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Trump Agrees to Meet Kim Jong-un by May; Trump Imposes Steep Tariffs, Risks Trade War; Russian Nerve Agent Attack; Wenger, Arsenal Get Crucial Win In Milan; Funeral Held For Fiorentina Captain Davide Astori; Marta And Alex Morgan Go Head-To-Head. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired March 09, 2018 - 02:00 ET
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ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour, Donald Trump will meet with Kim Jong-un with denuclearization on the table. And the process will begin soon.
Against the advice of key aides and hundreds of members of his own party, President Trump signs new import tariffs, almost certainly setting off a trade war.
Plus new numbers from Myanmar paint an even bleaker picture of the Rohingya crisis. More than 43,000 parents may be missing and are presumed dead.
Hello and welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Isha Sesay. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.
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SESAY: It wasn't long ago that Donald Trump and U.S. military leaders were talking about giving North Korea a bloody nose, a preemptive military strike to send a message to Kim Jong-un. Now the two leaders will come face-to-face for a first of its kind meeting. We don't know where or exactly when. But the South Korean delegation visiting the White House says it will happen by May.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHUNG EUI-YONG, SOUTH KOREAN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I told President Trump that in our meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he is committed to denuclearization.
Kim pledged that North Korea will refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests. He understands that the routine joint military exercises between the Republic of Korea and the United States must continue and he expressed his eagerness to meet President Trump as soon as possible.
President Trump appreciated the briefing and said he would meet Kim Jong-un by May to achieve permanent denuclearization. (END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Well, CNN has correspondents covering this major story all around the globe. Andrew Stevens in Seoul, South Korea; Matt Rivers there in Beijing; Kaori Enjoji is in Tokyo.
Welcome to all of you.
Andrew, to you first. South Korea's Moon Jae-in has made a concerted effort to engage Pyongyang and as you know to resuscitate the South's Sunshine Policy.
Now that we have this meeting in the offing, how big a win is this for South Korea's president?
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA PACIFIC EDITOR: It's a significant win, no doubt about it. I mean, he campaigned on this return to dialogue with North Korea. He has been the glue that has been holding this hope together of some sort of dialogue between both the U.S. and North Korea and also between North Korea and South Korea.
He acted very quickly when Kim Jong-un, through his sister, sent an invitation for President Moon to visit Pyongyang. That invitation was made at the Winter Olympics. He has reciprocated by setting up a summit meeting which will be held in the South in the southern part of the demilitarized zone, which itself is a big move because the last two presidential meetings between North and South Korea both happened in Pyongyang.
So, yes, he does deserve praise for putting this in motion. But I would say, Isha, there is a clear-eyed reality here that this is very much the first step. And there is still so much to be decided.
And the key to this all is, of course, does Kim Jong-un -- or what conditions does he put on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, because the North Korean playbook has always been, wants U.S. troops out of South Korea, wants the U.S.-South Korean alliance broken and wants the nuclear shield that the U.S. covers Japan, South Korea with, to be gone.
So these are massive, massive undertakings of the U.S.
Are they prepared to do that?
At this stage it would seem unlikely. So President Moon, even though he is saying it's almost miraculous that the two are meeting and this is a view which is shared because no other U.S. leader has met a North Korean leader, he is still saying we are optimistic.
But this is the first step in what is going to be a very, very long process. And it's a path that we have trodden before and has led absolutely nowhere before.
SESAY: Indeed. Andrew, thank you, stand by for us.
Matt Rivers, to you, Beijing clearly wanting these talks to happen fast. And I would imagine they, too, are somewhat taken aback by the speed, like much the world. But the fact of the matter is, North Korea has in the past engaged in talks. They have agreed to deals. Those deals have fallen --
[02:05:00]
SESAY: -- apart at some stage.
Does Beijing share those same concerns that, you know, a deal might not stick?
How do they view the road ahead?
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, despite all of what you just mentioned there -- and those are very real concerns, given what we have seen in the past -- Beijing does consistently say that this kind of step is the only way to move forward when you're talking about trying to achieve a lasting peace deal on the Korean Peninsula.
Now we are getting official comment from the government here in Beijing. There is a press conference ongoing right, now not far from where we are here in the CNN bureau, over at the ministry of foreign affairs. So we'll have that reaction for you shortly.
But what Beijing has been extremely consistent over the years in saying is that the only way to solve this problem is to get the United States and North Korea in a room together, be it under the framework of the six-party talks, which failed back in the mid-2000s or in some new form. And this, I think, would qualify as a new form.
The United States president, the leader of North Korea, the two men with the top negotiating power from both sides potentially sitting down in a meeting that absolutely no one saw coming, at least this soon. That's certainly having Beijing taken aback but probably a bit optimistic about that.
