations talks will continue, but we have yet to reach an agreement on a path forward that would be
acceptable for both sides.
MALVEAUX: A top Democratic aide tells CNN that Schumer did not think the majority leader gave firm enough commitment to bring the immigration
proposal to a vote pointing to McConnell's vague language.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It would be my intention to resolve issues as quickly as possible. It would be my intention to pursue the legislation that would
address DACA, border security and related issues.
MALVEAUX: Majority with John Cornyn says that he's optimistic the Senate will vote today to break the impasse adding that Schumer sought to push
back the vote to get his caucus a chance to chew on the GOP proposal, but a top Democratic leadership aide disputes this claim telling CNN they expect
Monday's vote will fall short of the 60 votes needed to reopen the government.
SEN JEFF FLAKE, (R) ARIZONA: There's enough blame to go around and I hope that we can go move away from that and just find a way to open the
government backup.
MALVEAUX: Republican Senators Blake and Graham both voted against a continuing resolution Friday announced Sunday they will not vote in favor
of the three week proposal meaning that Republicans need seven more senators to get on board, one senior GOP aide says Republican leaders think
they have a shot at picking off enough Democrats to move forward. Five red state Democrats voted against shutting down the government Friday joined
with a bipartisan group of moderate lawmakers who worked furiously over the weekend negotiating the compromise deal.
SEN SUSAN COLLINS, (D) MAINE: We recognize that ultimately it is the decision of Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer and how to proceed were not
trying to free him that we are trying to be helpful and showing them that there is a path forward.
MALVEAUX: Senator Graham pointing fingers at the White House over the impasse.
SEN LINDSEY GRAHAM, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: The White House staff is been pretty unreliable as long as Stephen Miller is in charge of negotiating
immigration were going nowhere, he's been an outlier for years.
(END VIDEO)
KINKADE: President Trump has been thwarting Democrats blaming them for the shutdown, so what part is he playing in the negotiations, will have we just
learned that Mr. Trump is putting plans to attend the Dallas economics summit on hold, as the shutdown continues. The White House reported Dan
Merica joins us now with more on all of this. And Dan before we get to the president I want to go to the Senate reconvening this hour, we expect in
about two hours time another vote that would take place on a temporary spending bill. Just explain for us, what's on the table at this point in
time?
[10:05:10] DAN MERICA, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: What we were told as to the White House is driving pretty hard bargain on immigration. The
meetings that have been had over the last few days have focused primarily on what the White House going to except on immigration reform. As Chuck
Schumer and other Democrats have said they have proposed funding aspects of President Trump border wall in exchange for protecting DACA and reopening
the government. Right now it appears that the White House isn't prepared to take that deal they want something more, they want to deal with these
lotteries as they want to do with immigration as they have laid out. There are not satisfied with just dealing with the wall.
President Trump has not been that active in the last three days, we actually haven't seen him since the government shutdown had no events of
the week and has no event scheduled for today, now director of Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney told reporters earlier today the
President Trump is making calls, is here at the White House, his meeting with Mulvaney about the shutdown and will meet with other cabinet
secretaries, but primarily President Trump has been weighing in on his favorite messaging app, twitter and lobbing of these rhetorical bombs that
Democrats as Republican on Capitol Hill worked with them over, I want to read you what President Trump has said just this morning.
The Democrats are turning down services and security for citizens in favor of services and security for noncitizens, not good. So that comes at the
same time that Republican on Capitol Hill are trying to woo moderate Democrats over to their side it remains to be seen whether the president's
tweets are going to help or hurt that, but it's hard to believe that the president slamming Democrats would make them more willing to come over to
his side. Lynda.
KINKADE: We are at live footage right now of Senator Mitch McConnell speaking, there is a lot to discuss in the next couple of hours before that
vote takes place. We hear from the president when we have had been speaking about immigration you may sound sympathetic to the dreamers and
yet it is around him tend to rein him in. Must be something very frustrating on all sides, his position is much found.
