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Japanese Prime Minister Meets with President-elect Trump; Trump National Security Team Taking Shape; Pro-Democracy Hong Kong Lawmakers Speak Out Over Court Barring Them From Legislature. 8:00a-9:00a ET

Aired November 18, 2016 - 08:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[08:00:24] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: You're watching News Stream live from the Hong Kong harbor front, I'm Kristie Lu Stout.

Now, CNN has learned that Donald Trump has selected Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions as his

attorney general, but it is not clear whether he has accepted. Much more on this breaking news story throughout the hour.

And we speak to the two Hong Kong lawmakers who protested during their swearing-in ceremony and were denied the chance to serve in government.

And the world of Harry Potter is back. We go behind the scenes of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

We are now ten days past election day and Donald Trump's transition to the White House is in full swing. Trump and his team are busy making critical

decisions on who will serve on his White House staff, and we have just learned that Trump has selected Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions as his

attorney general. It is not known whether sessions has accepted, but we'll have much more on this as it emerges.

Now, another possible appointment, Michael Flynn, a retired lieutenant general, has been asked to serve as national security adviser.

Now, he is controversial. He was sacked as a director of defense intelligence. And the Obama administration says it was because of his

management style. He says it was because he maintained America's safety had declined.

Now, another of Trump's priorities: meeting with world leaders who want to know where they stand. The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he had

a candid discussion with Trump on Thursday.

Now, the Japanese government released pictures of the meeting between the two leaders, but CNN is not publishing or airing these photos because news

organizations were denied access to the meeting.

Now, joining us now to talk about this is CNN Money Asia-Pacific editor Andrew Stevens. He is back at the bureau here in Hong Kong. He joins us

now.

And Andrew, the Japanese prime minister got to Donald Trump first ahead of all the other

world leaders. What was achieved in this visit?

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN MONEY ASIA-PACIFIC EDITOR: Well, I think it was more a matter of style over substance, Kristie, as it was always going to be.

What Mr. Abe wanted to do was to get in front of Donald Trump and say, as he explained it, put the basics to him, the basics being the importance of

the alliance between the U.S. and Japan.

And he came out of that meeting in a very confident frame of mind, certainly as far as his initial sort of understanding with Mr. Trump, if

you like. He described him as a man he had great confidence in, a man that would engender the sort of confidence needed to build on the relationship

between Japan and the U.S.

So it was a positive outcome for the Japanese. And interestingly, one of the members of Abe's delegation was saying that he was told by one of the

transition team members not to take anything too literally that was said on the campaign trail.

And you remember, of course, on the campaign trail Donald Trump was scathing on many issues to do with Japan, particularly on how much Japan

was paying for the upkeep of U.S. soldiers in Japan.

Donald Trump threatening to withdraw soldiers from Japanese shores. He was also thinking out loud about perhaps Japan and South Korea should be arming

themselves with nuclear weapons to deter the North Koreans.

So there was a lot of concerns in Japan. And Mr. Abe has come away from this with a pretty strong, upbeat message, if you like, that basically

Donald Trump, at least at this stage, is a man he can do business with.

Now, photos of this meeting were released by Japanese government officials, and in tghis photos we see Ivanka Trump was there. She was there at this

meeting, along with her husband, Jared Kushner, and retired lieutenant General Michael Flynn. Do we know why they

were there? What role they played?

STEVES: Well, that is the question to ask, and many people are asking this question, what was Ivanka Trump doing at a meeting with the first meeting

between the president-elect and a world leader?

And Ivanka Trump has made it very clear that she does not want to be a part of her father's

administration.

As far as Mike Flynn is concerned, he was there before the news emerged that he was being tapped as National Security Adviser. The Japanese see

this as a positive sign he was at that meeting And Jared Kushner, of course, Ivanka Trump's husband, is a senior adviser to Donald Trump.

But one of the questions it has been raising, interestingly, Kristie, is the whole conflict of interest. Ivanka Trump and two of her brothers are

the three people who are going to run the Trump business empire while Donald Trump is the president.

