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No Budget Compromise Reached In Latest Meetings; Trump Considers National Emergency For Wall Funding; Bolton Tries To Reassure U.S. Allies On Syria Exit; Saudi Teen Says She's Being Held In Thai Airport After Trying To Flee Her Abusive Family; Indian Women Who Defied Shrine Taboo Speak Out; President Defends Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan; U.S. Congresswoman Wants to Challenge the Establishment; U.S. and China Try to Hammer Out a Trade Deal; U.K. PM Warns Parliament about Voting against Deal; The Best in TV and Movies Honored in Hollywood. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired January 7, 2019 - 01:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:00] NATALIE ALLEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Almost one million Americans are without their paychecks and the U.S. President says he can relate to furloughed workers as lawmakers fail again on a deal to reopen the government.

A Saudi teen who says she's fleeing abusive family claims she's being held at a Thai airport and fears she'll be deported. We talked with the human rights advocate who has been in touch with her. Plus, it was a night of surprises at the Golden Globes. We have all the winners and losers from the first major award show of the Hollywood season.

Hello, every one. Thanks for so much for joining us. I'm Natalie Allen in Atlanta and CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

Yet again, the government shut down our top story. The partial shutdown is now in its third week and another day of meeting has ended in Washington with zero real results. President Trump is not backing down on his demand for more than $5 billion for a southern border wall and he believes he can bypass Congress if needed to get the funding.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I may declare a national emergency depending on what happens the next few days

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Lot to debate about declaring a national emergency. We get more from Boris Sanchez from the U.S. capital.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As has been the case for several days during meetings between top administration officials and lawmakers to reopen the federal government and potentially fund some sort of border barrier between the United States and Mexico that President Trump has been promising, we're hearing two different sides about what happened during these negotiations.

On one hand, you have President Trump tweeting out this meeting was productive, on the other hand, we're hearing multiple accounts from people behind those closed doors that things did not go all that well. One source telling CNN that Republicans presented to Democrats the justification for spending $5.7 billion on the President's long- promised border wall.

According to one Democratic source, they felt that presentation was incomplete. Democrats on their end according to sources have continuously suggested that first the federal government should be reopened before any negotiations over in an actual border wall could be had. The President in the meantime has continued suggesting a drastic option. He has said that he's seriously considering declaring a national emergency to get the funds necessary to build his border wall.

I asked the President about that on Sunday as he returned from a retreat at Camp David. Listen to his justification.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're looking at a national emergency because we have a national emergency. Just read the papers. We have a crisis at the border of drugs, of human beings being trafficked all over the world. They're coming through. And we have an absolute crisis and of criminals and gang members coming through. It is national security. It's a national emergency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: I followed up in asking President Trump if he had a specific deadline or something specific that he would have to see during these talks to then trigger his announcement as a national emergency, his declaration. He didn't answer. He said we'd have to wait and see. We'll tell you soon.

The President also made a statement that made waves suggesting that he had given up on the idea of a concrete barrier between the United States and Mexico saying that now it will be steel, a steel barrier between the two nations, suggesting that Democrats don't like concrete. Boris Sanchez, CNN at the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: So hundreds of thousands of government employees are now going without pay, and for many of them difficult financial choices are ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREA POPELKA, FURLOUGHED WORKER: When something like this happens and you're not going to get your next check, it's like OK, what do I do? I'll have to make a choice between you know, paying my utilities or going and buying groceries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: And then there is the growing financial impact of the administration's trade war with China.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN DUNCAN, VICE PRESIDENT, ILLINOIS FARM BUREAU: I do think the President is in danger of losing a significant part of his base if the economic woes continue out here. If there is no result of these trade disputes. My fear is and what we'll be watching in 2020 is are we bleeding for territory we already had. We're shedding significant economic blood out here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Congress is getting a look at just how much money the Trump administration wants for the border wall. The Acting Budget Director outlined some of the new requests. And keep in mind this is on top of what's already in the Senate's budget bill. They want $5.7 billion for what they call a steel barrier on the border. $800 million for "urgent humanitarian needs" like enhanced medical support and more facilities for processing migrants and keeping them in short-term custody. And $798 million for more detention beds or migrants and $571 million for additional 2,000 law enforcement personnel.

The Trump Administration keeps linking border security and a wall to stopping terrorists. The White House Press Secretary was challenged on that issue Sunday by Chris Wallace at Fox News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[01:05:39] SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, PRESS SECRETARY, WHITE HOUSE: We know that roughly -- nearly 4,000 known or suspected terrorists come into our country illegally and we know that our most vulnerable point is at our Southern Border.