However they're realistic. Just yesterday, before all this happened foreign minister Wang Yi gave a press conference here in China and he said in part, quote, "It takes more than one cold day to freeze three feet of ice. Despite light at the end of the tunnel, the journey ahead won't be smooth. History has reminded us time and again that whenever tensions subsided on the peninsula, the situation would be clouded by various interferences." So some very flowery language there. But the point of that is that
China hopes for a good outcome. They want this to happen but they're also realistic about the obstacles that stand in the way.
SESAY: Clear-eyed and flowery.
Kaori to you there in Tokyo, Japan is being more vocal in their concerns or certainly more measured and cautious about this accelerated engagement with North Korea. I know that some certainly stateside, some analysts have been saying there should have been lower level talks before President Trump, you know, took the step of meeting with Kim Jong-un.
I'm wondering what the reaction is where you are and how they feel about the fact that these two leaders will meet.
KAORI ENJOJI, JOURNALIST: Well, the reaction from Japanese government officials has been very measured. And the tone of their reaction is very succinct, that they want to continue to apply maximum pressure. And this language hasn't changed one word since over the last few months. And Japan, of course, very visible, wants to stay very visible in these negotiations not only because the public is scared.
The missiles have been flying once over the country and into Japanese waters and over the last year this has been a nervewracking time for the Japanese public. And the government is clearly aware of that. They are cautious. They are cautious about this latest overture from North Korea.
And as the -- as other government officials have said and reiterated again by the foreign minister, North Korea has done this before, they've done this twice, according to the foreign minister here in Japan, Taro Kono (ph). And that's why I think there is a little bit suspicion as to what exactly they want to achieve from this meeting.
Is it just an easing of the sanctions, which officials say here have been applying pressure to bring North Korea to the table?
But is there something else that North Korea wants as well?
And according to the defense minister, his suspicions are even clearer. He says, well, they say they will halt any further nuclear missile tests.
But does that mean they will halt research into their nuclear research program as well?
They want something that's verifiable, that's the language he used, and something that's not reversible, irreversible.
So I think there are a lot of reasons Japan wants to be cautious about this upcoming meeting. Having said that, I think for the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, to be able to pick up the phone and call Donald Trump, the U.S. president, this morning and have a chat rebuke, reaffirm that they're in this together and that the U.S. is the bedrock of Japan's security, this has got to be a significant step for him, that he is going to be able to meet Donald Trump in Washington in a few weeks' time, in mid-April, before the two -- before Trump meets with the North Korean leader.
That has got to be somewhat of a diplomatic breakthrough as well. So I think until the envoys from South Korea, that went to discuss with North Korea, actually come to Japan and those meetings are scheduled next week on Monday and Tuesday and they give the real details, details that may have not yet emerged to Japan, about what singular details that may be impacting Japan in the future, until they hear that next week I think the tone will continue to be fairly cautious from the Japanese side -- Isha.
[02:10:00] SESAY: We shall be watching closely. A long road ahead. Andrew Stevens there in Seoul, South Korea, Matt Rivers in Beijing, Kaori Enjoji in Tokyo, thanks to all of you.
Philip Yun is executive director and CEO of the Plowshares Fund and a former adviser on North Korea to President Bill Clinton. He joins me now live from San Francisco.
Philip, always good to see you, particularly in these hours as we all process the news of this scheduled meeting between Kim Jong-un and President Trump. Some are calling the moment extraordinary. Some are saying that this is a stunning development.
What is your reaction?
PHILIP YUN, PLOWSHARES FUND: Well, yes, you know, I always said don't get too high and too low when dealing with North Korea. But in this case, I have to say this is a remarkable event, compared to what was happening as of two months ago.
I think what we have here is an opportunity -- and there are certainly a lot of questions, a lot of land mines to actually getting to a summit. But it is really a much better place where we are now than when we were, let's say, two months ago, when people were talking realistically about a bloody nose strategy or a unilateral strike.
And so I think this is something that we have to take seriously and see what happens.
SESAY: The South Korean envoys were very clear in their statement, which was delivered outside the White House. They said that President Trump's leadership and maximum pressure, together with international solidarity, brought them to this juncture.
The Trump administration immediately touting this moment as a victory for all that President Trump has said and done over the last few months. We all remember fire and fury, little rocket man, my button is bigger than your button. You know, we are here now. So was he right?
Did he get it right?
YUN: Well, I think that's one theory. Personally I've always agreed that the United States, for various reasons, had to increase their defensive measures and support of South Korea and Japan. I think the whole notion of more sanctions and more pressure was something we absolutely had to do. And what had been missing was the component of a conversation to see what those things -- what is actually possible.
I don't know, though, if actually this tough talk and the sanctions really pushed North Korea. There is another theory. And the other theory is this, which Kim Jong-un basically stated in November.
