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Pro-Government and Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Venezuela; North Korea Rebuilds Missile Launch Site; Interview with Re. Brendan Boyle (D-PA); Democratic House of Representatives Passes Bill to Curb Political Corruption; Former Owner of Day Spa in which Robert Kraft Arrested for Solicitation Spotted in Photos with President Trump and Trump Campaign Officials; Democratic House Passes Anti-Discrimination Resolution; Imprisoned Former Pharmaceutical CEO Possibly Illegally Using Cellphone to Continue Directing Business; U.S. Soccer Women's National Team Suing for Equal Pay and Treatment with Men's National Team. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired March 9, 2019 - 10:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:23] CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. So glad to have you with us on this Saturday, March 9th. I'm Christi Paul.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. You are in the CNN Newsroom.

Right now you see what's happening in Venezuela. Pro-opposition protesters are out on the streets supporting the self-proclaimed leader Juan Guaido. Meanwhile supporters of the embattled president, Nicolas Maduro, are also there as well. Maduro has just issued this challenge to the U.S. saying, and this is a quote, "Every attempt at imperial aggression will be met with a strong response."

PAUL: Late last night, police in the capital city of Caracas dismantled the stage set up by a pro-Guaido group. That stage was supposed to be used for a rally today. In the meantime, residents in Venezuela have been dealing with nationwide blackouts. This has been going on for several days. Power has only been partially restored to some of those areas that we know of so far this morning. CNN Correspondent Paula Newton is live in Venezuela with the very latest. Paula, what are you seeing this morning?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to be with you, Christi and Victor. These two dueling protests are just getting under way. We are here at the pro-government rally. We have been here before, as you know. What is crucial here is for each side to show that they have behind them. As you pointed out, there has been some controversy with police taking down the setup for the opposition leader, Juan Guaido. He tweeted right back, saying if they think they can wear us down, if they believe they can intimidate us, we have a surprise for them on the streets today.

The issue here is momentum. The problem is that the opposition is worried as are people supporting them, like the Trump administration, that they will lose the momentum of this protest. And when I say momentum, I mean the people here on the streets.

Christi, we brought you the stories again and again over the last few years just how difficult it is to get by. All of that exacerbated with what has been a pretty grueling day-and-a-half, power outage in almost every crevice and corner of this country.

The protests here will start marching. The opposition protests in another part of the city. Both sides hoping that there isn't any confrontation, although we've already heard sporadic reports of National Guard and police perhaps confronting some of the opposition protesters. It is going to be a long, hot day in Caracas. But again, each side wanting to show that they have the momentum. Christi?

PAUL: Paula Newton, do take care of yourself and the crew there. Thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: North Korea, new satellite images shows vehicles moving and trains being loaded at a facility near the country's capital. Analysts say it could be a sign a missile or satellite launch is imminent, or maybe this is just a play to get attention.

PAUL: Either way, it could be a damaging blow to U.S.-North Korea relations, little more than a week, of course, after the Hanoi summit ended without a deal. Now, the launch itself could happen at a site that had been partly dismantled while talks were underway between the U.S. and North Korea.

BLACKWELL: The site has now been fully rebuilt. Here is CNN correspondent Will Ripley with the latest from Beijing.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Victor, Christi, what we are seeing right now inside North Korea based on analysis of satellite images is a potentially troubling shift back to the more militaristic posture that North Korea took before this diplomatic detente with Kim Jong-un and President Trump, a detente that is now in danger of really fully breaking apart after President Trump walked out of summit talks in Hanoi, which was described as really a humiliating blow that left Kim Jong-un bewildered according to sources that I have spoken with.

So now we're seeing images from a missile and rocket factory outside of Pyongyang, Sanumdong, where analysts say it appears that North Korea has put together something, hard to tell if it is a missile or a rocket, but they've assembled something, put it on a rail car. And that rail car may now be headed to a North Korean launch site. We know that the Sohae satellite launch facility in recent days has seen a flurry of reconstruction work. It was a facility that Kim Jong-un promised to shut down, they started to take it apart. Now analysts say it has been fully put back together, and could be ready for a launch really at any moment.