And if Ivanka Trump is at these sort of meetings, what does that say for a potential for conflict of interest between Mr. Trump's presidential duties

and what's going on in his business? So there's certainly a lot of questions being asked about that and as of yet no answers.

[08:05:28] LU STOUT: Yeah, a big question mark there. And then also the TPP. Trump has pledged to scrap that trade pact. Is there anything that

could induce Donald Trump to revisit and not scrap, but perhaps change the TPP?

STEVENS: At this stage it's hard to see. Donald Trump, as we heard, that his transition team are saying don't take everything completely literally

about what was said on the campaign trail. President Trump will be different from campaigning Trump.

Having said that, TPP is a big global trade deal of the sort of which Donald Trump has been a

strong opponent of pretty much throughout his life. I mean, he was raging against trade deals done in the 1980s, so there is a lot of background to

suggest that Donald Trump is very firmly opposed to these sorts of deals. He does see them, he said it frequently, that they were taking jobs from

American workers. This was one of the central tenants of his platform.

So whether he can see a way through to keep the TPP alive, at this stage it looks doubtful. And if the TPP is left to wither, what happens in its

place? Well, China has been pushing forward an alternative trade pact, which does not include at this stage Japan or the U.S. That could then

come into play.

But certainly, Japan has been a key proponent of the TPP. If that doesn't go through, that will hurt Shinzo Abe. He's put a lot of political capital

into getting this through, because there has been opposition in Japan, as well. And at this stage, Kristie, you'd have to

say on what we know about Donald Trump and what he's said so far, it seems unlikely that the TPP will go through.

LU STOUT: All right, Andrew Stevens reporting for us live. Thank you.

Now, Donald Trump's choice for national security adviser is making waves. Retired Army Lieutenant General Michael Flynn has also waved at controversy

by re-tweeting a fake news story. As Jake Tapper reports, it's something that has plagued this U.S. election.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I would like to turn it over to Mike Flynn.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Retired General Michael Flynn, who has the inside track to become President-elect Donald Trump's national

security adviser, took to Twitter just days before the election and forwarded this false and rather unhinged story suggesting that the NYPD had

found evidence of so many crimes on Anthony Weiner's laptop, including pedophilia, that Hillary Clinton and her crew would be put away for life.

The story on something called truepundit.com was a complete lie.

Nonetheless, Flynn tweeted it to his tens of thousands of followers. "You decide," he wrote. It has since been retweeted nearly 7,000 times. After

all, General Flynn, the former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, wouldn't tweet it if it weren't true, right? False.

Twitter streams and Facebook news feeds flooded with falsehoods have become so prevalent it was called out today by the leader of the free world.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If we are not serious about facts, if we can't discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda,

then we have problems.

TAPPER: In an era when sharing a story is easier than fact-checking one, the battle for the truth is difficult.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT-ELECT: It's time to reject a media and political elite that's bled our country dry.

TAPPER: Contributing to the craze is a deepening distrust in mainstream media. Some of it sewn by giant missteps such as the false "Rolling Stone"

story about a non-existent gang rape on a college campus, along with the perception that media organizations are choosing political sides.

TRUMP: A bunch of phony low-lives. They're disgraceful.

LUCAS GRAVES, ASST. PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON: That kind of journalism has a long history in the United States, but I think it also

contributes to the long-term decline of people's trust in the news media.

TAPPER: And it turns out, lying is a lucrative business.

According to "BuzzFeed", fake news story outperformed legitimate ones on Facebook in the weeks leading up to Election Day.

GRAVES: We have kind of a perfect storm in some ways because the media economy today really rewards stories that go viral. The stories that tend

to go viral are those that tap right into our political instincts. So, there is a strong incentive for people who are trying to make money.

TAPPER: One man behind these hoaxes told the "Washington Post," "There's nothing you can't write about now that people won't believe." Adding that

"Trump's campaign manager posted my story about a protester getting paid $3,500 as fact. Like, I made that up."

[08:10:02] JON STEWART, TV HOST/COMEDIAN: Authenticity comes across as lunacy.