They feel that they have a deterrent. And so, therefore, they feel relatively secure right now and feel that they have the confidence in order then to talk with the United States on equal footing. We do have a moratorium and a freeze right now. But one of the things
that people may not quite understand is that North Korea continues to produce fissile material, the material that goes boom, one bomb's worth material every eight weeks.
And that's an insurance policy for them. So I think it remains to be seen what actually is pushing North Korea to these particular talks right now.
SESAY: I mean, as you talk about, because as you frame it -- and that line of thinking is that North Korea is coming to the table from a position of strength. They feel strong. And that's why they are open to this meeting.
Some have said giving them this meeting, President Trump going straight ahead and agreeing to a meeting, not waiting for lower level talks to take place but saying, yes, I will sit down, is validating that, validating them as a nuclear state and that carries risks and problems down the line.
Do you agree?
YUN: No, I don't agree. I don't think that talks for talks' sake really has -- we have nothing fear related to that. We're in so much better position than the -- than North Korea is. So I don't have a problem with having these talks.
I mean, we have to reach a deal for us to avoid possibly a, you know, a cataclysmic conflict or accepting North Korea as a nuclear state. We have got to have a conversation. And up to this point we have not.
So I think this a good move on the part of the president. I also want to note the fact that this is kind of a style that I think may actually produce something relatively big. That's just one thought, because there is a tendency for the North Koreans to want to -- if you want to move and move quickly, you do it at the top.
If you recall back in 1994, Jimmy Carter met with Kim Il-sung, the grandfather, and they came very quickly to a deal. There is a tendency, when you allow things to happen at a relatively lower level, things get bogged down.
And so I think there is a possibility here. But a lot of details have to be worked out and a lot of things could go wrong because we have seen it before.
SESAY: The question I think on the minds of most analysts, most watchers, is what does Kim Jong-un want in return?
What do you think?
YUN: Well, on one hand he said that he wanted security --
[02:15:00]
YUN: -- assurances. So what the maximal or the opening bid has been, removal of U.S. troops, the end of the U.S.-ROK treaty or security alliance and the nuclear umbrella over South Korea and Japan, which are all nonstarters.
But he wants to make sure that his regime will exist. The other thing is a degree of prestige and legitimacy. So that's something we're going to have to figure out, how to give to him in a way that he can tout to his own people because they have invested so much in these nuclear weapons.
And the third is some kind of benefits. Sanctions relief is going to be one of them. But his economy is in tough shape. And he himself has put himself on the hook with his first public remarks in 2011, where he said he would make the economy better.
So those are the things that we have to give to him. And we have to make sure that whatever we get is verifiable and actually prevents him from getting his -- that actually rolls back his nuclear capability. It doesn't have to happen now. But at some point it has to happen.
SESAY: We are almost out of time, Phil, but I want to ask you, we haven't heard anything in the North Korean media verifying all of this. And we have been watching -- I know you and I have spoken today.
When an statement is made -- because the expectation is obviously if this meeting is agreed to, there will be some kind of statement made in Pyongyang on state media.
How will it be framed?
YUN: Well, you know, I think that what they are going to say is they will tout this in a way that is very complimentary and is a tribute to Kim Jong-un and his leadership. That's the way the North Koreans will frame this. I take heart in the fact that the North Koreans haven't contradicted anything at this point.
But that always leaves them a little bit of wiggle room if, at some point, they decide to continue to push and push harder, which they inevitably will, to make sure they get the best deal that they possibly can, if there is a deal to be had.
SESAY: Indeed. Philip Yun, joining us from San Francisco, with the Plowshares Fund. Thank you. Always appreciate the insight.
YUN: Thank you.
SESAY: We're taking a very quick break now. Why some U.S. allies are relieved by President Trump's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum while others are dismayed.
Plus U.S. Senator John McCain and actor Angelina Jolie may be an unlikely pair but they share the same goal: ending the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar. Hear their plan when we return.
(MUSIC PLAYING) SESAY: Updating our breaking news: U.S. President Donald Trump has accepted an invitation to meet with North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. Here is what we know.
Mr. Trump confirmed he would meet with Mr. Kim but didn't say when. The White House says the time and place are to be decided, whether in the U.S., North Korea or a neutral location. The South Korean official said the meeting would take place by May. Mr. Kim's invitation --
[02:20:00]
SESAY: -- was delivered in a conversation by South Korean delegation visiting the White House Thursday.
And South Korean official says Pyongyang offered to suspend further nuclear or missile tests. And says Mr. Kim is, quote, "committed to denuclearization."
