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President Emmanuel Macron Promised Reconstruction of Notre Dame in Five Years; President Trump Keeps in Mind He's Been Exonerated; Grudge Felt by the Bereaved Family of a U.S. Soldier; Trump Vetoes Resolution To End Involvement In Yemen; Investigators Doubt Notre Dame Fires Was Intentional; Fundraising Pledges By Companies And Individuals; Vote Counting In World's Largest Single-Day Election; Investigating The Rohingya Tragedy; Michelle Obama's Controversial Comments; Dog Found Lost At Sea And Heads Toward An Oil Rig. Aired 3- 4a ET

Aired April 17, 2019 - 03:00   ET

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


[03:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: An ambitious promise to rebuild after a devastating fire ripped through Notre Dame Cathedral. The French president vows to restore the church better than before and relatively quickly.

Plus, the world's third largest democracy is going to the polls as Indonesian President Joko Widodo faces a tough fight to win another five years in office.

And the U.S. soldier died while serving her country. Years later, the U.S. deported her husband. And now some are asking why it happened.

Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church, and this is CNN Newsroom.

French President Emmanuel Macron has made the extraordinary promise that Notre Dame Cathedral will be rebuild more beautiful than before and it will be done within five years. Most experts say a timeframe of 10 to 15 years is more likely.

The site still has to be secured before restoration work can even begin. The Paris prosecutor says the fire was likely accidental. Investigators are sifting through the ashes and warning pf potential witnesses in what's left of the building.

Workers are moving precious artifacts saved from the flames to a city hall in the Louvre Museum.

Despite the sense of loss, the streets of Paris are filled with hope and solidarity during Christianity's Holy Week. And President Macron seems to be capitalizing on the show of unity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): So yes, we will rebuild Notre Dame even more beautiful. And I want that to be completed in the next five years. We can do it. And then too, we will mobilize for the test of time, will come that of a reflection and then that of action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN senior international correspondent Jim Bittermann is live this hour in Paris, and Vatican correspondent Delia Gallagher joins us live from Rome. Good to see you both.

So, Jim, let's start with you, and we are hearing about these vulnerabilities in the remaining structure of Notre Dame, what is the latest on that?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, exactly. And there's still inspections going on inside and they're trying to sort of determine exactly how much of the building can be saved and how much can be built on in the reconstruction that Macron has now ordered to take place in the next five years.

That five-year date by the way no magic number, it was in fact, it's five years from now will be 2024 and that's the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris. So, I'm sure that at least that was in the mind of some of his advisers and maybe himself about the idea of having it completed and back up and running in times for the Olympics.

In any case, just this morning we've seen it stopped now but they were spraying some water over the north tower here. I'm not sure what the meaning of that was, but it maybe that there is still some hotspots in the north tower.

And we're told by the people who are doing the investigation into the cause of the blaze that they have not yet been able to get on to the site because of the fact that there's still some fragile parts of the building that they don't want to put at risk any of the inspectors.

About a team of inspectors have been interviewing witnesses nonetheless, and about have been interviewed so far. And there are people who are either working on the site on April 15th, or in fact, were security guards and whatnot at the site.

So, they're trying to determine who did what and when. And that's of course the next big step is going to be determining liability and who might be responsible. And what insurance companies may be paying up depending on what the insurance policies were. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Yes, and of course, all critical in pinning down the cause of this fire. As all of this is going on questions are being asked about why it took 23 minutes after that first fire alarm went off for flames to be detected.

You know, we talked about that the fire wasn't reported until that second alarm went off. So, what are French authorities saying about all this?

BITTERMANN: Well, not much because their investigators are still going on. But the fact is that, yes, there was this 20-minute gap. The other curious thing is that we were told by the church officials that in fact there were normal inspections every day by the fire inspector. They went through the church every day to look around for possibilities of fire and things that need to be -- needed to be cleaned up or something like that.

[03:05:03] So, there was at least an effort to make some fire inspection. There were no sprinkler system however, and of course, that might have helped contain the fire once it started. So, there's going to be a lot of questions asked during this investigation. The investigation they say could go on for years.

Meantime, the masses at the church, he Easter observances are being rescheduled. They are in fact being placed about half mile from here over at the Church of Saint-Sulpice. There are going to be provisions made to welcome pilgrims for an Easter mass outside. They're expecting a couple of thousand people to fill the square of Saint-Sulpice. So, they're making provisions to carry on during the Holy Week, nonetheless. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Yes, of course. Thank you so much. And turning to Delia Gallagher now. So, Delia, what's been the reaction from the Vatican to the fire, and of course the aftermath of all of this.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosy, at the -- Rosemary, at the Vatican just like all around the world they express their shock and sadness in the immediate aftermath of the fire.

