Jury To Begin Deliberations Monday In El Chapo Trial; Bypassing U.S. Sanctions; Countdown To Brexit
NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers all around the world, we appreciate you watching, this is CNN Newsroom. I'm Natalie Allen.</s>GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm George Howell with the headlines we are following for you this hour. Sources say, the U.S. president, Donald Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet in Da Nang, Vietnam in late February. Their June summit in Singapore ended with a commitment from Kim to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, but negotiations appear to have stalled since that summit.</s>ALLEN: Venezuela's opposition leader said his family has been targeted by forces loyal to the President Nicolas Maduro. Juan Guaido said Thursday that paramilitaries went to the home of his wife's family to try to intimidate him. United States says those who are responsible for the threats will held to account.</s>HOWELL: The fate of man long considered the world's biggest drug trafficker will soon lay in the hands of a jury. They are expected to begin deliberations in the case of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman on Monday at the hearing months of testimony. Guzman faces a wide range of charges including drug trafficking. He pleaded not guilty.</s>ALLEN: Three European countries are setting up their own trade channel to Iran to skirt U.S. sanctions. Germany, France and Britain will be using it to sell food, medicine and medical equipment to Iran.</s>HOWELL: Mystery (ph) channel, it's been in the works over months now since the U.S. withdrew from the Iran nuclear agreement and re-impose sanctions. Our Atika Shubert has details from Berlin.</s>ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is basically a work around U.S. sanctions and it is a significant move. It allows companies to trade with Iran on a Euro base system, basically avoiding the United States. And this is the E.U. defying the Trump administration's decision to scrap the Iran nuclear deal and impose sanctions. So, the E.U. has created this workaround in order to keep the Iran nuclear deal alive because the E.U. believes that that deal is the best way to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons.</s>JEREMY HUNT, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: Today with strong even (inaudible), we are announcing that we have taken a significant step forward in delivering our commitment on the Iran nuclear deal to process sanctions relief for people of Iran. We, the E3, have registered to special purpose vehicle which went operation and will support legitimate trade between Europe and Iran. This is a clear practical demonstration, we remain firmly committed to the historic 2015 nuclear deal struck with Iran to joint comprehensive plan of action for as long as Iran keeps in committing it fully.</s>SHUBERT: So, will this be enough? Well, we won't know for a while. It will take a few weeks to set up at least and it really depends on how many companies are willing to risk U.S. sanctions and use this vehicle. It -- certainly big companies like Boeing and Siemens have already put a stop to deals in Iran. So, this workaround may end up being more symbolic. Intended for smaller to medium-sized businesses involved with things like medicine and other humanitarian goods. Atika Shubert, CNN, Berlin.</s>ALLEN: Let's turn now to the U.K. Brexit is just two months away and there's still much that need to get done. The British Parliament told Prime Minister Theresa to renegotiate, but the E.U. said, it isn't interested. So, as the clock ticks down, so do the options. Hadas Gold is live in London for us this morning. Good morning to you Hadas. I want to start with this, is there any indication, either side will move?</s>HADAS GOLD, CNN POLITICS, MEDIA AND BUSINESS REPORTER: No. I mean, honestly right now we're in a staring contest. It's a question of who will blink first. This is sort of similar to what we saw on the U.S. shutdown between Trump and the Congressional Democrats. Here's where we stand, earlier this week, finally, got some sort of indication from parliament what they want and an amendment passed so that Theresa May has to go back and try to reopen this big Brexit deal that she negotiated with all of the European Union over two years and it fix something that's called the Irish backs up. This is the insurance policy that ensures that there won't be a hard border between Northern Ireland which is part of U.K, and the Republic of Ireland which will stay part of the E.U. The problem is, as you notice that the E.U. has said, no way. We worked on this deal for two years. You agree to it already. All of our countries agree to it already, we are not reopening this. However, there is talk that some sort of legal right on some sort of additional legal document proclamation could be added in addition to those withdrawal agreements, so that they won't technically open up the deal and that could potentially be worked out. But so far, we are not seeing any indication from the European Union that they are willing to really move on this. However, the E.U. is known to always sort of wait until the last minute, the last, you know, minutes ticking down to midnight to work sending out. But this is sort of uncharted territory here. They've never had a country like the U.K. leave the European Union. This isn't some another financial trade deal or something like that that the E.U. is dealing with and it is for the first time that we can say, it's February 1st, next month that is when the U.K. is set to leave the European Union. And so far, we have no indication of any sort of deal, any sort of agreements and we are hurtling towards that no deal scenario that could be really bad for businesses. It could be really bad for just general citizens. But I have to say I been outside of London for the past few days speaking to citizens in leave areas. These are places that voted to leave the European Union and a lot of them say, listen, this is what we voted for and if we leave with a no deal, then that's fine with us.</s>ALLEN: Yes, I mean, so many people there are affected by this. They don't know what the future is. You know, it's interesting, Hadas, you talk about the deadline being right around the corner. I can remember years ago -- was it two years ago when they voted for Brexit, saying (ph), oh, --</s>GOLD: Yes.</s>ALLEN: -- they'll figure it out. That is so far away. And here we are, and it's not figured out.