Well, the breakthrough on North Korea came just hours after Mr. Trump made another stunning announcement, steep tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. His ally, Japan, called the decision regrettable while ally South Korea complained it was unjust. Rival China denounced the new policy as harmful.
But there was a lot more going on at the White House than just tariffs and North Korea. Here is CNN's Jim Acosta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been a taxing week for President Trump, who signed a proclamation initiating new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports coming into the U.S., a move that's likely to spark a trade backlash from American allies.
TRUMP: Steel is steel. You don't have steel, you don't have a country.
It was not fair.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Earlier in the day the president took note of the collateral damage caused by his new tariffs, the sudden resignation of his top economic adviser, Gary Cohn, a fierce critic of free trade policies, Mr. Trump poked fun at Cohn, who strongly opposed the tariffs, describing his outgoing aide as a globalist.
TRUMP: He may be a globalist but I still like him. He is seriously a globalist. There is no question. But you know what, in his own way he is a nationalist, because he loves our country. And where is Gary?
You love our country.
ACOSTA (voice-over): But for all this tough talk, the president signaled he is making exceptions in applying some tariffs. TRUMP: We are negotiating with Canada and the NAFTA and, depending on whether or not we reach a deal, also very much involved with that is national defense. But if we reach a deal, it's most likely that we won't be charging those two countries the tariffs.
ACOSTA (voice-over): A much softer tone than he had last week.
TRUMP: People have no idea how badly our country has been treated. They've destroyed the steel and they've destroyed the aluminum industry.
ACOSTA (voice-over): But the president is unleashing some of his fury behind the scenes, venting that he is not happy that press secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed that he has been in arbitration with porn star Stormy Daniels, who alleges she had an affair with Mr. Trump.
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I can share the arbitration was won in the president's favor.
ACOSTA (voice-over): A source close to the White House says the president believes Sarah gave the Stormy Daniels storyline steroids. But White House officials pushed back on that, insisting the president has no issue with Sanders. Democrats take note of the lack of GOP outrage over the Stormy story.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CALIF.), HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADER: You can be sure if any of that happened with the Democrats, the Republicans would be very involved in it. But our time should be spent making the future better for the American people.
ACOSTA (voice-over): The White House is also grappling with the president's loose talk in the Russia investigation. A White House official confirmed a report in "The New York Times" that the president has discussed the probe with former chief of staff, Reince Priebus, and White House counsel, Don McGahn, after they spoke with the special counsel's office.
The official told CNN chief of staff John Kelly has warned the president to be careful, saying it's pretty clear that Kelly admonishes him constantly and he is not the only one.
SEN. JACK REED (D), RANKING MEMBER, ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: Sending the message, not just to those that may have been questioned but those that would be questioned in the future that what they say would be commented upon or they'd be queried by the president, that's not a good practice. And I think John Kelly's advice is sound advice.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Well Europe's most powerful banker warns that America's decision to impose tariffs could hurt the global economy and alienate its friends. Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank said Thursday if you set tariffs against your allies, how do you know who your enemies are? But the European Union is no stranger to taxing imports. CNN's Melissa Bell takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The rumblings of war are once again stirring Europe, by the this time of a trade war with the United States over Donald Trump's announcement of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
In fact, the uproar here in Europe has been such that you could be forgiven for thinking that the E.U. doesn't impose tariffs of its own at all.
BELL (voice-over): The truth is that it does, thousands of them. In order to protect orange producers in Spain, for instance, those imported from Gabo in West Africa has a 30 percent tariff slapped on them. And that's true of the most of the fruit and vegetables you'll see at this Parisian market.
Take for instance these cashew nuts, imported from Nigeria. They'll have had a 20 percent tax clapped on them. Take also the cars that are parked outside the market or rather the steel from which they are made.
Only last week, the European Union decided to renew tariffs on Chinese steel imports. Some of those tariffs as high as 70 percent, the European Union's aim: to prevent cheap Chinese steel from coming into Europe, precisely the same reason invoked by Donald Trump to justify his tariffs.
So is the E.U. being hypocritical?
MATTHIAS FELD, FRENCH FORMER TRADE MINISTER: When you implement tariffs, it's to --
[02:25:00]
FELD: -- respond to problems like dumping, to problems in labor laws, which are not the same. And so it's to bring an answer to unfair trade. But when trade is fair, you have to respect the rules.
BELL: The European argument is that Donald Trump simply isn't playing by the rules; the rules, that is, of the World Trade Organization. And Europe is worried that by flouting them, Donald Trump is endangering not just the global trade system itself but also the transatlantic friendship on which it was built -- Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: It was brazen and it was cruel. Some of the angry words being used by the highest members of Britain's government following the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in Salisbury. We're getting more details on this bizarre story: 21 people have received some form of medical treatment in connection with the attempted assassination. Our Nick Paton Walsh reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A flurry of activity at the home of Sergei Skripal, while he and his daughter remain in a critical condition, including the policeman who first rushed to their aid improving. The task for British officials this day appearing in control but keeping the investigation secret.
