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Kim Jong-un's Half-Brother Found Dead in Malaysian Airport; Michael Flynn to Step Down as National Security Adviser; Thai Beauty Company Hopes to Build Global Brand. 8:00-9:00a ET

Aired February 14, 2017 - 08:00:00   ET

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


[08:00:16] JONATHAN MANN, HOST: Hello. I'm Jonathan Mann at CNN Center. Welcome to News Stream.

There is turbulence at the highest levels of the Trump administration. The president's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has stepped down less

than a month into his tenure. He's accused of inappropriately discussing sanctions with Russia's ambassador before Mr. Trump took office, a breach

of protocol that may have been illegal then misleading White House officials about those conversations.

And now there are reports the White House had been warned Flynn was vulnerable to potential blackmail by Russia.

CNN's Joe Johns has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Trump's embattled national security adviser, General Michael Flynn, stepping down Monday

night in a firestorm of criticism after misleading Vice President Mike Pence and others about his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the

United States.

An official telling CNN the Justice Department warned the White House last month that Flynn discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador in

December, before Trump was sworn in, despite repeated denials, a move that could have broken the law. Acting Attorney General Sally Yates informed the

Trump administration prior to being fired that General Flynn was vulnerable to potential blackmail.

In his resignation letter, Flynn conceding that he inadvertently briefed the vice-president elect and others with incomplete information but falling

short of admitting he lied, despite reporting by "The Washington Post" that the sanctions on Russia were a main topic of conversation between Flynn and

the ambassador.

ADAM ENTOUS, NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER, "WASHINGTON POST" (via phone): According to two officials that we spoke to who have been briefed on this,

it was, as they described it, a main topic of the discussion. It wasn't something that Kislyak maybe threw out at the end or anything like that.

JOHNS: With pressure mounting on the White House on Monday afternoon, counselor Kellyanne Conway said the president supported Flynn.

KELLYANNE CONWAY, COUNSELOR TO DONALD TRUMP: General Flynn does enjoy the full confidence of the president.

JOHNS: An hour later, a different message from the White House press secretary: the president was "evaluating the situation." President Trump

refusing to answer questions...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have confidence in Michael Flynn, Mr. President?

JOHNS: ... about his controversial adviser.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What exactly will you be evaluating with Michael Flynn?

JOHNS: We still don't know what the president knew and when he knew it. In a statement, Democrat Adam Schiff accusing the administration of not being

forthcoming "about who was aware of Flynn's conversations with the ambassador and whether he was acting on the instructions of the president

or any other officials, or with their knowledge."

Democrats now calling for an immediate classified briefing into the situation, writing, "We in Congress need to know who authorized his

actions, permitted them and continued to let him have access to our most sensitive national security information despite knowing these risks."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MANN: That was CNN's Joe Johns reporting.

Let's bring in CNN's Ryan Browne from Washington.

Ryan, it's just past 8:00 in the morning there. Still pretty early. But I'm just wondering, is anyone in the administration talking? Is the

president talking, or tweeting for that matter?

RYAN BROWNE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we have not heard from the president directly yet. Kellyanne Conway, of course, the White House counselor, has

appeared on a few shows this morning, conducting a few interviews saying that this decision to resign was Michael Flynn's alone, although they did

say that the notion that he might have misled or mischaracterized his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the vice president is

definitely something that kind of led to reaching this point.

So, we're not hearing a whole lot, but we are beginning to hear a couple explanations from this administration in these early hours of the day

after.

MANN: How important a figure was he in the administration? How big a setback is it?

BROWNE: Well, it's a pretty big setback. Of course, you know, Donald Trump ahs been reported that he is not necessarily been that involved with

some of his intelligence briefings. He's been very reliant upon General Flynn, the former director of the defense intelligence agencies to kind of

be this conduit for information, for intelligence, for security issues, as well as the team was very much in the building stages. There were still

very much bringing in policy experts to the national security council staff. Experts on things like ISIS, on North Korea.

Flynn was building a team with a lot of his former deputies, people he had worked with while he was in the military. So he was putting his own stamp

on it. So removing him in this early stage will definitely affect the ability to build this team going forward.

That being said, he's currently - the acting national security adviser is retired General Keith Kellogg who was the national security council chief

of staff, so they are having a little bit of continuity there, at least in the short-term.