CHRIS WALLACE, ANCHOR, FOX NEWS CHANNEL: Wait, wait, wait. I know this statistic. I didn't know if everybody use it but I studied up on this. Do you know where those 4,000 people come or where they're captured? Airports.

SANDERS: Not always.

WALLACE: The State Department says there hasn't been any terrorists that they found coming across the Southern Border from Mexico.

SANDERS: Well, it's by air, it's by land, and it's by sea. It's all the above.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: To talk more about this, I'm joined by Steve Vladeck, a CNN Contributor and law professor at the University of Texas. Steve is an expert on national security law. So I think you're the person to talk with, Steve. How are you doing? Thanks for coming on.

STEVE VLADECK, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Thanks for having me, Natalie.

ALLEN: Well, this is the week that paychecks should be going out to federal workers and they won't. So the pain is going to kick in. And with no end in sight for the political impasse, is the national emergency route a logical path for the President to explore for his wall?

VLADECK: The short answer is not really. You know, I think it's one of those clever lawyerly arguments about how President Trump might be able to find legal authority to build the wall even without any new appropriated money from Congress. But the irony of all that is if that were true, why hasn't he done it already.

I think what really goes to show is that the wall is really about the wall. The wall is about a wedge for President Trump where it's actually perhaps even more important for him to have the issue than to have some kind of possible legal solution however obscure and potentially controversial it might be.

ALLEN: So you say not really, but the President is sounding optimistic that this could work for him. Where is that optimism coming from?

VLADECK: It's a good question. I wish I knew. You know, I think the problem that the President is going to run into is even if he wants to go the route that was suggested on Friday declare a national emergency and then various authorities that would allow him to use money appropriated to the Defense Department, that only gets him so far. It only covers land already owned by the U.S. government.

The real issue is most of the wall is going to have to be built, if it's going to built, on private property. Where is the President going to get the authority to take all this private property? Where is he going to find the money to pay these property owners for their land?

So you know, I think the problem is that these are clever arguments that would get part of the way there. But the only way to actually built the wall the way the President really wants to is to get Congress on board with the whole thing and then to actually figure out how you're going to compensate all these landowners. It's part of why the price tag at least at various points has been so high.

ALLEN: Right. So typically this has been used in times of war when there isn't time for Congressional approval but it's also been used in natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. So it's gone off the path or goes off the path for natural disasters as well. Can you give us more examples of how it's been used in the past?

VLADECK: Sure. I mean, so there are a couple of different overlapping statutory authorities here. And what they're all basically about is when the President can use money appropriated to DOD or some other agency for construction projects? When he can repurpose those funds for projects that he and the Secretary of Defense, in this case the Acting Secretary of Defense deemed to be important for military operations.

It's hard to figure out how a court would review that determination and the larger issue is what exactly would that allow the President to build? So for example in the aftermath of a disaster, this is the kind of authority that allows the President to build you know, a tent city where the military can control operations or the military can hand out disaster relief. This allows the President to update, upgrade military bases in emergency circumstances where there isn't time to go back to Congress.

But again, I mean, there's only so much of the U.S.-Mexico border that would be covered by these authorities because there's only so much of that land as already owned by the federal government. I think that's why the President's optimism such as it is may not necessarily be well placed. At the end of the day, the question is if you wants a wall across the whole border, how are you going to get all that private property?

Now, he just wants to be able to build 25 feet on a military base and take a picture and say I'm done, well now that, of course, that's a different issue.

[01:10:03] ALLEN: Right. OK, so if the President goes this way, legal challenges are expected. However, you have said that this issue isn't so much how it plays in the courts perhaps but how it plays in the political arena. How so?

VLADECK: Well, I think it's worth keeping in mind that if we're still looking at a government shutdown this time next week, we'll be looking at the longest shutdown really in relevant history. I mean the longest since 1980 and of course, that's when the Justice Department first started interpreting the relevant statutes to bar most government operations from going on without funding.

So if we get to next Sunday, I really think you're going to start to see the political pressure ratcheting up perhaps as much on Republicans in Congress to reach some kind of accommodation with the Democrats. As on the President, you know, keep in mind the President actually can't keep the shutdown going all by himself if he loses enough support from his own party to Congress. There's every reason to think that you could get a bipartisan compromise bill through both houses of Congress perhaps with enough votes to even sustain a veto override if it went -- if it would -- if we got that far.