AMBER RUDD, BRITISH HOME SECRETARY: The use of a nerve agent on U.K. soil is a brazen and reckless act. This was attempted murder in the most cruel and public ways. People are right to want to know who to hold to account. But if we are to be rigorous in this investigation, we must avoid speculation and allow the police to carry on their investigation.
WALSH: For now, that means waiting to point the finger at the likely sophisticated power that could provide such a murder weapon. They know behind me exactly what is. The investigation gathering details faster than they are willing to publicize. But advancing too given the broad British suspicion that Russia was ultimately behind it and thinks can get away with it are demands that any British response has teeth.
WALSH (voice-over): And even European officials tasked with giving Britain a rough ride over Brexit said European strength was in unity and that should be clear consequences for Russian authorities.
But as the Skripals fight for their lives, what can Britain carried on the world stage by internal turmoil actually do?
Russia's wealth and its wealthy have flooded into London, once marveled at as Moscow on the Thames, and now just more plainly accepted as where rich Russians keep their valuables.
OLIVER BULLOUGH, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR: Close friends of Putin have children have a lot of property in West London and their deputy prime minister has a flat just on the embankment just down from the House of Commons. So, yes, I mean, that's a lot of sort of very high-ranking Russian people who've bought property here.
But it's not just property. They like to educate their children here. They like to have their business decisions adjudicated by English courts. They like to send their children to English universities. So we're a broad-spectrum service provider for oligarchs.
WALSH (voice-over): Pressure will mount, as the facts emerge, through a clear response upon the Kremlin's moneyed elite to the damage done to this seemingly ordinary Russian's life in Salisbury -- Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Well, more than 43,000 Rohingya parents have been reported lost and are presumed dead in the six months since Myanmar's military started its violent crackdown on the Muslim minority. That's according to a group investigating human rights abuses. Nearly
700,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh trying to escape the killing, the torture and the rapes. U.S. Senator John McCain and actor Angelina Jolie are now calling for action.
In an opinion piece for "The New York Times," they say the U.S. needs to reclaim its role as a global leader and they go on to say this.
"For more than three decades, America stood with our allies to support democracy in Myanmar and demand freedom for thousands of Burmese political prisoners. That unified stand ultimately led to the election in 2015 of the country's first civilian government after a half-century of direct military rule.
"Unfortunately, such promising progress has been squandered. We need to show eager resolve now to stop the violence and safeguard the rights and freedoms of all Burmese peoples."
McCain and Jolie are part of a glowing list of leaders around the world who say persecution of Rohingya must end. Many have spoken out, including three Nobel Peace Prize winners, who met with refugees in Bangladesh.
They say Myanmar's civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, needs to help these desperate people or risk being complicit in genocide.
We'll take a very quick break and get back to our breaking news in just a minute. President Trump prepares to meet face-to-face with North Korea's Kim Jong-un, a look at when and where the historic meeting could happen -- after a short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:32:23] SESAY: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay. The headlines this hour. President Trump has agreed to meet with North Korea's Kim Jong-un by May. South Korea says Pyongyang will suspend its nuclear missile testing. President Trump tweeted sanctions against North Korea will remain until an agreement on denuclearization is reached.
The president on Thursday imposed a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum. Canada, the largest exporter of steel to the U.S. was exempted from the decision as was Mexico. Some called this fear the controversial decision will trigger an international trade war.
21 people were treated in a hospital in England in connection with a suspected poisoning of a former Russian double agent and his daughter. The two remain in hospital in critical condition. The U.K. Home Secretary called the nerve agent attack brazen and reckless. Russia is considered a leading suspect, but Moscow is denying any involvement.
More now on our breaking news, U.S. President Trump has agreed to meet directly with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. We don't know where just yet. But South Korean officials say the face to face will happen by May. The White House says sanctions and pressure on the North will remain in place. The stunning announcement came after a South Korean delegation met with Mr. Kim in Pyongyang earlier this week then they traveled to Washington to deliver the invitation to Mr. Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he's committed to denuclearization. Kim pledged that North Korea will refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests. And he expressed his eagerness to meet President Trump as soon as possible. President Trump appreciated the briefing and said he would meet Kim Jong-un by May to achieve permanent denuclearization.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Well, CNN Andrew Stevens is live for us in Seoul. And Andrew, I mean there's no doubt this is a stunning development. I mean we've heard the words from various players and analysts, stunning, and almost miraculous. But the question has to be as we go forward, how will these two sides, North Korea and the U.S. prepare for these talks? How will they approach them?
