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America`s CIA Director Met With Kim Jong-Un; Japan Was Caught Off Guard By President Trump`s Instantaneous Decision To Meet With Kim Jong-Un; Russia`s Response To U.S. Sanctions Will Be Precise And Painful; A Woman Was Killed Following An Engine Failure On A Southwest Flight; Barbara Bush Dies At 92; World Headlines; North Korea Developments; China Lifts Restrictions On Foreign Car Makers; Predicting The Future. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired April 18, 2018 - 08:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:00:00] KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: I`m Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream.

A secret trip where the meeting between the CIA director, Kim Jong-un, for talks between the U.S. and North Korea.

Emergency landing, how quick thinking helped the tragic accident from being a whole lot worse.

And Stanley Kubrick`s masterpiece 50 years on, what 2001 space Odyssey got right about the dangers of tech.

We have a lot of interconnecting stories coming out and impacting our region today. And we have reporters on all of them. Now, coming up, the

bombshell news that America`s CIA director met with Kim Jong-un. Paula Hancocks is following reaction from Seoul, South Korea. Meanwhile, Chinese

President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Pyongyang sometime after the planned U.S.-North Korean Summit. Our Will Ripley looks at the high level

diplomacy there.

We`re also following news that South Korea and the U.S. are seeking a peace system between the two Koreas, one that would officially end more than six

decades of war. Now, Japan is watching the possible detente with a mixture of concern, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talks trade with the U.S. president

in Florida. We are alive in Tokyo for that.

But first, the surprise news out of Washington, CIA director Mike Pompeo nominated to be the next U.S. Secretary of State secretly travels to North

Korea a few weeks ago to meet Kim Jong-un, the high-level talks at the stage for that meeting between Kim and President Trump. Here`s what the

president had to stay in Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I look forward to meeting with Kim Jong-un and hopefully, that would be a success. And maybe, it

will be. And maybe, it won`t be. We don`t know, but we will see what happens. But I can say this, they do respect us and we are respectful of

them. And we`re going to see what happens. We will bring up the abductees, we will bring up many different things. I think it is a time

for talking, it`s a time for solving problems.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Let`s start with Paula Hancocks in Seoul. And Paula, the secret is out about Mike Pompeo and his clandestine meeting with Kim Jong-un. What

have you learned about this secret trip to North Korea?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, we believe that it happened a couple of weeks ago, believed to be the Easter weekend. Now,

remember, that was when Kim Jong-un was actually entertaining K-Pop performers in Pyongyang. However, I was trying to figure out exactly what

point he met Mike Pompeo as well.

But we did hear from Mr. Trump just a few minutes ago, another tweet talking about that meeting, specifically saying Mike Pompeo met with Kim

Jong-un in North Korea last week. The meeting went very smoothly, and a good relationship was formed. Details of summits are being worked at now.

Denuclearization will be a great thing for the world, but also for North Korea.

So what we`re hearing that from the U.S. president is that it really is full steam ahead for the summit. He said it`s going to be May, early June,

also pointing out there again the denuclearization is going to be the main point on the agenda. Of course, it`s a very different set view potentially

that North Korea and the United States have when it comes to what denuclearization exactly will entail. But it seems that this summit is

going forward. Kristie.

STOUT: And Donald Trump, he also opened the door to a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War, what would such a treaty mean for North Korea

and the U.S. military presence in the region?

HANCOCKS: Yes, this is an interesting one, because obviously, the South Koreans have said that also on the agenda is maintaining peace on the

Peninsula. The last thing they want is for second Korean War to break. They don`t want any so-called provocations from North Korea. So they have

consistently said that that is one of the points on the agenda. But let`s listen to how the U.S. president put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: North Korea is coming along. South Korea is meeting and has plans to meet with North Korea to see if they can end the war. And they have my

blessing on that. And they`ve been very generous that without us, and without me, in particular, I guess, you would have to say that they

wouldn`t be discussing anything including the Olympics, would have been a failure, instead it was great success.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: So, technically, of course, North and South Korea are at war. There was Armistice signed, not a peace treaty, at the end of the Korean

War. But the fact is that that armistice was not signed between North and South Korea.

[08:05:03] It is not something that the two Koreas can then work out amongst themselves. It was the United Nations` command. It was led by the

U.S., the Chinese, the Soviet Union was involved. So it is a much more complex issue.