ALLEN: It seems as though both sides are dug in for now so we'll wait and see what happens with this issue or definitely following it because the President keeps going down this road. Steve Vladek, we really appreciate your expertise. Thanks for joining us.

VLADECK: Thanks for having me.

ALLEN: Well, the U.S. National Security Advisor is trying to reassure us allies on the troop withdrawal from Syria. John Bolton was in Jerusalem Sunday and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He says the U.S. withdrawal depends on certain conditions. They reportedly include protecting Kurdish allies from America's other allied Turkey. It is the latest sign a military exit could be slowing down. For more, here's CNN's Ian Lee in Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton is in the region to reassure allies after President Trump announced the abrupt plan to pull U.S. troops out of Syria. There was shock and concern after the announcement about who would fill the vacuum left by the United States. The feeling now is that the pullout will be more deliberate and conditional.

Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu here in Jerusalem, Bolton reaffirmed the United States commitment to Israel and to the Syrian Kurds who fought alongside U.S. troops against Isis.

JOHN BOLTON, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER, UNITED STATES: Right on your border we have the problem of the conflict in Syria. We're going to be discussing the President's decision to withdraw but to do so from northeast Syria in a way that makes sure that Isis is defeated and is not able to revive itself and become a threat again, and to make sure that the defense of Israel and our other friends in the region is absolutely assured, and to take care of those who have fought with us against Isis and other terrorist groups.

LEE: The two men also discussed what Netanyahu believes is the main threat to Israel's security and that's Iran. Bolton said despite getting out of the Iran nuclear deal and reimposing sanctions, that there's little doubt Iran's leadership is still committed to achieving a deliverable nuclear device. He added the U.S. and Israel will make sure that doesn't happen.

Israel and America though are alone here. Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and China, the other signatories to the Iran nuclear deal have all refused to follow the United States lead. And despite Israel and the United States certainty, international monitors inside Iran have said there's no evidence Iran is currently working toward a nuclear weapon. Ian Lee, CNN Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: A Saudi Arabian teenager who fled her family claims Saudi officials stopped her at the Thai Airport. She now fears deportation and is asking for asylum protection. We'll have the latest in her case. Also ahead, to Indian women who enter the Hindu shrine breaking with a centuries-old conservative taboo, talk to CNN about the act and defiance that's now put their lives in jeopardy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:16:40] PATRICK SNELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi there, I'm Patrick Snell with your CNN "WORLD SPORT HEADLINES". We start off with a pure magic in romance of the F.A. Cup. When the minnows of the sport get the chance to take on the super-rich powerhouses of England's top flight.

On Sunday, we witnessed the latest enthralling installment of just that, as the fourth-tier Welsh club Newport County facing 2016 Premier League champions Leicester City. The Foxes stunned on their away trip there, 2-1 the final score in favor of Newport County. Jamille Matt open the scoring with the head and Padraig Amond sealing the victory for The Exiles with a penalty. Historic win for them, Leicester, beaten.

Spanish La Liga returning this weekend in Santiago Solari's Real Madrid. Their water up-and-down season they're having this time in league play. The Spanish giants falling at home to Real Sociedad 2-0. Solari's team falling behind after just three minutes and never recovered. And then, several minutes from time, Ruben Pardo would seal the victory. Los Blancos now dropping to fifth in the Spanish Primera.

Finally to tennis, where Japan's Kei Nishikori can celebrate his first trophy since February of 2016. And a really huge confident boost too. Ahead of the Aussie Open, he claimed victory on Sunday at the Brisbane International event overcoming the young Russian player Daniil Medvedev. And that -- that's why this is so significant for Nishikori. He'd actually lost the last nine finals he played in including this one in 2017.

That's the look at your CNN "WORLD SPORT HEADLINES". I'm Patrick Snell.

ALLEN: A young Saudi Arabian woman says she has barricaded herself in her airport hotel room in Bangkok fearing deportation after trying to flee her abusive family. Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun tweeted in an unverified account that Saudi embassy officials stopped her in the Thai Airport and confiscated her passport. She said Sunday that she feared being sent back to the Middle East because -- excuse me, by immigration authorities.

Earlier, I spoke with a human rights watch representative who's been in touch with the woman for the latest developments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL ROBERTSON, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Well, right now she has barricaded herself in her hotel room that is inside the airport. That's in the international section of the airport. So, you actually have to be an international traveler to go there. And she is demanding that she be allowed to talk with the U.N. refugee agency and apply for political asylum.