TAPPER: Some conservatives say part of the blame for the phenomenon lies with those who treated popular left-leaning satire programs such as the

"Daily Show" as legitimate news sources even though they engaged in deceptive editing for comedy's sake.

Both Facebook and Google have announced they would no longer allow fake news sites to use their ad selling services, a small effort to slow a rumor

mill that is running faster than ever.

Jake Tapper, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, several social media platforms have promised to crack down on fake news and hate speech. CEO Jack Dorsey is apologizing after Twitter

accidentally allowed an ad from a white supremacist group. It came to light after a writer-musician Ariana Lenarsky tweeted a screenshot of the

ad which linked to an article titled "The United States was founded as a white people's republic." And Lenarsky said that she was shocked and urged

Twitter to condemn the ad.

Dorsey says he is sorry for the mistake and blames it on a faulty automated system.

A Twitter spokesman said the ad was taken down within an hour.

Now, back to the most recent decision that Donald Trump and his team has made, and that is the post being offered to Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions

the position of attorney general. And joining me now for more on the story is CNN's Sunlen Serfaty.

And, Sunlen, can you tell us more about this selection? Why did Donald Trump select Senator Sessions as his pick for attorney general?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, he is certainly one of the most trusted advisers of Donald Trump. He was the

very first senator to endorse Donald Trump very early on, frankly, at a time where he just did not have much support on Capitol Hill. So not a big

and surprising move by Donald Trump to ask Jeff Sessions to be his attorney general.

He has been seen, I can tell you this week going in and out of Trump Tower, meeting with transition officials, meeting with president-elect Donald

Trump, and perhaps tipping their hand just a bit, the Trump transition team sent out a statement yesterday afternoon praising Senator Sessions.

And he was widely seen as a choice for many potential top cabinet positions in the administration. His name also bandied about for secretary

of defense. I don't think it can be overstated just how much he has Donald Trump's ear. He -- as I said, he was very early supporter of Trump and

someone that really stayed by his side throughout the course of the campaign.

So interesting big first pick for cabinet secretary today.

LU STOUT: So, Jeff Sessions, he is a close confidant of Donald Trump. He provided a lot of support for Donald Trump as a candidate early on, but

being selected by Trump as attorney general, is that also a controversial announcement?

SERFATY: He could be. This is a senate confirmable job. So, Jeff Sessions will need to be confirmed by the Senate. There are -- given that

it is cabinet level. There are other positions within the administration that do not need senate confirmation, and there are some parts of his past that are controversial. There are some allegations of

racist remarks he's made over the years, things that he has denied. And certainly, when you get chosen to be in any administration, in any cabinet

level position, all sorts of your past get picked over. So certainly this is seen as someone that could face a tough Senate confirmation battle, but

clearly Donald Trump feeling confident enough for him to choose his very close aide -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: And also Michael Flynn, the retired army lieutenant general who has been selected to be a national security adviser to Donald Trump, he's

been selected, but will he accept the position?

SERFATY: That's the big question mark. I think from every indication it will be that he will, although we do not have confirmation that he has

accepted. We know he has expressed interest in the job, and certainly Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, he, in addition to Senator Sessions, has

been such a close adviser to Donald Trump over this last year. He regularly comes to

rallies.

He, too, has some controversies in his past, though. In 2014 he was fired by the Obama administration. He says that was due to speaking out

critically against an administration. Administration officials say otherwise, they say it was because of his management style. Also, he has

been accused of alleged remarks about, you know, stoking Islamophobia.

So there's a lot there to choose from, but Michael Flynn's position does not need senate confirmation, so his position could find Donald Trump in a

much more favorable position.

LU STOUT: Sunlen Serfaty reporting for us on the breaking news story. Many thanks indeed for that, Sunlen.

And we are learning of another position being offered in Donald Trump's White House. Sources tell CNN that he has asked representative Mike Pompeo

to be his CIA director. And we'll have much more on Trump's new administration forming throughout the hour right here on News Stream.

Now, Barack Obama is on his way to Peru, having wrapped up his final visit to Germany as the U.S. president.

