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live from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the united states and, of course, all around the world. i'm rosemary church, and this is cnn newsroom. let's get started. tongue twisting from the trump administration over justifications for the strike that killed iran's top general. philippine authorities warn of an explosive eruption after a volcano spews ash near manila. ever since tommy smith then john carlos raised their fists at the 1968 olympics, the games have been political. now athletes are being told to keep their protests off the field this summer in tokyo. ♪ ♪ good to have you with us.

so, grief is turning into outrage in iran, and that is becoming a direct threat to the ruling elite. protests are spreading after the government admitted to shooting down a ukrainian passenger jet last week. authorities say it was an accident and they have apologized. but protesters have been heard chanting, we will kill whoever killed our brothers. and death to the dictator. a reference to supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei. police have responded to the protests with tear gas and witnesses they have shot into the air to disperse the crowds. the plane was shot down after the u.s. killed iranian general qassem soleimani. president donald trump said he believes soleimani was targeting four u.s. embassies. but the president's allies have struggled to back up that claim. here was his defense secretary on sunday. >> was there specific intelligence the iranians were

plotting to target four u.s. embassies? >> there was intelligence that there was an intent to target u.s. embassy in baghdad. what the president said with regard to the four embassies is what i believe as well. he said he believed that they probably -- that they could have been targeting the embassies in the region -- >> well, the president didn't say there was a tangible -- he didn't cite a specific piece of evidence. what he said, he probeably, believed -- >> are you saying there wasn't one? >> i didn't see one. >> meanwhile, president trump tweeting that he, quote, couldn't care less if sanctions bring iran back to the negotiating table. his message to teheran is no nuclear weapons, and don't kill your protesters. we are used to seeing iranians burning or stomping on u.s. and israeli flags during protests, but take a look at this video posted on social media. those flags you see were painted

on the street years ago by the regime in teheran, essentially it's a way to disrespect those countries by having people trample over their most visible symbols. but saturday, many demonstrators intentionally walked around them. some were chanting, we are not the enemy of the usa and israel. iran retaliated for soleimani's death by firing missiles at bases with u.s. troops in iraq. one of the sites hit was al-assad air base, and cnn was the first network to reach and report from al-assad after that attack. our daman has more now on what happened in this exclusive report. a warning, though, some of the language may be offensive, but it captures some terrifying moments for u.s. troops. >> holy [ bleep ]. >> god damn.

>> oh, [ bleep ], bro. >> reporter: american forces are not used to being on the receiving end of this kind of fire. >> [ bleep ] another one, another one. >> reporter: they are usually the ones delivering it. >> i was scared at the moment. it was something that we were ready for. ready as can be. >> reporter: ready for some sort of ground attack by iran's proxies, ready for mortars and rockets. but this base is not equipped to defend against ballistic missiles. on any other night, some of the 2 1/2 thousand troops and contractors would have been in the areas hit. >> the ballistic missile reporting started to come in a couple hours before the event. so at that point we were, we were really scrambling on how to protect against that. and so it reamlly came down to dispersion, putting space between people, and also getting them into hardened bunkers just to provide that protection. >> reporter: at 11:00 p.m., those who could started to hunker down in bunkers built by their former enemy.

this is a saddam hussein era bunker. >> it is. we felt we would be somewhat safe in here because it was designed to take, you know, some kind of hit, or was built for, you know, ballistic missiles. >> reporter: at 1:34 a.m., the first missiles hit. >> and these doors, every time one of the missiles hit, the doors would, would kind of sink in. >> reporter: dozens of troops were still out in the open, holding their positions to protect the base. there was still the threat of incoming rockets. mortars and a ground assault. pilots were still at their stations operating drones. >> as i was going across the gravel, i could look out to like the eastern sky and i see this orange streak. so i started yelling, incoming, give everybody a warning and then it hit, so yeah. >> reporter: flames swallowed up the drone team's living