She stated repeatedly that she is definitely afraid of being sent back to Saudi Arabia. She believes that her family will kill her. She has cited a long history of physical and psychological abuse at the hands of her male relatives. And she's very, very afraid for her life.

And so, she is all in. She's completely determined to try to get free and try to get away. Yes, you mentioned she barricaded herself in that room to try to get them from getting to her. If you follow her unverified Twitter account, she was trying to keep from being put on that plane to Kuwait. Here is the video she sent out, saying she was being detained in the airport.

RAHAF MOHAMMED AL-QUNUN, SAUDI ARABIAN ASYLUM SEEKER: I'm not leaving my room until I see UNSCR. I want asylum.

[01:20:05] ALLEN: So, who exactly detained her, do we know that?

ROBERTSON: Well, when she got off the plane from Kuwait, she was met at the gate by a Thai official working for the Saudi Arabia embassy, who took her passport.

So, you know the claims that Saudi Arabia was not involved are simply not correct. The fact of the matter is that she was subsequently had her photo taken, she was forced to sign a Thai documents that she couldn't understand. And then, she was later told that her father wanted her to go back. And the narrative came out of the Thai government that somehow, she had applied for a visa and been denied. And therefore, she had to be sent back.

There's quite clearly some games being played here between Thailand and Saudi Arabia in her case. Her father is a senior official from one of the provincial administrations in Saudi Arabia. So, you know, this is a family that is influential and has the ability to pull strings in and get the government to do what it what it wants.

ALLEN: Oh, that's very enlightening what you just said. Why would she be sent to Kuwait and why wouldn't her request be considered by authorities there in Bangkok?

ROBERTSON: Well, she fled from Kuwait. And the way it works is that if you're deported you get sent back to the country that you left from. She left from Kuwait because, of course, as a woman, she's not allowed to fly by herself because of the guardianship rules that govern and discriminate against women in Saudi Arabia.

And so, she would be sent back to Kuwait simply because that's the -- that's the procedure. She is here in Thailand simply because Thailand allowed this to happen. And, you know, Thailand had allowed her to continue her travels and go to Australia. We would have never known anything about her except that there was one more Saudi woman that was no longer living in the Kingdom.

ALLEN: So, what should the next course be for her? She is maintaining, barricading herself there in that hotel room, wanting to get more help. What would you like to see happen next to see that this woman is handled correctly and her story is handled correctly?

Well, we think Thailand should do the right thing and allow for the U.N. refugee agency to have access to her. And to do an assessment of her refugee claims, and if she's found to be a refugee, she should be protected, and she should not be sent back to Kuwait or to Saudi Arabia.

I think that is a fair and reasonable request, you know, it's clearly within her rights to demand such a thing. And I think Thailand should grant that.

ALLEN: And we just saw the picture of her she's barricaded herself in that room. Is this an unusual story? ROBERTSON: Well, I think so. I mean, there was a similar case two years ago in April 2017 when a woman named Dina Ali also fled from the Saudi Arabian was actually detained in Philippines and sent back. So, you know, there is some precedent here.

I mean, the major problem is that the Saudi government doesn't really investigate or prosecute visa on a related violence incidents. And, you know, with a father who's a senior government official, it's even more likely that they would be able to do whatever they wanted to her if she was sent back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: The Saudi Arabia denies embassy officials stopped her and took her passport. It says, Airport authorities were the ones who stopped her. The embassy added that the young woman did not have a return reservation. CNN is working to independently verify the full details of this case.

The two Indian women who defied a conservative taboo to enter a Hindu shrine in Kerala are speaking out to CNN. The women are in hiding as protests rage against their action and against the Supreme Court's ruling that the centuries-old ban on many women at the shrine is unconstitutional. Alexandra Field has more about this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Bindu Ammini and Kanakadurga are in hiding and at the center of an Indian national controversy.

This is video of the two defying centuries of tradition, stepping into the Sabarimala Temple, one of Hinduism's holiest shrines.

This is the violence their visit inspired, with police deploying tear gas and water cannons to end clashes between protesters against women entering the sacred site and those for it.

These are some of the millions of women who formed a human chain, hundreds of miles long, in a show of solidarity.

[01:25:07] BINDU AMMINI, LAW LECTURER, INDIA: My message to the women's of India is that please break the system, and please break the evil customs. That's the message.

FIELD: Bindu Ammini says her pilgrimage to Sabarimala was about gender justice. She was turned back by too many protesters in an earlier attempt to reach the temple in December.

This time, police helped her through in the middle of the night after she threatened a hunger strike. Ammini, a legal professor, says she showed the law is on her side, and that's why she went.