And certainly, we have seen an understanding of that from the South Korean President Moon Jae-in insisting all along that the U.S. has to be very much

involved in what was happening. It couldn`t just be an inter-Korean summit, saying that other parties around the world have to sign off on this

as well.

In fact, we`ve heard from them that they have made three times more effort they`re saying in trying to keep the U.S. in the loop to make sure that

they back up whatever is being said, then actually organizing the inter- Korean summit, saying that the reason previous summits and the agreement signed off to its failed and didn`t hold is because the U.S. didn`t

completely backed them. And they didn`t have the backing of the play around the region as well.

So, Mr. Moon insisting that this has to be in tandem with U.S. Kristie.

STOUT: Paula Hancocks live in Seoul for us. Thank you.

Now, Japan was caught off guard by President Trump`s instantaneous decision to meet with Kim Jong-un. And the move has left Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

effectively sidelined. And Mr. Trump is hosting the prime minister in his Mar-a-Lago resort again. And the subject is sure to be raised.

Let`s bring in Anna Stewart with the view. And Anna, we have this flurry of activity about North Korea with these talks and secret meetings, Japan

again is not the picture. I mean, does Shinzo Abe say that he is yes, being sidelined while visiting Trump there in Florida?

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. And I think the objective of this meeting will be really crucial to ensure that Abe is either seemed to be a

really strong international leader and an ally of Trump, like he was before, because that bromance seems to have been soured ever since that.

Last year, when they met in the so-called Southern White House, and there was a North Korean missile test, they really came together to great unity

and resolve on pressuring North Korea. And then, Abe was suddenly caught off on the back first when he had -- Trump was open to diplomatic talks

with North Korea.

So he got into this talk really hoping he can bring Japan`s interests to the table in any discussion with North Korea. Shinzo Abe said earlier

today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHINZO ABE, JAPAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): So both Japan and the United States have been demonstrating leadership and applying the

maximum pressure campaign against Korea, which actually successfully made the North Korean side start to seek dialogue with us. So it is fair to say

that our approaches proved to be successful and the right one.

So I look forward to having a thorough discussion on the issue of North Korea, including both nuclear as well as missile issues, and also the

abduction issue, which is a priority issue for Japan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: Yeah, the abduction issue really is a priority for Japan. In fact, in the media, almost every day here in Japan, you know, and it has

been going on for decades. Now, crucially, Trump said after those comments that he would take this abduction (ph) into the North Korean talks, when

they happen, assuming they do, of course, happen.

So that way, it was a big political win for Shinzo Abe before the summit really got underway. Kristie.

STOUT: Mr. Abe really trying to push his agenda, because of that perception that Japan is on the sidelines of this upcoming big North Korea

talks. On top of it, Japan has been hit with the steel terrorists from the United States. How is trade going to be discussed while they are in Mar-a-

Lago?

STEWART: Yeah, well, trade is definitely a key issue here. At the heart of all of this is the fact that Trump thinks his trade relationship with

Japan, and also China, is unfair. He constantly says that it is unfair and that there are too many trade barriers, which means that the U.S. cannot

export as many goods as we would like.

Japan is kind of pushing for bilateral trade deal for about a year now. And Japan has been setting up a dialogue, but certainly not wanting to have

a bilateral trade free agreement. It really wanted a multilateral deal like TPP.

And last week, last Thursday, we had news from Trump through his Twitter account that of course, he might be open to returning to the TPP table.

But then, another twit last night, just less than a week later, let`s bring up a twit from Donald Trump. He says that while Japan and South Korea

would like us to be back to TPP, I don`t like the deal for the United States, too many contingencies and no way to get out if it doesn`t work.

Bilateral deals are far more efficient, profitable, and better for our workers. Look how bad WTO is to the U.S.

Well, South Korea, of course, isn`t actually a member of TPP. Some people (inaudible) as to why it was included there, but TPP certainly off the

table, so the question is what will Trump`s score out of this summit.

[08:10:01] He wants bilateral free trade agreement. Japan doesn`t want to give it. But as you mentioned, Kristie, Japan does want to get onto the

exemption list for steel. So there is a lot to negotiate tomorrow after a game of golf.

