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NEWS STREAM
Trump Dubs Kim Jong-Un Very Honorable; Menu Revealed For Inter- Korean summit banquet; Trump Signals Possible Progress On Iran; Macron Prepares To Address U.S. Congress; Danish Inventor Found Guilty In Kim Wall Murder Case; Indian Guru Given Life Sentenced In Rape Case; CNN Wins Peabody Award For Fall Of ISIS Coverage Researcher In Data Scandal Facebook In PR Crisis; Facebook To Report First Post-Scandal Earnings; Microplastic Pollution Found in Arctic Sea; Touchy-feely Trump and Macron. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired April 25, 2018 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, and welcome to News Stream.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: An honorable man, just days before historic Korea talks, Donald Trump is complimenting none other, than the North Korean leader. Hand
shakes and hugs, Trump and Macron certainly have rapport, but will that be enough to accomplish the real agreement, particularly on the fits to the
Iran nuclear deal.
And plastic everywhere, in our seas, in our fish, even deep in the oceans around the North Pole. We have shocking new findings from the Arctic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: If there's one thing that Donald Trump is known for it's the colorful way he describes people in power. The President of the United
States calls James Comey a slime ball, Hillary Clinton crooked, and Joe Biden crazy, but in Mr. Trump's world, Kim Jong-un is very honorable.
Now, that's quite a shift in tone from little rocket man. Now just two days ahead of the historic summit between the Koreas, Mr. Trump says his
own meeting with the North Korean leader will take place very soon.
Our own Paula Hancocks is in Seoul, and she joins us now. And, Paula, wow. Trump's rhetorical U-turn on Kim Jong-un is quite dramatic. How are Korean
officials reacting to it?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, I haven't heard a single official reaction to Donald Trump's comments, and it's not really
surprising. Nobody wants to be associated with that kind of comment.
Nobody wants this to be tainted just two days away from an incredibly important summit for the South Koreans, so they're really focusing on the
summit itself.
They're not being brought into those kinds of questions. But I did speak to someone fairly close to President Moon Jae-in today, the spokesperson
for the Ruling Party, and asked him what exactly would constitute a win for Mr. Moon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARK BUMKYE (ph), SOUTH KOREAN LAWMAKER: If north and south can come out of the summit, and declare a denuclearization, and the end of the Korean
War, it will be a huge success.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: Now, he also said that part of the summit would be decided exactly what denuclearized means to both of the parties, and so this is
what the South Koreans are focusing on right now.
Obviously human rights groups are raising some eyebrows to say the least when it comes to the U.S. President calling Kim Jong-un honorable, as
clearly, defectors would tell a different story, those who have escaped from political prisons.
Amnesty International for example said 120,000 -- around 120,000 people are still in those prisons where there are beatings, starvation. We talk of
public executions when we hear of people escaping North Korea. So certainly it's not a word that human rights groups would describe Kim Jong-
un as. Kristie.
LU STOUT: Yes. So as you said, you know, officials there -- they are just keeping their eyes on what's going to happen on Friday. And the two
Koreas, they held a joint rehearsal today, ahead of that out coming historic summit. How did the rehearsal go?
HANCOCKS: Apparently it went very smoothly we are being told by the South Korean side. Now, this was a rehearsal by both North and South Korean
officials. They are going through this in painstaking, menu detail, apparently.
This is up at the DMZ, when there's going to be a greeting between the North and South Korean leaders. We understand they were even looking at
camera angles today. They were even looking at lighting.
They want to make sure that this is picture perfect, and it is going to be a made for TV moment. It really is. We are expecting North Korea leader
Kim Jong-un to walk from the North Korean side of the Panmunjom, the Truce Village, step over that lip of concrete, which is effectively the border,
the MDL, the Military Demarcation Line, and greet President Moon.
Now, the exact details haven't been told to us at this point, but we have been told it will be an historic moment, clearly because the North Korean
leader is going to step south of the border. That's never happened before. Kristie.
LU STOUT: Yes, there are dress rehearsals for this upcoming meeting. The menu has been released as well, and it's caused a little bit of
controversy.
In fact, Japan has lodged a formal complaint with the South Korean government over a dessert that they're serving at the summit on Friday.
Why?