quarters. some 30 troops would have been sleeping here had they not been ready. others rushed around the base as missiles came down, looking for anyone who may have been injured. checking on the base's defenses. along the base perimeter, young soldiers on their first tour fought the instinct to flee and stayed, manning the guard towers. >> it was definitely scary at first, but we both knew we had a job to do, manning the tower, keeping eyes front. so we had to do that. more than anything, focused on that, tried to focus on everything behind us. >> reporter: when one strike hit too close, they vaulted into the back of a truck and held their position there. it was a night unlike any here had experienced hunkered down two hours unable to fight back. some crammed into bunkers that weren't built to withstand missiles like these. these kinds of small bunkers exist throughout the base. but they're meant to protect against rockets and mortars. the ballistic missiles that were

fired are 3,000 times more powerful than that. the blasts from this one knocked over a four-ton t-wall, but if that hadn't happened, those who were sheltering here would probably not have survived. come daybreak, fear of finding out who was killed or wounded was eclipsed by the joyous shock that no one was. what are those reunions like, when you kind of see someone who you're close to and you realize that you're both okay? >> it's a warm feeling deep in the heart that all your friends, your family here is okay. >> it just felt like forever since i had seen my guys and, you know, there's a lot of hugging and a lot of tears and a lot of -- it's just a great feeling knowing that all your people are okay. >> reporter: and this is where you used to -- >> yeah, this is my room. a little bit more open floor plan now, but, yeah, my bunk was

right in the corner right there. this is my neighbor up here. everything's obviously gone. it's just happy no one was inside, you know. >> reporter: it's kind of freaky looking at it like this, isn't it? >> yeah. it's surreal. i'm not bothered looking at it. it's just a reminder, threat still exists. >> you know, we have each other. we had each other that night. this is a brotherhood that will never break because of it. >> reporter: does it change your perspective on life? >> it does. it does. it could -- you know, it could be over in, you know, in an instant. it really does. and it really makes me value -- value mostly my team. >> reporter: the base is still

on high alert. the dining facility is open, but people eat elsewhere to avoid a large crowd gathering. the military says they are ready for what may come next. iran's proxies on the ground continue to vow revenge. even for those who have seen war before, this was unlike any other battle field experience. the overwhelming feeling of helplessness that comes with being under ballistic missile attack, to be at the mercy of the enemy, one that could strike again, even if it's not like this. arwa daman, al-assad air base, iraq. >> canada is now mourning the 57 canadian citizens killed in the downing of that airliner last week. ♪ ♪ a memorial was held sunday in edmonton. prime minister justin trudeau spoke at the vigil and offered his condolences to the families.

>> 176 lives were extinguished in the space of a few minutes last wednesday morning, but countless more victims all around the world, all across canada will suffer for years to come. while no words can ease the pain, the grief, the outrage, it is my sincere hope that you can find some comfort in knowing that all canadians stand with you. that is what makes us strong. i am so deeply sorry for your loss. this tragedy should never have occurred. >> and while the prime minister is demanding a full and complete investigation from iran, the victims' families are left with unanswered questions and heart break. cnn's paula newton sat down with

a man who lost three family members, including his 1-year-old niece, the youngest victim in the crash. >> reporter: for hours at a time, amir arselani's only comfort is silence. the joy in what could have been, all gone. >> my sister's family is gone. >> reporter: only the pain is left. amir's sister evan, her husband and their little girl curdia lived their last moments on flight 752. they were returning to canada from their native iran after a family wedding. >> i will never know what happened. what they went through. >> reporter: do you worry about what their last moments were like on the airplane? >> of course. of course. what she said, what he said to her, if they had a moment to kiss each other good-bye, if they -- did they said they love each other together, you know. this is just -- unbearable.