We are expecting Pope Francis to speak shortly on it. He gives his weekly Wednesday audience. And we expect him to make some comments in about an hour from now.

We know that the pope and President Macron spoke by phone yesterday. The Vatican said that Pope Francis expressed his solidarity with the French people. And that's an important phone call, Rosemary. Not only to express solidarity obviously, but because while Notre Dame is operated by the Catholic church in France. It is owned by the French state.

So obviously, now in the efforts of rebuilding. There is going to have to be a collaboration between the two of them. And we just heard yesterday, for example, from the Vatican's minister for culture saying that the Vatican would be willing to offer technical expertise in the rebuilding efforts. So, there will be some joined collaboration going forward clearly when it comes to rebuilding Notre Dame. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Of course. Many thanks to Delia Gallagher joining us there from Rome. And of course, to Jim Bittermann who was with us from Paris.

Well, as devastating as the Notre Dame fire look from the outside, inspectors say the damage to the cathedral's interior is not as bad as it could have been. And here's what the cathedral looks like the day after.

You can see how the nave was before and how it is now. Most of it was spared. Here's where the full inspire now at the foot of the altar on top of all the debris that came down with it.

And in the ceiling, two gaping holes open to the sky, one is where the spire once stood.

French officials are worried about the sections of course and have evacuated nearly buildings as a result. The three famous rose windows dating back to the 13th century are all safer now but the risk of collapse is very real.

Some paintings and stained-glass windows have suffered serious damage but thankfully all was not lost during the Notre Dame fire. Many famous relics and pieces of arts survived. And people formed a human chain to save the artifacts and store them at the city hall.

One of those important relics that was saved the Crown of Thorns that Christians believe is the one Jesus wore on the day of his crucifixion. The Tunic of St. Louis is also in save hands. It was a linen garment worn by the former king of France in the 13th century, who brought the Crown of Thorns to Paris.

The 16 bronze statues of the apostles and other saints were removed last week as part of the restoration just in the nick of time as it turned out. And some treasures couldn't be taken down in a hurry, including the famous rose windows that so far has survived.

Now the great organ and its 8,000 pipes miraculously was saved. Some parts date back to the middle ages but it can't be used just yet, all the pipes have to be cleaned out one by one.

Well, Vivienne Walt is a correspondent for Time magazine, she joins us now from Paris. Thank you so much for being with us.

Now I want to start we heard from French President Emmanuel Macron. He was talking about concerns in unity and hope. And he's vowing to rebuild Notre Dame within five years. But many experts suggest that is way too ambitious. That 10 to 15 years is more likely.

How much of this is about politics rather than assessing the reality of how long a project of this magnitude might take?

VIVIENNE WALT, CORRESPONDENT, TIME MAGAZINE: Well, I think it's absolutely about politics, Rosemary. I mean, you've had five months of protests in this country right across the country and in fact, there were gearing up for a big Easter weekend protest.

[03:09:58] So, I think that he is hoping that this might turn the page nothing else he has done has succeeded in calming the atmosphere on the street.

And I think the other, you know, fairly smart political move in fact is to put an ambitious deadline on it. As we mentioned before, there is the Olympics coming up. But also, it really might motivate people to whip into action very quickly.

CHURCH: Yes, you mentioned there, I mean, talking about the politics, and you mentioned that he was hoping his would turn the page. Has it turned the page yet?

WALT: You know, when you get a walk around the streets around Notre Dame where, you know, the crowds are gathered, crowds of Parisians are gathered and you ask them will this end as you laid on protest. And they say immediately, absolutely not.

You know, the problems are far deeper than that and that, yes, people are really in grief over the cathedral. But there is still a tremendous well of anger and frustration in this country.

That said, it's very difficult to imagine the yellow vest protesters being out in the streets this weekend while the country is in such a state of sadness and battling police at a time of just great emotions. I think it's certainly will throw the protestors for at least a little while.

CHURCH: Right. One would certainly think so. And of course, while French authorities analyze the vulnerabilities that exist in the remaining structure, questions are rising about why it took so long, some 23 minutes for flames to be detected after that first alarm went off.

We know French authorities are staying very quiet on this. But why would that be the case? Why would it take so long? And there's no sprinkling system, there is no fire walls in -- I mean, it's obviously something that they may have to consider with the rebuilding of the structure. But for this fire, unfortunately, none of those existed.