STOUT: Yeah, absolutely. Anna Stewart reporting live from Tokyo. Thank you.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Abe, they are preparing to hit the links on the Mar-a- Lago golf course in just a bit, one of the places that the president feels most comfortable. Remember, Mr. Abe was the first world leader to meet Mr.

Trump after he took office. This is the Prime Minister making a statement after that very first meeting. Now, a few months later, the two grabbed

headlines with a 19-second long handshake, probably not Mr. Abe`s fault. I mean, we know that Donald Trump and his handshakes are often

overenthusiastic and a little bit awkward.

Now, Mr. Abe has worked hard to build a personal relationship with Mr. Trump. He surprised him with that custom baseball cap that read, Donald

and Shinzo: Make Alliance Even Greater. Now, despite all these moments, the two leaders have shared -- the prime minister has still been sidelined

on top of North Korea and he is still not getting Mr. Trump on the TPP deal.

Now, elsewhere in Washington, there are growing concerns most lawmakers about Donald Trump`s plans in Syria. After a classified briefing,

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham says he was unnerved by what he was seeing, and saw that the Trump administration is going down a dangerous

path. He did not elaborate. Then, Democratic Senator Chris Coons said this, quote, the only thing worse than a bad plan on Syria is no plan on

Syria. And the president and his administration have failed to deliver a coherent plan on the path forward.

Now, in the past hour, Russian media reported a top Russian lawmaker is saying that the country`s response to U.S. sanctions will be precise and

painful. This as question remarks remain over when over when exactly international chemical weapons inspectors will get the first look at Duma.

Ben Wedeman is with more. Ben, we have been waiting for these weapons experts to begin their work in Duma. What`s the latest?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The latest is we may be waiting a bit longer, Kristie. It was expected they would be going in

today. We have not heard that they have. Now, there`s some talk that there was some sort of security incident. Reuters is reporting that

yesterday when a U.N. advanced security team went to Duma just to look, that there was a shot fired. So it`s not at all clear what the situation

is, but it does not look like the OPCW fact-finding mission has gone to Duma today.

Now, they did arrive in Damascus on Saturday, just hours after those U.S., French, and U.K. missile strikes on targets in Syria on Saturday evening.

They met with Syrian officials. But since then, they seem to be treading water so to speak. The Syrians did offer to bring them, 22 people who

described his eyewitnesses to speak with the OPCW fact-finding mission.

But clearly, they want to go there for themselves. But those airstrikes -- rather, the alleged chemical attack happened on the 7th of April. That is

11 days ago. So, the U.S., British, and French officials have raised concerns. And after all that time, there`s a possibility that some of the

evidence has been tampered with. And we saw -- day before yesterday, a crew from the United States network, CBS went to Duma, spoke to people who

said that they smelled chlorine after a bomb was dropped from the skies. And then, they also filmed what appeared to be a canister that people said

was where the chemical weapons were contained, were dropped.

And so there is plenty of evidence or information out there. But it is not at all clear when the OPCW is actually going to see it. Kristie.

STOUT: Yeah, 11 days on, still not clear when the OPCW will be to get to work in Duma. And meanwhile, the state of play in this ongoing conflict in

Syria, to what degree have regime forces you know reasserted control and gain momentum since that reported chemical attack in Duma?

WEDEMAN: Well, since the 7th of April, they appear to have regained total control of the entire area, the area which before the war had a population

of almost 400,000. Now, we understand that tens of thousands of residents who were either fighters or families of fighters or people who decided they

didn`t want to stay have been bused to various areas in rebel or Turkish controlled northern Syria.

[08:15:01] So, definitely, this was a major victory for the Syrian government. They`re now looking at other pockets of resistance, one of

them of course is the Palestinian refugee camp, which is also just outside of Damascus. And as we see, they are also looking at a possible offensive

against the Southern Syrian province of Daraa, which is where this uprising began back in 2011.

So certainly, if you look back over the last three years, they have regained significant amounts of territory, but there are still significant

pockets that the rebels still control. Kristie.

STOUT: All right. Ben Wedeman reporting live for us. Thank you, Ben. And this just in to us here at CNN, reports that shots were fired at a U.S.

security team in Duma. This, as Ben Wedeman was reporting, we are still waiting for these U.N. weapons experts to be able to gain safe access to

the city to find out definitively what happened after that reported chemical weapons attack. Now, you`re watching News Stream.