MERICA: The Democrats is that it's like negotiating with Jell-O, I'm not sure it's fair to say that the president is an aides are pulling him in.
The president has made all over the place on the wall on immigration for a few years now you propose the wall early in his campaign obviously Mexico
is going to pay for it, but since then the wall has not been a wall to entire borders, it can be different places not the second or wall with the
mountains and rivers and everything, he starts back from it is also clearly step back from Mexico directly paying for the wall. So it's the president
that the Democrats say that have made this difficult, because he is not necessarily committed to aspects of immigration reform that he wants that
he once rolled out to visit difficult to negotiate with them. What's interesting here at the White House is that we are hearing they're asking
for everything, they want everything in this deal, they want chain migration, they want the visa lottery system and they want the wall. That
is going to make it very hard for Democrats to agree to a deal on DACA and to open up the government and to fund this children healthcare program,
because they're not prepared to give all of that for this one deal, at least not now they're not prepared for that.
KINKADE: Yes, all right, still a long way to go, Dan Merica good to have you with us. Thank you.
MERICA: Thank you.
KINKADE: While Washington is focused on the shutdown the U.S. Vice President is visiting the Middle East, Mike Pence got a warm welcome in
Israel while it was mostly warm, just hours ago when he addressed (inaudible) some the Israeli politician shouted protest and waive banners
and Pence stop his speech and work quickly and escorted out.
Let us bring Oren Liebermann and of course all that drama there unfolded. This is the first time a U.S. Vice President has ever spoken in the Israeli
parliament, but not without drama as we saw there, some Arabis, Israeli push down and he spoke about a lasting peace in the region, but it is hard
to imagine how that can happen given the U.S. decision on Jerusalem and its plan to move the embassy.
OREN LEIBERMANN, CNN CORESPONDENT: It is a point Vice President Pence made here in Jerusalem, his speech before Israel's (inaudible) as well as an
appointment when with Egyptian president of the Jordanian king. The U.S. still committed to a peace process and is still willing to commit to a two
state solution, he said if both sides agree to it. It is something that administration is still focused on his it seems more distant perhaps now
than ever and it began with Trump's recognition of Jerusalem is the capital of Israel which pretty much send any hopes of a peace process under the
White House right off the rails there, even if Pence was here sticking to it, but that wasn't the emphasis of the speech, yes he did address and more
importantly started by talking about the growing ties and the strongest they've ever been ties between the U.S. and Israel between Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu President Trump and then he talked about the embassy, one of the biggest issue said it will move sometime next year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[10:10:20] MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENTIAL OF THE UNITED STATES: In weeks our administration will advance and open the United States embassy in
Jerusalem. And that United States embassy will open before the end of next year.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEIBERMANN: he also talks about the Iran deal and the Israeli government and the U.S. government are very much on the same page with this sort of
fixed it or nixed it mentality. Worth pointing out that the protesters you saw there as Pence started speaking is not the only protest here of Pence.
Palestinian leaders refuse to meet anyone from the American delegation. In fact Palestinian authority President Abas isn't even on the region right
now. He went to Brussels to meet E.U. foreign ministers where he gave a speech saying he will stand by the agreement between Israelis and
Palestinians and he called on European leaders to recognize a state of Palestine trying crafts new or alternative option of the peace process
instead of going to the Americans, because of how much distrust there is between the Palestinians and the Trump administration, as well as between
the wider Arab world and Trump, so the question was about the peace process, Lynda that looks as difficult as ever now for Pence and Trump.
KINKADE: It certainly does, Oren Liebermann for us in Jerusalem staying across the speech and the Vice president visit, thank you very much. Mike
Pence of course is a devote Christian he often get on trip to the birth place of Jesus. Christian leaders say they didn't want to meet with him
and then they are not going to meet with him. CNN Ian Lee explains why.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Incense wasp in to the air, ancient prayers reverberates off Stonewall in Armenian priest performs the sacred rituals.