WALT: Rosemary, there are so many questions around Notre Dame. It's actually the status as such, the government owns Notre Dame. However, the church has perpetual free use of it.

However, there is a condition to that. And that is that they keep up the maintenance on their own. So, they were effectively left, you know, touring the U.S. actually, mostly, looking for money for the essential upgrades they needed the government put very little money in.

And hence, you know, they could cover their basics. When they went up on the roof a couple of years ago, they showed me how stone workers just dropped soften chunks and replace it with wooden slat because there's simply had no money to do any real restoration.

So, in the light of what's happened and one might say perhaps it was inevitable that this would happen. There are going to be some real deep questions about how the country manages not just not Notre Dame, which is probably its most magnificent structure. But there are hundreds of old beautiful buildings around this country, many of which are in terrible shape.

CHURCH: And now of course, this has really rallied, it's made the businesses and companies, and billionaires across France. They have raised what, or at least pledge nearly one billion dollars to go toward the rebuilding of Notre Dame.

What will they think more about using, rather than wooden frames for the ceiling, perhaps metal more fire-resistant materials, just to -- and in acceptance that now in this day and age they need to use those sorts of materials just for the safety of those within the building going forward?

WALT: I think this will be baked into every small decision they make not just for Notre Dame but for every old church in this country. However, I think that there is a very strong motivation to reconstruct what was an absolutely, you know, masterpiece example of gothic architecture, one of the finest that had been left standing from the middle ages.

And I think it's going to be very difficult for them to abandon the thought of rebuilding the original roof, which, by the way, it was constructed with 5,000 oak trees.

CHURCH: Yes. That's going to be very difficult project, though, isn't it? And the cathedral's wooden spire and roof burned and collapsed. But despite the vulnerabilities we talked about the two bell towers and the facade survived and the stained-glass windows have stayed intact.

[03:14:54] But now attention turns to the investigation. And French authorities say it will take some time to figure out the cause of this fire. But they know where the flames started in the attic. Why would it take a long time to figure that out once they're allowed access to the building of course which can happen at this moment in time?

WALT: Well, actually you make a very good point. Which is that it's going to take some time for them to be allowed free, you know, to be able to roam around freely inside.

And on top of that, there are numerous different construction companies that were working on the works inside the church. All of whom I'm sure are making sure that they are well protected legally against what might be a vast, you know, litigation against them if one of them was found to be negligent.

So, I think that -- I think they're right. I think this could be quite a while, people aren't really focusing on that right now. But ultimately, I think essentially fingers are going to be pointed and somebody will be found culpable or a group of people.

But I think underlying all of this, is a far deeper culpability and that is simply the entire management system of Francis heritage.

CHURCH: Yes. They may have to rethink all of this. Vivienne Walt, thank you so much for joining us. We do appreciate it.

WALT: You're welcome.

CHURCH: And you can learn more about the devastating fire at Notre Dame and find out how you can help with restoration and rebuilding efforts. Just head to CNN.com/impact.

We'll take a short break here. Still to come, President Trump is looking forward to vindication. Some White House officials are dreading the release of the Mueller report. The reasons why, still to come.

And in a crowded field of U.S. Democratic presidential candidates, money matters. We will look at who is bringing in the most cash, who is struggling and who is burning through their money. Plus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EZEQUIEL HERNANDEZ, JOSE GONZALEZ CARRANZA'S ATTORNEY: His wife paid the ultimate price. And somebody said to him while he wasn't the one who died. The whole family suffers that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Confusion and anger over the deportation of a man whose U.S. soldier wife died in combat. We'll have that too on CNN Newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: The U.S. attorney general will release a redacted version of the Mueller report Thursday.

[03:19:59] And while President Trump has been claiming vindication, White House officials they're anxious.

Abby Phillip explains.

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump insist he is not worried about the Mueller report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, it showed that it's a total phony. I don't have to say that. I mean, you just take a look at the conclusion. There can't be anything there because there was no crime. There was no anything. The crime was committed by the other side.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: But simultaneously working overtime to both discredit the investigation, insisting, it found no collusion and no obstruction and attacking it as the greatest scam in political history. That is bigger and more important than Watergate.

But sources tell CNN that current and former White House aides are worried about unflattering things they might have said to Mueller about Trump.