STEVENS: Well, that -- that's a great question given the fact that it caught so many people in the administration in Washington by surprised by Donald Trump's agreement to meet with Kim Jong-un. So there's going to be a lot of scrambling behind the scenes to set it up. We know through that acceptance that Donald Trump obviously hasn't set any preconditions. So what they need to talk about is very clearly denuclearization at this stage.
[02:35:12] This is the topic. There are no peripheral subjects around at the moment. The question is, what does Kim Jong-un want in return? We know that he wants security guarantees and what is the U.S. prepared to give up? Now, from previous experience we know that North Korea has always demanded that U.S. troops in South Korea leave that the alliance between the U.S. and South Korea end, and the U.S. nuclear umbrella which covers this part of the world is withdrawn. Now, they are three big demands in themselves. Is the U.S. going to go along with that for the sake of denuclearization in the Korean Peninsula?
At this stage most analysts would say, no, they're not, Isha. So getting to actual denuclearization is going to take a lot of diplomacy and willingness, and key willingness on both sides. And it's interesting that the U.S., and South Korea, and Japan sort of three key players in all this are saying that they're going to keep the sanctions on as long as North Korea shows no sign of actually denuclearizing -- of any verifiable denuclearization moves. They're going to keep the sanctions on and these sanctions are the reason most people now say that Kim Jong-un is actually going to the negotiation table in the first place because they are starting to hurt North Korea.
SESAY: I mean as we talked about South Korea and the rule in all of this, the man in the middle Moon Jae-in, the interlocutor if you will. I mean he's walking a very fine line as we move forward towards the Inter-Korea talks and then of course moving to the U.S.-North Korea talks. I mean he has to walk that line between the ally, the long- term ally of the U.S. and obviously this opening and warming of relations with the neighbors to the North.
STEVENS: He has done a good job so far obviously because he has managed to get the two key players, the U.S. and North Korea to the negotiating table. There's no doubt about that. Even he described it as almost miraculous, but you're right. I mean he's walking -- he's threading a very, very fine line here. The U.S. is a key ally of South Korea and he has made it clear that he wants the U.S. to remain a key ally of South Korea. And it's been suggested in many, many quarters that this strategy by Kim is aimed partly at driving a wedge between Seoul and Washington. If that's the case, it's certainly no indication of that happening at least at this stage. But there is this summit between the North and the South that's going to be held at the end of April. That's in the demilitarized zone which separates the two Koreas which in itself is a victory for President Moon of South Korea because there have been two summits in the past, Isha.
Both of those have been in Pyongyang though. And Kim Jong-un had invited President Moon to Pyongyang for a third summit. That summit is now being switched to the South Korean side of the demilitarized zone. So that's a step for President Moon as well. But it's going to be difficult. He's got a lot of kudos for bringing the process to this stage. There is a clear-eyed reality in Seoul which tempers the welcoming of these talks that we have been down this path before several times with North Korea. They have shone apparent willing to denuclearize. They have wanted to meet with a U.S leader. That has not happened and they certainly haven't denuclearized despite all the efforts to do so. In fact as early of what four or five months ago that the rhetoric was reaching red line levels between military strikes and annihilation on both sides.
SESAY: How quickly things can change. Andrew Stevens joining us there from Seoul, South Korea. We'll see what the coming weeks bring for us. Appreciate all the analysis the last couple of hours, Andrew, Thank you.
Well, coming up, President Trump makes another gaffe about who is and isn't still alive. He's not the first U.S. official to make the mistake. We'll explain when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:41:12] We're having a top story for you. U.S. President Trump has accepted an invitation to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. A South Korean official says the two rival leaders will meet by May. That official says the North Korean leader is, "Committed to denuclearization and eager to meet with the U.S. President as soon as possible." The White House says the time and place are being worked out. The South Korean official says Mr. Kim pledged to suspend testing on nuclear missiles during this time.
Well, perhaps rumors of the American steel industries death have been greatly exaggerated. President Trump has workers on hand Thursday as he signed that big tariff bill. All was going to plan but then the president made things a matter of life and death. CNN Jeanne Moos has more on his White House faux pas.
JEANNE MOOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The president seems relaxed at the tariff signing ceremony joking with one steel worker.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let's arm wrestle.
MOOS: Just moments before another steel worker had wrestled with his emotions Scott Sauritch told the story of how his father lost his job due to imports.
SCOTT SAURITCH, STEEL WORKER: I never forgot that looking into his eyes in my household what that does to a family.
MOOS: What it did to the president was inspire a premature pronouncement.
TRUMP: That's well. Your father Herman is looking down. He's very proud of you right now.
SAURITCH: He's still alive.
TRUMP: Oh, he is? Well, then he -- then he's even more proud of you.