So if you see either this missile or rocket roll up to Sohae and sitting on a launch pad -- that has not been seen yet, but if that happens, that will be very clear evidence that North Korea is preparing to launch something, rocket or missile, into space, into orbit. Now, regardless of which it is, it would be highly provocative. North Korea has long said that their satellite launches are for the space force, they're for research purposes, not any sort of military threat.

But the U.S. sees it much differently because space rockets use the same kind of intercontinental ballistic missile technology that's banned by the U.N. Security Council. So any kind of launch would be considered highly provocative and could really threaten to escalate tensions in this part of the world.

Meanwhile, here in China, we're getting word that Chinese President Xi Jinping is reconsidering traveling to Mar-a-Lago at the end of this month, because he is worried that President Trump may walk out on him if they don't reach a deal much like he did on Kim Jong-un. So really, President Trump's diplomatic credibility being undermined as a result of what happened in Hanoi with tensions threatening to rise in this region as well. Victor, Christi?

BLACKWELL: Will, thank you.

We don't know yet if the North Koreans are preparing a military missile or this space rocket to send up a satellite. Our next guest says whether the U.S. government chooses to recognize it or not, there is a key difference. Joining me now, Adam Mount, senior fellow and director of the Defense Project at the Federation of American Scientists. Adam, thanks for joining us this morning.

Let's first start here. You told my producers that the space launch rocket could potentially carry a satellite, is not a missile, should not be treated as one. We know the history of 2009 when the North Koreans sent up Kwangmyongsong-2, I think it was, and that led to in part the end of the Six Party Talks. How should the U.S. respond if they send this satellite up?

ADAM MOUNT, SENIOR FELLOW, FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SCIENTISTS: Right. A missile launch is not the same as a satellite launch vehicle. They have different technical characteristics and should be treated differently. That having been said, we don't want to get into a pattern where North Korea can test new missile engine designs and call them satellite launch vehicles. So this really does illustrate just how critical it is that we put in place clear restrictions to codify this nuclear and test missile moratorium so that North Korea can't circumvent it or subvert it in a number of different ways.

As you mentioned, this is what happened to Obama's Six Parties Talks agreement. So this was foreseeable and foreseen. It looks like there's been a missed opportunity to lock in that nuclear missile test moratorium at an earlier date.

BLACKWELL: So your group released a report this week that is fascinating. I want to read one line, I think it's the most important line here from the first few pages here. And it says, there is no mix of economic, diplomatic, or military pressure that can verifiably eliminate North Korea's arsenal on acceptable terms in the next few years. You also say North Korea will be nuclear armed under the Kim family control for the next two decades. So the question now is what should be the long term strategy to denuclearize, but also the other issues that the U.S. and the global community have with Kim and with North Korea?

MOUNT: Right. We cannot simply trust that someday in the near future North Korea is going to FedEx us its nuclear and missile arsenals. We have to put in place a more long-term strategy that defends our national interests, the security of our allies, and confronts this range of challenges that North Korea poses to the United States and to international security.

So, for example, we can't sort of bet all or nothing that North Korea will disarm completely. We need a near term agreement to restrict the advancement of their nuclear and missile test programs. We need to confront this broader range of threats. So just today, for example -- or excuse me, just this week, UNICEF warned that 60,000 North Korean children could be plunged into severe malnutrition due to the lowest North Korean harvest in a decade.

That will threaten and risk our ability to shape the transformation of North Korea. A healthy populous is one that can seek outside information, that can help us build a more stable region for the future. So we should not only be confronting the range of challenges that North Korea poses to us, but shaping North Korea's transformation over time through conventional and nuclear arms control, through more precise economic inducements, really closer work between the United States and its allies. We can't bet all or nothing on denuclearization because it is just not a realistic bet.