Meantime, Democrats are already bracing for a fight over redactions. Warning the attorney general, it's not his decision to make.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY PELOSI, UNITED STATES SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: It isn't up to the attorney general who has said basically that the president is above the law and the rest, so he's there to redact whatever he wants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: And as Trump lashes out, Democratic oversight committees are moving forward with new subpoenas, targeting banks that have done business with the president or his associates and seeking more information about the president's personal taxes.

Trump also moving the discussion away from the investigation, and on to his other favorite topic, immigration, and stoking fears again about undocumented immigrants.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You look at some of these people you want protection from them. And they're saying we need protection from our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: And those aides we did speak with Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation are not just worried about what they said about President Trump and what the public might find out about that information. They're also worried about how the president himself might react to what they have said being made public for the whole world to see.

For a president who price his loyalty about all else, this has become a growing concern for these aides.

Abby Phillip, CNN, the White House.

CHURCH: Well, the field of Democratic candidates running for U.S. president in 2020 is large but to stay in the race for the long-haul fund-raising is key. And by that measure, leaders are emerging.

Leyla Santiago has the details.

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At campaign events.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe in this. We got to make it happen. Go to ElizabethWarren.com, put in five bucks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO: On social media, in 2020 campaign e-mails all about the money because it matters. President Donald Trump whose reelection efforts started the day he was sworn into office has raised $30.3 million from January to March. It's the strongest fundraising quarter of his presidency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're going to have a great election. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO: The president's early fund-raising advantage prompting a note of urgency from the Democratic National Committee. Blasting out an e-mail with the subject line that reads "we must keep pace with Donald Trump's campaign." Adding, "it's all hands-on deck."

Official financial reports made available this week show a top tier now beginning to form among Democratic candidates. Leading the PAC, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have raised a considerable amount of money in the last six weeks since we've been in the campaign. And I'm proud of that, and our average contribution used to be 27, it's gone down to $20.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO: According to the latest FEC filings in the first quarter of Sanders raised $18 million. California Senator Kamala Harris, 12 million, former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke, more than nine million and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, seven million.

Behind them, the crowded field of Democrats on the 2020 campaign trail are scrambling to keep up, some candidates who did not pull in as much boosted their numbers by transferring leftover money from their previous campaign accounts into their presidential communities.

Meanwhile, those rejecting money from political action committees are using it to court voters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FMR. REP. BETO O'ROURKE (D-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's the way that we are running this campaign. No PACs, no lobbyists, just human beings our fellow Americans will make up.

(APPLAUSE)

BETO O'ROURKE: This will be the largest capturing effort this country has ever seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO: While no Democratic candidate is anywhere near having Trump totals, there are all aware that the road to the White House will require more support and enthusiasm in the form of dollars.

CHURCH: Our Leyla Santiago with that report.

Well, the husband of a U.S. soldier killed in combat is now fighting to stay in the United States. Immigration agents deported him to Mexico last week, and while he's back on American soil for now, his case is far from over. CNN's Nick Watt has our report.

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A Gold Star spouse back on U.S. soil after a harrowing few days in Mexico deported. His 12-year-old daughter left behind in Arizona.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[03:34:59] JOSE GONZALEZ CARRANZA, DEPORTED TO MEXICO: My daughter she lost her mother and then probably, she won't lose her father but she never see her father again too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: His wife Barbara Vieyra died serving her country. This country and this country deported the husband she left behind, a story first broken by the Arizona Republic newspaper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERNANDEZ: His wife paid the ultimate price. And somebody said to him while he wasn't the one who died. The whole family suffers that. And I think if you would tell that to a military family, they'll be offended.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: According to his lawyer in 2004, Carranza crossed illegally from Mexico. Three years later, he married Barbara Vieyra, a U.S. citizen from Mesa, Arizona. She then joined the army.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARRANZA: She want to get a better education, get a future that way can give a better future to her daughter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: But she was killed in Afghanistan in 2010, age just 22. And aid station later named in her memory.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A daughter, a mother, a sister, a friend and an American soldier and a hero.

HERNANDEZ: The military parole in place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: Carranza's lawyer says his client who had not applied for U.S. citizenship was granted parole in place after his wife died. It's for military family members basically a guarantee they won't be deported.

But the lawyer says, ICE reopen Carranza's case last year. And that he was sent to notice to appear in court but it was sent to an old address. So, he missed that court date and ICE showed up at his home last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARRANZA: A bunch of officers around to my car, point me with weapons, you know. Then get screaming to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: His lawyer filed a motion to reopen the case as a stay on the deportation was issued but he says, Carranza was deported anyway.