Still ahead, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. has sharply defended her suggestion that new sanctions on Russia are imminent after being accused of

being ahead of the curve by National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow. Nikki Haley issued this blunt statement. She said with all due

respect, I don`t get confused.

A White House official says Kudlow later apologized to Haley. The senior official says that President Trump was annoyed at the confusion. Now, here

is a reminder of what Haley had told U.S. media on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: You will see that Russian sanctions will be coming down. Secretary Mnuchin will be

announcing those on Monday if he hasn`t already.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Now, it is not clear whether President Trump has spoken to Haley directly. White House said she overstepped.

Some of the tech world`s biggest names are taking a stand against government that launch cyber attacks, Microsoft, Facebook, and 32 other

companies have signed the cyber security tech accord. They will improve their defenses against tax, won`t help governments that launched them, work

with people who use their technology to boost their capacity and for stronger partnerships within the industry. The three big names are taking

part like Apple, Amazon, and Google`s parent company, Alphabet.

Up, passengers are describing their desperate attempts to save the life of a woman who died on the Southwest flight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody screamed and we realized what had happened when it went down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: We will bring in the details after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back. This is News Stream.

[08:20:01] Our U.S. authorities are investigating the first death of an American commercial airliner in nearly a decade. A woman was killed

following an engine failure on a Southwest flight that shot debris into the flame, as she was being sucked through a hole that was left by shattered

window. The passengers pulled back in, but they were unable to save her life. Polo Sandoval has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of a sudden, we just heard this loud bang, rattling, and then, felt like one of the engines went out. The oxygen

masks dropped.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A terrifying scene on board this Southwest flight from New York`s LaGuardia Airport to Dallas when

passengers say they heard the engine explode midair. Just 20 minutes after takeoff, part of the left engine breaks apart, damaging the fuselage and

shattering this window partially sucking the woman out of the plane.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Injured passengers are OK. And are you -- is your airplane physically on fire?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With fire, but part of it is missing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They said there is a hole and someone went out.

SANDOVAL: Passengers desperately saying to pull Jennifer Riordan, a 43- year-old Wells Fargo executive, back into the cabin and resuscitate her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: . neck, but holding on to her, and meanwhile, there was blood all over this man`s hands because he was attending to her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We made every effort that we can possibly make to save this woman`s life.

SANDOVAL: One scared passenger live streaming this video to document what he thought were the last moments of his life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel just so very lucky to be alive. All I can think about while I was going down in that plane, you know, how my life was being

taken away from me.

SANDOVAL: Others scrambling to send final messages to their loved ones.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wife is at her third trimester, our first child. So I spend a lot of my time trying to (inaudible) what I wanted my final words

to be to my unborn child.

SANDOVAL: Navy Times reporting that the heroic pilot is one of the Navy`s first female fighter pilots who safely got the plane to the ground in

Philadelphia after declaring an emergency. The aircraft rapidly descending for more than 32,000 to 10,000 feet in just minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The flight crew did an incredible job given this aircraft here on the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Professionals through and through, and you know, we`re alive because of them.

SANDOVAL: Southwest Airlines says the plane was last inspected on Sunday, but investigators inspecting the damaged aircraft found one engine fan

blade was missing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is very unusual. And so, we are taking this event extremely seriously. This should not happen and we want to find out why it

happened, so that we can make sure that the preventive measures are put in place.

SANDOVAL: Last year, the FAA issuing a directive that would have required inspection of the fan blades. In 2016, a Southwest flight from New Orleans

to Orlando was also forced to make an emergency landing after experiencing engine failure.

And less than 24 hours since the incident, investigators say that 1 of the 24 fan blades on the damaged engine was missing. We`ve already also found

early indications of possible metal fatigue, which is essentially a weakening of material due to repeated stress. We`ve also located portions

of that engine, not for form where the aircraft made an emergency landing.

Kristie, but eventually, though, for a final outcome -- the final ruling on this investigation that may not come for another 12 to 15 months.

STOUT: Polo Sandoval there.

Now, tributes for Barbara Bush have been free-flowing since news broke that the former first lady has died at the age of 92. George W. Bush released a

statement saying Laura, Barbara, Jenna, and I are sad, but our souls are settled because we know hers was.