>> reporter: for hours he scanned images of the crash site and found this. >> this is hers. >> reporter: he says they're curdia's. >> i saw curdia's toys, her red shoes. just devastated. we just -- i don't know. >> reporter: and then there's what happens next, going into his family's home in canada and facing all the memories it holds. >> and now i have to go to curdia's room, all her baby pictures. what i'm supposed to do with their belongings here, with their house, with their clothes, with their -- everything that's -- it just like at one point i have to go through it. but thinking about it just kills you inside. >> reporter: after days of private grief, amir now seems determined to speak up. he says it's the only way to honor his family. he is grateful canada is pushing for an investigation, but he says the iranian government must

pay for what they did, especially, he says, for the murder of his 1-year-old niece. >> she was an angel. like, how can you do that? >> reporter: they say it was an accident. >> it was not an accident. >> reporter: what does justice look like for you and your family? >> we say eye for an eye. i know it's not a possible way. what are they going to do, give us money? give us piece of land? give us -- put a street under their name? i don't care. i can care less. i want them back. if i can get them back, they have to leave. they have to go. >> reporter: amir is now watching the protests in iran with hope, just as he watches this video over and over. i love you, she says. for days amir has only had tears. now he says his family deserves more from him and from iran. paula newton, cnn, richmond hill, ontario. >> an unbearable tragedy there. we're going to take a short break here.

still to come, in the philippines, smoke and ash continue to fill the sky as officials warn there may be a second hazardous eruption from the tal volcano. american firefighters traveling halfway around the world to lend an hand in a crisis. we'll have the latest from australia on the devastating bush fires. a change of scenery? kayak searches hundreds of travel sites and filters by cabin class, wi-fi and more. so you can be confident you're getting the right flight at the best price. kayak. search one and done.

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plumes of smoke and ash shot nearly 9 miles high after the tal volcano erupted sunday afternoon in the philippines. authorities are urging a total evacuation of nearly half a million people in towns near the capital manila because they believe another hazardous eruption could be imminent. cnn correspondent blake joins me from hong kong with more on all of this. this is terrifying for residents. what more are you learning about the second possible eruption? >> reporter: the philippines is bracing for a massive volcanic eruption from one of the smallest volcanos in the world. tal volcano is situated in the middle of a lake and about 60

kilometers, roughly 37 miles south of manila, it erupted -- started erupting on sunday afternoon and again, you just saw some of those images of just absolute amazing plume of smoke that has reached 15 kilometers, roughly 9 miles into the sky, stretching all the way to the outskirts of manila. so far 16,000 people have already entered evacuation shelters. and as you mentioned, thousands of more have been ordered to evacuate. fill feen officia philippine officials have raised the level of alert from 4 to 5. another eruption is imminent. it could happen in a couple days or a couple hours. that's yet to be seen. cnn talked to a volcanologist. he said it's one of the most dangerous top 10 in the world. because of its proximity to

roughly 25 million people. for now really the issue has to do with the ash in the air causing the biggest problems. >> it can contaminate water supplies because it's fine pieces of glass. if you breathe it in, that's going to be a hazard because you don't want to be breathing in shards of glass. and importantly, it's going to be a hazard for airplanes if the engines ingest them, they can shutdown. >> reporter: rosemary, that ash causes other problems, too. it's heavier than snow, so any accumulation on, let's say rooftops could result in those roofs chancing, so that's definitely important information for people in the philippines at this point in that area to be aware of. also there is tsunami danger. again, as i said, this volcano is situated right in the middle of a lake. so any impacts, major eruptions that could displace water could trigger a major tsunami. and again, rosemary, it's also worth paying attention to the fact that the airport in manila

had been closed. it's recently partially open so if you have any flights coming in or out, it's important to go ahead and check the status of that flight. >> yes, some good advice. so many concerns, so many things to worry about. of course, as you were talking to us, we're taking these live pictures. there blake essig joining us from hong kong on the possible second eruption in the philippines just south of manila. many thanks to you. well, the australian prime minister's approval rating has taken a major hit as his government struggles with the bush fire crisis. a new poll found scott morrison's approval rating dropped 8 points. australians are upset over his interactions with fire-ravaged communities and inaction over climate change. meantime, officials air dropped more than 2000 pounds of food to feed wildlife affected by the fires. and cnn correspondent will ripley joins us now from