BLACKWELL: So let me ask you this. The national security adviser, John Bolton, said this week that the president is open to potential talks in the future with Kim Jong-un. No date, no location, of course, it's far too soon for that. But should those talks still be on the table considering the fruitless talks at Hanoi, the lack of even a definition of denuclearization in Singapore, and the inability to solve some of these other secondary, tertiary issues that you have discussed?

MOUNT: Right. So we hope that they've learned a couple of lessons from Hanoi and from these events. The North Korean foreign minister said that at Hanoi they offered a piece of paper that would constitute a permanent halt to all long-range rocket tests.

[10:05:05] If that had happened, we may not be in this bind now. So we hope that the Trump administration has learned that it's not good enough to bet on all or nothing, that we need a more precise agreement now that provides security benefits.

And the second thing you hope that he's learned is that you can't go into these talks seeking a political win. The North Koreans are just not reliable enough and there's far too much at stake.

BLACKWELL: Yes, and the United States and the global community has lost out by taking the North Koreans' word for it in the past. Adam Mount, thanks so much for being with us.

MOUNT: Thank you.

PAUL: We're following some breaking news right now. At Newark International Airport, passengers on board a Boeing 737 had to escape by emergency slides to get down onto the runway after a suspected fire on board. We've got more information on that in just a moment and we'll bring you the pictures that we have.

Also, a reminder for you. Live from South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, three CNN presidential town halls back to back. First of all, former congressman John Delaney at 7:00, Representative Tulsi Gabbard at 8:00, and mayor Peter Buttigieg at 9:00. Jake Tapper, Dana Bash moderate tomorrow night. It starts at 7:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN.

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[10:15:26] PAUL: It's 15 minutes past the hour right now. And officials say a North Korean rocket launch could be imminent. Analysts say it could be a sign of a missile or satellite launch, based on what they're seeing through satellite images that show vehicles and trains being loaded at a facility near the country's capital. Democratic Congressman Brendan Boyle from Pennsylvania is with us now. Congressman, thank you so much. We want to point out to our viewers you are also on the House Ways and Means Committee. Good to have you here, congressman.

REP. BRENDAN BOYLE, (D) PENNSYLVANIA: Thank you for having me.

PAUL: Absolutely. When we look at what is developing, seeming to develop this morning via these satellite images, I want to listen to some of the language President Trump has used with Kim Jong-un, President Kim Jong-un, trying to come to some sort of a resolution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.

And then we fell in love, OK? No, really. He wrote me beautiful letters, and they're great letters.

Sometimes you have to walk, and this was just one of those times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: So, kind of from one end of the spectrum to the other there, Congressman. If this activity that we're seeing this morning, if it is an ICBM, if it is something that has been sent to a launch site, what does the president need to do?

BOYLE: First, as the clips demonstrate, this president really hasn't had a strategy when it comes to North Korea. He has been all over the map over the last two years. First ratcheting up rhetoric to a very dangerous degree with his infamous fire and fury comment, and then to go from that to, quote-unquote, we fell in love, which he's not just said once but, remarkably, has said numerous times, to now here where we are, which to me has not been surprising. It's actually what I have predicted and said all along. I do believe that Kim has been playing us for time.

To be fair to this administration, North Korea's nuclear program and ambitions have been a problem that really bedeviled previous presidents, both Democrats and Republicans. The key mistake that this president has made is going about this bilaterally and giving in to the prestige of two bilateral summits with the dictator and brutal murderer of the North Korean regime, and the president of the United States. That was a mistake. We have gotten absolutely nothing for it, and all Kim has done is play us for suckers.

PAUL: So what should he do from this point on, especially if it is discovered this is some sort of weaponry that's being taken to or transported to a launch site?

BOYLE: Chinese exports make up -- and numbers with the North Korean economy are always a bit art, a bit science, but it is believed that Chinese exports to North Korea makeup over 40 percent of North Korean goods. It is clear that China and the leverage that China has over the North Korean economy is a key part and key player in getting an ultimate resolution.

Japan, and I was there in Japan about a year ago meeting with their country's leadership as part of a bipartisan group that traveled there, Japan is deeply concerned about what North Korea has been doing, as well as frankly the U.S. approach to it. So this needs to have a multilateral approach which brings in China and Japan to help us exert pressure on North Korea.