AMMINI: Our constitution, the decision verdict of Supreme Court and with gender justice. Because of that, the protection of all these things, I decided to go to Sabarimala. FIELD: In September, India's Supreme Court overturned a ban that kept women of childbearing age from entering the site believed to be the home of Lord Ayyappa. A Hindu God of growth considered celibate. Orthodox Hindus believe it's disrespectful for impure women to enter the temple. And the issue has become political.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Hindu nationalist BJP criticized the court's ruling, calling this a matter of faith and tradition. But in the state of Kerala, the governing party is for the order even organizing demonstrations to show support.

KANAKADURGA, LOCAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE, INDIA: My message to politicians, they should obey the judgment of Supreme Court.

FIELD: She's a devotee who was determined to pay her respects to Lord Ayyappa, and a woman wanted to stand up for gender equality in India. Both women are under constant threat now. Moving houses several times a day for safety.

Their lives possibly changed forever. Their hope to make more women's lives better. Alexandra Field, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: The youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress was sworn in recently. But she's already making waves. Ahead, what the freshman congresswoman has to say about Donald Trump and race in America.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:30:41] ALLEN: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM from Atlanta. I'm Natalie Allen.

Here are our top stories. A Saudi woman who fled her family claims she's being held at a Thai airport. Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun said Saudi embassy officials stopped her and took her passport. Saudi Arabia denies that. The woman said Sunday she fears deportation and is asking for asylum.

Actor Kevin Spacey is headed to court Monday to face charges he sexually assaulted an 18-year-old bus boy. He's expected to plead not guilty. Spacey has fallen from Hollywood grace after several people accused him of sexual assault and harassment.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he may declare a national emergency to secure military funding for his border wall. The Vice President met with congressional leaders Sunday but they could not other reach a budget agreement.

The dispute has led to a partial government shutdown now in its third week.

From the wall and the shutdown to defending the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Trump surrogates had a lot to explain this week. Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney did his best with CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: I want to ask you about something the President said the other day that was quite striking. He defended the 1979 invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union in a cabinet meeting.

The "Wall Street Journal" editorial board, which is very conservative, as you know, said, quote, "We cannot recall a more absurd misstatement of history by an American president."

As you know, the Soviet Union did not invade Afghanistan because terrorists from Afghanistan were attacking the Soviet Union. And it is not necessarily considered by Americans or even the Soviets, now Russians, certainly not the Afghans, a good thing that they did so.

Where did he get that idea from?

MICK MULVANEY, ACTING WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: I think that idea is born out of frustration.

The President has been -- this ties into the comments and the discussions I think you and I have had about Syria as well, which is that the President promised that he would have a different Middle Eastern foreign policy.

He's just very frustrated with the slow progress in Afghanistan. And I think that was probably a comment born in frustration.

TAPPER: I think one of the challenges that previous chiefs of staff, especially for this president -- not just for this president, but especially for this president -- have had is controlling the flow of information and making sure that the information that gets to the Resolute Desk is accurate and is the best information.

I know that outgoing or gone Chief of Staff John Kelly, that was something he put a lot of effort into, making sure that the bad information did not get to President Trump and good information did.

This is a challenge, because this president gets a lot of information from a lot of people, and some of them might be giving him bad information especially when it comes to the Soviet Union, now Russia. How do you plan on handling that?

MULVANEY: The President gets the best information that's available. He just does. He has the full --

TAPPER: And a lot of other stuff too.

MULVANEY: -- the full assets available to the federal government when it comes to information.

And I can assure you I've been involved in discussions on these matters and other matters. And the President gets the very best information. He may not make a decision that agrees with some of his advisers. I have disagreed with him from time to time. He and I have had many, many fun discussions about the budget, for example, ok? But he's still getting the best information about what it means to make certain decisions, the consequences of certain decisions.

And the fact that he makes a decision that might be different than his advisers doesn't mean he's getting bad information. It means that he's relying on other information that other of his advisers are giving him.

TAPPER: I take your point, but I'm not talking about the decisions.

MULVANEY: Right.

TAPPER: And I'm not taking issue with the decisions. I'm taking issue with bad facts, information that is incorrect, such as why the Soviet Union went into Afghanistan.

And I'm wondering if you're at all concerned that there is a campaign to get bad information to President Trump?

MULVANEY: Without giving away too many of the inside secrets, I've been the acting chief of staff now about four days, but John Kelly and I also worked in cooperation with each other for the last two weeks before the beginning of the year.