Earlier, President Trump twitted Melania and I join the nation in celebrating the life of Barbara Bush. The current first lady said

throughout her life, she put her family and country above all else. She dedicated service to the American people, matched only by her compassion

and love of family.

Former President Obama and his wife, Michelle, also released a statement describing Barbara as the rock of a family dedicated to public service,

saying our thoughts and prayers are with both Presidents Bush and entire Bush family.

Now, Donald Trump has ordered flags to be lowered to half staff in honor of a woman who will be remembered for her strong devotion to country and

family. Our Kristen Holmes looks back on a remarkable life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIRSTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The matriarch of a political dynasty, Barbara Bush was one of only two women in American history to be both the

wife and mother of the U.S. president.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: America loves Barbara Bush.

HOLMES: Born Barbara Pierce in Queens, New York, she was 16 when she met a young man in a Connecticut country club who would change her life, George

Herbert Walker Bush.

[08:25:05] BARBARA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY: I married the first man I ever kissed, you talk about a bore, I am the world`s worst.

HOLMES: The Bushes cross the country to Texas and had six children. Their daughter Robin died of leukemia when she was just three, a tragedy that had

an enormous impact on Barbara.

BUSH: My reaction was I love every person more because of Robin.

HOLMES: As her husband shifted to a life of public service, Barbara Bush remained out of the spotlight, until he was elected as Ronald Reagan`s vice

president in 1980. And eight years later George HW Bush became the 41st president.

Barbara Bush loved living in the White House. As first lady, she established a nonprofit dedicated to literacy. For George and Barbara,

their 73 years together including decades of devotion.

GEORGE BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT: I love you, precious, with all my heart and to know that you love means my life. How often I`ve thought about the

immeasurable joy will be our someday, how lucky our children will be to have a mother like you.

HOLMES: Two of those children, George W. and Jeb would continue a life of politics, as president and governor of Florida. In or out of politics, the

legacy Barbara Bush nurtured will live on through her family, children, and grandchildren.

BUSH: I know I`m the world`s luckiest woman. I think if I sort of put it in a nutshell, these are the things that are important to me, faith,

family, and friends.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: I`m Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You`re watching News Stream. And these are your world headlines.

In Syria, questions are made over when exactly international chemical weapons inspectors will finally get the first look at Duma. The

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said it would not confirm CNN whether access would be granted by today. A suspected gas

attack there was justification used by western powers to launch strikes on Syria last weekend.

A short time ago, we learned that shots were fired yesterday at a U.N. security team, doing reconnaissance in Duma. Now, according to a U.S.

source, they were not injured and return to Damascus.

CIA Director Mike Pompeo made a secret visit to North Korea over Easter to meet Kim Jong-un. Now, President Donald Trump twitted last hour that the

meeting went smoothly and a good relationship was formed. The visit sets the stage for talks between Mr. Trump and the North Korean leader that

could happen right early June.

[08:30:00]

President Trump is hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at his Mar-a- Lago resort in Florida. The two are planning to speak out as Mr. Trump told reporters for around the talks later today. North Korea will likely

dominate the talks but trade also high on the agenda.

Kim Jong-un`s talks with the CIA director and his upcoming plan summit to South Korean and U.S. leaders mark a compelling turnout for the North

Korean leader as he seeks to change his image and bring his country out of isolation. Will Ripley has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): If the latest developments on the Korean Peninsula are a diplomatic dance, North Korean

Leader Kim Jong-un could be the belle of the ball.

Next week, a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Next month, a possible meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, a potential visit to

Pyongyang by Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russia and Japan also trying to arrange their own summits with Kim.

MIKE CHINOY, FORMER CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: North Korea for years has wanted respect. They want legitimacy.

RIPLEY (voice over): And now, they`re getting it, says author and journalist Mike Chinoy. He has traveled to North Korea 17 times and covered

the nuclear talks 24 years ago. Chinoy says the North Koreans are notoriously tough negotiators.

CHINOY: There is no question in my mind that Kim Jong-un is going into the summit far better prepared than Donald Trump. People underestimate Kim

Jong-un and the North Koreans at their peril. He`s a very savvy, rude operator.

Trump in comparison seems to act on impulse. He seems to have very little appreciation of the history here with North Korea, very little

understanding of the nuances and (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m optimistic that the (INAUDIBLE) can set the conditions for that appropriately.