</s>GOLD: It's not figured out. And what we're seeing now behind-the- scene is some really interesting sort of political movements. There was a report just the other day when the major newspapers here that Theresa May is possibly even offering things for members of the opposition party who potentially could vote for her. Things like I will give you extra help for your districts. This has been up back upon by the government and by some of the members of Parliament. Others have said that's just how politics works. If she can get something like 20 members of the Labour Party, which was the opposition party, to vote for a deal that could be enough because you have to keep in mind even though she is technically in power and the Conservative Party is technically in the majority along with the DUP, the Northern Ireland Party, there's a huge block of conservative that are -- this are the hard line Brexiteers. These are the people that are really keeping Theresa May from being able to pass her deal and they are the ones who were totally comfortable for no deal scenario. So, now, Theresa May is looking across parties, looking to anybody she get to, people who are afraid of a no deal and say, sign on to my deal, help me out here, so we can avoid that sort of no deal cliff edge (ph) because businesses, these are people that are really worried about this no deal scenario. These are the people who are stockpiling -- grocery stores are stockpiling food, because they are worried about lines at the border. This could be a huge issue for the U.K. just next month. Keep that in mind, next month. That's the deadline.</s>ALLEN: Right. I can't imagine being on the front lines of that one. Hadas Gold for us. Thanks so much. We appreciate your reporting.</s>GOLD: Thank you.</s>HOWELL: It is incredible though to realize it is just next month. That's when it happens. The man responsible for keeping British parliamentary debates in some semblance of order, well, that's the speaker of the House of Commons.</s>ALLEN: Yes, that task has been even more challenging when it comes to Brexit. Speaker John Bercow spoke exclusively with CNN about how he gets it done.</s>JOHN BERCOW, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS: The best and most visible function of the speakers to chair in the chamber, to chair Prime Minister's questions, to chair of the debates, to chair the delivery of ministerial announcements. And in that capacity, I'm a referee. If the speaker is a sort of person who is going to be coward or intimidated by ministerial rant or a letter sent by way of complaint, well, that person isn't fit to be speaker. So, I hope I will treat people with respect, but I'm not going to be intimidated by some moaning minister in any government.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you think are the greatest challenges that you face?</s>BERCOW: There is a limited amount of time. You can't choose every topic. I have procedural advisers who guide me, what needs to be aired, what can be further tees out of the government if it's selected, does an amendment letter say have a large number of signatories, and if so, that might make it, worthy of selection. So those are challenges. I wouldn't say that there fiendishly difficult or complicated, but they absorb one's energy.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What can you do in your world as speaker if the public are feeling disillusioned or perhaps disenfranchised by divisive politics?</s>BERCOW: I suppose I would just encourage members in so far as they need encouragement to do what they think is right in terms both of voice and of vote. It's not for the speaker, let say, in the context of Brexit to prescribe one route or another. And I think the record shows that -- I've always been particularly keen for example to give a voice to the minority or dissident voices in the House of Commons rather than in any sense to side with majority. I think the speaker's role is sometimes just to stand up for the institution of the House of Commons on the principle of parliamentary democracy.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is a brighter spotlight than usual on Parliament at the moment. Does it concern you that the impassioned debate and inability to find consensus might be affecting how Parliament seen around the world?</s>BERCOW: It is a concern that in grappling with the biggest current issue facing us, Brexit. No resolution of the matter has yet been attained. It is a concern. It isn't something that the speaker can determine. The speaker can try to help the House to decide on such as using, give it the freedom to breathe, if I can put it that way.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When the Commons is at its most boisterous even ruckus (ph), how difficult is it to keep control?</s>BERCOW: If somebody going on too long, you sometimes just to have to interrupt and say order, order (ph). The abridged problem (ph) and the war on peace version is what is required? We can't hear from the honorable gentlemen (ph) in great length. And sometimes a member will say, but my point is a very important point, Mr. Speaker. I say, every point made in this chamber is important, but there is limited amount of time available.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you feel that weight of history when you conduct your daily duties?</s>BERCOW: The truth is that it was a very perilous enterprise to stand for speaker before the democratic age came upon us. That does enabled me to view the woes and challenges which reflects and confronts the House of Commons of which if all truce be told periodically afflict and confront me, that is to say whatever else happens to me, I'm not likely to use my head.</s>ALLEN: So again, I can't lose his head until the end of March because that's when the Brexit deadline occurs.</s>HOWELL: The Syrian government has been found liable for the targeted killing of an American war correspondent, Marie Colvin. The U.S. court ordered the Assad regime to pay her family more than $300 million, saying it tractor broadcast and targeted the rocket attack that killed her and the French photographer back in 2012.</s>ALLEN: Colvin was known for her distinctive eyepatch, the result of a war wound. Syria has not responded to the ruling, but Bashar al-Assad has blamed Colvin for her own death. Her story was told in the recent Golden Globe nominated film, A Private War.</s>HOWELL: Here in the United States, parts of the country were in deep freeze, but the good news not much longer. Still ahead, a warming trend is on the way, we'll tell you about it.</s>ALLEN: Also this hour, all tapped out with no more U.S. aid to Palestinians. What will happen to infrastructure projects that are still half finished, we're in the West Bank, just ahead.