Sunday service at Bethlehem's Church of nativity, in the grotto on the spot Christians believe Jesus was born. Above Greek Orthodox worshipers receive
the holy sacrament and in the room over a Catholic congregation sings hymns of peace. Despite centuries of war, famine and disease the local
Christians remained, but now church leaders fear a complete Exodus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our biggest challenge is to keep them here, you need to bend the government, the country and all the identities of the people and
this is all we pray for that, to have peace in this country.
LEE: The denominations share the birth place of Jesus just right through the door and while they don't agree on theology they all agreed that U.S.
foreign policy is hurting the local Christian community. When President Trump declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel, 13 of the city's church
leaders from 13 denominations denounce it, before the declaration, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence announced the Middle East trip to help embattled
Christians, now not one of the local church leaders wants to meet him. The major threat to Christians in the Middle East comes from the White House
that according to former Latin patriarch of Jerusalem Michelle Sabah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he wants Christians in the Middle East, he has to start changing the American policy in the Middle East, to start a new
vision of politics and bill on life, in human life in all countries.
LEE: What is seen here as the U.S. is preferential treatment toward Israel and the occupation of Palestinian lands is driving Christians away say
clergy people's lives opportunities and movements restricted by Israel, in a Christmas message Prime Minister Netanyahu defended Israel's saying it's
the only country in the region where Christians have equal opportunity.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I am proud that Israel is the country in which Christians not only survived but they thrived, because we
believe in this friendship among people and we protect the rights of everyone to worship and the holy shrines behind it.
LEE: But local Christians see the opposite and look abroad for a better life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: the most thing that we know that most of our (inaudible) political situation.
LEE: If the American vice president truly wants to help the Christians of the holy land, Sabah offers this advice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You love (inaudible) you love the Palestinians if you are Christians, love every one.
[10:15:06] LEE: Otherwise a church without congregation becomes just another shrine. Ian Lee CNN in Bethlehem the West Bank.
(END VIDEO)
KINKADE: Meanwhile two of Washington allies are fighting on the Syrian border and talking about Turkey's latest operation against the Kurdish
group known as the YPG and Turkey's president says there is no taking a step back after launching their grounds and air offense is in northern
Syria. They keep saying Erdogan his countries forces are fighting what he called a terrorist organization. Let us bring in CNN Sam Kiley he joins us
now live from Istanbul, good to have you on board Sam. This two U.S. allies, Turkey and this Kurdish fighter attacking each other, just talk to
us about the ongoing battle on the ground.
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The dramatic development today has been the opening of the front from a size that is to
the east and south of this Kurdish dominated enclave inside Syria on the bawdy border with Turkey. Turkish forces that came in on the ground over
yesterday after an air campaign on the reports very difficult to verify if casualties are certainly in Afrin itself but nonetheless I think that
really what this is, is a moment when as you say the Turkish on which is the second largest ministry force within NATO, risks coming to not direct
blows, but diplomatic blows with the United States which is been a staunch supporter of the YPG now that is an organization that controls both Afrin
and the area known as (inaudible) further to the east along the Syrian border all the way down to Raqqa which is of course so called Islamic
states capital which helps capture of the United States and others in support, now the YPG is just the YPG it is also the Syrians Democrats
forces, that is force the Americans have been backing that as the Turks move further east they have promise to do is where they could come into
right very direct a contact in worst case scenario, there are American troops on the ground still working with the SYDF, Syrian Democratic Forces,
dominated by the Kurds that do have Arab within their ranks to establish a border force, which by the way the Turks say would be a complete
(inaudible) and they had promise to wipe it out.
KINKADE: And we know Sam that Turkey give the U.S. a warning prior to launching this offensive just to minimize any risk to U.S. forces apart
from urging restrain is it there anything that the U.S. is likely to intervene?
