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Kim Jong-un Claims North Korea Ready for ICBM Test; Turkey Mourns Dead of New Year's Eve Club Attack; Remembering Tyrus Wong; Donald Trump Still Skeptical of Russian Involvement of DNC Hack. 8:00a-9:00a ET
Aired January 2, 2017 - 08:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:13] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream.
Now, Turkey mourns those killed in an attack on a night club on New Years as ISIS claims responsibility for the shooting.
Kim Jong-un says North Korea is close to testing an intercontinental ballistic missile, but can
his claims be believed?
And a wave of choking smog rolls into Beijing, bringing more harmful pollution to the Chinese capital.
A day of sorrow in Istanbul as families and loved ones mourn 39 people who were killed when a gunman opened fire at a packed nightclub on New Year's,
and the attacker is still at large. ISIS is claiming responsibility, but those claims could not be independently verified, and the terror group has
not revealed any information about the attacker.
Now this surveillance video shows the horrifying moment the attack began. You see people taking cover as shots are fired at the entrance to the Reina
nightclub (ph).
And just seconds later the gunman stormed inside firing many more shots at the revelers gathered to welcome in the new year.
Now, let's go straight to Istanbul now and Sara Sidner joins us live. And Sara, ISIS again has claimed responsibility for this terrible attack, but
we still don't know the identity or the whereabouts of the shooter. What's the latest on the manhunt?
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is where we are right now, and we can't independently confirm that it is indeed ISIS itself that was beside
this attack, but it's significant the first time that ISIS has claimed responsibility for an attack inside of Istanbul. There have been plenty of
times when the government here has suspected that ISIS was behind attacks, but this is the first time we're hearing directly from a Twitter account
linked to ISIS.
We also know a little bit more about some of the victims in this attack. We know the manhunt is underway. We have not seen any further video or
pictures of this suspect, this gunman, but we have seen that surveillance video. And that surveillance video very
chilling and also gives you some idea of just how determined this gunman was to create this absolute havoc in Istanbul. You'll see him coming up,
and you can see people jumping out of the way.
They can hear the sound of gunfire. It is clear he's not using a handgun, but a far more high-powered weapon, looks like something that is military
grade and certainly investigators will be looking at every detail of the surveillance video as he goes and methodically shoots people one by one
right before he enters the club and does a massacre there.
39 people total killed, 24 of the 39 killed were foreign nationals, people from outside of Turkey, who came to this club to enjoy themselves. This
was really a club that bridged east and west. You had people from all over the world, from as far as Saudi Arabia to the United States inside this
club enjoying the New Year's Eve celebrations, and then this, an attack on Turkey just 75 minutes into 2017 -- Kristie.
39 people killed, dozens of people wounded. And Sara, if this is indeed the work of ISIS, why is ISIS striking a nightclub? And why is it
targeting Turkey yet again?
SIDNER: They haven't come out and said exactly why, but there is a general idea, that they are attacking a western lifestyle, what they see as a
western lifestyle, a party with alcohol, with men and women enjoying themselves, with couples outside enjoying themselves in western garb, and
that's something that some officials have alluded to, that they think this may be an attack on the western lifestyle.
And this neighborhood has a lot of clubs, a lot of night clubs are there. It is known for that. It is also known for a place where just about anyone
of any socioeconomic background can go and enjoy a meal. There are cafes. There are to shop, it's quite a nice place. This particular club was an
upscale club right on the Bosphorus, and at one point a witness telling us, Kristie, that people were jumping jumping into the Bosphrus trying to get
away from the gun fight and it's quite cold and people trying to jump over into that water to avoid being killed by bullets, Kristie.
LU STOUT: Frightening details what happened that night. And, again, the gunman still at large. Sara Sidner reporting live for us from Istanbul.
Thank you so much for that, Sara.
Now, the New Year's massacre continues a frightening new reality for Turkey where terror attacks are becoming more frequent.
Now, there was this chilling image in late December. It was taken moments after this gunman assassinated Russia's ambassador to Turkey in the capital
Ankara. Now, the Turkish and Russian government call it a terror attack.