He left Berlin a short while ago after meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and

several other European leaders. He spent the last two days in the German capital trying in part to soothe worries over a Donald Trump presidency.

Now, let's take you to Berlin. Our senior international correspondent Atika Shubert is there. She joins us now. And Atika, let's talk first

about the so-called Trump effect there in Europe. The anxiety about trade, about security, migration, how has Barack Obama been able to manage that?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's been a lot of concern about, one, what the administration of Donald Trump will look

like, what it will bring. It's just a big question mark at this point, but also the fact he's won on such a nationalist platform, an isolationist

platform, really worries a lot of European leaders here, and they fear it really plays into the far right movement here in Germany, but also France,

Netherlands, and other countries, as well.

In fact, the Front National leader, Marine Le Pen, in France says that it boosted her chances of winning the presidency and a betting agency in the

UK, William Hill, actually moved her odds from 8-1 to 2-1. So there is this so-called Trump effect.

Now, Obama came here really making the plea to preserve the policies and legacies that he's

put in place with his partners in Europe over the last eight years, saying that globalization cannot be rewound, and the fact is, it is an

interdependent world.

He did say there has to be more attention to those who have lost out in these trade deals, who

feel like opportunities have been lost, but that there is really no way to roll back the ties that have already been made.

And in doing so, he has a partner in Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel. In many ways it was like a handing of the baton to her.

[08:16:55] LU STOUT: And this is President Obama's last overseas trip, his last scheduled overseas trip as POTUS before he leaves office. Where will

he go next?

SHUBERT: Well, he's gone to Peru for the APEC summit, which will be, again, a summit where he will have to reassure a lot of the leaders there

that the trade deals that he has negotiated so far still stay in place, but it was a very sad farewell here, as well. I mean, Angela Merkel in a press

conference said, you know, that she will miss President Barack Obama, that they are the closest -- he is the closest partner she has had in the last

eight years, foreign leader.

So, I think it's been sort of a bittersweet ending for many people here, and filled with the

uncertainty of what happens next. But he's certainly tried to give a realistic view of what the incoming president-elect Donald Trump will

bring.

LU STOUT: Yeah, and you mentioned earlier on the passing of the baton from Barack Obama to Angela Merkel, perhaps a baton of global stability. And as

we had this moment of Mr. Obama leaving office and Angela Merkel, the German chancellor potentially seeking another term, so how has this visit

by Obama affected her political prospects there in Germany?

SHUBERT: I think it's a good question, because we don't know. There are really two opposing

forces here. One, as you point out is the the sort of wanting to maintain the status quo. These are sort of the same people who support the European

Union, that want to see that community united.

At the same time, there is this resurgence of a far right nationalist agenda by groups here, such as the Alternative for Germany Party here,

which has done very well in regional elections, but also Front National and other parties in France and other parts of Europe.

Now, the thing is, there are general elections next year in Germany, Netherlands, and France. So Merkel will be challenged, without a doubt,

and she has already faced a lot of public pressure over her refugee policy.

On the other hand, there aren't that many political alternatives here in Germany. And so she is in a strong position, possibly the strongest

position of any leader across Europe. She has not formally announced whether she will run again. She has already been in power for 10 years.

But it is widely expected that she will do so very soon.

LU STOUT: All right, Atika Shubert reporting for us live from Berlin. Thank you, Atika.

Now, you're watching News Stream. Coming up right here on CNN -- and up next we go to

India where 80 percent of bank notes have to be swapped out and the cash crunch is making it hard for people to buy basic goods like food and

medicine.

And we'll hear from two young politicians in Hong Kong barred from taking office after their words insult Beijing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:21:48] LU STOUT: Coming to you live from the Hong Kong harbor, you're back watching News Stream.

I want to recap our breaking news this hour. Because Donald Trump's national security team is taking shape. Now, CNN has learned that he will

soon announce three key positions: CIA director, that has been offered to House Republican Mike Pompeo, Donald Trump has asked Alabama Senator Jeff

Sessions to take the job of attorney general. And as for national security director retired ARmy Lieutenant General Michael Flynn. He has been asked

to serve in that role.