KILEY: I think that the American are, they understand why is that the Turks has gone in to Afrin it is an area where Kurdish workers party, which
is a group recognizing international as the terrorist group that has been operating inside Turkish territory for decades has often used as a rare
based. So they can understand and certainly at a meeting with Rex Tillerson and Boris Johnson Foreign Minister of the United Kingdom today
they are in lockstep saying that they understand the territorial defensive concerns of Turkey. They are calling for a degree of restraint and there
are concerns a course that he could come get much worse as the Turks moves east, but for now there is a great deal of the United States can do in
being warned about this attack that is the same is a standard procedure in this very complicated battle spaces so many different countries involves
simultaneously that were clearly one can see from what happened on the ground Russian and regime forces also stayed out and allow the Turks to
conduct their operations inside a Syrian airspace although they also condemned the same time. So is a bit of connivance going on there because
I think that there is a perception of been set in the Assad regime but had enough of this Turkish -- Kurdish and on the Turkish border as well.
KINKADE: Certainly a lot of (inaudible). Sam Kiley good to have you on board at CNN. Thank you so much.
Still to come who gets to blame for the U.S. government shutdown and will the voters even care when they go to the polls in November, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:22:37] KINKADE: Hello and you are watching CNN and this Connect the World with me, I am Lynda Kinkade, welcome back or I want to return now to
our top story that vote in the U.S. Senate to reopen the U.S. government. Senators are expected to vote on a temporary measure that would end this
shutdown. There is no indication that there are enough votes to pass it. Joining in now for more on the risk and reward Doug Heye a CNN political
commentator and former communications director for the Republican national committee. Always good to have you with us, thanks for being here.
DOUG HEYE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thank you.
KINKADE: Right now Senators are discussing this about the vote to take place at midday for a temporary spending bill, now initially when they
discussed this, they were both Democrats and Republicans that were not on board. How much closer are they do you think right now to making this
decision?
HEYE: Well they are definitely closer more Republicans would vote for this bill it appears that there may actually be on every Republican voting for
this bill but certainly more so they will be closer and still short of where they need to be. They need Democrat votes to pass this that
ultimately is the problem with everything in Washington right now is if you can't get there on your own get enough majority vote on your own is
Republican you need Democrat support.
Democrats aren't sporting is thus far they want to hear more from Mitch McConnell, but the question is that the firm for McConnell in the
leadership as to whether or not there any deliverables of the Democrats can bring and that is the challenge that they find themselves in right now. I
worked in the last shutdown, I work in the House of Representatives and House leadership and what we saw was Republicans are basically being held
hostage by their own party for faction of the party what want something that the majority couldn't deliver.
It's the same thing now in reverse with the Democrats there being held hostage by part of their party and hoping that Chuck Schumer can deliver
something that right now he's not going to be able to deliver. There are no winners here so far.
KINKADE: No winners so far, certainly a lot of blame going around fingers being pointed in all directions. Let us just take a listen to what Sen.
Lindsey Graham had to say to all of this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: I hope the White House will come on board that the senate needs to leave because there is no one else is. In terms of the White House the
White House staff I think is making it very difficult. I've talked with the president his heart is right on this issue I think he's got a good
understanding of what will sell and every time we have a proposal is only yanked back by staff members as long as Stephen Miller's in charge of
negotiating immigration were going nowhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:25:12] KINKADE: It is an Olympic ran seemingly blaming the White House there and when you listen to Democrats, they say that the president stands
on immigration policy near impossible to have this debate and come to some sort of agreement.
HEYE: Yes, absolutely what was in the past couple days is that Donald Trump largely stayed on the sidelines except for his twitter feed. That is
something that is actually pretty new for Donald Trump to be relatively quiet on an important matter like that. That should give Republicans and
Democrats hope that they can cut the deal, but ultimately we can solve this crisis by actually moving to what is called regular order having an
appropriations process a budget process these things the Congress just hasn't done for the past several years had put us in this place and this is
a Republican Congress, Democratic Congress put us in a position to where every other month every fourth month we are talking about whether or not
there's going to be shut down, that sends uncertainty not just to American markets and the global markets is one of the things that Washington needs
the fix for itself so that the global economy can continue to grow.