On December 10, Istanbul was rocked by twin suicide bombings near a football stadium. 44 people were killed and more than 150 hurt. A Kurdish
separatist group claimed responsibility.
In Asugust, more than 50 people were killed by an ISIS suicide bomber at a wedding party in
the city of Gaziantep.
Now, Istanbul was also hit back in June with ISIS suspected a symbol was also hit in June by
ISIS with an attack at the city's Ataturk airport and in a country targeted so often by terror it is becoming harder and harder for journalists to do
their job.
Reporters Without Borders says that Turkey jailed more journalists in 2016 than any other country, overtaking China which topped the investigation the
previous two years.
Now ISIS is also claiming responsibility for yet another terror attack on the streets of
Baghdad. Police say 35 people were killed when a car bomb ripped through a busy intersection in the eastern neighborhood of Sadr City, 61 people were
wounded in the blast.
Now, this attack comes as French President Francois Hollande visits Iraq with troops stationed there. Mr. Hollande also praised the Iraqi military
for its offensive to drive ISIS out of Mosul.
In Syria, both sides report violations of the fledgling truce. Now, there was calm on the streets of Aleppo over the weekend, and it was calm on the
streets of Aleppo. But elsewhere, there were dozens of air strikes as well as gun battles.
Now, rebel leaders say that they will not stick to the agreement if Syria continues to break it. Damascus says extremist groups, not included in the
truce, have targeted several towns. And for the latest I'm joined now by CNN's Fred Pleitken. He has been monitoring from Moscow. And he joins us
from there.
And Fred, it is barely holding, but will the ceasefire continue to hold here?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's going to be the big question in the hours and days going forward. It certainly
seems as though the cease-fire appears to be getting more shaky, but at the same time you also get the feeling, Kristie, that both sides are still
trying to keep it in place.
We're getting from some groups that are affiliated with the Syrian opposition, they are saying, look, they have violations. They do say that
by and large a cease-fire is still holding. But they also say that the violations that are going on right now threaten the existence of the cease-
fire. And what they are saying is that when it comes to smaller little battles that break out, that's something that they say understand will
happen, but once air strikes start happening, that's when they say the cease-fire is in serious jeopardy.
And right now really the focal point of a lot of this seems to be a place called Wadi Barada (ph) just right outside of Damascus, and it's a place
that government forces at this point in time or pro-government forces appear to be trying to take away from the Syrian opposition.
Over the weekend, there have been some pretty heavy clashes there. A lot of civilians also fleeing that area into government-controlled parts of
Syria, especially around the Syrian capital. And this is also where the opposition says a lot of air strikes have been going on.
Now the Syrian government says that the rebel groups that are in there are affiliated and working together with groups that used to work with al Qaeda
and, therefore, are not part of the cease-fire. Nevertheless, this is something that definitely threatens the existence of the cease-fire and
where there's certainly a lot of disagreement between the opposition and the pro-government forces, Kristie.
LU STOUT: Yeah, the cease-fire is certainly being tested, and the cease- fire deal that was driven largely by Russia with the U.S. completely sidelined out of the process. I mean, the truce, yes, as you reported just
then, is fragile, but it's still holding. So is this the one that actually has a chance of finally bringing peace to Syria?
PLEITGEN: Well, you know what, it's interesting, because, of course, it's driven by Russia but in many ways it's also obviously driven by the Turks
as well. And many people believe that it's the Turks and the Russians and, of course, the Iranians as well who have the most leverage over the
fighting factions in Syria.
Certainly, if you look at the makeup of the Syrian civil war, you on the one side have factions that some of which are working together with the
Turks, especially in the north of Syria, and you have those obviously that are affiliated with Iran and that are supported by
Russia on the side of the pro-government forces.
So certainly if there was going to be a cease-fire that has a chance of holding, many people
believe it could be this one.
On the other hand, it's also the case that there have been some serious violations of that cease-fire and you have seen the opposition come out and
say, look, we're not going to put up with this very much longer. At some point in time we're going to say that the cease-fire has failed. That's
not somebody -- that's not something that either of the ssides seem to want at this point in time.