And we're going to have a lot more analysis throughout the hour on this selection process right here on CNN.

Now, in India people are struggling to buy food and medicine after 80 percent of Indian bank notes were pulled out of circulation. Now, Indian

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has discontinued the notes in a crackdown on tax evasion, but the cash crisis is now hitting India's health.

Alexandra Field has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Outside a public hospital in New Delhi, people are feeling the pain of change. Rahm Kishur (ph) brought his

11-year-old son here for medicine but he'll leave empty-handed.

He says, "I'll probably go back to my village tomorrow. I'll come back whenever I manage

to get change. What option do I have?"

A nationwide cash crunch is hitting hundreds of millions in the pocket. Now, adding suffering for some of the sick.

"We can't use the new 2,000 rupee notes," he says. We managed to exchange our money

to get the new notes but now the medical stores are saying they can't take that note because they don't have change.

The new notes are twice the size of what was in the market just a week ago. That means you have got a lot of retailers who simply can't make change.

That's frustrating if you're buying basic goods. But if you need something like medicine, the effects and consequences can be downright dangerous.

The problem gets worse as more and more of the country's new 500 rupee notes and 2,000 rupee notes hit the market. Small bills, like 100 rupees

are, in use but it can be tough to get your hands on them. Some ATMs are tapped out. There are long lines at others. People are still lining up

for days or hours to exchange old money, 500 and 1,000 rupee notes taken out of circulation with little notice.

What Modi did was great but the implementation has been extremely poor. This is very unfair for the poor people.

Continued fallout felt by the masses from the prime minister's plan to crack down on the rich

who he says are hoarding cash that's unaccounted for.

This decision came without any warning. Do you understand Mr. Modi's plan? Can you support it?

"We don't have a problem with Modi running the government," he says, "but please stop this ban on notes. If you have to do it, do it properly,

slowly, with a plan. This is making our lives very difficult. People who came for treatment are going back to their villages. For some, that's just

one hard choice.

She tells us, "my son wants to eat and it only costs 10 rupees, but I only have a 2,000 rupee

note." The shopkeeper won't change the note or give the food in credit. My son has been crying. What do I do?

For now, Rahm Kishur (ph) the only thing this man can do is ration the little medicine he has left for his son. He'll come back to New Delhi

whenever cash frees up.

Alexandra Field, CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[08:25:11] LU STOUT: Now, thousands take to the streets in Manila as former dictator Ferdinand Marcos is reburied in the Philippines national

heroes cemetery. Now, he died in 1989, but his family fought for decades to have his remains interred there.

President Rodrigo Duterte approved the burial. And last week the supreme court ruled it could go forward. The decision has angered human rights

groups and others who say his two and a half decades as a brutal leader disqualify him from being buried there.

Now, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio is wading into political affairs right here in Hong Kong. He has co-sponsored a bill in the U.S. senate aimed as

strengthening Hong Kong's autonomy from Beijing. It comes after it emerged last year five that Hong Kong book sellers were taken by Chinese

authorities into Mainland China. The legislation proposed by Rubio would allow the U.S to freeze assets and bar entry to people responsible for the

surveillance, abduction, and detention of book sellers and journalists in Hong Kong.

And this comes as debates arise in Hong Kong over the city's legal autonomy from Beijing. Just this week, a court upheld a ruling from Baijing barring

two pro-independence lawmakers from taking office. Now, they were elected in a citywide vote. Both misspoke during an oath taking ceremony and

displayed a banner with the words, "Hong Kong is not China."

Now, I spoke with them earlier and started by asking why they did that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIXTUS LEUNG, YOUNGSPIRATION: If Hong Kong is China, okay, that means one country, two system disappeared. If Hong Kong is China, then why we need a

basic law? So, I just want to bring out this simple message to say that, okay, Hong Kong is not China. It is a fact statement

YAU WAI-CHING, YOUNGSPIRATION: I think that we have to bring our message to the (inaudible) session. Actually, in the legislative council in the

(inaudible) concession, it will be some kind of tradition to bring out our ideology.