Arizona Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick today telling CNN "The story of his arrest is just another example of the president's inhumane immigration policy. The Gonzalez Carranza family has sacrificed so much for our country, and they should have never been treated this way."

In the meantime, Carranza's lawyer says he's not quite sure why ICE went ahead and deported his client. And he's also not sure why they let him back in.

Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.

CHURCH: And in a statement, U.S. immigration official say a judge will determine whether proceedings in this case should be reopened. And whether Jose Gonzalez Carranza can legally stay in the United States.

Hundreds of millions of dollars pledged to rebuild Notre Dame. Still ahead this hour, the priceless treasures that make the cathedral a crown jewel of Paris.

Plus, the world's biggest single day election is now over. And ballot counting is starting in Indonesia. We're live in Jakarta for the latest on that.

And then later, North Korea's leader lays down the law for the U.S. What Kim Jong-un says must happen for denuclearization talks to resume. We'll have all of that when we come back.

[03:3:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back everyone to CNN Newsroom. I'm Rosemary Church time to check the headlines for you this hour. Donald Trump issued the second veto of his presidency on a bipartisan resolution to end the U.S. involvement in the Saudi led war in Yemen. He called the resolution unnecessary and a dangerous attempt to weaken his constitutional authorities.

The Red Cross say its first shipment of humanitarian aid has arrived in Venezuela. It was loaded onto trucks for distribution to help hospital struggling with power outages and shortage of medicine. The aid included emergency kits and generators.

Investigators say they don't think the fire which devastated the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was intentional. They are still potential weaknesses in the building structure. French President Emmanuel Macron says he would like to see the Paris landmark rebuilt within five years.

The Notre Dame Cathedral represents France like few other monuments. Which is why watching its destruction has left Paris so profoundly shaken, but with the smoke now cleared, there is hope, miraculously much of the gothic structure was saved. And as Phil Black reports, returning it to its former glory will now be the focus of the nation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How do you measure the profound value of one old building to a nation or to the world? Perhaps when people stop in this street to weep and pray because of its (inaudible) destruction, when the French president openly shares that grief.

Efforts to save it are broadcasted everywhere. Notre Dame is among the most famous of famous buildings. 13 million people visits every year. Countless more stand before it, tilt their heads up and gasp at the extraordinary vertical scale, the vast rose windows, and the many ornate sculptures guarding its exterior, gargoyles, saints, and angels. All of the features that make it a masterpiece of the gothic style, but few visitors saw this.

A 2018 special broadcast by local network France Du (ph) show these images of the century's old woodworks supporting the roof. There's so much oak here, it's known as the forest of Notre Dame. The same timber structures that were just a few months later feed a fire that threatens to destroy the whole Cathedral.

Notre Dame, Our Lady of Paris, has stood since the 12 hundreds, a building in constant evolution, as artist and craftsman altered and repaired the structure and its decorations. The towering timber spire, now lost to the flames was added in the 1800s, often a symbol and reflection of French political power, the Cathedrals was vandalized through the French revolution, while Napoleon Bonaparte used it to reinstate monarchy rule with his coronation as emperor.

Later, French Republican leaders, the nation's presidents were honored here too. This service was for military hero and statesman, (inaudible). Notre Dame's survived the violent and occupation of war, more recently, terrorist attacks in Paris sort become a focus for the nation's grief.

An inspiration for artists, across many art forms, none more important than Victor Hugo's novel published in English as The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Before the flames, time and weather were the cathedral's determined and powerful enemies. Desperately needed restoration work was already underway.

Now, saving Notre Dame has become a critical goal for all of France. In a place famed for beautiful old buildings, one stood above all others as an icon of the nation story and the French people are not ready to let it go. Phil Black, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: All fund-raising pledges to rebuild the Notre Dame Cathedral

are already closing in on the billion dollar mark with several French companies leading the way. The luxury goods (inaudible) LVMH Group, which includes Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Mark Jacobs has pledged $226 million. The L'Oreal Group and the Bettencourt Meyers family have also pledge $2226 million. Luxury leader, the Pinault family and French oil company Total S.A. have each pledged $113 million.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC SCHMIDT, FORMER EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, GOOGLE/ALPHABET: Cathedrals that we love, represent the shared, you know, history of humanity. There's nothing more important than this things understand who we were, what we've been, what we've done and where we're going. I hope Silicon Valley in a 100 years will have sense of a similar nature, but there's nothing like Notre Dame, it's well worth preserving, restoring, rebuilding and making it better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Karen Archer is the Deputy Director for strategic development and communications at the French Heritage Society, she joins us now from Paris. Thank you so much for being with us.