mitagong in australia. will, it is just shocking to see the devastation caused by the bush fires. lives and homes lost. animal populations decimated. but showers are forecast. that offers some relief. what more are you learning about efforts to contain these blazes? >> reporter: well, the good news, rosemary, is in the coming days there is rain in the forecast, which could bring to some areas up to 50 mill i liters. that could start vegetation regrowth which could help feed some of the animals now, relief organizations are flying overhead and dumping carrots and potatoes. a lot of them have run out of food at the moment. so, the problem, though, is all you need is a few days of extreme heat to return and one spark, and australia's right back in the same situation where, you know, not only animals, but also people and property are at risk. that is why australia requested help from the united states. and firefighters who are on the

ground here from america say they have been treated like heroes. hovering over australia's hellish inferno, this american angel. a 52-year-old heavy lift helicopter nicknamed georgia peach, built in 1967 for the vietnam war. today it battles bush fires, dousing them with enough water to fill three large swimming pools every hour. but in new south wales, australia's hardest-hit state, these helicopters sit idle, giving american firefighters who came here to help a rare day off. today's weather is not allowing you to fly. is that a good thing or bhd bad thing? >> a good thing. >> reporter: i can't? >> we can't compete with nature. >> reporter: colorado firefighter says rain and higher temperatures are slowing the fire's progress. >> what it will do is put the fire in a comatose state a few days. >> reporter: nature can do more for the fire now? >> than we can, yeah.

>> reporter: he knows that break may be short lived. recent rains barely made a dent in australia's historic drought. just a few days of extreme heat could be catastrophic, reigniting a burn area the size of massachusetts, connecticut and rhode island combined. is there any way to have enough resources to fight a fire this big? >> not of this magnitude and not of this intensity. >> reporter: for the first time superintendent mark williams takes us inside nara's fire control center. we see australians and americans working together. the two nations have agreed to share fire resources. >> i've been to the united states and canada on numerous occasions myself, so it's great to have that reciprocal effort coming back in to assist us in times of need. >> reporter: more than 150 fire specialists from two dozen u.s. states are in australia. some traveling more than 16 hours. these americans got a heroes' welcome when they landed in

sydney last week. even the city's iconic opera house lit up its sails for all the firefighters risking their lives. >> it felt really good. i was very proud to be able to come over here and help. >> reporter: bart kicklighter from oregon says they are sharing manpower and brain power at a critical time. have you ever seen anything of this magnitude? >> no. we have large fires, of course, in the united states and all over the world, but this is just unprecedented. >> reporter: he's never seen a fire so fast, so big, so hot, an ominous sign of what could lie ahead, not just for australia, but the u.s. and the world. you spoke a moment ago, rosemary, about australian prime minister scott morrison and his approval ratings that have been singed by these wildfires. his liberal party has had an

inses twi incestuous relationship with coal. they are the coal leading exporter. it is one of the main contributors to climate change, and australia is now living on the front lines of a disaster directly linked to climate change or at least climate change a major factor. scientists agree. so how does this country wean itself off what analysts and activists call an addiction to coal and keep its a economy afloat? that is a huge challenge. at the moment the prime minister paying a political price as people on the ground pay a much kbraeter pric greater price whether it be losing their homes, 28 people lost their lives. >> scott morrison's stand has put him at odds with his people and it's certainly having an impact on his approval ratings there. will ripley bringing us the latest from mittagong in australia. many thanks. after weeks of delay, the impeachment is set to move forward. democrats meet tuesday to decide when to send the impeachment

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welcome back, everyone. this is cnn newsroom and i'm rosemary church. time to check the headlines for you this hour. anti-government protests are spreading in iran after officials admitted the military shot down a ukrainian airliner last week. authorities say it was a mistake, but protesters are demanding justice. police have responded with tear gas and a witness says they have shot into the air to try to disperse the crowds. authorities in the philippines are warning another

hazardous eruption from the tal volcano could be imminent. they have raised the alert level to 4 and ordered a total evacuation of nearly half a million people near the capital manila. the volcano erupted sunday afternoon sending a massive plume of smoke and ash nearly 9 miles high. u.s. officials are expected to conclude that a deadly naval base shooting carried out by a saudi national last month was terrorism. the findings from an investigation will be released in the coming hours. sources tell us that more than a dozen saudi servicemen training in the u.s. will be expelled. some are said to have ties to extremist groups. well, the u.s. impeachment process is expected to take a major step forward this week. house speaker nancy pelosi says democrats will decide tuesday when to send formal impeachment charges against president trump to the senate.