LU STOUT: And aren't you concerned in the back of your mind that if you lose this appeal that both of you could be expelled even though you were

elected into office in the legislature, but also other lawmakers, pro- democracy lawmakers that they could be expelled as well?

LEUNG: Yes, because by case law, if this is the case, if we lose the appeal, maybe others, pan-democratic members, they will face the same or

similar situation.

LU STOUT: Yeah, and if that happens, are you fearful that you're going to take the blame, that

many people will blame you for opening the door for Beijing to come in and to get involved in Hong Kong's legislature?

WAI-CHING: The government chose to use this way, to expel us or to ban some procedures, ban some performance, bans on traditions in the

(inaudible) sessions, but not us.

LEUNG: We cannot blame the victim, actually, only the one, with power can do this again, but not me and Yao.

Only the one like Beijing government can interpret the basic law, but not me or Yau.

LU STOUT: You're saying don't blame the victim. And both of you are the victims here.

And you have a number of people supporting you here in Hong Kong, and you also have a number of people who have been very, very critical for your

protests, you know, saying that you have allowed Beijing to wade into Hong Kong affairs.

What kind of responses have you heard from people in Hong Kong? And do you still believe that your protest was worth it?

WAI-CHING: I think most of the Hong Kongers are similar with us. We used to believe that the government will take the ideology that is the

separation of power, they won't intervene in affairs of the election, but the actions that have been taken by the government this month makes most of

the Hong Kongers feel disappointed because of this.

LU STOUT: How does the election of Donald Trump affect your campaign here in Hong Kong?

LEUNG: This may hurt the democracy movement in Hong Kong, because maybe Beijing will put much more pressure on to the (inaudible), Hong Kong, but

we hope that U.S. government will still keep their eyes on Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[08:30:01] LU STOUT: That was pro-independence Hong Kong lawmakers Sixtus Leung and Yau Wai-ching speaking to me earlier there. They say that they

are going to appeal the high court's decision to ban them from taking office.

Now, a 14 year old British girl who died of cancer has been cryogenically frozen in the U.S. Now her case was taken to the UK's high court shortly

before she died, where she won the right to be cryogenically frozen.

Now, she told the court that she hoped future generations might be able to bring her back to life.

You're watching News Stream. Coming to you live from the harbor front here in Hong Kong. And do stay with us, because Donald Trump's national

security team could be announced today and we will recap the president-elect's picks for attorney general, national

security adviser, and CIA director.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:34:23] LU STOUT: Now, let's get back to our breaking news this hour on the latest Trump choices for leadership in the White House. Alabama

Senator Jeff Sessions was chosen to be the next attorney general, the U.S. House Republican Mike Pompeo as the new CIA director, and Michael Flynn is

the new national security adviser.

Now, Jackie Kucinich is a CNN political analyst and the Washington bureau chief for The Daily Beast and she joins us now live from Washington for

more on these appointments.

Jackie, thank you so much for joining us. Trump's security team, national security team, is certainly taking shape here. Let's first talk about Mike

Pompeo, who was selected as CIA director. Tell us more about him.

JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: He is a very conservative member of congress from the state of Kansas. He is on the intelligence

committee. He is a graduate of West Point. And he also was a very outspoken member of the special committee on Benghazi, which, of course,

had Hillary Clinton testify in front of them last year.

So, he is someone that has been very critical of the Iran deal, which now because of his new job, becomes something that, you know, could not portend

well. So we'll have to see.

He's not someone -- he is one of the few surprises that we've seen today. He wasn't someone that a lot of people were talking about, but he certainly

has a background in intelligence. So that is one of the picks that I think a little bit of a wild card this morning.

[08:35:50] LU STOUT: Yeah, and Pompeo has accepted the position, same with Jeff

Sessions has accepted the position for attorney general, but he has to go through a Senate confirmation process, and sessions is a controversial

selection. Tell us why.

KUCINICH: He is. He's controversial, but he's not unexpected. He's someone who has been a

loyalist to Donald Trump. He was the first senator to endorse him. But yes, Senator Sessions was denied a federal judgeship because of comments

that he made or he allegedly made that were racist in the '80s. So he is someone that -- and that's going to come up again.