PAUL: Congressman, I want to talk to you as well about HR-1 legislation that was passed yesterday. Speaker Pelosi said demanding the president's tax returns, she said this right before the midterms, she said it is one of the first things we do, that's the easiest thing in the world. At this point now that the resolution has been passed, how long do you think it will be before you will see the president's tax returns? And will you make them public?

BOYLE: So first, let's just be clear because there are many different things in HR-1. First, it is the most dramatic expansion of voting rights in this country in decades, number one. Number two, for the first time in American history it would establish public financing for congressional elections, something that would truly revolutionize the way elections are run in this country and actually drain the swamp. Now, it passed the House. That's the good news. The bad news is it has to pass the Senate, and Mitch McConnell --

[10:20:04] PAUL: But do you believe you will get to see the president's tax returns? And if you do, will you make them public?

BOYLE: Yes. So the point that I'm getting, another aspect that's in there says that all presidents and vice presidents and candidates have to release 10 years of tax returns, and that would include the president. But since Mitch McConnell won't bring up this legislation, unfortunately HR-1 will likely not be the vehicle that would prompt us to get the president's tax returns.

There is another way that you can get the president's tax returns, because of a law that existed for over 100 years, the Ways and Means Committee on which I serve does have that ability. I do believe that ultimately this is going to be pursued. It is, from what I understand, likely that the administration will fight it, and in the end, it will probably be litigated in the courts.

PAUL: All right, last but not least, I wanted your input on the controversy and the criticism of your fellow representative, Ilhan Omar. Speaker Pelosi said this, trying to explain what her words mean that were taken into context by many as being anti-Semitic in the last week or so. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D) HOUSE SPEAKER: The incident that happened was -- I don't think our colleague is anti-Semitic. I think she has a different experience in use of words, doesn't understand some of them are fraught with meaning that didn't realize, but nonetheless that we had to address.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Does that explanation satisfy you?

BOYLE: Well, the part about my colleague Ihlan's comments that really struck a nerve among my Jewish colleagues as well as just Jewish constituents of mine, was the foreign allegiance reference, which really harkens and evokes the age old charge about a dual loyalty. I think that that was wrong. I think that that is anti-Semitic.

Unfortunately, it is a charge that unfairly Jewish Americans have had to face for decades. They're not the only ones that ever faced dual loyalty charges. Certainly John F. Kennedy and Al Smith who were American Catholics running for president also faced that dual loyalty charge. It was just as wrong then when it was directed towards Catholics and just as wrong today.

There can be legitimate criticism of decisions by the Israeli government, just like there can be legitimate criticisms of decisions of the American government, but we shouldn't go about questioning people's loyalty to our country.

PAUL: Congressman Boyle, I'm sorry we have run out of time. Thank you for taking time for us today.

BOYLE: All right, thank you.

PAUL: Sure.

BLACKWELL: According to "The Miami Herald," President Trump was spotted with the founder of the Florida spa where police say Patriots owner Robert Kraft solicited sex. We've got a live report coming up.

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[10:27:23] PAUL: So good to have you with us here. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good morning to you.

There's a photo that is raising questions about the people surrounding President Trump.

PAUL: It's a picture of President Trump, you see it there, smiling. The woman in that picture who founded the Florida spa where Patriots owner Robert Kraft is accused of soliciting sex is the one in it there. CNN's Kaylee Hartung is live in Jupiter, Florida. This is a connection first uncovered by "The Miami Herald" as we understand it. What more do you know, Kaylee?