RIPLEY (voice over): The chances for the first ever summit between the North Korean leader and U.S. president seem to get a whole lot better

Tuesday when news broke that CIA director and secretary of state nominee Mike Pompeo made a secret trip to Pyongyang.

An administration official familiar with the meeting tells CNN Kim Jong-un was "personable and well-prepared." But the main sticking point continues

to be finding a site for the summit. First, a meeting next week at the Korean Demilitarized Zone between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-

in.

DUYEON KIM, VISITING SENIOR FELLOW, KOREAN PENINSULA FUTURE FORUM: It appears the North may be looking to change its fundamental relationship

with the United States for the ultimate objective of survival.

RIPLEY (voice over): Duyeon Kim with the Korean Peninsula Future Forum says the Korean summit will set the tone for talks with the U.S. She says

the stakes are highest for Washington and Seoul.

KIM: I don`t think the North has anything to lose, really, if the two summits fail because for Pyongyang, they can just go about their way and

continue on its path towards refining and further developing its nuclear and missile capability.

RIPLEY (voice over): Most analysts say it`s extremely unlikely Kim would even consider abandoning the missile program that has gotten into this

point unless there is substantial incentive to do so. Finding the right deal for the right price will put Trump`s dealmaker image to the test.

But Kim`s images already improving, experts say, with leaders lining up to sit down with the man many once ridiculed as the ruler of a global pariah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And CNN`s Will Ripley joins us now here in the Hong Kong studio. Thanks for joining us, Will.

RIPLEY: Hi, Kristie.

LU STOUT: A live development to stay out of North Korea including a new title for the wife of Kim Jong-un. How significant is this?

RIPLEY: It`s pretty significant because it has been more than 40 years since North Korea has referred to the wife of the leader as respected first

lady. Of course, we are talking about Ri Sol-ju.

She was referred to as comrade previously but now after her trip with Kim Jong-un to Beijing, that courtesy call to Xi Jinping, and she even actually

(INAUDIBLE) on her own when a Chinese art troupe came to Pyongyang. She met with Song Tao from Chinese China`s Communist Party, and she was there

without her husband.

It`s really kind of putting a modern face on the North Korean government by having the first lady in a more traditionally western role but again not

unprecedented because remember it was Kim Song-ae back in the 1970s, the second wife of North Korea`s founding president, Kim Il-sung, she was also

referred to as the respected first lady.

LU STOUT: And the role of woman in North Korea today. Are they playing a more important role as North Korea attempts to better engaged with the

world?

RIPLEY: I would actually say that women in North Korea have played prominent roles for quite some time but perhaps we are paying more

attention to it now because of what is happening, because North Korea is reaching out to the rest of the world. You think of Kim Jong-un`s sister,

Kim Yo-jong, she led unofficially the delegation to the Winter Olympics.

Technically, Kim Yong-nam was the high-ranking member, but she is the one who extended the invitation to Moon Jae-in for a possible presidential

summit, and she is the director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department. She is an alternate member of North Korea`s Politburo.

[08:35:00] So, one of the most powerful figures in North Korea, the sister of Kim Jong-un, obviously a woman. But there is also other people. Choe

Son-hui, she is the vice foreign minister. You know, she rose through the ranks from translator up to a very prominent post.

And perhaps the most famous woman in North Korea that we see whenever there is a major news is Ri Chun-hee. She is the news presenter known for

passionate delivery and she has been the face of all major stories in North Korea for the last many decades.

LU STOUT: Women in power in North Korea, a fascinating lineup. Will Ripley, thank you.

RIPLEY: Thanks.

LU STOUT: China is making good on a promise to open up its automobile industry, the world`s largest to foreign car makers. It has been another

week of escalation and trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. But now, China made the signaling that it`s ready to work with the U.S. to

avoid an all out trade war.

Here is what the government says it`s going to do as a first step in phasing out restrictions on foreign ownership in the car industry. But

first, China will scrap its restrictions on foreign ownership for manufacturers of electric cars, ships, and aircraft this year.

Then by the year 2020, caps on commercial vehicles manufacturers like buses and delivery trucks will be lifted. Passenger car makers will follow in

2022.