MANN: Now, you say the National Security Council, under the Trump administration was in the building stages. There are media accounts that

suggest it was really - it was riven with dissent and disorganization, that it was not in a good way even before this. What can you tell us?

[08:05:13] BROWNE: Well, that's right. And, you know, the national security council is a mix. You have professional staffers that come from

the various agencies, from the Department of Defense, the State Department, the intelligence agencies, and you kind of mix them in with political

appointees. And, you know, usually there are always going to be from one administration to the next, some headaches, some hiccups.

You know, the professional staffers clashing a little bit with the political appointees.

We were hearing reports of this going on. You know, one thing that was kind of reported out was this notion that this is a kind of unprecedented

issue with a president tweeting a national security or a foreign policy issue out in the early hours of the morning and then the staff kind of

having to scramble to respond. So you were seeing a little bit of that difficulty in adjusting to this kind of new pace, this new attitude of this

current administration.

MANN: And now a much bigger adjustment ahead. Ryan Browne in Washington. Thanks very much.

BROWNE: You bet.

MANN: The Kremlin has said it will not comment on the resignation. But some Russian (inaudible) are speaking out saying that it's about more than

just the national security adviser.

Let's bring in CNN senior international correspondent Matthew Chance in Moscow. And Matthew, Russia, Moscow, the Kremlin is at the very center of

the narrative that's emerging and the crisis in the administration. What are they saying there?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're trying to be as tight-lipped as possible. I mean, all along they've been playing

along with the White House denials, that the issue of sanctions was never raised in the conversation between Michael Flynn and the Russian ambassador

to the United States, Sergey Kisylak. That now appears to be untrue, given the resignation of General Flynn.

But, you know - and it's obviously left the Kremlin with egg on its face and a little bit embarrassed, I suspect, although it's not showing it, that

it's been categorically denying this, you know, time and again. It denied it again just a few hours ago when we last spoke to the Kremlin.

I think the big concern at the moment is what does this mean for U.S. policy towards Russia? Because clearly there are critics of Donald Trump

in the Democratic Party and in the Republican Party who are gunning for him, gunning for those around him who they believe have sympathies towards

Russia.

And the concern in Russia is what will the response of the Trump administration be facing that kind of political pressure, which is very

real? Is he going to change his mind, opportunistically, perhaps, and do a policy U-turn and perhaps be a bit more hawkish when it comes to Russia.

So, that's something that Russian officials are concerned about. You mentioned some tweets from Russian officials, let's talk about one, Alexei

Pushkov, who is a senior Russian lawmaker, saying this, that the target is not Flynn, he says, it's the relationship with Russia. So, talking again

to that idea Flynn was just a pawn in this.

The real target of the critics of the Trump administration is to derail President Trump's efforts as they see them to build a better relationship

with Moscow. And so that's the concern in Moscow that the high hopes they had of a better relationship with Washington could be dashed because of the

internal politics of Washington.

MANN: I wonder if you could help us with a reality check on this. Part of the reason that Flynn was in such hot water was the suspicion, the fear by

the Justice Department at least, and reportedly by the CIA and the FBI as well, that he could be the victim of a Russian blackmail attempt, at least

because of these conversations with the ambassador to Washington, perhaps for some other reason as well.

You're in Moscow. Does that look like some strange paranoid fear, or does it seem like it's in the realm of possibility?

CHANCE: Well, I mean, I suppose it's within the realm of possibility in the sense that if there was a conversation, it seems likely now about

sanctions, that may have given the Kremlin some leverage over Michael Flynn in the future to say, look, you know, we could tell your bosses that we did

actually speak about sanctions, certainly, unless you do what we say.

But equally, I mean, it could just be a case where the Kremlin, you know, went along - as I say, went along with the White House denials for the

simple puropose of trying to curry favor with the new Trump administration. You know, the Trump administration was denying sanctions were talked about.

So, maybe the Russians just went along with it.

So, it doesn't necessarily mean that blackmail was at the heart of this, although of course this is one speculation that's been raised in the United

States.

MANN: Mathew Chance in Moscow. Thanks very much.

The Flynn resignation isn't the only sign of turmoil inside the White House these days. For more, we bring in our chief international - or chief

political correspondent Dana Bash from Washington.

Dana, I mean, how would you describe it? Is it an embarrassment? Is it a setback? Is it a scandal? What are we to make of this?

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's definitely an embarrassment. It's definitely a setback. And it's potentially a scandal.

We don't know how far and how deep this goes. And when I say this, It's what you were just talking about with Matthew.