Certainly, the Russians are saying that while they have also recorded some violations of the
cease-fire from the other side, that they still believe that it's worth nurturing. And we also have to keep in mind, Kristie, that all of this is
working towards possible peace talks, some of them in Geneva, but even more so ones that are supposed take place in Astana (ph) in Kazakhstan, again,
sponsored by the Russians and the Turks, where they hope to bring all the sides on
board. So that's certainly one of the reasons why the Russians and the Turks and the Iranians are trying to put leverage or put pressure on the
sides that they are affiliated with to try to make sure that that at least these talks go forward.
[08:10:32] LU STOUT: Yeah, all eyes on those peace talks and to see if the cease-fire sticks
in the meantime.
But especially with Russia's involvement it appeared Bashar al-Assad will stay in power. What's your thinking on that? What's next for him?
PLEITGEN: Do you know what, it's really interesting to see how all of this is playing out, because, of course, just a couple of years ago, or just a
couple months ago, you had many countries who were saying he absolutely needs to step down. And when this recent cease-fire was put in place, the
-- one of the main opposition factions, they put forward a statement saying, look, the cease-fire
agreement is based on the Geneva One accords which they believe call for a political transition
in Syria and for Bashar al-Assad to stand down.
Now, of course, if you look at the situation on the battlefield where in recent weeks and recent
months the pro-government forces have been making sweeping gains, especially if you look at the
Aleppo area which so many people say is a key turning point in Syria's civil war, that at this point in time it looks almost impossible that there
could be a scenario where Bashar al-Assad would move aside in the near future.
Now the big question is could there be some sort of solution or some sort of negotiation where perhaps the role of the president in Syria would be
differently defined or perhaps he would give guarantees that he would step down after his current term which is a seven-year term?
That really is unclear, but right now it seems pretty clear that all of the leverage that is on the side of Russia, Iran and the pro-government forces
as they try to institute these peace talks to take place, especially the ones that are going to take place, or they hope will take place in
Kazakhstan.
LU STOUT: All right. Got it. Fred Pleitken reporting for us live from Moscow. As always, thank you, Fred.
Now, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his New Year's speech has sparked tension in
the region. Now, South Korea is keeping an eye on Pyongyang for any strategic moves after Mr. Kim said the country is close to testing a long
range ballistic missile.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIM JONG-UN, NORTH KOREAN LEADER (through translator): Research and development of cutting dark edge arms equipment is actively progressing an
ICBM rocket test launch preparation is in its last stage. We have to put an end to the invasion and
interference of the U.S. and foreign countries for conquering the Asia- Pacific through South Korea, and we must smash activities of slavish anti- unification traders like Park Guen-hye who was unable to distinguish the real enemy and finding ways to survive in the confrontation of the same
race.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Now meanwhile, the U.S. also weighed in telling North Korea to refrain from provocative action.
Now, our Saima Mohsin joins us now live from Seoul. And Saima, is North Korea close to testing a long range ballistic missile?
SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. There's doubt in your voice there, isn't there, Kristie, and that's because it's very hard
to separate the rhetoric from reality. And so we have to look at what we do know. We do know that North Korea has nuclear capabilities conducting
two tests alone in 2016, the most recent, the fifth and largest under Kim Jong-un's watch in September.
And -- and they have had varying degrees of success as far as missile launches are concerned. Let's take a listen to what one expert has to say
about those.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUCE BENNETT, SENIOR DEFENSE ANALYST, RAND CORPORATIONS: His intermediate range missile, just below an ICBM, he tested eight times in 2016. Seven of
those tests, including the last two, were failures. So he's got problems with his missile program. He's probably not really ready for an ICBM test,
but he did 35 missile tests last year, so he could tear up the pressure and move quickly into that position.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOHSIN: So the experts erring on the side of caution there, but of course an intercontinental ballistic missile has range of beyond 5,500 kilometers,
Kristie, and the concern is, of course, that takes it way beyond him able to target Asia alone.
Now what, we also know is that in February 2016 North Korea launched a satellite which a lot
of experts point to as a precursor or a template for launching a long range ballistic missile, Kristies.