KAREN ARCHER, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, FRENCH HERITAGE SOCIETY: Thank you, good morning.

CHURCH: So, as we've been reporting, French president Emanuel Macron wants Notre Dame rebuilt in five years from now and French billionaires have already pledge nearly $1 billion to do that, your organization is be heading a fund raising effort in the United States and across the globe, how much is being raise so far and how much do you think it will take to rebuild Notre Dame?

ARCHER: In terms of how much it will take it's an open question for the moment. I think as they do those structural evaluation on that, we will get more precise figures. We just launched are campaign on Monday, so we tried -- the last I've heard about 500 donations from across many in the United States, but also across the globe.

And I think, we've raised about $40,000 for the moment, but that figure has changed since yesterday, so I'm not exactly up to date, but we are offering the possibility for people who would like to contribute, and many have been smaller donations, as well. Just because of a spontaneous outpouring for people who feel touched, who can't imagine not having Paris without Notre Dame.

CHURCH: Yes. Of course everyone wants to play their role, their part in rebuilding the Notre Dame. So, how realistic, though, is President Macron's five year goal, given some exports suggesting, it could be closer to 10, even 15 years to rebuild? And are we talking about an effort to replace the roof with wooden beams or should more fire resistant materials be use this time around?

ARCHER: That is an ongoing debate, which has just begun, and I'm sure we will hear more about that in the coming days with different experts weighing in. Five years does seem extremely ambitious. Even today, we don't know how fragile the structure is. They still have structural engineers going inside, evaluating that, and there are certain things that you can't rush. I know, there's a possibility that the stones above the fire, even though they are standing, may have been very fragilized, they may have to be replaced as well. So, really to -- in order to respect the solidity of the monument, they have to do things in order and it's going to take the time it takes. So, we will see.

CHURCH: Yes, of course, I do want to ask you how surprise you were that so much of the building and the artifacts inside the Cathedral were actually saved, given the ferocity of this fire.

ARCHER: Yes, I mean, we had a few pleasant surprises yesterday. The first of which was that the cathedral was still standing. But I have to say, the moment which was the most heart wrenching for me, was on Monday evening when they were saying at some point, when the fire was still raging that they weren't sure that they could save the structure.

So, it was very -- it was tremendous yesterday to see that the structure is still standing. And I've heard that about -- they've estimated about five to 10 percent of the artworks have been lost. There are others that need a lot of restoration, but they were able to save many things. And it may began as soon as the fire broke out, they were removing artifacts, relics, and the treasury, which was in the crept was not damaged. So that's good.

CHURCH: Right. Indeed and just before you go, I do want to get an idea of what goal you are setting yourselves as you raise this money, and if you're gonna go beyond just individuals, and perhaps approach some bigger companies across the globe?

ARCHER: Yes. I think we will. We also work with the number of Foundations in the United States as well. So, we are open to everything. We started our campaign at our website on French heritage Society.org, and we've had a lot of response. We had a lot of outreach from English speaking countries around the world, as well, as we are based in the United States.

[03:40:00] And we are open to working with companies, with private foundations, family foundations, of course, individual donors. And it's going to be a collective effort. I know in France they launched major campaigns, and the French people are giving as well. And I have to say this has brought about a sense of solidarity for the moment among the French people, and the international community, to really save Notre Dame. And they saw how close it came to being a pile of rubble. So, it's really a close call.

CHURCH: Yes. I think you are right. It has pooled people together. The sense of unity, and certainly President Macron was pushing that concept, concern and unity, and hope.

ARCHER: Yes.

CHURCH: And I'm sure, as people are watching this, as we have this discussion, many people will want to add their two cents worth, and put some money towards this great cause. Thank you so much for talking with us. I appreciate it.

ARCHER: You're welcome. Thank you very much.

CHURCH: All right. We turned to Indonesia now, and the ballots are being counted and what's considered the world's most complicated single day election across the nation's 17,000 islands, 192 million people where eligible to vote, 245,000 candidates are running for more than 20,000 seats. The presidential race is a repeat of 2014, with incumbent President Joko Widodo facing Prabowo Subianto.

All right. Well, political analyst Kevin Evans joins us now from Jakarta. Good to see you again. Vote counting is now underway. We understand how long will that process take? And when might we get first indication of who the winners might be in both legislative and presidential elections?