The question of whether or not it's what White House aides are telling us, that the reason Michael Flynn was told - was shown the door is because he

either didn't remember what he - what happened on that phone call with the Russian ambassador, or he actually didn't tell the truth to the vice

president of the United States. And either scenario was untenable.

OK, that's legitimate.

But then you have to go one, two, three layers deeper into the question of, OK, if he was talking about sanctions with the Russian ambassador before

the President Trump was inaugurated, what was he saying about the sanctions? Was he promising anything? Was it just generic, or was he

saying something that could get him as the now former acting attorney general told the White House in trouble to the point where he could be

compromised.

Those are questions that we don't know the answer to and then if you take it even deeper, or maybe the better way to say it is even broader, how does

this relate, or does it relate, to allegations that the Russians tried to change the results of America's elections, allegations that Republicans and

Democrats alike feel are justified and that there's evidence from the intelligence community that that is accurate.

So, there's so many things to be looking at beyond the resignation, which is embarrassing and, you know, kind of a sign of turmoil of the president's

national security adviser three weeks into his White House.

[08:11:52] MANN: And I'm wondering, you know, in your list of all of the different implications you left out the president just a few days ago, the

president said he wasn't aware of this when he was asked by reporters on Air Force One. And yet the reporting is very clearly that at least some of

his closest aides were warned a month ago.

Was the president really potentially not aware of something like this, or was he, like Michael Flynn, being less than forthcoming about what he did

know?

BASH: That's an excellent question. We don't know the answer to that.

And what you're talking about is the fact that, as I mentioned, the former acting attorney general reaching out to the White House counsel, Don

McGahn, saying we think that General Flynn could be compromised. Was the president informed by Don McGahn who is somebody who has been a lawyer to

the president or a very long time? They have a close relationship? Or did Don McGahn not tell the president in order to give him deniability for a

moment just like we saw on Friday.

We don't know. In either scenario, you know, it's probably not the greatest thing to, let's say, he didn't tell the president.

To not inform the president that the national security adviser that you have sitting in on your phone calls, sitting in on your meetings with world

leaders, sitting in on national security meetings, is potentially compromised. I mean, that is just not something that is tenable.

So, you know, those are all very good and very, very important questions.

MANN: How much does this episode, the furor over the travel ban, the court battle, the national protest, the slow pace of nominations, the anger that

a lot of people are feeling about some of the nominee in particular, how much is this derailing the Trump presidency's agenda?

BASH: Well, certainly it's slowing it down. There's no question. But I think the thing that is important to keep in mind is that when we talk

about just even, especially on the domestic front. You talk about the Trump presidency's agenda. A lot of that is being crafted, and will

continue to be crafted, by Republicans who lead the United States congress, which is why they argue that they keep their heads down and try not to

answer to what some call the noise of the Trump presidency.

But that's not so easy when you have the president's national security adviser resigning and of course all of the tumult, as you mentioned, with

the travel ban.

It is not so easy. And then on the international front, you know, even the most fundamental questions of what the president's policy is, what the

president's position is on questions of the Middle East, on questions of Russia, in particular, it's not well fleshed out. We don't exactly know

where he is going to go with that. And, you know, in part it's because he's still trying to get his cabinet up and running, but in part it's

because he came in more of a blank slate than other presidents that we've seen in the past.

And it's trying to be worked out. And the guy who was supposed to be kind of gatekeeper for that is now gone.

[08:15:08] MANN: And his poll numbers are down as well. I mean, when you add it all up, how much trouble is this presidency in?

BASH: Well, it certainly hasn't been this smoothest of starts, to say the least. How much trouble? I think it's too early to quantify that and to

actually give a real answer to that, because it depends how you measure it.

If you measure it by scandal, if you measure it by, you know, potential legal issues, it, then, you know, he could be in trouble.

If you measure it by keeping his promises to do the things that he said he was going to do, maybe not so much, because remember there are a lot of

Americans who are cheering him on, who voted for him to do things like the travel ban, who voted for him to say I'm going to build this wall between

the United States and Mexico and I want to keep it going.

To them, there's - you know, it might be bumpy, but they're happy that he's keeping his promises.

So, you know, it depends on where you look at it. I think the best thing to do and maybe the most - the easiest way that we're going to be able to

quantify the answer to that question, John, is by members of congress, especially in the house. Most of them are in very red, very Republican -

meaning very Trump districts. And when that starts to crack, if that starts to crack, that will be the answer to whether or not he's in trouble.