And I have seen every single piece of information that goes on to the Resolute Desk. I have seen every single piece of information that goes to the residence at night, and I have not seen anything objectionable.

[01:34:54] TAPPER: But you know that it's not true that the Soviet Union didn't invade Afghanistan because of terrorist attacks on the Soviet Union, and they -- it was not a good thing that they went in there, right? I mean --

MULVANEY: Again, I think those are comments the President made born out of a frustration from where we are. And I'm not too concerned about the details.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: There you have it.

She is the youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress and she's already creating a stir on Capitol Hill. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has pushed and partly succeeded in creating a select committee on climate change. She's fighting for something called a Green New Deal.

The congresswoman says she's proud to identify as a Democratic socialist and is calling for a massive tax increase on the wealthy.

She appeared on the program "60 Minutes" Sunday with Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: When people hear the word socialism, they think Soviet Union, Cuba, Venezuela. Is that what you have in mind?

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D), NEW YORK: Of course not. What we have in mind -- and my policies most closely resemble what we see in the U.K., in Norway, in Finland, in Sweden.

COOPER: How are you going to pay for all of this?

OCASIO-CORTEZ: No one asks how we're going to pay for the Space Force. No one asked how we paid for a $2 trillion tax cut. We only ask how we pay for it on issues of housing, healthcare and education.

How do we pay for it? With the same, exact mechanisms that we pay for military increases, for the Space Force, for all of these ambitious policies.

COOPER: There are Democrats, obviously who are worried about your effect on the party. Democrat Senator Chris Coons said about left- leaning Democrats "If the next two years is just a race to offer increasingly unrealistic proposals, it will be difficult for us to make a credible case. We should be allowed to govern again."

OCASIO-CORTEZ: What makes it unrealistic?

COOPER: Have a pay for.

OCASIO-CORTEZ: We pay more per capita in health care and education for lower outcomes than many other nations. And so for me, what's unrealistic is what we're living in right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Anderson also asked her whether she thinks U.S. President Trump is a racist. Her answer -- no question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: You don't talk about President Trump very much.

OCASIO-CORTEZ: No. No.

COOPER: Why?

OCASIO-CORTEZ: Because I think he's a symptom of a problem.

COOPER: What do you mean?

OCASIO-CORTEZ: The President certainly didn't invent racism. But he's certainly given a voice to it and expanded it and created a platform for those things.

COOPER: Do you believe President Trump is a racist?

OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yes. Yes. No question.

COOPER: How can you say that? OCASIO-CORTEZ: When you look at the words that he uses which are historic dog whistles of white supremacy. When you look at how he reacted to the Charlottesville incident where neo-Nazis murdered a woman. Versus how he manufactures crises like immigrants seeking legal refuge on our borders -- it's night and day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Again Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with Anderson Cooper on "60 Minutes".

Well, earlier this week an old video of her dancing on a roof top went viral. It was an apparent attempt to humiliate the freshman congresswoman but as CNN's Athena Jones reports that attempt backfired.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A 30-second video clip widely shared on Twitter showing New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dancing on a rooftop. Shot while she was a student at Boston University, it's part of a several minute homage to 80s movies like "The Breakfast Club".

The clip was posted the day before the new Congress was sworn in in an apparent bid to embarrass the 29-year-old Bronx-born Latina, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.

The since-deleted anonymous post called the self-described Democratic socialist "a commie and a clueless nitwit" and inspired a backlash from those who saw nothing wrong with a college student having fun.

Ocasio-Cortez responded by tweeting a new video of herself dancing into her office. The dancing post was just the latest example of an ongoing effort by critics of Ocasio-Cortez to diminish her.

ED HENRY, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: A socialist --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Proud socialist.

TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: Democratic socialist.

JONES: She's become a lightning rod for conservatives.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's proposing that we take -- that we bring socialism to our country right now. In Venezuela, there are people who can't afford shoes.

JONES: In November, a columnist for the right-leaning "Washington Examiner" tweeted this photo of Ocasio-Cortez walking down a hallway in a blazer apparently seeking to raise doubts about whether she struggles economically.

Ocasio-Cortez wasn't shy about fighting back, posting in response, "Dark hates light. That's why you tune it out." [01:39:59] She parries attacks from conservatives including ongoing questions about her working class roots by calling out corny Republicans and telling one poster, "You didn't even know who I was seven months ago. You're not going to birther me now," a reference to the longtime effort once championed by now President Trump to paint President Obama as un-American.