KEVIN EVANS, POLITICAL ANALYST: The quick council will be out within the next half an hour. So television studios are being pulled around the country as people await those formal announcement. The counsel continued to late in the night, I'm afraid. It will be a long day for the poll workers. That will be going through the presidential election count. And the House of Representatives, the upper House, provincial parliaments and local parliaments. And so it will be quite a long ordeal until those final votes are counted in each polling station.

CHURCH: Again, it's fascinated me when you said that last hour, that it's actually out -- done out in the open and some of the villages, were people actually watched on it.

EVANS: Yes.

CHURCH: They count over the ballots which is extraordinary. And of course, President Joko Widodo is again being challenged by former army general Prabowo Subianto. So, who is likely to win this? And what are each of these men stands for?

EVANS: Well, all of the polls so far being fairly consistent and the votes haven't really shifted a great deal in terms of the polling in the last few months. All have shown the incumbent with a somewhat comfortable lead, but there is still a reasonable undecided vote. The president is certainly being campaigning very strongly, that he's next five years, he'll focus on education and training.

While his challenger has been presenting concerns about basically making Indonesia greater again. A concern about issues of social inequity. Concerns about excessive foreign dominance over the economy. And a concern that the state have a stronger role. Certainly a natural resource developments.

CHURCH: Right and what do Indonesian's want in a leader? And what are the main issues? What issues drove them to vote in these elections. EVANS: Well, I think there are numbers of issues, cut crossing --

depending on what part of the electorate as we were to recall to some very large demonstrations against the double minority, former governor of Jakarta.

That mobilized a lot of energy from the Islamic side of politics, but I have a sense that what it also did was, I say that it awoken the sleeping Garuda (ph). And a number of people who have been quietly concerned for a number years about the perception of diminishing equity, diminishing tolerance, some of those begun to get organized.

So, this is really the first national local election where we will start to see whether that counter vote has finally starting to take hold or whether people overall are happy for the general trajectory over the last two decades.

CHURCH: Yes. We will see. And as you mentioned, we could see in the next half hour. So, which is extraordinary really, considering they only really just started counting, haven't they. Kevin Evans, thank you so much for joining us, we appreciate it.

[03:45:00] Well, a young dictator with a long list of ultimatums. What Kim Jong-un says the U.S. must do to get new clear talks back on track?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Winning the prestigious winning the prestigious Pulitzer Prize is a bittersweet victory for the families of two Reuter's journalists, who is spending years in prison for doing their job. Here's what their wives are saying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAN EL MON, WA LONE'S WIFE (through translator): Since we were married, he was always telling me about the Pulitzer Prizes. He dreamed of being award the highest price as a journalist. When I was in (inaudible), he won this award in the morning, I really want to write to him, was such amazing information, but I realized that is not possible. I wish both of them could receive the prizes in person. I really pray for that.

CHIT SU WIN, KYAW SOE CO'S WIFE (through translator): I'm so happy about my husband winning the Pulitzer Prize. I'm so proud of him as a brave journalist. I hope that winning this prized will cause consideration for their release. And the family will be reunited. His daughter will surely be proud of her father.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And their husbands won the Pulitzer Prize for investigating the killing of 10 Rohingya men by Myanmar security forces and Buddhist villages. The massacre was part of a brutal campaign against the Muslim minority. The journalists are serving seven years in Myanmar's most notorious prison for violating the countries official secrets act. Well, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made some bold declarations that

he's supreme people's assembly seeming to dictate terms for a potential third summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. And this comes as Kim shakes up his inner circle. CNN's Brian Todd has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a brazen move by an emboldened young dictator. Kim Jong-un now apparently trying to dictate negotiating terms to America. In a speech to his Supreme People's Assembly, North Korea's leader recently laid out a series of ultimatums. If the U.S. wants to resume denuclearization talks. The U.S. has to quote stop the current way of calculation and approach us with the new way of calculation, Kim said. If the U.S. doesn't, he says, the prospects for problem solving will be dark and very dangerous. As for a third summit between Kim and President Trump, it would have to be quote with the condition that the U.S. has the right attitude.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[03:50:04] PATRICK CRONIN, HUDSON INSTITUTE: Kim is talking to Trump as though he is a teenager who has to be told looked, you are out of control, come back to being my child. I'm in charge here and come to the table, but he saying is that deal has to be agreeable to him. And based on Hanoi that is a pretty bad deal so far.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: During their second summit in Hanoi, President Trump walked away from Kim with no new deal on denuclearization. After Kim asked for almost all sanctions on North Korea to be dropped, but as he rattles his saber, Kim also appears to be hedging his bets. Playing up his personal chemistry with President Trump, saying in his latest speech that the men quote, still have a good relationship. Something the president echoed Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have a very good relationship with Kim Jong-un. He just said the other day he looks forward to more talks. Talk is OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: But experts say, no matter how much Kim wants to talk, the North Korean dictator will always feel he needs his nuclear weapons to maintain his strength.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL GREEN, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: The bottom line is, there's nothing you can really see that suggests the North Koreans have any intention to give up their nuclear weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: Now, as Kim works to restart negotiations internationally, at home, he appears to be shaking things up. In his leadership and his family. On Saturday, Chow heong-hei (ph) was elevated to the top position in North Korea's legislature. Essentially making him North Korea's second highest official. Chow is reportedly the father-in-law of Kim's younger sister. Kim Yo-jong, who until now, appeared to be consolidating power. Seen just feet away from Vice President Pence during the Winter Olympics.