KAYLEE HARTUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Christi. Two weeks after police say they captured Robert Kraft on camera inside this day spa soliciting two women to commit prostitution, his New England Patriots played in the Super Bowl. That night President Trump had a private watch party at his private club, Mar-a-Lago. That's where this picture was taken, first getting the attention of "The Miami Herald" and raising a lot of questions about the connection between Trump, his good friend Robert Kraft, and the woman who first opened this day spa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARTUNG: Her name is Li Yang. She goes by Cindy. She has been spotted with the who's who of the GOP, including the president's sons at Mar-a-Lago, Kellyanne Conway at the inauguration, and Sarah Palin. But it is this selfie Yang took with Trump at a Super Bowl watch party that's raising eyebrows. Yang is the former owner of Orchids of Asia day spa, the massage parlor where Florida authorities say caught New England Patriots owner and Trump friend Robert Kraft on camera paying for oral sex.

CHIEF DANIEL KERR, JUPITER, FLORIDA POLICE: He is being charged with the same offenses as the others, and that is soliciting another to commit prostitution.

HARTUNG: Kraft denies any wrongdoing. According to "The Miami Herald," Yang no longer owns Orchids of Asia. The publication reporting, she sold it back in 2013. CNN repeatedly tried but was unable to reach Yang for comment. She did speak with "The Miami Herald."

NICHOLAS NEHAMAS, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, "MIAMI HERALD": But she didn't answer the question of whether she knew that there was sex happening. She simply told us that she's no longer in the spa business, she doesn't know President Trump, and she's planning to move to Washington, D.C.

HARTUNG: It should be noted, Yang was not charged in the anti-human trafficking bust that led to misdemeanor charges against Kraft and the closing of several spas in South Florida. The White House declined to comment on Yang, but President Trump did speak about the charges against Kraft.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is very sad. I was very surprised to see it. He's proclaimed his innocence totally, but I'm very surprised to see it.

[10:30:00] HARTUNG: Yang donated upwards of $35,000 to the Trump campaign according to FEC filings. She's a self-made entrepreneur who according to "The Miami Herald" showed little political interest before the 2016 election, and that she had not voted in 10 years prior.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARTUNG: Again, Li Yang has not been charged or accused of any wrongdoing. When we reached out to the White House for comment on her, they had none. But we did reach out to other high-profile individuals she was seen photographed with, Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis, now Senator Rick Scott. They're spokespeople saying they have no connection to the woman. She was simply one of many at one of their many fundraisers.

And Victor and Christi, it's worth noting that Robert Kraft, while he continues to deny any wrongdoing in all of this, he will be arraigned on the misdemeanor charges he faced at the end of March, and we've learned his attorney can appear on his behalf. So I wouldn't expect to see him there.

BLACKWELL: Safe bet. Kaylee Hartung, thanks so much.

PAUL: It has been more than a year since the last North Korean missile test. And now we have these new satellite images that show activity at a rocket facility. Here's the question a lot of people are asking. What happens, what is the political ramification here, if North Korea carries out another launch?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:35:20] BLACKWELL: President Trump has lauded North Korea's pause in testing as a breakthrough. But what happens if that pause ends with a launch? Joining me now from Washington CNN political commentator, Republican strategist Alice Stewart, and CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona. Ladies, welcome back.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning, Victor.

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning.

BLACKWELL: So Alice, first, to highlight there have not been missile launches, there have not been nuclear tests as a measure of success, and to justify continuing engaging with Kim, was that a mistake considering what we're seeing now in North Korea?

STEWART: Well, the fact that we haven't had testing in quite some time is a success in my book, any way you slice it. There had been several tests before the conversations began, and now they have come to a stop.

Look, it is important to note that Ambassador Bolton says they are monitoring the situation very closely, and they have many more exact ways of determining exactly the development in North Korea than commercialized satellites. So I think we are still on track, having these conversations is good. The ultimate goal is complete, irreversible, and verifiable denuclearization in North Korea, and we're on the way to doing that. And right now --

BLACKWELL: How is the U.S. on the way to doing that when there's not even a definition of what that is.

STEWART: It is very clear what that is -- complete, verifiable, and irreversible.

BLACKWELL: I know the phrase, but there is no agreed upon definition between Kim and Trump, the North Koreans and the Americans, on what denuclearization looks like and how that can be verified, how it can be determined that it's irreversible. They've had two summits now, and they don't even know the definition of what they're trying to achieve.