Now the release of timeline is a pretty big deal since the U.S. and China have been pumping (ph) billions of dollars worth of goods and tariffs on

one another. Just this week, the U.S. cut off Chinese smartphone maker ZTE from American part and software makers for seven years.

On Tuesday, Beijing said it would put a massive import charge on U.S. sorghum. Sorghum is a grain used to feed livestock. It also makes a

(INAUDIBLE) that`s very popular in China.

It has been, believe it or not, 50 years since the release of Stanley Kubrick`s sci-fi epic "2001: A Space Odyssey." We`ll take a look at what it

got right tech wise half the century on.

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LU STOUT: This month, Stanley Kubrick`s "2001: A Space Odyssey" turns 50. It`s an epic movie about a secretive expedition to Jupiter on board the

U.S. spacecraft, the Discovery One, after a black monolith found buried on the moon signals fire signals for the planet. But the craft`s AI computer

system on board otherwise known as HAL starts to malfunction, killing crew members.

The movie opened in 1968. It has since become a classic known for the red- eyed HAL as well as its glimpse into technology of the future. But what did 2001 get right about technology and AI? I put that to writer and artist

Michael Benson, the author of the newly released "Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece"

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MICHAEL BENSON, AUTHOR: The look of the film, the look of its projection of the future was so accurate in so many ways that you can watch it today

and it doesn`t seem dated. I mean it seems dated in some aspects, but when it comes to the look at the technology, it seems very contemporary.

And this was not some accident or (INAUDIBLE). I mean Kubrick and Clarke, Stanley Kubrick, the director, and Arthur C. Clarke who collaborated on the

story for four years with Stanley Kubrick, consulted with the best people in the business. They consulted, for example, with IBM, Bell Labs.

[08:39:59] The flat screens came from a suggestion from Bell Labs. The super computer that you can go into the brain room of, was a suggestion of

IBM. So they went to the best people in the business and they listened carefully to them.

LU STOUT (on camera): We got to talk about how the AI system on board the spacecraft in the movie 2001 which is such a central character. In the 50

years on, we still can`t shake the image of HAL and that red gaze. Why is it that HAL has seared itself into our collective consciousness?

BENSON: Well, I think that the scene in which the astronaut, the surviving astronaut, Dave Bowman, deprograms the computer which has killed off the

rest of the crew while HAL is pleading for his life is one of the most powerful scenes ever put on film.

And so separate from (INAUDIBLE) science fiction and the larger narrative arc, although of course the narrative arc is necessary for that scene to

have, as much power as it does, I think that is the reason why -- one of the major reasons why HAL continues to fascinate us.

But apart from that, the predictions about artificial intelligence within the film also -- I mean are (INAUDIBLE) in many ways. And again, you know,

they went to the best people in the business. That means, Kubrick and Clarke, for example, Marvin Minsky, co-founder of the MIT Artificial

Intelligence Lab, was a consultant throughout the project. So was I.J. Good, the mathematician who worked with Alan Turing in Bletchley Park code

breakers group.

LU STOUT (on camera): Spoiler alert and you spoil the ending of the movie just in case anyone out there still haven`t seen it yet. But in 2001, how

the AI is defeated by Dave. But knowing the phase, the sophistication, the development of AI today, do you think that kind of ending is now unlikely?

It will get increasingly harder for human beings to be able to defeat an AI like HAL.

BENSON: Well, so that is one of the core questions that a lot of people are grappling with. People like Elon Musk, et cetera, are talking about --

have been talking about this. The late Stephen Hawking. What will happen when we have a self-improving artificial intelligence that can outstripped

us on many levels when it comes to the speed of thought, et cetera, et cetera.

I think Elon Musk was warning that we might end up becoming sort of like house cats to the AI. We`ll see obviously and we may see sooner than we

think and maybe there will no need to defeat anything. But as my piece that I wrote in New York Times recently, you know, it depends on who controls

the AI.

What we have today is a kind of incremental arrival of machine intelligence used for manipulation, purposes of manipulation. It`s also being used for

positive purposes, meaning researching some new pharmaceutical products, et cetera. But what happened with Cambridge Analytica and Facebook is a

warning sign of what may be to come.

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LU STOUT: And that is "News Stream." I`m Kristie Lu Stout, but don`t go anywhere, "World Sport" with Alex Thomas is next.

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