MANN: Our chief political correspondent Dana Bash. Thanks so much.

BASH: Thank you.

MANN: Well, one more glimpse of the problems the White House is facing, criticism over its security. President Trump was notified of the North

Korean missile test while he was at dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abo.

Have a look, though, at the scene. This is the dinner. Take a look. A few issues are being raised here. Photos taken by nearby diners show aides

pointing the flashlight on their phones at national security documents. This is, of course, in a public setting at Mar-a-Lago, the president's

personal resort.

Smartphones, of course, have cameras located near the flashlight, so if one of those phones was compromised, hackers would have had a very well-lit

view of those documents.

Then, another problem, the conversation about the North Korean missile launches happened at Mar-a-Lago, a country club, with a lot of civilians

nearby who also took pictures.

President's always travel with what's called a SCIF, which stands for Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, essentially it's a small

tent-like structure that could be set up anywhere, and it keeps phone calls from being bugged.

We didn't see one there.

There are also more securely built versions like this one, but you didn't see one there.

Sunday's Norht Korean missile test poses a challenge for the Trump administration. A CNN crew is now in North Korea in the capital Pyongyang.

A fresh report coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:20:06] MANN: Welcome back.

Returning now to our top story: the resignation of one of President Trump's closest aides. Michael Flynn stepped down as National Security Adviser

late Monday, accused of discussing sanctions with the Russian ambassador before President Trump took office, a breach of protocol that may have been

illegal. It's understood General Flynn, then, misled the vice president and other officials about those conversations. And now we're learning the

Justice Department warned the White House last month.

All of that could make Flynn vulnerable to Russian blackmail. We'll have more on this later in the program.

The Trump administration is also faced with its first major foreign policy challenge: North Korea's latest missile launch. Our Will Ripley is in the

capital, Pyongyang, he spoke with me earlier just moments after arriving.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We just arrived here, John, and we still don't have internet access where we've literally just walked through the

door here at the (inaudible) hotel in Pyongyang. But as I was walking through the hotel lobby, the evening news came on, the propaganda broadcast

that happens every evening here in North Korea and the source of information for most of the 24 million people who live here when they're

able to watch television and the lights are on. And what we saw was what I believed to be, and I don't know if you have this - headquarters yet, but

the first images of this medium range ballistic missile, the Puqpuq Song II (ph), which was test-fired. they showed images of the North Koean leader

Kim Jong-un standing next to a very large mobile missile launcher. They showed it rolling through what looked like a flat area with some hills.

And then you see - you saw in the video the missile launcher aiming towards the sky and then you see Kim Jong-un apparently in some sort of observation

deck giving the order and it fired.

And analysts in South Korea say it traveled about 300 miles, but they believe that had it been fired at a different angle, it could have gone up

to four times further, more than 2,000 kilometers or so.

And so this is a troubling development for people who are watching North Korea's weapons program, because this, according to the North Koreans and

analysts in the south was a solid fuel missile, which means it can be fueled up very quickly. It doesn't require a lot of preparation work and

it can be launched essentially in a surprise attack. And of course, North Korea's goal is to put a nuclear-tipped warhead on top of one of these

things.

But as I say this, and we've only been in the hotel for a few minutes, Jonathan, we've lost power here at least four times since I've arrived. In

fact, the lights just went out again. And so this is a country that is spending a considerable amount of its resources on developing this kind of

weaponry and yet they can't keep the lights on consistently for the people who live here.

MANN: And what's striking about this is that it's had more than it's share of failures with its missile program. This one by all accounts seems to

have been successful. And as you tell us, represents a real step forward in the technology.

RIPLEY: Sure. I mean, when you compare this to the technology of countries like the United States, or China, or Russia, that have far more

sophisticated weaponry, these types of missiles are less accurate. They can't go as far, but, yes, what is so striking is that despite tremendous

sanctions, and talk now of another round of sanctions, this is a country that has been heavily sanctioned since the nuclear test back in 2006, more

than a decade of sanctions has not even slowed their weapons program. In fact, it continues to accelerate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MANN: Will Ripley in Pyongyang.

Here in the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security says it's made nearly 700 arrests in a series of immigration enforcement operations across the

country. The department insists the operations were routine and most of the people arrested were criminals, but critics say the raids target

undocumented immigrants and spark fear in the community.