KINKADE: And speaking of the global economy this is where the stage the U.S. stock market is soaring, unemployment is low, but if this shutdown is
to drag on, it could cut off the U.S. economy, some $6.5 million a week, that is according to S&P analyst. Just give us a sense of what is the most
effective here, because while we are hearing all the politics, there are people that will be paid as we get this drags on.
HEYE: Sure. There are people throughout the country who are not getting their paychecks, people who work for the government, not just in Washington
D.C., but throughout the country. People who depend on certain government benefits like Social Security may not get their checks on the lot of the
national parks are closed. Things that were families are on vacation want to go to Yellowstone or things like that may not be able to do so. It is
not just about the economy is about a functioning government which right now is only functioning saved by half and even in the capital where some
employees are deemed essential, some aren't so a congressional office may only have a quarter of their staff there which also means it's not fully
responding to his constituents throughout certain issues or just want to know what's going on that's a big part of the problem.
KINKADE: I got high, good to have your perspective especially given your part of that last shutdown. Thank you so much.
HEYE: Thank you.
KINKADE: Live from CNN, this is "Connect the World." Coming up Turkey, launching an offensive in northern Syria and on a U.S. ally. The regional
and global implications, next.
1030
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[08:30:00] KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN NEWS STREAM SHOW HOST: Explosion. It happened in the mostly Muslim province of Yala, which has been struggling
with a long-running insurgency. A Thai army spokesman tells CNN the attack was clearly (INAUDIBLE).
You're watching "News Stream." Coming up, North Korea's inspection team is in Seoul to get things ready for their art troupe and athletes. The latest
on the Olympic Press.
And hundreds crowded into Tokyo's underground tunnels as the city tries to make sure it is ready for a possible missile attack.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream." These are your wold headlines.
Republicans and Democrats in Washington are blaming each other for U.S. government shutdown, now entering its third day. Senate Republican Leader
Mitch McConnell has set a vote in just a few hours that could reopen the government at least temporarily. But, there is no indication there will be
enough democratic support for it to pass.
The U.S. vice president is (INAUDIBLE) where he just spoke. Right after he started, a small group of Arab-Israeli lawmakers build posters and started
shouting in protest. (INAUDIBLE) the U.S. embassy which removed from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem will open before the end of the year.
Former international footballer George Weah has been sworn in as Liberia's new president. You can see his supporters. He takes over from Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf. This is Liberia's first peaceful transfer of power in more than 70 years.
A North Korean delegation is in South Korea to inspect sites for performances performances during the Winter Games in February, but their
arrival has sparked controversy. CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson has more from Seoul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A North Korean delegation is here visiting the South Korean capital. As you can see, there
is a huge police presence. This all ahead of the upcoming Winter Olympics.
The delegation includes a North Korean musician named Hyon Song Wol. She is the closest thing Pyongyang has to a pop star. She leads an all-female
musical group, and she has been the focus of intense media attention here. Some media outlets have even been reporting on what she eats for breakfast
and how she likes her coffee.
The visit of the North Korean delegation isn't popular with everybody here in Seoul. The small group of anti-North Korean protesters here, they try to
burn a North Korean flag
[08:35:00] and the police won't let them do it. Also, tens of thousands of South Koreans have signed a petition opposing the move to include the North
and South Korean women's ice hockey teams.
The North Korean delegation has been scouting venues like the stadium, looking for places where they could perform during the upcoming Winter
Olympics. Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee has agreed to allow North Korea to expand its team of athletes who will be participating
to at least 22 athletes.