HANCOCKS: That's right, yes. This is a dessert which shows a picture, or a map of the Korean peninsula, and the South Korea, and the North Korea
have actually added a part of what South Korea considers a South Korean territory, Dokdo, that is what an island that the Japanese consider
Japanese.
[08:05:00] They call it Takashima. This is a disputed territory between South Korea, and Japan. They have been arguing over this small island, or
pocket of -- two islands for a number of years now.
And the fact it's on the back of the chairs, as well the engraved wooden chairs that the leaders will sit in. So Japan is furious about this.
South Korea has not said anything about this again. Again, they are just focusing on Friday. They're not letting any of these distractions be
something that they focus on.
They really are trying to make sure that everything goes as well as it possibly can on Friday in the hope that the meeting, the lunch, then
potentially afternoon meeting, and banquet can actually come out with something concrete, some kind of joint declaration, a statement, this is
what the South Koreas are focusing on at this point. Kirstie.
LU STOUT: Got it. Paula Hancocks, reporting live from Seoul, thank you. Now, Donald Trump addressed another nation that the U.S. has targeted over
its nuclear program, Iran.
And when talking about the 2015 nuclear deal, his mood once again seems just soften with the U.S. President saying that there could be progress in
revising the agreement. So where exactly do we stand? Our Global Affairs Analyst Max Boot addressed some of the confusion earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAX BOOT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Donald Trump was exactly right when he said that nobody knows what he's going to do, and probably including
Donald Trump himself, I mean, he is incomprehensible, and confusing as you suggested.
Because, you know, one minute he's saying that this is the worst deal ever made, and then next minute he is saying, that was some relatively minor and
cosmetic additions, or hinting at with some minor, and cosmetic additions, and he may well sign on to it.
So who the heck knows what he's going to do on May 12th, and of course he's also got to figure in the negotiations with North Korea where he seems
ridiculously bullish about the prospects of an agreement with North Korea.
But I mean how is it going to look to the North Korean if he's trying to enter into the nuclear accord with Pyongyang just weeks after he torpedoed
a nuclear accord with Tehran? So, all of these things have the fact to know the final decision.
And who the heck know what he's going to will decide or say, because we have seen in the past -- I mean, remember just a few months ago, Democratic
legislators met with them.
And thought they had deals on gun control, and immigration, and then poof, those deals went up into thin air. So, who knows if this -- whatever
Macron thinks he achieves with Trump will actually have any lasting consequences.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Max Boot there. Now even so Mr. Macron is optimistic about the Iran agreement, the French President said that he's looking to work on a
deal that addresses some of the points of contention with the U.S.
The comments came after a long day of talks and later a state dinner. And in a couple of hours, Mr. Macron will do something not done by French
leader in a decade. He will address the U.S. Congress.
And Melissa Bell joins me from Paris with the French perspective of the visit. And, Melissa, as we see this personal rapport continue to build
between Trump and Macron, can that turn into progress on key policy issues like Iran?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is true, Kristie, that the question of precisely how the Iran deal is going to be redrawn remains a
matter of some speculation.
There's very little clarity on the detail of it, and yet one really had a sense listening to that press conference yesterday that Emmanuel Macron has
gone a very long way towards the American President's view going so far as to say that a new deal could be drawn up, one that included, considering
Iran's influence in the region.
Including looking at the question of ballistic missiles, a number of things that the American President, we know, was concerned about. And Emmanuel
Macron used his, of course, a very personal relationship has invested a great deal of capital -- political capital, Kristie, in getting that up,
and running.
Because he felt that it was the best way to influence the American President. I suppose one of the questions here in Paris this morning is
whether Emmanuel Macron who's been influenced by the American President.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: There were hugs, and handshakes, and still more hugs. In fact, it seemed the two presidents simply couldn't keep their hands off one another.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I like him a lot.
BELL: So much so that Emmanuel Macron even got an Oval Office grooming.
TRUMP: We have to make him perfect.
BELL: But whatever the strength of the bromance, and the French President's hopes of compromise on Iran, once the journalists got Donald
Trump started on the subject, things quickly got out of hand.
TRUMP: If they restart their nuclear program, they will have bigger problems than they have ever had before.
BELL: After the two men have had some time alone together, however, the American President did seem calmer.
TRUMP: We've really had some substantive talks on Iran.
BELL: So how was the whole extraordinary day seen from this side of the Atlantic? Well, this morning, only two of France's main newspapers
bothered to mention it at all on their front pages. And even then, they don't give it that much space.