STEWART: And that's the point and the purpose for our having continued negotiations. And stopping the testing is important. Look, from our standpoint, no sanctions have been lifted, we're continuing to put pressure on North Korea in order to seek denuclearization, so we haven't lost anything at this point and continued talks will only lead to progress on this. But it's taken a long time to get where they are and build up what they do have, and it's going to take a long time for us to get them to take it apart. I think we're well on the way to doing just that.

BLACKWELL: So Maria, having no missile launches, now tests since November, 2017, some would say that ain't nothing. That's some accomplishment. Does the president deserve credit?

CARDONA: That is certainly a good thing, like Alice said. But I think the problem is, and Victor, you laid it out, is that there is no plan, or what is the ultimate goal if denuclearization complete and verifiable is not going to be something that's possible, because a lot of experts are now coming to the conclusion that we need to figure out a step by step way to contain North Korea because what Trump has given him is something that he has not -- that no other U.S. leader has given him, and that is a seat on the global stage right next to the president of the United States. That's exactly what North Korea wanted. That's exactly what Kim wanted.

And I think what we're seeing is the results, and frankly I think what's going to be long-term failure of a foreign policy by shooting from the hip, which is what this president does. He either does one extreme which talks about threatening North Korea with fire and fury, then he goes to the other extreme by proclaiming him and the North Korean leader fell in love. That is not foreign policy. That is not a strategy to get to where we all need to be.

Now, let's see where we go from here. Right now, both sides are still talking pleasantly, but I think what most experts are afraid of is that North Korea is absolutely planning and continuing to plan not just satellite launches but missile launches as well. And then what do we do? That's where you fall in terms of there's no plan, there's no strategy for actual diplomacy and foreign policy.

PAUL: Maria, let's move to another topic. I'm going to stay with you for this. After the comments that some believed were anti-Semitic, this resolution that was passed in the House condemning hate, it really was an all hate matters type of approach, instead of going after anti-Semitism, it went after Islamophobia, white supremacy, and other matters as well. Was this the best way to deal specifically with what launched the catalyst for the need for a response?

[10:40:08] CARDONA: I do. I actually do think it was the best way to deal with this. Look, Victor, what we saw this week was a new Democratic Party that is expanding, that is growing, that is fitting in, what I call beautiful diversity. We have just elected in November the most diverse Congress in history. What that means is that there will be robust, sometimes raucous debates, because people are now at the table that are representing communities that have historically been marginalized. They have different perspectives, the have different -

BLACKWELL: Different perspectives, understandable, but do you believe that what she said was anti-Semitic?

CARDONA: I believe that the words she used absolutely were taken as being anti-Semitic. And what has happened is --

BLACKWELL: What does that mean, Maria, they were taken as being anti- Semitic. Were they anti-Semitic or were they not?

CARDONA: Well, I don't know what is in her heart. But I will go with what Nancy Pelosi said because I believe this. I don't believe she meant them as anti-Semitic because I don't believe that she understood what her words were meaning. When she uses the word "allegiance," when she uses the word "foreign country."

BLACKWELL: There have been plenty of times we've sat here and had conversations with you, and maybe not Alice, but other Republicans, in which they have said nobody knows what's in President Trump's heart, and you have said I don't know what's in his heart but I know what comes out of his mouth. Are we not judging them by different scales here? If we don't know what's in President Trump's heart and we're judging what comes out of his mouth, what about Congresswoman Omar.

CARDONA: It's not the same, and I'll tell you why. Because Trump has a 50 year history of not just comments but of policies that are out and out racist. So we can judge him on what he has said and done for 50 years. If Congressman Omar does not learn from this, then yes, she will have to answer to being anti-Semitic and what that means. My hope is, is that this is a learning moment --

STEWART: Let me say something here.

CARDONA: -- and that she will now understand what her words mean.