LU STOUT: But then there's the question of how advanced is the nuclear program from North Korea because Kim Jong-un can make this claim they are
close to testing this advanced missile, but do they have the technology to turn it into a nuclear weapon?
[08:15:08] MOHSIN: Yeah. Absolutely. It's one thing to say that you have the technology and another,
of course, to present the evidence.
Now, if they do indeed have the capabilities of launching a long range missile, and as I said the
satellite being launched could have been one such practice run for them, do they have the technology to miniaturize a warhead and then also place that
on the missile and then going beyond more details, Kristie, can they not only launch it but then find the technology to bring it back down to Earth
in the place that they want to?
Well, we simply don't know. What we do know, though, is that Kim Jong-un really is on a fast
track to get his nuclear ambitions completed in 2017, because he wants to carefully calculate that he conducts these tests when there is a new
president in the White House. Donald Trump will be there, of course, and a new president here in Seoul. Effectively their hands will be
tied, he believes, according to one high-level diplomatic defector to respond. And, of course, we know that sanctions simply aren't stopping him
and his nuclear ambition.
But again, then beyond that, Kristie, whether they have the nuclear technology, will he even ever fire it and launch one? Well, apparently Kim
Jong-un is more concerned with becoming a nuclear state, with actually having those capabilities and announcing that to the world because he wants
to redress the balance with other nuclear powers, in particular, of course, with the United States and then South Korea because he wants to be seen as
a formidable power that can match any of them -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: All right. Saima Mohsin keeping an eye on these claims coming from Kim Jong-un. Many thanks indeed for that, Saima. Take care.
Now, you're watching News Stream. And still to come on the program, northern China is choking. This wall of smog continues to smother major
cities making the freezing winter even more challenging.
Also ahead on the program, Donald Trump questions whether Russia meddled in the U.S. election and promises to reveal information he knows that others
don't. The latest on the hacking controversy ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream.
Now, in northern China is the case of new year pollution. Now, choking smog continues to
blanket major cities, and we want you to take a look at this video. It was shot by British engineer Chaz Pope in Beijing. You're looking at a wall of
pollution sweeping into the city. This time lapse, it was filmed on Monday morning, the smog smothering the capital in just 20 minutes.
Let's get more now from CNN meteorologist Chad Myers who joins me now. And Chad, looking at that video, it's just so disturbing to see this wave of
smog barrel through Beijing.
I mean, just how bad is the air quality there?
[08:20:10] CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It was very unhealthy earlier today. A wind kind of picked up to about three meters per second and blew
some of that away, Kristie, today. But, still, we are way into the unhealthy category there in Beijing.
They use a lot of coal to make power. They still have some inefficient automobiles on the roadways, and these small particles get stuck in the
lungs, especially there 2.5 or lower size. It's just very, very tiny. But what we see is not just something in the air, it's something that is going
to get stuck in your lungs for years, and they are saying that 1.6 to almost 1.8 million people die early because of all of this. It's like
secondhand smoke, but it's just secondhand smog.
So on Sunday the number was 563. That is off the chart. The chart stops at 500, but yet the parts per million were still way higher than that.
A good air quality would be somewhere between 0 and 50. Something moderate, still OK to
go out and exercise, 50 and 100, and the numbers are way down here, way down to the hazardous
category.
And it's not just Beijing. We talk about this. This is a widespread event. Beijing is almost in a bowl or half a bowl because the bowl empties
here into the sea, but some of this smog, some of this smoke is even blowing to the east and moving away from that area, blowing
into other countries, but all of these purple and red numbers here, 400 to 500, are all the other locations. So it's not just one location by a
factory outlet saying oh that's where all the smoke is coming from, no, this is a widespread event for the entire country.
And it happens every time we get a high pressure that sits right over that little valley. The valley holds all the smoke in. You can't blow it out.
There's no wind coming in from the west to really get it away from the cities, away from the factories, away from the people, and we don't see any
real relief until Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday here, healthy to unhealthy to very unhealthy here, somewhere between 200 to 300 parts per million.