[08:10:01] What has captured the French imagination, however, on the inside of the country's newspapers is the whole dandruff episode, with a number of
different publications wondering whether it wasn't troubling or strange. So do the French agree?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Super weird, and I feel he wants to show his superiority because he's taller or -- I don't know. I find it a bit like
annoying.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think that he's just teasing him just to say -- just to see how Macron reacts.
BELL: French T.V. was also, this Wednesday morning, digesting what has by any measure been an extraordinary day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it was staged, so they have a mutual interest showing how much they love each other.
BELL: One final image doing the rounds this morning here in France is this one, with the French President accused of following too blindly where the
American President leads.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BELL: So you see, Kristie, the French are famous for a certain dose of cynicism. There is a great deal of it with regard to this bromance. How
genuine is it, what do those very blatant shows of affection really mean.
And perhaps most importantly, what do they bring to Europe? The French President has gone quite a long way towards the American President's
position. How will that translate in reality, was it too far to go, and what are the reaction of all the other signatures in that Iran deal be?
LU STOUT: Yes, and I think that cynicism about the so-called bromance between these two leaders is something that many people have outside of
France as well. We know that the French leader is going to be addressing the U.S. Congress very soon. Melissa, what is going to be Macron's message
to America?
BELL: Well, I think it's the one that he's had ever since he set foot in the United States, and quite literally, Kristie, the first thing that he
said as he landed on the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base, he spoke in English, he spoke in French, he has a one line in French that he had in
English, that we, the United States and France are the guarantors of multilateralism.
That has been his message from start to finish. He is hoping to talk this self-avowed, proud unilateralist, and Donald Trump say to him look, it's
all very well to put America first, but deals when they're stuck need to stand, and we need to work together to find compromises on what are
complex, and global issues.
And he is no doubt going to repeat that to a much more receptive crowd, both on the Republican and on the Democratic side no doubt, later on today.
LU STOUT: Melissa Bell live in Paris for us, thank you very much indeed. Now, Iran is furious, attacking Mr. Trump's qualifications for revising the
current deal. President Hassan Rouhani has had plenty to say. Amir Daftari has more from Tehran.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMIR DAFTARI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is speaking out after comments from Washington with regards to the nuclear
deal.
President Rouhani is saying that Iran will not be negatively affected if in fact the U.S. does walk away from the deal saying that others will lose out
more than Iran. He also had a message for President Trump.
HASSAN ROUHANI, PRESIDENT OF IRAN (through a translator): U.S. President Donald Trump says this deal is a very bad deal. Well, if it's a very bad
deal, then why did you, the U.S. government, sign it? He said this is a very dangerous deal.
If that's the case, then did your predecessors not understand anything? Are you the discoverer of all things bad? You don't have any background in
politics.
You don't have any background in, law. You don't have any background on international treaties. How can a tradesman, a merchant, a building
constructor, a tower construction, make judgments about international affairs?
DAFTARI: The Iranian President added that President Trump wants to talk about the deal's future, yet, you had nothing to do with its past. So as
far as Iran is concerned, it's either the current deal, or nothing at all.
They have held up their end of the bargain, and stuck to their commitments, and that a new deal, or new terms devised by France and the U.S. that
doesn't include other partners such as Russia, and china is a nonstarter, and will lack any credibility. Amir Daftari, CNN, Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: You are watching News Stream. And still ahead, the Danish inventor accused of the gruesome murder of journalist Kim Wall has just
learned his fate. We have got the verdict, next.
Plus, police are on high alert in India as a rape trial involving a self- proclaimed spiritual guru reaches its conclusion. We've got the latest developments, next.
[08:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Coming you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. This is News Stream. Now, a verdict has been reached in the trial involving a brutal
murder that shocked Denmark, and the world.
On the last hours of court in Copenhagen found inventor Peter Madsen guilty of killing Swedish journalist Kim Wall. Madsen was sentenced to life in
prison.
He pleaded not guilty, but did confess to dismembering Wall's body on board his submarine last August. Now CNN's Atika Shubert joins me now live from
Berlin. Atika, the verdict is out, a life sentence for Peter Madsen. How did the court reach this decision?