STEWART: I am sick and tired after an entire week of Democrats defending Congresswoman Omar, treating her like she's a 12-year-old child that doesn't know what she's saying. She knew exactly what she was saying. She repeated it, has doubled down on her anti-Semitic comments, and Democrats defended her and kept trying to put words in her mouth, what she actually really meant. She knew exactly what she was saying. She has not walked them back and it is hurtful.

CARDONA: She apologized, Alice.

STEWART: When she talks about dual loyalty, when she talks about people are motivated by Benjamins, when she talks about Israel hypnotizing Americans, she needs to go to Auschwitz or Birkenau and see one of the concentration camps, and see what the people of the Jewish faith went through.

CARDONA: And I hope that she does. But here's the difference --

STEWART: She needs an education. But the Democrats need to stop treated her like a child.

BLACKWELL: Wait, wait. Let Alice finish and then we'll let you finish.

STEWART: She is an elected congresswoman, elected to represent the people of her district. And I feel bad for them because she is not bringing home the bacon for her district. She is working on clickbait for herself. And I think it's despicable that Democrats have allowed her to get away with it this long.

BLACKWELL: Quickly, Maria, and then I've got wrap.

CARDONA: She will have to answer to her constituents, no question. But here's the big difference, Victor. You brought up Trump and what the difference is with Congressman Omar. Congressman Omar apologized repeatedly for the comments. Give me one instance when President Trump has apologized for anything he has ever said that is racist, bigoted, and full of hate speech. And that is what Democrats were condemning, and I'm completely, absolutely, incredibly proud of a party that's doing that for all kinds of hatred. As a Latina, I get hatred every day. And I am glad that the Democratic Party is now focusing their values on all communities that have been marginalized by this president and the Republican Congress.

BLACKWELL: Got to wrap it there. Maria Cardona, Alice Stewart, thank you both.

STEWART: Thanks, Victor.

CARDONA: Thank you.

PAUL: So flights at Newark International Airport have resumed after airport operations shut down due to the emergency landing of a cargo jet after a possible fire. The FAA is telling us this happened on an air transit flight headed to Florida from Canada. Passengers onboard that Boeing 737 escaped by using emergency slides to get down onto the runway. And now officials are in the process of getting that aircraft off the runway there. Glad everybody seems to be OK here.

So listen, convicted former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli is under investigation, this time for illegal business he is allegedly conducting while in prison. We'll tell you more.

BLACKWELL: Plus, a deadly head-on collision between a car and school bus, children inside. We'll show you this devastating scene.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:44:19] PAUL: The Bureau of Prisons is opening a new investigation into Martin Shkreli, the convicted former pharmaceutical executive.

BLACKWELL: He is believed to be running his former drug company from behind bars via a contraband smartphone. CNN Correspondent Polo Sandoval is following the story for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The so-called "pharma bro," Martin Shkreli, may still be at it, reportedly running part of his old pharmaceutical company from his prison cell in New Jersey. On Thursday, "The Wall Street Journal" reported Shkreli was using a contraband cell phone to continue heading the drug company that once earned him title of most hated man in America. As the CEO of Phoenixus AG in 2015, known as Turing Pharmaceuticals at the time, Shkreli surged the price of a life-saving drug used to treat AIDS patients by 5,000 percent. The price hike sparked public outrage and a series of inquiries that targeted the now disgraced CEO.

MARTIN SHKRELI, FORMER PHARMACEUTICAL EXECUTIVE: This is a witch hunt of epic proportions. And maybe they found one or two broomsticks, but at the end of the day we have been acquitted of the most important charges of the case, I am delighted to report that.

SANDOVAL: According to the "Journal's" reporting, Shkreli expects Phoenixus AG will grow more successful while he's in prison, and may be worth $4 billion by the time he is released. In 2017, Shkreli was convicted of defrauding investors and misusing their money. He's 16 months into a seven year prison sentence.

In a statement to CNN, the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirms it is aware of these possible violations, writing "When there are allegations of misconduct, they are thoroughly investigated and appropriate action is taken if such allegations are proven true. This allegation is currently under investigation."