Now, I know people walk around with masks on, but these are very small particles, they can get through most of those masks. There are a couple
things you can do in your home. You can get ion generators to blow things around, but what we really need to do is change the way you make power,
change that coal output to something else. Make that electricity with power with water generation, with hydro, like Canada does.
Look at L.A.. L.A. back in the '70s had 234 bad days of air and then they did something about
it. They said we can't live with this. We need to do something better and last year the number was
down to 92. It's not perfect, but it's better -- Kristie.
LU SOUT: Wow, pollution off the charts in China. And the solution here, they need a revolution in the way that they approach how they energize and
they power themselves. Chad Myers reporting. Many thanks indeed for that. Take care.
Now, China says its corruption crackdown has gained crushing momentum with the arrest of
dozens of government officials in recent months, and it's not limited to China. The government says 122 people on the run were captured from over
70 countries last year.
Now, state media reports that more than a million people have been punished for breaking communist party and government rules since late 2012.
Now we got an update now on our top story this hour. Eight people have been detained in connection with that Istanbul nightclub attack at New
Year's. Now, this coming into us from Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu and the state broadcaster TRT.
We are told that the eight people are currently under interrogation at a police station in Turkey as the search for the attacker, the attacker
captured on the surveillance video, goes on.
Earlier we told you that ISIS is claiming responsibility, and the terror group has not revealed
any information about the attacker. Those claims, again, could not be independently verified.
Now to the United States where President-elect Donald Trump has again cast doubt on allegations that Russia meddled in the U.S. election. He says he
has inside information on the computer hacking that led to U.S. sanctions against Russia.
For more on this story, CNN's Sunlen Serfaty joins me now from CNN Washington.
And Sunlen, Trump not convinced that Russia was behind the U.S. election hack. So, why? What does he know?
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORREPSONDENT: So, that's the big question, Kristie. Trump says that he has information that he will reveal Tuesday or Wednesday
of this week that leads him to his own conclusions. He heads into this big briefing with intelligence officials mid-week in New York.
And he goes into that briefing already skeptical of the evidence that they say claims -- proves that Russia was behind the hack.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SERFATY (voice-over): Donald Trump back in New York City this morning and gearing up for a busy week ahead. The president- elect meeting with
intelligence officials for a briefing about Russian hacking just days after again expressing doubt about the intelligence community's conclusions about
the Kremlin's interference in the U.S. election.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I just want them to be sure. Because it's a pretty serious charge, and I want them to be sure. And
if you look at the weapons of mass destruction, that was a disaster, and they were wrong.
SERFATY: Trump referencing intelligence failures in the lead-up to the Iraq War to bolster his points and claiming to have inside information about the
hacking that he says he will reveal this week.
[08:25:27] TRUMP: I also know things that other people don't know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation.
SERFATY: Trump's defiance pitting him against the Obama administration and many of his fellow Republicans.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: When you attack a country, it's an act of war.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D), CALIFORNIA: If he's going to have any credibility as president, he needs to stop talking this way. He needs to stop denigrating
the intelligence community.
SERFATY: While speaking to reporters outside of his New Year's Eve party at Mar-a-Lago, Trump, a long time skeptic of e-mail, offered this advice.
TRUMP: You know, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way, because I'll tell you
what: no computer is safe.
SERFATY: Also on the president-elect's "to do" list this week: filling several open cabinet spots, including the secretaries of veterans affairs
and agriculture, and giving a deposition related to his legal battle with Chef Jose Andres.
JOSE ANDRES, CHEF: Apologize to every Latino, to every Mexican.
SERFATY: Trump is suing Andres after he pulled the plug on a restaurant at Trump's new hotel in Washington after the president- elect repeatedly
insulted Mexicans during the campaign.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SERFATY: And as Donald Trump works to fill out his cabinet, Democrats on Capitol Hill are threatening to drag out votes on the confirmation hearings
for some of these nominees, Kristie. They're saying that they have been slow to turn over the information that they would like -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Meanwhile, President Obama, we know that he has just a few weeks left to cement his legacy and Donald Trump is threatening to undo most of
it. How so?