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, this was exactly what the prosecutor asked for. So it's clear that the judge, and the two jurors as
is the case per Danish law were convinced by the prosecutors' argument, and the Judge, Anette Burkoe, specifically said that she was in full agreement
with both jurors. Take a listen to what he said.
She said specifically, that it was a cynical, and planned sexual murder of a severe brutal nature against a random woman, a journalist who had joined
him on the submarine to do a story.
Now, the crux of the prosecution's argument was that this was a premeditated sexual attack, and murder, and what they did was they
basically showed that Madsen was in to the S&M scene, that he had sexual torture videos, that he had watched these snuff films.
But also that he had taken materials and equipment from his workshop to his submarine that he did not normally take, including the bindings that were
used on Kim Wall's body, and a saw that he used to dismember the body.
Now, it's clear that this argument really made an impression on both the judge, and the jury. They agreed, and that is why you see that very high
life sentence.
LU STOUT: And the question about Peter Madsen, how did he, and his legal explain, and defend his actions during the trial leading up to today's
guilty verdict?
SHUBERT: Yes, it's interesting because Madsen's defense, and what his defense attorney said was that there was no proof of what caused Kim Wall's
death. I mean, you probably remember in the course of the investigation, you know, Madsen basically had very shifting narratives.
First he said she hadn't died at all, that he had dropped her off. And then when police found the body, he admitted that yes, she had died but in
an accident. He said one time that he hit her head -- she hit her head.
And then he said, you know, it was a problem of pressure between the interior, and the exterior of the submarine. And so he then admitted to
dismembering the body.
Now, what his defense attorney said was that because they could not prove what exactly caused Kim Wall's death, he should only be sentenced for
cutting her up into pieces, but clearly this was an argument that did not wash with the judge and the jurors.
LU STOUT: Akita Shubert, reporting live for us, thank you very much indeed for that. Now a court in Jerusalem has sentenced a border police officer
to nine months in jail for killing a 17-year-old Palestinian during protest back in 2014. A CNN camera happened to be there that day, and captured the
exact moment when the young man was fatally shot.
[08:20:00] We won't show you the disturbing video here, but it was admitted as evidence in the court. The guard says he was unaware there were live
rounds in his gun, and he felt that he was shooting none lethal rounds. The court found him guilty of negligent homicide.
In India, a self-proclaimed guru has been sentenced to life in prison for raping a 16-year-old girl. Asaram Bapu is revered by millions as a living
saint, and this trial comes at a hugely volatile time in India. Our CNN New Delhi Bureau Chief Nikhil Kumar has more.
NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: It has taken almost five years, Kristie, but a powerful self-proclaimed Indian spiritual guru has finally
been convicted of raping a 16-year-old follower.
Asaram Bapu was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for sexually assaulting a teenager back in 2013 during a religious ceremony intended to
cure her of evil spirits.
But, Kristie, a special court in the northwestern Indian city of Jodhpur handed down this verdict under a heavy blanket of security. Authorities
here left nothing to chance, effectively sealing the city amid fears of protests by Asaram's followers.
In fact, the entire courtroom will move inside a high security prison to ensure that nothing disrupted the proceedings. Those lawyers that plan to
appeal the verdict, the judgment that startling fall from grace for Asaram.
Before this case, the 77-year-old was an influential guru to millions of followers, both within India and beyond. He had scores of ashrams, or
spiritual retreats in his name, and he had powerful political friends, among them, the current Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
And he almost free from controversies, just months before this case in fact, first hit the headlines, Asaram was violently criticized for his
reaction to the horrific 2012 Delhi gang rape. That case, involving a young medical student of the Indian capital who died from the injuries
turned a harsh spotlight on sexual violence in India.
And Asaram always see things differently to the thousands of outraged Indians who came out to the streets to demand that more be done to protect
women in this country. The victim he said is as guilty as her rapist. Today, Kristie, Asaram himself stands convicted of the same crime.
LU STOUT: Nikhil Kumar reporting there. Now, we are excited, and proud to announce that CNN has won a Peabody Award for coverage of the fall of ISIS
in Iraq and Syria. The Peabody board of jurors cited CNN correspondents across key date lines, as well as the use of technology like drones.