she's been holding the articles back for weeks to pressure senate majority leader mitch mcconnell to agree to new witness testimony. >> what we did want, though, and we think we accomplished in the past few weeks, is we wanted the public to see the need for witnesses, witnesses with firsthand knowledge of what happened, documentation which the president has prevented from coming to the congress as we reviewed this. >> former trump national security advisor john bolton has said he would be willing to testify if the senate subpoenas him. but president trump says he will claim executive privilege if bolton is subpoenaed. and for more, we are joined now by natasha linstadt. she is a professor at the university of essex. >> thanks for having me. >> democrats decide tuesday when to send the impeachment articles against president trump to the

senate for trial. how soon do you think that will happen, and how might this all play out? >> well, it seems like it's going to be happening within the next week or so, but it won't be for another well over a week that we may see the senate trial actually get underway. nancy pelosi was trying to delay things to make the case to the public and possibly to get into trump's head that they need to have more witnesses and they need to have more documentation. it doesn't look like any of that is going to happen, but she did find that she was able to make the case to the public that they should have people coming forward like john bolton. i think it's very, very unlikely that he is going to testify. first of all, i don't think the senate is going to subpoena him. and even if they do, i think that trump will exert executive privilege and then we'll have another constitutional standoff. >> right. >> but we have a lot of --

>> you mentioned john bolton. what's to stop him if he really does want to speak on this topic from just going public? he doesn't necessarily have to wait for a subpoena from the senate or the house, which could still subpoena him. but he could just go public and tell his story and tell everyone what exactly he witnessed. >> right. he's indicated that that's something that actually might happen, but he's an ideologue. his heart is conservative. he doesn't want to betray the republican party. he has issues with the way trump handled things in ukraine and we have testimony from fiona hill, some of the things he said he didn't want to be part of a drug deal. but he's probably just trying to wait and see when the best opportunity is to share this information. he may not feel that the best opportunity to do it is in this particular trial unless he's asked to do so, and he may want to reveal the information in a book deal which could be quite

lucrative. >> yeah, i mean, that's why he's been holding off. do you think possibly he's saying that heed be willing 'd testify because he knows he doesn't have to? he'll make some money off of this book. not to be cynical here, but do you think he has the will to speak on this topic? >> i think he's just been flirting with this because then that attracts a lot of attention to what he can do and will say. i think it attracts more interest in a book deal and in him becoming more active as a commentator on conservative news stations. i don't think he's actually going to want to testify because if he does so, he's going to completely blow up the trial because he would be one of the key people that would know information about what trump was doing with this ukraine pressure. so he probably doesn't want to ruin trump's chances in the

trial and then actually affect the 2020 election. so he's probably just holding this close for the moment. >> natasha lindstadt, thank you for joining us and sharing your analysis on this topic. we do appreciate it. >> thanks for having me. >> britain's royal family will gather for a crisis meeting in the coming hours. they will discuss what happens next for prince harry and his wife meghan after their shock announcement they were stepping back from royal duties. anna stewart joins us now from lo london with the latest on all this. good to see you, anna. the royal family meeting in just a few to discuss the future of harry and meghan. how is this likely to be worked out, do you think? what would be the compromises, presumably on both sides? >> yeah, the fact that this meeting is taking place implies that the plans put forward by the duke and duchess last week on their new website didn't meet royal approval. so this meeting it taking prop