OCASIO-CORTEZ: We made it here to Washington, D.C. for what I am lovingly calling Congress Camp, day zero.

People are going to have to start paying their fair share in taxes.

JONES: Ocasio-Cortez also supports liberal policies that some even within her own party see as pie in the sky. And it had made her a favorite target of Republicans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez -- she's constantly wrong but never in doubt.

JONES (on camera): The GOP attacks on Ocasio-Cortez don't appear to be letting up. Some of her new Republican colleagues jeered her on the House floor yesterday when she cast her vote for Nancy Pelosi as speaker.

She retweeted a video of the moment, writing, "Over 200 members voted for Nancy Pelosi today yet the GOP only booed one, me. Don't hate me because you aren't me, fellows."

Athena Jones, CNN -- New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: She'll be one to watch.

As the U.S.-China trade war rages on the U.S. has sent a couple of deputy level negotiators to Beijing to try and end it. Does this mean the U.S. is winning? We'll take a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: The U.S. and China will sit face to face in the coming hours to talk trade. It is the first meeting between the two countries since Presidents Xi and Trump met in Argentina last month.

This time a team of U.S. negotiators is in Beijing for the talks. The two countries have yet to hammer out a deal that ends the ongoing trade war between them. President Trump says his tariffs are giving him leverage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[01:44:59] DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The China talks are going very well. I spoke to President Xi recently. I really believe they want to make a deal.

The tariffs have absolutely hurt China very badly but our country is making a lot of money through tariffs. A lot of money, a lot of tariffs. Steel dumping tariffs and others.

But I think China wants to get it resolved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Take look at the Asia markets right now -- all arrows pointing up. We'll keep following it.

The British parliament is set to reconvene Monday. It will be a brand new year of the same old Brexit battles. Prime Minister Theresa says the vote on her proposed Brexit deal will take place as planned in mid-January.

On Wednesday, lawmakers will begin to debate the plan. Some worry it would make the U.K. too beholden to the European Union. But Mrs. May is trying to convince them that a future without her Brexit deal is a dangerous one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The European Union has made clear and this is the deal which is on table. There are further assurances we're seeking from them in relation to the specific issues and concerns that members of Parliament have.

If the deal is not voted on this vote that's coming up, then actually we're going to be in uncharted territory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Britain is due to leave the European Union March 29th.

The Golden Globe awards are said to be a preview of the Oscars. We take a look at the winners and losers and what we might expect from the rest of the awards season. Golden Globes just ended a couple of hours ago. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And a good Monday to you.

I'm meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for CNN Weather Watch.

The next storm system across the Great Lakes of the United States here should make it for some soggy weather and some snow fall across that region. While back towards the inter mountain west on into portions of the northwest all about the mountain snow as it is typically this time of year.

And you want an early hint of spring, we still have that covered across the southern tier and southeastern tier of the United States but notice quick moving system goes through Tuesday and much of the snow showers associated with that goes into interior portions of New England.

So the major metro cities really stave off much of anything from the system. It all becomes really rain for the New Yorks, Bostons and Chicagos of the world with snow showers being confined to favorable areas into the mountains and across the Great Lakes but goes back towards the western U.S.

The Sierras also picking up some decent snow showers. It is the wettest time of the year across California so they'll take any rainfall they can. And in fact, the next couple of days we'll even tap into some of that moisture into the greater Los Angeles Metro. So that's good news across that region.

Showers possible on Monday for Los Angeles generally going to be a light event into the morning hours. San Francisco with cloud conditions expected there.

[01:50:01] And off towards the east the cooler air that's been giving way to rain showers well, that shift (ph), some snow showers introduce themselves into the forecast. That will be in store for both the Great Lakes and the northeastern United States. Some of temperatures bottom out from 12 to 5 below. You know, we've got a wintry set up in store.

ALLEN: The red carpet is officially rolled out. The awards season in Hollywood got off to a great start with the 76th Annual Golden Globes honoring the best in TV and movies.

Hosts Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg poked good, hard and fun at the start attending the ceremony. At one point got a little crazy -- no big surprise (INAUDIBLE).

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're definitely going to want to get some fun (ph).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: That's interesting.