MOOS: You know who relates to that faux pas? Former Vice President Joe Biden. He did the same thing to the mother of the then Prime Minister of Ireland.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: God rest her soul and although she's -- wait, your mom is still -- your mom is still alive as your dad passed. God bless her soul.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: And speaking of premature departures, President Trump almost made one again. At least twice he started to leave bill signing ceremonies without signing the bills.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, you need to sign it.
TRUMP: Oh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: The first time the president was in a hurry to get out to avoid reporters' questions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were you trying to do that, Mr. President?
(END VIDEO CLIP) MOOS: The vice president stopped him and got the bill so the
president could sign them elsewhere. On Thursday, President Trump seemed eager to give the steel workers a tour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Would you like to take a picture in the Oval Office? Let's go and do that. Let's go and do that. Yes, I'm going to do it.
JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST OF JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE: He remembers to put his name on everything else water, vodka, stakes, Trump, Trump, Trump on Trump, but he has a problem with bills. He doesn't sign them or pay them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: At least the minor missteps add some life to the ceremony.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Your father Herman is looking down. He's very proud of you right now.
SAURITCH: He's still alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Jeanie Moos, CNN New York.
SESAY: Thank you. You're watching CNN Newsroom live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay. Stay tuned now for World Sport. You're watching CNN.
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[02:46:05] PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi there, thanks for joining us. Welcome to CNN WORLD SPORT. Pressure, what pressure? Arsene Wenger's critics have been out in force recently. But Arsenal's long-serving French head coach had the perfect response on Thursday night.
In the Gunners round the 16, Europe League, first leg clash with Italian giants Milan bringing to an end what he called a nightmare week. The London has said lost their last four but they were in total control of San Siro. And no surprise when Henrikh make a carry in the Armenian, grabbing the opener by the powerful shot that was deflected past the (INAUDIBLE) Giant teenage keeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, his first for the club. And he got even better for the visitors when Aaron Ramsey, showed great poison skill to bamboozled Donnarumma and tapped it in 2-0, Arsenal the final store.
So, two away goals in for the gunners and a clean sheet to boot making them firm favorites to reach the last stage of the tournament. The second leg, by the way, next Thursday in North London. What a caution though for Arsenal fans. Remember in the previous round, they beat Swedish menus Ostersund, 3-0 in the first leg only to then lose the return by 2-1.
Atletico Madrid, meantime, enjoying a seven-point lead over their Spanish capital rivals Real. Right now in La Liga, they lost (INAUDIBLE) they remain on course for a third straight Champions League title. They hope (INAUDIBLE) he done.
Atletico in well, in the Europa though, and they were comfortable first-leg winners over Russian opponents, Lokomotiv Moscow. Their first call at the Wanda Metropolitano was a belter, Saul Niguez from fully 32 was out. That's what happens when defenders suck off. Well, I can tell you the two-time tournament winners doubled the lead early in the second half. They get cross on hand, sucking away and trying Griezmann's initial effort, 3-0, in fact, the final score.
Elsewhere in the Europa league, an impressive win for Austrian champs. Red Bull Salzburg, who spread a shock on German powerhouse Dortmund. They first defeat by the way, for (INAUDIBLE) as he took over at the Westfalenstadion.
He didn't see this coming, though a pair of goals from custom and international Valen Berisha did the trick. Salzburg, now I'm beating in 10 European matches away from home. Impressive stuff, to Italy where we been witnessing poignant scenes in Florence on Thursday though. As former Fiorentina captain, Davide Astori was laid to rest.
Thousands turning out to pay their respects for the 31 year old who passed away over the weekend following a cardiac arrest. The local government also declaring a day of mourning, the schools and businesses were asked to observe a minute silence in his honor.
And some of the biggest names in Italian football were also in attendance including the Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri, and veteran keeper Gigi Buffon. Even defender Giorgio Chiellini, who spoke after Wednesday's Champions League victory over Premier League Tottenham. Could he still very moved by the death of his former Astori teammate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIORGIO CHIELLINI, DEFENDER, JUVENTUS FOOTBALL CLUB: We dedicate to him not on this match but every mind in this day, I cry many time. I always believe him because he is a fantastic player. It's very difficult doing the best because we have to think of the game at the opening and it's not easy, but it's always -- it will hurt. And tomorrow we go to give (INAUDIBLE), the last ciao together with our teammates.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: Giorgio Chiellini, now. All right, and he was ones the top- ranked golfer in the world but those days seem long ago now for Tiger Woods. The 14-time major winner is back in PGA Tour action now, this week but it is shining brightly in the Sunshine State of Florida?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [02:51:59] SNELL: Hi there, we are edging ever closer to the first golf major of 2018. That will be the Masters which takes center stage next month. On Thursday, four-time winner, Tiger Woods stepping up his preparations for the battle for the green jacket by return into PGA Tour action. The build-up by form and fitness he hopes ahead of Augusta National.