They said this, quote, in addition to courageous correspondents, this notable set of dramatic reports provided fresh angles, and the creative use
of technology including stunning drone footage that captured the size and scope of ruined neighborhoods. Now let's take a look at some of CNN's
coverage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's like something supernatural or otherworldly has hit it. This destruction
absolutely breathtaking, and really a sign of the dust, and bones that ISIS have left in their wake. The Old city Mosul, the damage new, the city
gone, and Mosul almost free of ISIS.
PHIL BLACK, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is one man's intimate revealing view of the battle for Raqqa. Resilient filmmaker,
Gabriel Chaim followed Kurdish fighters for almost two months as they fought to take a strategically important hospital complex in the city's
west.
He shared the same risks. The fighter's company, and friendship, and with a quitter reflected moment. Chaim left his helmet cam rolling through it
all.
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We have been seeing in some drone footage exclusively obtained by CNN, the SDF already beginning
to celebrate their victory driving around one of Raqqa's main roundabouts.
This is the roundabout where some of ISIS' worst atrocities unfolded, those chilling beheading, the horrific executions, and crucifixion. But we're
also seeing these images as just the sheer breathtaking scale of the destruction.
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the moment Abdullah Nishrem has been waiting months for. The moment he finally gets to meet
Marwan.
Abdullah was responsible for helping smuggle Marwan to safety. Marwan is 11-year-old. Three years ago, when he was just eight, he said he was
abducted by ISIS, and forced to serve as a slave on that frontline. Since then, he's been sold on 11 times.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: This is News Stream. And still to come in the program, Facebook prepares to announce its quarterly earnings after a painful data scandal.
How it can affect the company's bottom line.
[08:25:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream. And these are your world headlines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: A court in Copenhagen found Danish inventor Peter Madsen guilty of killing Swedish journalist Kim Wall. And, Madsen, pleaded not guilty to
the murder, but he did confess to dismembering her body on board his submarine in 2017. He was sentenced to life in prison.
In just about two hours, French President Emmanuel Macron will address the joint meeting of the U.S Congress. It will be the first time that the
French leader has done so in a decade.
On Tuesday, Mr. Macron held talks with President Donald Trump who hinted afterwards there could be progress in terms of revising the Iran nuclear
deal.
With historic talks possibly on the horizon, President Trump is now praising North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un as being very honorable though
he didn't explain why.
Now South Korea did a trial run of this week's the Kim Jong-un, and Moon Jae-in summit on the DMZ on Tuesday, we've learned that the banquet will
include a special Pyongyang cold noodle dish symbolic because it's enjoyed in both Koreas.
The U.S. President says he is sending some of his top economic advisors to China in a few days for trade talks, and the delegation will include
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trump appeared confident about the outcome saying, quote, I think we have got a very good chance of making a deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Now, a key player in the Cambridge Analytica data scandal is leveling a serious claim about Facebook. Aleksandr Kogan telling the
British the parliament the tech giant has been mind left and right by thousand of others.
Kogan is the Cambridge University professor who passed Facebook user data to the Cambridge Analytica. And he says the social media company is
painting him as a scapegoat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEKSANDR KOGAN, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE: But PR is PR, and they're trying to manage the crisis, and it's convenient to point the
finger at a single entity, and try to paint the picture this is a rogue agent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Now, the data scandal is growing increasingly complicated. So let's refresh what's going on here. Facebook said up to 87 million users
may have had their data gathered a few years ago.
Now that data was harvested by that personality quiz that was created by Aleksandr Kogan. The app collected information on users' location,
friends, and data that they had liked.
It was allowable under Facebook's rules at the time. Now Kogan then passed that data on to Cambridge Analytica, an analytics firm. Facebook says this
violated its terms of service.
[08:30:00] Cambridge Analytica was then hired by the Trump campaign during the 2016 election and the company denies any harvested data was used.
But now, suspended CEO, Alexander Nix, was shown at undercover reports boasting that Cambridge Analytica did, in his words, all the research, all
the data, all the analytics, all the targeting for that campaign.
Now, needless to say, all of this is a black eye for Facebook and is set to release its quarterly earnings in a matter of hours after the most
tumultuous period in the company's history.
Our Clare Sebastian joins us now live from New York. And Clare, Facebook's latest earnings report, when that comes out, is it going to boost
confidence or is it going to just raise more concerns?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, I think it could be a little bit of both, honestly. In terms of advertising
revenues, we're expecting, according to analysts, to see them grow around 40 percent or more. That would suggest that advertisers, of course, are not
leaving the platforms in droves, which could be a vote of confidence.