discussed. this is drawn up by those who represent the queen and prince charles. on the table we expect things like titles, funding, tax if they live across two different territories, grace and favor homes, the royal duties, who pays for the security. it's the first time since all the senior royals have seen each other face to face since the announcement. so quite honestly, in addition to all the horse trading, there has to be a family bonding moment, one would imagine, rosemary. >> indeed. there are worries that if they're not sort of within the royal fold that they could get entangled with slippery individuals. that is a big concern. what's the likely timing on resolving this? what impact will it have on the roi royals overall? >> reporter: in terms of timing, it's hard to say how long it will take to reach an agreement. when they hit on one proposal they like, it will take time to

implement. there could be some sort of phased transition here. we could see funding and the number of royal duties change over the months and years until they see what the duke and duchess of sussex want to do. as to the significance of this t because whatever the model is the duke and duchess of sussex could be the model for future royals as new royals are born. prince charlotte and prince louie perhaps in the future. and, of course, this is another important chapter in royal history as they try to modernize. it could be a block buster episode in the future episode of "the crown." rosemary? >> it's got the attention of many across the globe who wouldn't necessarily be interested in royal news in any other instance. anna stewart, many thanks to you for bringing us up to date on that situation. appreciate it. we'll take a short break here. still to come, the head of human rights watch says he's been denied entry into hong kong. when we come back, we will find

out why beijing might take issue with the report he's about to deliver.

welcome back, everyone. advocacy group human rights watch says their executive director has been denied entry into hong kong. kenneth rother arrived there on sunday, but says immigration officials gave no reason for keeping him out. for more on this, we want be to turn to cnn's kristie lu stout who joins us live from hong kong. good to see you, christy. what have you learned about them denying human rights executive director kenneth rothe? >> reporter: he flew here for a press conference. he was denied entry and turned back to the airport for immigration reasons. he has visited hong kong a number of times in the past. after he was denied entry, he immediately took to twitter to share his account of what

happened. take a listen. >> sadly, as i arrived here, the chinese government decided it didn't want to legality t me en. this time for the first time they blocked me. this episode is the latest evidence that the chinese government is doing everything it can to undermine the enforcement of international human rights standards. >> reporter: in a follow-up kenneth rothe called his denial of entry another disturbing crack of one country two systems. it is a model of governance many oppositions here in hong kong see as broken. as the government continues to refuse to answer the demands for greater democracy. for more than seven months, eight months now, these massive and often violent pro-democracy and anti-government protests have rocked the territory, and also in taiwan we've heard from the newly reelected president

tsai ing-wen denounce any reunification with china. what happened to kenneth ross has happened before. in recent months hong kong has barred several individuals from the u.s. including an american photographer as well as an american scholar. both have addressed the protests here in hong kong and have criticized beijing. beijing has blamed the west for interfering in hong kong affairs. rosemary. >> all right, many thanks to kristie lu stout joining us live from hong kong. we'll take a short break. athletes being censored. olympians being told to keep political protests off the field in the summer games. we'll explain. stay with us. this blt is delicious! made it myself. i love this place! made that myself, too. order up. fries on the side. right where i like 'em. don't forget the grease fire. burn, baby -- wait, what?

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welcome back, everyone. well, olympic athletes are being told not to protest on the podium during this summer's games in tokyo. any gestures of a political nature are banned at all olympic venues, including raising fists and kneeling. both of which have been used by american athletes to protest against racism.

critics say this is censorship. the international olympic committee says the games should be kept neutral and free from political, religious, and ethnic demonstrations. athletes will be allowed to express their opinions on social media and in interviews. let's talk now with christine brennan, a cnn sports analyst and sports columnist for usa today. great to have you with us to talk about this. >> yes, rosemary, thank you. >> so, athletes heading to the tokyo olympics this summer have been told they can't protest in any way according to the international olympic committee at certain podiums or any other areas considered linked directly with the olympics, but they can make comments on social media. what has been the reaction to this? >> in many ways, rosemary, this was expected. athletes can tweet, but they