They will be accompanied by hundreds of musical performers, a Taekwondo demonstration team, cheerleaders and of course North Korean government
officials. The South Korean government has invested heavily in this sports diplomacy. They have taken to calling the upcoming Winter Games the Peace
Olympics.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Many are hoping North Korea's participation in the Olympics will have diffuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula, but in Japan, they are
preparing for the worst. Tokyo held a missile drill on Monday, preparing citizens for the possibility of a North Korean missile strike. Will Ripley
reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right now, we are inside Tokyo Dome and just minutes from now, they are going to begin really a
rehearsal for what is Japan's nightmare scenario, a ballistic missile from North Korea traveling for the densely populated area. And of course, it
doesn't get anymore densely populated than the greater Tokyo area, home to some 35 million people.
(voice over): This is a nation that is prepared for natural disasters of all kinds, but they haven't had drills like this, drills to prepare for
possible bombing attack since World War II.
This is a simulation of what supposed to happen if an actual missile is approaching Tokyo.
(on camera): People get a message on their phones called a J Alert and it tells them they need to either go underground to a subway station like this
or inside sturdy building.
(voice over): There have been dozens of exercises like this here in Japan over the last year, but this is the first time they held one in Tokyo. And
a lot of the people were speaking without hearsay it's frightening.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We don't know what North Korea has on their minds. It is very frightening to think about what would happen
if Tokyo is severely damaged.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): There are many North Korean missiles flying towards us lately, so I want to be ready for it.
RIPLEY: But these protesters here say this is different. They say the Japanese government is politicizing the threat from North Korea because
they are trying to change Japan's pacifist constitution, trying to make the Japanese military have a more prominent role around the world.
These people say this drill is larger than it needs to be and essentially, the government is trying to mentally prepare citizens for war.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We know there are various opinions about this. But the reality is that missiles have been flying over to
Japan. The government believes it is important for people to understand what kind of action that the public must take.
RIPLEY (voice over): Last year, two North Korean missiles flew over this country and many more came very close. Things have been quiet lately with
those inter-Korean talks and the upcoming Olympics.
(on camera): But the question on many people's minds here in Japan, for how long?
Will Ripley, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Women are about to take their message and their energy to the ballot box. We are going to show some of the hundreds of marches for
equality this weekend.
[08:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: All right, broadcasting live from Hong Kong, welcome back, this is "News Stream."
Now, Sunday marked the last day of the latest round of women's marches in the U.S. And for the participants, it was a day of resolve to win political
office. Thousands gathered in cities to demand equality and rights for women. They took to the streets in cities like Miami, Florida, Buffalo, New
York, and Las Vegas.
That was one of the weekend's biggest rallies. Organizers and celebrities, they urged women to turn their attention to the 2018 U.S. midterm
elections. Seats in the House and Senate are up for (INAUDIBLE).
(START VIDEO CLIP)
ANNA GALLAND, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MOVEON.ORG: We are marching for a future where there is a place of honor and dignity for everyone. We are fighting
for a country where we understand our fates are bound up together. Together. We are all bound up in each other.
For an economy that lifts up everyone, for access to health care for all, for peace, for our climate, for racial and gender justice, for our
democracy itself, for our children and grandchildren. We are marching for the America that has never yet been but will be.
CHER, AMERICAN SINGER AND ACTRESS: This is one of the worst time in our history and that's why I honestly believe that women are going to be the
ones that fix it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: And Sunday marked another Hollywood celebration for the best in film and television, the Screen Actors Guild Awards. "Three Billboards
Outside Ebbing, Missouri." That movie had a winning night. The film's star, Frances McDormand, won best actress. Sam Rockwell won best supporting
actor.
The cast also won outstanding performance by a cast in a theatrical motion picture. The SAG Awards elevated the voices of women with first ever host
Kristen Bell and all-female presenters.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTEN BELL, ACTRESS, SAG AWARDS HOST: Everyone's story deserves to be told, especially now. We are living in a watershed moment and as we march
forward with active momentum and open ears, let's make sure that we are leading the charge with empathy and with diligence, because fear and anger
never win the race.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Amen. The Screen Actors Guild also announced a new code of conduct. That will be enacted on sets to keep actors safe.
That is "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere, "World Sport" with Amanda Davies is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)
END