But I think people who are really investors will really be looking closely at user growth, and in particular engagement, because in the last quarter,
Facebook already saw a drop off in engagement, Mark Zuckerberg saying that 50 million fewer hours per day were being spent on the platform. That was
because of changes to the news feed, few viral videos, things like that.
So, I think people will really be looking closely at the user numbers because, of course, the ads themselves are less valuable if there are few
users looking at them. And the other thing they are really going to be looking at is investment.
Mark Zuckerberg told Congress a couple of weeks ago when he was up on the Hill that making sure that the platform is safe and the privacy rules are
being followed is more important than profits. The company is investing in doubling the number of staff. They're going to be policing content.
They're going to be up to 20,000 people by the end of the year. And then new artificial intelligence tools that are going to do the same. I think
people are really going to be looking at that investment and whether or not that has, as he wanted (ph), eaten (ph) into profits.
LU STOUT: And Clare, we also know that Twitter -- and we haven't talked about Twitter in a while -- Twitter is also reporting today what is its
earnings profile and how is Twitter addressing concerns about stealth marketing and data privacy?
SEBASTIAN: This is a big beat for Twitter. This is the second profitable quarter ever. The first profitable quarter was the last one, so this really
signals the analysts that that wasn't just a one off, that this really is a company that is starting to gain traction after so long of not being able
to grow its revenues and seeing really sluggish user growth.
Its revenues are up 21 percent. It saw its monthly active users up around 3 percent, which isn't the kind of growth that we have been seeing from
Facebook, but still does signal that Twitter is on the right track.
As to privacy, well, they're one of several of these big tech companies who are combining their earnings with an announcement on privacy, Twitter
releasing a new policy on privacy on its platform yesterday. You may have seen an update. So when you refresh your feed, it comes out with a little
window saying there is change in policy.
That is partly because of new E.U. rules that are coming in next month. But it does simplify the language. It makes it easier for you to see how your
data is being used. So, it's a company that knows that it's in the crosshairs of potential regulation that could come down in the wake of
Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal. And I think it's trying to get out in front of that.
LU STOUT: Yes, and I just got that alert as well just an hour ago. Clare Sebastian reporting for us live from New York. Thank you so much, Clare.
Take care.
Now, an alarming new study. It exposes just how far plastic pollution has spread around our planet. I will be talking with the lead author about what
they found inside Arctic sea ice and how it's linked to the Great Pacific garbage patch.
[08:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. You're watching "News Stream." A troubling warning from researchers. Nowhere is immune from
plastic pollution. A team of scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute, they found a massive concentration of microplastics suspended in Arctic sea
ice.
Microplastics are little bits of trash about the size of a sesame seed or less. Samples contain ship paint, cigarette filters, food packaging,
synthetic fibers and more. And just because they're tiny does not mean that they're not dangerous. Microorganisms like crustaceans often mistake the
microplastics for food. Fish feed on the crustaceans. Then we, humans, we eat the fish.
You can see the evidence of microplastics in the food chain even here in Hong Kong. Recently, Greenpeace found 60 percent of flathead grey mullet, a
popular fish in the region, contained plastic fragments.
Now, I want to give more on what scientists found in the Arctic from Dr. Ilka Peeken. She is a sea ice ecologist at the Alfred Wegener Institute,
and first author on the study. Thank you so much for joining us here on the program. This is a landmark study. Were you surprised by the variety, the
sheer number of different kinds of plastics you found in Arctic sea ice?
ILKA PEEKEN, SEA ICE ECOLOGIST, ALFRED WEGENER INSTITUTE: Yes, actually we were quite surprised about the high numbers which was up to more than
12,000 particles per liter of melted sea ice. There is a really huge concentration and much higher than we previously found.
The highest concentrations we actually found were coming from polyethylene and polyethylene is a typical material which is used for packaging like
bottles and so on, so single-use products, and it is actually the most produced plastic in the world. So it's the one that we have recycled with
traces (ph) on that.
But we also found a lot of particles which could belong to ship paint and we also found nylon which is indicative for shipping -- for fishing gear
and we also found some cellulose acetate which is indicated by cigarette butts, so quite a huge variety of different parts there.
