Venezuelan Refugees Stream into Colombia
VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. I'm John Vause with an update on our top news stories this hour. High-level trade talks are underway in Beijing. The U.S. treasury secretary says so far, so good. Trade representatives could soon meet with the Chinese president. But hanging over that optimism, a March 1 deadline. If a deal is not reached, new (ph) tariffs could go on $200 billion of Chinese goods. In the coming hours, U.K. lawmakers will again debate Brexit and suggest the next steps for leaving the E.U. In the month since Parliament rejected Theresa May's Brexit deal, the prime minister has failed to get the E.U. to reopen negotiations. A big push is underway in the U.S. Congress to end support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. A resolution passed the lower House, calling for U.S. forces to withdraw within 40 days. It's a stunning rebuke of President Trump and his close relationship and defense of Saudi Arabia, especially in the wake of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.</s>MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This will now go to the United States Senate, where it passed in the last Congress; and we're expecting it to pass in this Congress and giving the president an opportunity to potentially veto this. Now, again, you're right. It does not have enough votes to override a presidential veto, but a very symbolic rebuke from Congress, bipartisan opposition to the Saudi-led war in Yemen. The U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen putting pressure on the administration to change course.</s>VAUSE: The United Nations calls Yemen the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. The Trump administration has a much different take. Here's the U.S. secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, appearing on PBS.</s>MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The Americans, the Brits, the Saudis and Emiratis are doing everything we can to take down the threat from the humanitarian crisis in Yemen while Iran fuels it. It provides missiles to the Houthis that they launch into airports in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. These are the challenges in Yemen. These are the challenges that this administration is determined to push back against. We're going to keep at it.</s>VAUSE: President Trump is hinting, once again, he may send U.S. troops to South America to help end the crisis in Venezuela. He met with Colombia's president at the White House on Wednesday, urging Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro to resign. Duque says Maduro's efforts to block badly needed-aid are a crime against humanity. Meanwhile, a source says Mr. Trump will deliver a speech on Venezuela Monday in Miami. For now the president and President Duque are pledging support for Venezuela's opposition leader, Juan Guaido.</s>DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have great respect for the man that most people, many people think is the real president of Venezuela. He's very brave.</s>IVAN DUQUE MARQUEZ, PRESIDENT OF COLOMBIA: President Guaido, who is the person about to lead the transition in Venezuela, has a strong support. And we need to give him even stronger support.</s>VAUSE: U.S. officials believe the situation in Venezuela will continue to worsen, so they're stockpiling relief supplies on the border, ready to deliver once it is safe. In the meantime, though, Venezuelans continue to stream into neighboring Colombia to get whatever food and medicine they can afford. CNN's Lisa Suarez is there.</s>LISA SUAREZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every step is a burden: a load they have to carry for miles on end. But even the weight of their cargo does little to hold their tongue (ph). And while the majority cross this border legally, some others take a less traveled road. And they all do it out of necessity. (on camera): (speaking foreign language) There's no food. "Nothing. Nothing there," he's saying. "Coffee. Toothpaste. There's nothing in Venezuela. Only sadness." That's what she's telling me. Yet, 20 minutes away from here on Tienditas Bridge, is a warehouse packed full of humanitarian aid, waiting to be delivered. Sure, this is just a drop in the ocean, but it's creating a wave of expectation on both sides of the border. And with that, desperation. (voice-over): The frustration is evident in every corner of this border town as Venezuelans line up for food, for money and for any way out of this crisis. (on camera): He's saying Colombia, but this gentleman here, he's collecting some money, and he's going all the way to Peru. He's telling me, "We don't want anything to do with Maduro." (voice-over): It seems he's not alone. They're celebrating the fall of Maduro's regime. Premature. After all, he's standing his ground, with his military still preventing the aid from entering the country. But they're heeding the call of Juan Guaido --</s>GRAPHIC: We will move the humanitarian aid. Of course, we will move it. And we will move it, even if we have to carry it through unofficial paths.</s>SUAREZ: -- who has been rallying his troops, calling on the people to volunteer and carry the aid across the border on the 23rd of February. (on camera): Are you going to help on the 23rd?</s>SUAREZ: As you can see here, everyone, as you can see here, everyone is prepared to risk their lives to carry that humanitarian aid across the border. (voice-over): And they're counting on the army, the rank and file, who, too, are living on the edge, to walk as well as stand beside them. Lisa Suarez, CNN, Bogota (ph), Colombia.</s>VAUSE: In the Philippines, journalist Maria Ressa is free on bail. She's an outspoken critic of the Philippine president and was arrested for cyber libel. She's a CEO of the online news site Rappler, and Maria spoke to reporters after she was released from custody.</s>MARIA RESSA, CEO, RAPPLER: For me, it's about two things: abuse of power and weaponization of the law. This isn't just about me, and it's not just about Rappler. The message that the government is sending is very clear, and someone actually told our reporter this last night: Be silent or you're next.</s>VAUSE: Ressa posted 2,000 dollars in bail. The news site says the libel charges are related to an article published in 2012. Ressa is among several journalists named Person of the Year by "TIME" magazine last year. And she was also CNN's long-time bureau chief in Manila. Local and international journalism groups, as well as Amnesty International among those condemning her arrest. It was only meant to be a 90-day gig, but it ended up 15 years on the job, changing what we know about the red planet. Ahead, NASA says its final good-byes to the surprising workhorse known as Oppy.