SERFATY: That's right. This is really interesting to watch how these two men are certainly relating to each other in the final days. We saw
President Barack Obama really come out with a defense of his legacy over Twitter of all places, a series of tweets talking about progress that he
believes his administration made, and much can be read into why he did that, why he's giving this last big speech in Chicago scheduled now for
January 10, because point blank, members of the Trump transition team and Trump himself have really promised to undo a lot of things that President
Obama did over his years in office, most notably Obamacare that the president-elect has promised on day one in office that he will repeal
Obamacare.
Of course, the signature piece of legislation of President Obama's term in office focused on health care, and there's a lot of support for doing that
on Capitol Hill with Republicans. So it will be certainly interesting to see how quickly and how fast these things move in the day ahead on Capitol
Hill.
LU STOUT: Absolutely. Sunlen Serfaty reporting live from Washington. Thank you, Sunlen.
You're watching News Stream. And still to come on the program, Queen Elizabeth skips another holiday service. We'll have the latest on the
queen's health as she recovers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
[08:31:44] LU STOUT: Now, Trump has made no secret of the fact that he looks forward to working with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And after
his election victory, Mr. Putin and other leaders who have been at odds with the current U.S. president praised Trump
and expressed willingness to work with him.
Ivan Watson has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): In the aftermath of the election, messages of support come from presidents with
tough guy personas who have had tense relations with the U.S. The Russian president calls Trump a successful entrepreneur, a man who is, quote,
"probably clever." Turkey's president jumped to the President-elect support calling anti-Trump street protests, quote, "a disrespect to democracy." And
then there's the President of the Philippines who not long ago told President Obama he could go to hell.
PRES. RODRIGO DUTERTE, PHILIPPINES: I would like to congratulate President Trump. Mabuhay ka. Pareho tau, nagmumura. Konting rason lang mura kaagad,
ano? Parehong pareho kami.
WATSON: Why do these strong men seem to like Donald Trump?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would call it their capacity to provide simple answers to very complicated questions. That what we're seeing at the moment in the
world today is a lot of threats and crises and uncertainty, and what these leaders are providing is simplistic answers, black and white, close the
borders, no more foreigners.
WATSON: Vladimir Putin first came to power in 1999, delighting many Russians with his promise to hunt down and kill Chechen rebels in their
toilets. Turkey's fiery -- Erdogan inspires fervent pride among pious working class voters while often demonizing and persecuting his critics.
And in Europe, several far right politicians embrace Trump's tough talk on immigration and Islamist extremism hoping for their own Trump bump as they
compete for the top job in Dutch and French elections scheduled next year.
But not everyone welcomes this new hunger for nationalist politicians. Here in the tiny Eastern European country of Latvia, U.S. soldiers are training
alongside the Latvian military. It's part of an effort to better protect this NATO allies from its much bigger neighbor to the east. Latvia's former
Soviet ruler, Russia. With Trump so focused on making America great people here fear the U.S. will no longer protect them. The rise of nationalist
strong men leaves some of the little guys clearly worried.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Riga.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Another performer is refusing to sing at Donald Trump's inauguration. A member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir says she could never
sing for Trump and has quit the group entirely.
Jean Casarez has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[08:35:09] JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Marching bands from around the country are going to Washington for Donald Trump's
inaugural festivities. Forty organizations will be in the parade, 8,000 participants.
But tonight, a new controversy surrounding those performers. Jan Chamberlin, a four year member of Utah's Mormon Tabernacle Choir, a state
Trump won handily, has written a lengthy public Facebook posting that she is quitting the choir because it agreed to sing for the president-elect.
"It is with a sad and heavy heart that I submit my resignation to you and to choir. I simply cannot continue with the recent turn of events. I could
never look at myself in the mirror again with self respect. I also know looking from the outside in, it will appear that choir is endorsing tyranny
and fascism by singing for this man."
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir says the performance is voluntary and the choir's participation continues its long tradition of performing for U.S.
presidents of both parties at inaugurations and other settings.
Late Friday, Chamberlin responded to criticism.
JAN CHAMBERLIN, QUIT CHOIR OVER INAUGURATION PERFORMANCE: And I value the country we have the freedom of speech under the First Amendment. For me, this is not a political issue. For me, this is a moral issue, where I'm
concerned about our freedoms being in danger.