And we were actually able to pretty much -- by sectioning the sea ice coast in different horizons, we were actually able to backtrack the different
areas. And so you can see that certain areas in the arctic have a different footprint of the - pulling (ph) that types you will find in them. So for
instance we found one -- yes, sorry?
LU STOUT: It's so fascinating how you were able to find these microplastics, identify the microplastics and also track the origin of
these microplastics from the Arctic and beyond. At the moment, they are stuck in the sea ice. They're kind of locked in the ice. But we know that
ice is melting
So, what is going to happen with these microplastics? Are they going to be released back into the ocean and what happens then?
PEEKEN: So for sure they will be released. Particles of sea ice is reaching areas where it comes, for instance, warm Atlantic water where it
starts to melt. And so it will be released in the water column again and from there it can be picked up either in the ecosystem or it might also
aggregate because it can be combined with other material which basically then helps them to aggregate and then sinks to the bottom of the sea shore.
We actually found in another study by Melanie Buckman (ph) last year particularly in the area where we have marginal sea ice zones, so that
means where a lot of sea ice is coming in and out, that in that particular region we can find the highest microplastic concentration also in the deep-
sea sediments.
LU STOUT: Yes. And once they are released in the deep-sea sediments, into the seafloor, into the ocean, it will be released into the food chain,
wildlife affected, humans as well. So what's the solution here, especially when we're talking about microplastic pollution? Is it even possible to
attempt to remove these tiny, tiny particles from ocean waters and sea ice?
PEEKEN: So I think this is not possible. If we think about it, 70 percent of our planet is actually belonging to the ocean and we are talking about
particles which are smaller than the 20s (ph) of a millimeter, so I think there is no way to get it out.
So we've got a lot of material in already. I think what we need to do is we really need to close the tap of plastics (ph), which is coming year to year
into the oceans.
[08:40:02] I think that really is something that every one of us can do something. We really need to change our careless use of plastic products
and start to produce more environmental friendly items. We also should get the policymakers and companies to really work on this, that we kind of bend
certain products and also enhance the production of biodegradable plastics.
LU STOUT: You know, this is such an alarming study, but it's an important one. Dr. Peeken, we thank you and your team for sharing your findings with
us and do take care and thank you for joining us here on CNN.
PEEKEN: Thank you. Bye-bye.
LU STOUT: Finally, here on the program right here in "News Stream," French, it might be the language of love, but during the U.S. state visit,
the French President Emmanuel Macron, the hands did all the talking.
President Trump and his French counterpart, they were so handsy, touchy feeling with each other that it almost felt competitive, at times a bit
awkward. Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): These two just can't quit each other when it comes to public displays of affection.
EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE: Thank you. Thank you.
(LAUGHTER)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I like him a lot.
MOOS (voice over): Get a room. Actually, they did. The Oval Office.
TRUMP: Thank you. You're a special friend. Thank you. Thank you.
MACRON: Thank you.
MOOS (voice over): President Trump and President Macron didn't just shake hands. They had to add a pat or a hand on the back, taking turns, even a
hand on the chest. They stared into each other's eyes and muttered sweet nothings.
MACRON: Thank you.
MOOS (voice over): Using first names, my dear Donald.
MACRON: (INAUDIBLE).
TRUMP: Emmanuel and myself.
MOOS (voice over): Dialogue out of a bromance novel.
TRUMP: I hope you feel the same way.
MOOS (voice over): The French president even tweeted the clasped hands.
(on camera): Brace yourself, bet you never have seen this before. One world leader grooming the other?
TRUMP: We do have a very special relationship. In fact, I'll get that little piece of dandruff off him. We have to make him perfect.
MOOS (voice over): One French newspaper called the gesture disturbing. We noticed Macron later examining the spot President Trump flipped. The first
lady was less accessible. Her hat made attempts to air kiss even a wider miss than usual.
Tweeted one critic, that hat is called the Trump repellent hat. As they posed for pictures, the president and Melania seemed to play footsie with
their fingers which the "Daily Show" put to music. But the presidents couldn't keep their hands apart.
MACRON: Thank you.
MOOS (voice over): All the hugging left them so slap happy.
TRUMP: It's an honor to call you my friend.
MOOS (voice over): That President Trump missed a slap, the French disconnection, rare for these two.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: And that is "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Stout. Don't go anywhere. "World Sport" with Amanda Davis is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)
END