That, along with President Trump's temporary travel ban, is driving asylum seekers across the U.S. border, only this time they're headed north for

Canada. And as Sara Sidner reports, the journey can be dangerous.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the middle of the night, this is when refugees are choosing to try and escape the U.S. to Canada. Just behind me

is Minnesota. To the left of me is North Dakota. And this is Emerson, Canada. It's pretty easy to cross here. There's not much to stop you,

except for the snow.

Men, women and children, picked up in the middle of the night, in the dead of winter looking for refuge after being denied in the U.S. This is the

latest wave of asylum sneakers who have snuck across the United States border, not trying to get into the U.S., but trying to get out.

Destination, Canada. These four men were among them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What was it like trying to get here?

HUSSEIN AHMED, SOMALI ASYLUM SEEKER: I can't believe now speaking to you that I'm alive. I was almost dead to be freezing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was very, very difficult.

[08:25:01] SIDNER: At one point, they all thought they were going to freeze to death. This is an easy entry way into Canada, because this is a

decommissioned border crossing. This is actually one of the routes. People were walking in knee-deep snow in subzero temperatures for hours. And they

did it all in the dead of winter, in a panic, for one reason.

AHMED: Donald Trump was elected, so, I fear I will not have an opportunity to be granted and to live as an asylum or refugee in the United States

because Donald Trump hates the refugee.

MOHAMED HOSSAIN, SOMALI ASYLUM SEEKER: They don't want immigrants, especially from my country, Somalia, they ban.

SIDNER: How many of you left the United States because of Donald Trump's executive order? All of you.

All of them ended up stumbling into the small border town of Emerson, Canada. And calling 911. Here, border jumpers are nothing new but the

numbers coming over are.

BRENDA PIETT, CANADA RESIDENT: I guess it started with a trickle. And now, it's increased to like a flood stage.

SIDNER: We witnessed 21 people, including an entire family, come into Canada near Emerson in just 24 hours. The mayor of Emerson says he feels

for the asylum seekers. But he's also worried about the safety of his town.

Are you worried about terrorism? Are you worried about the people coming across the border?

GREG JANZEN, MAYOR OF EMERSON CANADA: Well, I mean, that's always in the back of your mind. When you're getting these people coming across, for one

thing, they're breaking the law when they jump the border. So, right away, they're criminals.

SIDNER: Not everyone we saw was from the list of banned countries. But they all had their reasons for making the journey. Saidu is from Ghana.

SAIDU MOHAMMED, GHANIAN ASYLUM SEEKER: Right now, I'm wanted in my country.

SIDNER: Wanted, he says, for the crime of being gay. What would they do if they caught you?

MOHAMMED: I would be -- if they didn't kill me, I would go to jail.

SIDNER: Tell me how this happened to you. How did you lose your fingers? They had never heard of frostbite until all of their fingers had to be

amputated, save one thumb. When asked if it was worth it, they said they have no choice.

RAZAK LOYAL, GHANIAN ASYLUM SEEKER: We feel like we are home. And the Canadian people, open their hearts for us.

SIDNER: But even though two men from Ghana, who lost their fingers except for one thumb, they have no guaranty that they will be given refugee status

here in Canada. But more people keep coming and hoping.

Sara Sidner, CNN, Emerson, Canada.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MANN: And a footnote to add, judges on opposite ends of the U.S. handed the Trump administration new legal defeats over its temporary travel ban.

A district judge in Washington State denied the government's request to postpone proceedings. The Justice Department had asked for the delay

because an appeals court could possibly reinstate the ban.

Meanwhile, in the state of Virginia, a federal judge barred the government from enforcing parts of the travel ban as well. A nationwide suspension of

the ban has been in place and remains. It's been more than a week.

This is News Stream, coming up, turmoil in the Trump White House. The U.S. president looking for a new National Security Adviser after Michael Flynn

steps down. Coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:31:51] MANN: Well, as we've been reporting. The day ahead could be a rocky one for Donald Trump dealing with the fallout from the departure of

national security adviser Michael Flynn. And he has to fill that important spot again. You heard CNN's Joe Johns report earlier in the program, he

joins us live from the White House with more.

Joe, what are they saying at the White House?

JOHNS: Well, Kellyanne Conway, the presidential adviser, Jonathan, has been out on some of the morning shows and one one of the things she's

saying is that in their view this man, Michael Flynn, misled the vice- president in his communications, suggesting he hadn't had a conversation with the Russian ambassador when later it turned out, yes, he had had quite

a conversation about sanctions and that apparently that conversation had been mostly about sanctions.