Prison officials declined to discuss details of Shkreli's confinement, but they point out federal inmates are not allowed to possess cellphones. Conviction for such offense could mean an extra year in prison and a fine. That would mean an even stiffer price for Shkreli to pay. He was already ordered to forfeit $7.4 million in assets.

Benjamin Brafman, Shkreli criminal attorney, declined to comment. Attorney Marc Kasowitz who the "Journal" reported has been hired by Shkreli's company, did not respond to a request for comment.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BLACKWELL: This is a tragic story. Three people are dead, including a child, after a school bus collided head on with a car in Oklahoma. Officials in Seminole County tell CNN affiliate KFOR that the child was in the school bus, the two others victims were in the car. Six others were injured. This happened yesterday. Both vehicles, they just burst into flames. You see them here charred. The cause of this crash is under investigation.

PAUL: Equal pay for equal play, the U.S. Women's National Team slapping their own organization with a lawsuit. The laundry list of complaints and why players chose right now to sue. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:56:44] BLACKWELL: Our first CNN hero of 2019 is teaming up with hospitals to turn video games into a source of healing. Here's how Zach Wigal is making them a part of recovery for sick kids across the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZACH WIGAL, CNN HERO: Sometimes people believe that video games are corrupting the minds of America's youth. But video games are an incredible tool for helping kids find a source of fun and relief during stressful and difficult times.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To people who think the games are just games, they're so much more than that. You don't have to talk about me being sick. We can play the game, because that's way more cool than have to talk about me being sick.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: To see Zach and his gaming team do their work, and to nominate someone you think should be a CNN Hero, go to CNNheroes.com.

PAUL: The U.S. Women's National Team is suing the U.S. Soccer Federation.

BLACKWELL: Coy is here. Coy, they say fair is fair, and they deserve the same money as the guys.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: And the timing of this lawsuit has to be noted. It is yesterday, International Women's Day, just three months in advance of the Women's World Cup in France. And you have the most prominent voices on the team, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, 28 players in all listed in the complaint. They say U.S. Soccer hasn't paid the same as men, nor do they get equal training or travel accommodations, among other things. All this despite the fact that the women have had so much more success than the men, winning three World Cups, four Olympic Golds. And this fight goes back years and includes a number of other lawsuits. But the players say they haven't seen enough change, so here they are again fighting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BECKY SAUERBRUNN, USWNT DEFENDER: We are very much fighting for gender equality and pay equality. And so I think you see that in other federations that are also asking for what they feel that they deserve. And so you see it in Australia, you see it in Denmark, and you see these other women's teams fighting their federations for what they deserve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: The Men's National Team is standing up for the women, saying in part it fully supports the efforts of the U.S. Women's National Team players to achieve equal pay. Perhaps some of the biggest questions are how far are the women willing to take this? Will there be a resolution before that Women's World Cup kicks off June 7th? The USA's first game is June 11th.

Now, we have Saturday morning inspiration for you from a young baseball fan named Alex. When life throws you curve balls, what do you do? You may be hit in the face, hit in the gut, you're knocked down to your knees, you may tumble. But no matter how many times you fall, just like young Alex, you get back up and you keep going.

(LAUGHTER)

WIRE: This is young Alex playing at a Tampa Bay Rays spring training game yesterday, just playing catch. And we may have found baseball's next future star. He just needs a few more games to get his game right, but he has the attitude, never give up, no matter what.

BLACKWELL: Is that a Wiffle Ball? Or is this kid really getting hit in the face with a real baseball?

WIRE: He is tough.

PAUL: Oh, my God, that is tough. And you're absolutely right. I just said that to my kids while we were skiing. It doesn't matter how many times you fall. What matters how many times you get back up.

WIRE: There you go. There you go.

BLACKWELL: That kids was getting hit in the face --

PAUL: I know. And he rolled.

BLACKWELL: And got right back up.

PAUL: Good for him.

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Coy.

PAUL: Coy, thank you.

We are always so glad to have you with us. Thank you for spending some time with us. We hope you make some good memories today.

BLACKWELL: The news continues, the breaking news, right now with Fredricka Whitfield.