He said very controversial things about the NAACP, so it is something that is going to come

in in his confirmation hearings, certainly. That said, I would be surprised if he's not eventually confirmed, because collegiality in the

United States Senate is very much a thing. And he's one of their own and he will be treated as such.

And Michael Flynn, the retired army lieutenant general, he's been asked to serve as Trump's national security adviser. We have learned that he has

accepted the job. What kind of adviser will he be for Trump?

KUCINICH: You know, it's an interesting choice. I mean, he's also someone who has been been very loyal from the get go with Trump. He is someone who

is very, very experienced and certainly a professional. That said, usually this position is someone who is less bombastic, let's say, than Michael

Flynn. He has said very controversial things about Muslims in particular over the course of this campaign.

So we'll have to see if maybe he levels out for lack of a better word in this position. But certainly there are a lot of concerns being raised

about what he said in some of his views.

LU STOUT: Yeah, Trump's national security team being formed today. Jackie Kucinich there with some analysis on the appointments. Thank you very

much, indeed for that. Take care.

Now, you're watching News Stream coming to live from Hong Kong. We'll be back after this short break. Keep it here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: And that is the Hong Kong skyline on a Friday night coming to you live from the territory. You're back watching News Stream. And now we

look to an artist without limits, whose work is informed by a past fighting for human rights. He counts Nike and Beyonce as his clients and he is also

a musician. In this week's Passion to Portfolio we see how art grounded in Nigerian roots has grown into big business.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[08:40:14] LAOLU SANBANJO, ARTIST/MUSICIAN: I'm an artist, also a musician, who happens to be a lawyer.

UNIDENITIFEID FEMALE: That he's multifaceted and talented is evident. But his passion is more art than it is music. Take a look at his handiwork,

rooted in his Nigerian culture, an inspiration from his former career as a human rights lawyer.

SANBANJO: One of my biggest moments, when I quit my job. A lot of things expressed about

law has shapened how I see the world, like law exposed me, and I love it.

That's the face of the human African, third world countries and what the possibilities are.

UNIDENITIFIED FEMALE: His art pieces have commanded as much as $15,000. But his canvas is not always traditional.

SANBANJO: Art should not be limited to, you know, like a gallery space or a wall. I paint the full body for close to seven, eight hours, every line,

every detail, every sign, every symbol is more like I'm leaving an ancestral skin on their bodies.

Social media has been a very good marketing tool. I tell every artist, you need to have it. You know, built it to a level where we're working with

brands like Nike. When they reached out, told me we love what you do and want you to design a limited editions for us, that

for me was, like, wow. it's, like, crazy, over the roof.

UNIDENITIFIED FEMALE: And it doesn't get more over the roof than Beyonce.

BEYONCE, SINGER: Rest in peace, my true love.

UNIDENITIFIED FEMALE: Beyonce's HHBO project "Lemonade" included his body art.

SANBANJO: When I got a call from Beyonce's management, I was pretty much like, wow, like, how did they even find me? And it was much like, oh, we

need to get this done and everybody loves your stuff and we want you to be part of this. And it was more like, please, come. If Queen B calls, you

have to go, you know?

We did a lot of body art, you know, for the part of the shoot. It was amazing.

Subsequently, you know, things it's just beautiful.

Every artist has that moment where you're like how do I turn this into a money making venture, and that's when I started, you know, licensing my

art.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From t-shirts to sneakers that can be as much as $1,000 with his art on it...

SANBANJO: We've been on this journey for a while. And for the brand and for the business and for everything, I'm passionate, I'm happy, I'm proud

of how far we've come and, you know, it's a lot of hard work, too.

And my team has been just fantastic.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Cool designs there. And that is News Stream. Unfortunately, breaking news this

hour means that we won't have the story on the new film set in the Harry Potter universe "Fantastic

Beasts," and where to find it. But you can check it out on our website. Just go to CNN.com/entertainment.

I'm Kristie Lu Stout at the Hong Kong Harbor Front. And world Sport with Amanda Davies is

next.

END