So, they're using the word misled, which suggests intent. And they're also saying that it was Michael Flynn's decision to stop, because frankly he'd

been become untenable if he'd stayed in the job.

So, that's the message from the White House, a million unanswered questions, including what did the president know and when did he know it,

John.

MANN: One of the startling things about this, in addition to what you've mentioned, is that the U.S. Justice Department told the Trump people that

not only Michael Flynn had these conversations, but they believed he might be vulnerable to blackmail from Russia. Apparently that didn't figure into

the administration's calculation, he stayed in his job.

But I'm just curious, do we know if that was the only reason the Justice Department thought he might be vulnerable to blackmail? Was it simply the

conversations with the Russian ambassador that were at issue?

JOHNS: We don't know for sure. But the simple answer is it's our understanding right now that the belief about blackmail was based on the

fact that he'd had these backdoor communications with Russia. Nothing more than that. And as you mentioned, it was Sally Yates, the acting attorney

general who also had one of the toughest jobs in DOJ. Before that, she was the DAG, or deputy attorney general who had to make a number of tough calls

over there. And she made the call that this information had to be relayed over to the White House to protect the executive that Flynn had had these

conversations.

So, we think that's the gist of it, at least that's what we think today.

MANN: Now, all of this is going on against the backdrop of a much bigger picture of Russian hacking during the election campaign, of the Russian

effort to try and hurt the Clinton campaign and help the Trump candidacy. These questions have already been the subject of investigations, where do

things stand? How many different parts of the government are trying to figure out exactly what was happening?

JOHNS: There are a lot of different investigations. There's a joint counter-intelligence investigation into the Trump contacts with Russia, and

that involves a number of agencies, an alphabet soup, you might say. It's got Treasury, the intelligence community is involved, the Justice

Department, the FBI, and others looking sort of into the broad picture.

We're also told there is an army investigation into Michael Flynn himself. And the FBI, we're told, has on its own been looking at Michael Flynn's

telephone calls. That doesn't count any inspector general investigations or others who simply haven't been disclosed.

A lot of people looking at this in Washington, and have been for awhile, quite frankly.

[08:35:34] MANN: Joe Johns at the White House. Thanks very much.

What about the congress? Well, Donald Trump is a Republican president. And there are Republican majorities in both the Senate and the House of

Representatives. In the last hour, CNN spoke to U.S. Republican Senator John Thune about Flynn's departure. He told our colleague Alisyn

Camorata,it's time to move on and focus on keeping the country safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN THUNE, (R) SOUTH DAKOTA: Well, obviously I'd be very concerned if there weren't - if information that was pertinent to America's national

security interests wasn't being shared with the appropriate people at the White House. And again that's why I think this step was an important one.

They made a move and they made a very decisive move. And, you know, hopefully we'll get more information about the questions that you're

asking, and those are the questions that have to be answered by the White House.

But my concern is, broader concern, is America's national security interests and the steps that we're taking to ensure that we're protecting

Americans. And I think what hopefully comes out of this is a renewed focus on that.

And, again, Russia is a part of that. And I'm one of many members of congress who believe that we need to take strong consequential actions

where the Russians are concerned, to send a very clear message that we're not going to abide or tolerate this kind of behavior.

ALISYN CAMORATA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, in other words, if the president did know back at the end of last month when the acting Attorney General

Sally Yates says she informed the White House, is it fair to say that you think he should have acted sooner in getting rid of Michael Flynn?

THUNE: Well, again, I'm just not privy to those conversations. I don't know the questions that you're answering are all - or asking, are all

questions that have to be answered by the White House. You know, obviously they made a decision. I think the decision it happened very quickly,

yesterday, in response to information that they received and information I think that Vice President Pence had received in briefings with General

Flynn. And I think it was an appropriate action to take. I think it was the right thing for the general to resign. It was the right thing for the

president to accept his resignation. And now they've got to, you know, an important decision to make about who replaces him. And also what we're

going to do to keep the country safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANN: John Thune.

Still ahead on News Stream. A Thai company that's hoping to become a global name. Waht the founder says is at the heart of his expanding beauty

product line.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MANN: Welcome back.