And now the winners "Bohemian Rhapsody". The story of the rock group Queen won two awards -- Best actor Rami Malek and best motion picture. He thanked the man he portrayed in the film.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAMI MALEK, ACTOR: Thank you to Freddie Mercury for giving me the joy of a lifetime. I love you, you beautiful man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Actress Glenn Close who won best actress in a motion picture for her role in "The Wife" spoke about women in film.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLENN CLOSE, ACTRESS: We have to find personal fulfillment. We have to fill our -- you know, follow our dreams. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: "Vice" star Christian Bale won best actor in a comedy movie for his portrayal of former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney. Yes, that's the actor right there. He looks just like him. He thanked the usual people with one exception.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIAN BALE, ACTOR: Thank you to Satan for giving me inspiration on how to play this role.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: The big news of the night was the surprises before the show, movie insiders expected "A Star is Born" and "Vice" to run away with the most awards, but that did not happen.

I spoke about that with Sandro Monetti, editor-in-chief of "Hollywood International Filmmaker" magazine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDRO MONETTI, EDITOR IN CHIEF, "HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER" MAGAZINE: What a shocker. "A Star is Snubbed" should be the headline this evening.

It was supposed to be a coronation for "Star is Born". Instead it was a big snub and the results of this evening have thrown the whole awards season up for grabs. It's a free for all.

ALLEN: Right. But sometimes what happens early on in the season turns and others pop up later, right?

MONETTI: The worst position to be in in the Oscar race is frontrunner. We have seen it before. Remember when "La Land was taken out by "Moonlight" and no one --

ALLEN: Right.

MONETTI: -- saw that coming. And for ages it just seemed "A Star is Born". And now the team behind that film will really have to campaign to get this back on track.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" winning a huge shot. Glenn Close of "The Wife" taking out Lady Gaga?

(CROSSTALK)

ALLEN: Yes. She was even shocked. I mean she got on the stage and cried over winning. She couldn't believe it herself.

MONETTI: Neither could Gaga either. Neither could any of us. We've been thinking award shows were so predictable for a long time and the Golden Globes really delivered something fantastic. It's always a sign post to the Oscars but now it's anyone's guess what's going to win. So at last as someone who has covered these awards races for years it's nice to have a totally unpredictable race. Thank you -- Globes.

ALLEN: Yes, it's kind of crazy, isn't it? We thought Bradley Cooper would be taking to the stage for "A Star is Born". He did not.

At least Lady Gaga did win for best song so we got to see her in that beautiful blue dress take the stage.

The I want to talk about Olivia Colman, the favorite to win for "The Favorite". She did. Did you see her speech. She was quite a stitch (ph) on the stage.

MONETTI: She is. Yes, I was chatting to Olivia this weekend and she's just like that offstage as well. Massively endearing, hugely funny. Known in Britain for years as a comedy star and then in the TV series "Broadchurch" showed her dramatic chops.

She did so again in "The Night Manager". She's already won four BAFTAs. She's got two Golden Globes and I think an Oscar is in her very near future. If anyone didn't know her before they still do tonight and what an endearing presence she is and what a talent.

ALLEN: And Regina King who won best supporting actress --

MONETTI: "If Beale Street Could Talk", yes.

(CROSSTALK)

ALLEN: -- for "If Beale Street Could Talk".

MONETTI: She won best supporting actress.

ALLEN: Had a powerful speech to say everything she produces in the future will be made up of 50 percent women. That kind of pushes the theme on from last year, the MeToo theme that we got to get women in film more.

What did you think about what she had to say?

MONETTI: It also pushes forward what Nicole Kidman said about how she would work with a female director every one or two films going forward. Francis McDormand in her Oscar speech last year talking about inclusivity.

[01:55:03] It really shows how inclusivity has come through in a long way. And these speeches have a real opportunity to change the industry.

And actions speak louder than words. But you know, certainly Hollywood does seem to be changing for the better.

And Regina King's speech was fantastic. So was Sandra Oh. She was very moved. Glenn Close as well. So some terrific speeches, some terrific performances.

And yes, Hollywood, you know, it's really not looked too good in the eyes of the world in the last couple of years. But it's bouncing back.

ALLEN: Right. And bouncing back with "Roma" which I just started watching on Netflix for best foreign language film and he also won best director. Was that surprise to you.

MONETTI: It was. But it just shows the power of Netflix, doesn't it? You know, their ability to campaign, their ability to dominate the industry.

If you told me a few months ago that a black and white film in Spanish could be a real contender at the Oscars --

ALLEN: I know.

MONETTI: -- I would have said, are you having a laugh?

Alfonso Cuaron -- he's been in the winner's circle before for "Gravity". And let me tell you it's like his feet didn't touch the ground when he had seen that "Roma" had won.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Well, thank you for joining us. I'm Natalie Allen.

We'll have more news come up with Rosemary Church right after a break.

[01:56:20] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)