CASAREZ: This coming just days after it was announced the legendary New York City Rockettes would be performing at the inauguration. In an
interview with MarieClaire.com, one Rockette spoke out about the decision. "The majority of us said no immediately. Then, there's the percentage that
said yes, for whatever reason."
The dancers union ultimately deciding that participation in the inauguration will be voluntary. Madison Square Garden which employs the
dancers adding, "We have more Rockettes request to participate than we have slots available."
BORIS EPSHTEYN, DIR. OF COMMS., PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL COMMITTEE: It's not about the big names. It's about the American people. And that's who will be
represented all over this inaugural. And we've got such an outpouring of support of positivity from all over this country. It's been truly humbling.
CASAREZ: Jean Casarez, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. And still ahead in the program, the British monarch has had a heavy cold for days. An update on the queen.
We're live outside Buckingham Palace.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Welcome back.
Now Queen Elizabeth is still recovering from a heavy cold forcing her to miss a second holiday service. Now, she was unable to attend a New Year's
Day church service on Sunday after missing a service on Christmas Day.
Now, let's go to CNN's Phil Black now who is outside Buckingham Palace. And, Phil, there has been a lot of concern about the queen and her health.
What is known about her condition right now?
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, a lot of concern, Kristie, because the queen isn't getting to do the things she normally
considers so important this time of year. As you touched on, getting to church over the holiday period.
It's an important role for the queen, because she is the head of the Church of England, and she
rarely misses these church services. Now, because of this concern, and perhaps because the potential for speculation or even exaggeration about
the queen's condition, Buckingham Palace, her advisers, are keen to let everyone know that the 90-year-old monarch is doing OK.
They say she is recovering. It is the same lingering, difficult, persistent cold that she's been dealing with for some time, but she is
indoors. She is up and about. And she is working. She's still essentially performing her role as the British head of state by receiving
and staying on top of the documents, the briefing papers that she receives regularly from government. She's just staying indoors as a precaution
really.
We'll get a sense of just what the queen's recovery is like going forward, because she is due to
attend church again this coming weekend, once again near her estate at Sandringham, where she is due to spend the rest of the month.
This is traditionally a period of personal time for the queen when she gets to spend time with
family. She gets to enjoy the majestic grounds of the Sandringham estate and catch up on a bit of rest, but at the moment we are told it is all
about recovering, getting over this nasty persistent cold. But she is, we are told, battling through it.
[08:41:10] LU STOUT: All right. So the queen is working at home as a precaution, and she is, you know, at 90 years of age, she has maintained
this very busy and public profile. Just give us an idea of her schedule and her commitments.
BLACK: Well, she is famously busy, and famously committed to doing her duty as queen, and
it's a big part of why the British people have so much regard for her as well. And it is on the one hand why people are genuinely concerned when
they hear she is not well, but why they also believe in ability to soldier on through and recover.
So I -- I think a lot of people are genuinely gratified to know that it is a cold and they do have a very strong belief in the queen's ability to
soldier on through it and get back to doing her duties as soon as possible, if you like.
But as I say, this period of the year is generally a time for her and her family. There's a lot a lot of public duties for her to perform apart from
these regular church services. This is when we tend to see her over the Christmas/New Year period. It is a traditional sight, and many British
people will be hoping that she does return to public view by attending the next scheduled
church service this coming Sunday.
LU STOUT: Absolutely. Phil Black reporting live for us from London. Thank you, Phil.
And before we go, I want to take a moment to remember this man, Tyrus Wong, a pioneering artist who redefined animation art and as a migrant who defied
the odds and made his mark in America.
Now, Wong is best known for his work in the 1942 Disney film Bambi. In a series of sketches he invoke the atmospheric quality of Chinese ink art to
create exquisite paintings of the forest. And Walt Disney was so impressed he made them the basis of Bambi's unique visual style.
Now, Wong was born in Guangzhou, China in 1910. He then left for California with his father when he was 9 years old. He passed away on
Friday at the age of 106.
And that is is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. And World Sport with Christina Macfarlane is next.
END