A company in Thailand is building an international reputation with its premium personal care products. As our Saima Mohsin reports, the business

emphasizes Thai heritage and organic ingredients.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tradition is also at the heart of the organic lifestyle brand, Panpuri.

I'm meeting up with Vorravit Siripark who started the business at the age of 28. At the beginning, he secured partnerships with hotel spas in both

Asia and Europe to carry his line of luxury skincare and aroma therapy products.

Tradition plays a really big part in Panpuri and your story including making things with your grandmother when you were a child.

[08:40:24] VORRAVIT SIRIPARK, PANPURI FOUNDER: Yes. She would teach me how to make jasmine scented water. We would go to her garden and we would

pick jasmine, you know, floral buds. So jasmine always a special meaning to me. And for Panpuri, we use jasmine a lot.

MOHSIN: And now you mentioned picking the flowers yourself. Organic products are very important to Panpuri, aren't they?

SIRIPARK: Organic is very important to us, and personally because I'm allergic to chemical ingredients and I always seek for natural, organic

products. And I believe we are one of the first brands in Thailand to use organic ingredients in cosmetics. And that's because it's gentle for your

skin. It's also good for the environment.

MOHSIN: But it's not just about organic ingredients, Vorravit says eco- friendly packaging is important to him. The brand utilizes chlorine free paper and soy ink. And his in-house design team carefully considers the

message sent to those boxes.

SIRIPARK: It's important now for niche brands like us as well to hit that balance between being global, but still conveying the heritage of being

Thai.

One of the challenges, I think, is really playing on the strength of Thailand being a hub for (inaudible). How we redefine it so that it's seen

in the modern way.

MOHSIN: Another evolution in the brand is in the works, including a cleaner aesthetic. Panpuri is currently sold in 20 countries. It's

planning to open another flagship store in Tokyo this year.

And what's your vision for the future for growing a Thai brand on the international market?

SIRIPARK: A want Panpuri to be a reference brand on a global scale and that when people think of organic and natural products from the east, they

will think of Panpuri as a month first brand that comes to their mind.

So, we have a lot of work to do. We've come quite a way in about 14 years. And we still have a long way to go. And I'm very excited to be on this

journey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MANN: We have breaking news. Malaysian police say Kim Jong-nam, the half- brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has died in Malaysia.

For more, we go to Seoul. Paula Hancocks is there.

How much do we know?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jonathan, at this point we have confirmation from the (inaudible) state criminal

investigations department chief. He says that Kim Jong-un's half-brother, the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un's half-brother, died on Monday after

he fell ill at the Kuala Lumpur international airport in Malaysia. They - the Malaysian police are classifying this incident as a, quote, sudden

death according to this particular source. And they say that this is pending results of a post mortum investigation.

Now, we understand from this police chief that the deceased was trying to leave the country and was at the airport. He approached one of the airline

counters asking for help as he was feeling unwell, they say. An ambulance was called. But then according to the police chief the deceased actually

passed away whilst in that ambulance on the way to a hospital.

Now, another police source has confirmed that this was, in fact, Kim Jong- nam, the half-brother of Kim Jong-un. He has been in exile from North Korea for many years. And this is the latest information that we have at

this point out of Malaysia, Jonathan.

MANN: Now, you say he's been in exile. Media accounts suggest he was in Malaysia because he feared for his life and had for years.

HANCOCKS: Well, this Kim Jong-nam, he was originally, by many North Korean observers, assumed to be the heir apparent to Kim Jong-il, the former - the

late leader of North Korea. He's the eldest son of Kim Jong-il, so he's the current leaders' eldest brother, the half-brother. He was believed to

be the heir apparent. There was an incident back in 2001 when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a fake passport. It was reported at that

point, and he has confirmed in interviews since, that he was trying to get to Tokyo Disneyland. And it is assumed by many North Korean observers at

that point, but that he fell out of favor with the family.

We know that he has been in Japan - sorry, in China for many years. He had been seen many times in Macao. He actually wrote a book about his

experiences alongside a Japanese journalist who helped him pen that book, talking about his Chinese bodyguards. He appeared to be understanding, but

that he was certainly a target in some way - John.

MANN: Paula Hancocks in Seoul.

And one again, if you're just joining us, Kim Jong-nam is dead in Malaysia. Police are investigating. He was the older half-brother of North Korean

leader Kim Jong-un.

Well, have more details as they come in. For now, that's News Stream. I'm Jonathan Mann. We'll be right back.

END