cannot kneel. no signs, no protests, but they can talk in press conferences. in many ways, this is what has been the rules in the past. a lot of the athletes, a lot of the olympic committees around the world have asked for clarity, so this was the clarity that they received. does this mean there will not be protests in tokyo at the olympics this summer? of course, not. athletes can may well test this -- these rules, but these are rules that have been in place for quite a while. the difference here is that the international olympic committee actually gave detail about what can and cannot happen. there is concern. megan rapinoe, for example, the u.s. women's soccer star said she was not happy to hear about these rules, and yet she abided by these, basically, these rules at the world cup last year even as she was so controversial and praised in many ways for that. and the president and megan

rapinoe went back and forth a little bit on twitter. rapinoe stood at attention and didn't do anything that would be seen as untoward by the i.o.c., and yet she still had an incredible voice last summer, which means athletes will still be able to give their opinions, especially in the midst of the u.s. election, which is, i think, the backdrop that all of this is set against. >> so why would the international olympic committee rule out protests of any sort except allow comment on social media, any interviews, news conferences. so obviously if any athletes want to protest in any way, they will make their comments known well and truly in these interviews and news conferences. talk to us about the possible fallout from that. >> this is very similar to what happened in the past. in 2014 a sochi olympian spoke out about vladimir putin's antigay propaganda law.

she did that in press conferences and other ways, but she didn't protest visibly on the medal stand when she was part of the u.s. team, bronze medal in figure skating. so we've seen this before. i think it's important, if people are outraged, rosemary, people are saying wait a minute, why can't they do whatever they want, why can't they have freedom of speech 24 hours a day seven days a week? here's the issue. we all remember 1968 or if you don't remember it, you've read about it and the two american sprinters, tommy smith and john carlos, and their very famous protests at the '68 olympics in mexico city. they are iconic figures to this day and praised for their black love salute. so history has treated them very well. and i'm sure history will treat any athlete who protests, if it's donald trump and the election campaign, whatever it might be in the united states, whatever issues are out there, i think history will judge them very well.

the problem is, and i think everyone can kind of step back and say wait a minute, this is a big deal. anyone can protest any time if that's what you would want to say, allow any protest at all, that would mean people could sit down when cernan themes were played. the bronze medallist didn't like the gold medallist's country. could they wave a flag in the middalist's face? it could become a circus. while i'm all for free speech and athletes speaking out, i think it's wise to have some kind much rules in place. that's what the international olympic committee is trying to do. but in these fraught times, donald trump is president, around the world many issues, i think that's the rise we're giving it this scrutiny now, and i do believe we're going to be hearing athletes speak out as never before. they'll just be doing it through twitter and other social media which didn't exist for athletes ten or 15 years ago. >> as you point out, there has been a long history of athletes being able to protest in some way during the olympics.

if not able, they certainly have taken the opportunity some of these athletes have suggested it is an effort to control olympic athletes, to possibly gag them. what would you say to them? >> i'm actually going to guess that while we're going to be discussing this a lot. this is going to be a very big issue leading all the way up to the tokyo olympics and the games themselves, i'm going to guess very few olympic committees will throw the book at their own athletes. and we already have a little signal of how it might workout with the united states olympic and paralympic community. two u.s. athletes actually protested the pan america games last summer. one took a knee and the other raised a fist. neither of those athletes was throne out of the pan american games. either neither of them was suspended. they were able to keep going and do what they want to do, practice and compete in any way,

shape and form. a slap on the wrist. the c.e.o. of the olympic committee said their actions were admirable and she understood civic discourse and those who are giving their opinions. >> yeah, olympics never just been about sports, have they? christine brennan, thank you so much for joining us. we appreciate it. >> my pleasure, thank you. >> and thank you for joining us. i'm rosemary church and i'll be back with more news in just a moment. you're watching cnn. don't go anywhere.

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hello and welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. you are watching cnn newsroom and i'm rosemary church. let's get started. it's been ten days since the attack on iran's top military commander, and the white house is still leaving us with more questions than answers. fears of another eruption lead to a large-scaly evacuation. we have the latest on the philippine's tal volcano. and he's rich, he's famous, he's accused of killing his best friend. we will look ahead to the trial of robert durst. ♪ ♪ and we start with grief and outrage in iran after the government admitted it shot down a