Just a few weeks ago, she was seen as a key player at her brother summit with President Trump. Spotted ducking out of view as the two men met. Even getting off Kim's train first to make sure everything was in place for his arrival, but on Saturday experts say, she was not mention by name in state media coverage of the gathering of the legislator. And she was no longer listed among this year's alternative members of the Palette Bureau (ph). Although she did appear in this big group photo, a party leaders.

Experts on North Korea's leadership say while they can explain Kim Yo- jong's sudden absence from the spotlight, they believe behind the scenes, her power is undiminished.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN GAUSE, NORTH KOREA LEADERSHP EXPERT, CNA: The blood tie is everything. She is his most trusted adviser. At the end of the day, she is a person that he could rely on in a way that he cannot rely on any other adviser.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: But there's another woman in Kim Jong-un's inner circle who's building her own power, Choe Son-hui, one of Kim's top diplomats is sometimes called the iron lady of negotiators, because she recently threatened to suspend talks with the U.S., but she still consider to be someone whose favorable to the engagement with President Trump. And Kim, has just promoted her. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: So it's no secret, there's no love lost between the U.S. president and the former first lady. Now Michelle Obama is facing criticism from one specific group after her latest dig at Donald Trump. We'll tell you all about it on the other side of the break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: If America were a teenager, Michelle Obama says President Trump would be a divorce dad, but she is facing backlash for using that stereotypes. CNN's Jeanne Moos has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No love lost between these two, but when Michelle Obama in the zinger that President Trump the other day, it ricocheted back and hit the former first lady.

[03:55:02] She was on her book tour, being interviewed by Steven Colbert, when she compared the American people to a broken family.

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE U.S.: Were teenagers. Sometimes you spend weekends with divorce dad. That feels like, it's fun, but then you get sick. That's what America's going through. We're kind a living with divorced dad.

MOOS: It's the kind of behavior that caused the wife of Robin Williams character Mrs. Doubtfire to ask for divorce for encouraging the kids to run wild. While dad, dances on the table. Some thoughts comparing President Trump to a divorce dad was hitting the nail on the head, but guess who's mad now at Michelle Obama. I'm a divorce dad and I think I could do a pretty good job. Now I'm compared to Trump? And from another divorce dad. He loves his kids and is every bit of a good parent of his divorce mom. I generally don't like Trump and did like you, but you've shown that you can say just as rude and insensitive comments as Trump. Dad's kept reminding Michelle of her own motto.

OBAMA: When they go low we go high.

MOOS: The former first lady past digs of President Trump.

OBAMA: Five Felicia.

MOOS: Or likewise delivered without naming names.

OBAMA: You don't tweet every thought most of your first initial thoughts.

MOOS: Now, people are tweeting Mrs. Obama their thoughts. And she's no doubts hoping the Americans people will pull the plug on the Trump Party.

Jeannie Moos, CNN --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Parties over.

MOOS: New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: All right. So living on an offshore oil rig, you are used to seeing fish and birds, but definitely not this. Chevron workers were shocked when they saw a dog swimming toward their oil rig. 220 kilometers off the coast of Thailand, they used a rope to pull the dog out of the waves and up the -- up to the platform. They gave him water and food and named him, Boonrod, which means survivor. The dog is back on dry land, recuperating with the rescue group. One of the oil workers said, if Boonrod isn't adopted he would like to take him home.

Sounds like a good idea to me. Thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with me any time on Twitter @rosemarycnn. We'd love to hear from you. And the news continues next with our Max Foster is back in London. You are watching CNN, do stay with us.

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