Well, the 42 year old Americans undergone a whole series of back surgeries. In recent years, as he continues his quest to snap a five year winless straight on floor. At the vows back championship in Florida, some dicey moments at times for Tiger, they after toying with these trees at 16. Well, followed next at number 17 just brilliant.
Watch this, the effortless swing this is very close to being a hole in one for Tiger, the penultimate hole. After round one, would free shots backed following a one-under for 70? Around that would five birds and four bogeys.
Now, Thursday marking International Women's Day across the world with a landmark event taking place down under New Zealand to celebrate 45 years of women taking part in saving prestigious Volvo Ocean Race. The occasion in Auckland, featuring notable names and competed in the race over the years, reflecting on their experiences in front of a packed crowd, as well. The race itself, just for the record, get back underway in 10 days from right now as the fleet leaves Auckland heading to South America to Brazil.
And maintaining the International Women's Day theme, let's take you to Orlando, in Florida, this for a global football tournament developed by the United States women's national team with Wednesday's final match, featuring America against an England team, now managed by the newly appointed Phil Neville. When this team needed at just a point against their host to clinch the she believes cup on gold different, but, they would lose it.
To Karen Bardsley, second-half own goal, would you believe it mean, the USA reclaimed the cup while France beat Germany to finish in third place.
As a World Cup winner and gold medalist, Alex Morgan is one of the stars of the American women's national team. She played in that match last time, but what happened when she came face to face with Brazilian legend, Marta. Well, our partners at Copa of 90, put the two Orlando, pride teammates to the test to try and find out over a very unique challenge. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELI MENGEM, HOST, COPA90: This is Copa90, and this is the Drone Shot Challenge. Today, we have Marta and Alex Morgan, two of the best to ever play the Women's Game.
Oh, my --
Before we get started, what's the most expensive thing you've actually ever broke within a soccer ball in your life? It could be accidental but --
ALEX MORGAN, FORWARD, UNITED STATES WOMEN'S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM: I mean -- I mean, those cameras when you doing like a photo shoot or something, know they're pretty nice and they feel like they have tried to put in the back of the net and it's broken.
MENGEM: Yes.
MORGAN: That's a couple thousand, I don't know.
MENGEM: Did you have to pay for that? No, it's not your fault, right?
MORGAN: I don't know, yes, I didn't see the check but --
MENGEM: Well, here is the -- here is the objective, right. The single objective, hit the drone. We'd prefer if you hit it really hard, break it, shatter it, smash it, all of our shots will be from outside of the box. The drone will actively be dodging your shots, OK?
Second round, is Patterned Flight with the Drone. The drone will be a little bit more predictable if you guys to hit. Final round, which is a Stationary Drone, in the top corner and we go until one of you guys smashes it. Got it?
[02:55:15] MORGAN: Got it.
MENGEM: Are you guys ready? Are you guys ready?
MARTA VIEIRA DA SILVA, FORWARD, BRAZIL WOMEN'S NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM: Yes.
MENGEM: All right, let's do it.
MORGAN: All right, so we go?
MENGEM: Yes, OK, OK.
MORGAN: Come on, you got this.
MENGEM: It's getting closer, it's getting closer. I like that, I like that one.
MORGAN: Yes, that was good.
MENGEM: That would have smashed it. That would have smashed it for sure.
It's got the right height though, it's got the right height though.
MORGAN: Yes.
MENGEM: You like this corner?
DA SILVA: Yes, it's so good. MENGEM: OK.
MORGAN: OK.
MENGEM: Here we go now. I like that -- like that. Oh, my God.
Oh, my gosh! What are the chances? It's in the goal.
MORGAN: So good.
MENGEM: Oh, my. That was amazing, that was amazing. Oh, man.
MORGAN: Did I break it? Just like a little tangled. I mean --
MENGEM: That was a great hit.
MORGAN: I don't even think I smashed it that hard, pretty good.
MENGEM: Wow, wow.
MOGAN: Hi, Marty. You owe me.
DA SILVA: Hey.
MENGEM: We don't know what the bed is but that was pretty impressive. All right, guys it was competitive but Marta, there can only be one winner, Alex Morgan, congratulations. Hey, by the way, we are planning on --we are planning -- we are planning on giving you the drone as a trophy but it's literally still stuck in the net. So, guys I appreciate you guys both coming out today. Again, congratulations, that was really awesome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNELL: Stuck in the net and not moving any time soon. Thank you so much for watching us. Do stay with CNN, we'll see you again next time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SNELL: They've insulted each other, they've threatened to go to war. Now, they likely face to face.
