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Aired April 30, 2018 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:05] NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: British Home Secretary Amber Rudd is out, after admitting she misled parliament over immigrant deportation quotas. We look at the possible impacts on Theresa May's government.
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CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, Kim Jong-un delivers another good will gesture as top U.S. diplomats prepare for his possible meeting with President Donald Trump.
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ALLEN: And, after weeks of marching, hundreds of migrants reached the U.S.-Mexico border to face an uncertain future.
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It's all ahead here at this hour. Thank you for joining us, I'm Natalie Allen.
VANIER: And I'm Cyril Vanier, and your CNN Newsroom starts right now.
ALLEN: Our top story, British Prime Minister Theresa May faces another political challenge with the resignation of her home secretary. She's expected to name a replacement in the coming hours.
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Her key ally, Amber Rudd, stepped down saying she inadvertently misled government committee about deportation targets for immigrants. At first, she said there were no quotas, but a leaked letter indicated she knew of targets.
VANIER: This comes as the prime minister struggles with Brexit negotiations without a majority in parliament. The Opposition Labour Party is also calling May to explain her role in immigration policies she was home secretary. (END VIDEOTAPE)
CNN anchor Bianca Nobilo joins me now. She's been reporting on Brexit and British politics for us, as well.
Let's just start with the beginning and remind ourselves what the Windrush scandal is all about.
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Basically, it's a scandal which started because there's a generation of people from Caribbean countries that came to the U.K. essentially to plug a labor shortage between 1948 and 1971. They came on a boat. The first boat was named after a Windrush, so that's where that name comes from.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) The came to the U.K., they worked, they lived here, they had children
and then their status wasn't properly registered with the home office, and there was destruction of records. So, these people who feel British, they've committed their lives to Britain, they've worked in Britain.
VANIER: I mean, they've lived there for over a half century.
NOBILO: They've lived there for years and they have many generations of their families that live in Britain too, aren't recognized as such.
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This is linked to the fact that it's been discovered that the home office has been setting targets to reduce illegal immigration by 10 percent.
This is the matter where the home secretary has said she's resigning, because she inadvertently misled the houses of parliament.
VANIER: So, this goes well beyond knowing who the next British home secretary is going to be. I mean, the potential consequences are hard to predict, but the biggest one, is Theresa May's job safe?
NOBILO: I mean, if ask that question at any point in the last year and a half, the answer is usually no, and I think she's in a very vulnerable position for a couple reasons.
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Because she has been weak since she called that election and then the result wasn't what she expected, they lost seats.
So, let's not forget that she doesn't have a majority. So, she's already in this confidence and supply agreement in parliament. So, that means that she's already not particularly safe, then she's trying to push Brexit through. She's got this very challenging Brexit vote.
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The government might be defeated on that in about a week and a half's time, as well, but, this is a particular problem because Theresa May, the Prime Minister, was home secretary prior to Amber Rudd. So, she's in this difficult situation where, yes, Amber Rudd is responsible for these issues, but Theresa May is the one . . .
VANIER: It does connect back to her.
NOBILO: . . . who put the policies in place and oversaw these policies. She's also somebody that tried to reinvent and rebrand the image of the Tory Party, the Conservative Party in the U.K. She said people know it as the nasty party, and she wanted to get rid of that image.
Well, reporting like stories like this, do the exact opposite, and of course, the opposition in U.K., the Labour Party has said that it's right that Amber Rudd does resign. But, it pointed the finger back to the prime minister and said, yes, these policies were under your leadership and the home office, too.
So, it's problematic for her on a number of fronts. Not only has she lost a key ally in cabinet, after losing her other main ally, Damien Green, last year. She's also lost a remainer in cabinet, so that upsets the Brexit calculous potentially, but also, it reflects badly on her
VANIER: So, tell me more about that. Anything that weakens Theresa May, also raises questions over what's going to happen with Brexit negotiations.
NOBILO: Exactly, and we both know that there's far more questions than answers on that front anyway, but Theresa May campaigned modestly for remain. She's got a very delicate balance in her cabinet.
She's got these Brexiteers that threaten to revolt from time-to-time. That's like Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and others, and then she has her pro-Europeans, Amber Rudd, was a prominent one of those.
So, she was very good at softening the party and the cabinet stance on Brexit in the negotiations because she's very well respected. She's well respected on both sides of the party, from Brexiteers and remainers.
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So, if you remove her, logic would dictate that the prime minister will probably need to replace her with somebody who also supported remain, but you don't have a huge amount of options.
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[01:05:16] VANIER: Does she the remainer in that seat?
NOBILO: I mean, it would be helpful, otherwise it's likely to cause problems with the Brexiteers. Of course, what she could do is move somebody who supported Brexit into that role, and then reshuffle another member into the cabinet who is a remainer. So, put a Brexiteers where Rudd is and then move another remainer into whatever that post was. She doesn't have a huge amount of people to choose from here.
VANIER: Okay. Where will the cards fall? We should find out in a few hours.
NOBILO: We should, yes.
VANIER: We'll be talking about this again in a few hours yourself. Bianca, thank you for joining us.
NOBILO: Yes. I hope you'll have more details.
VANIER: I understand we will on Monday.
NOBILO: Yes, perfect.
VANIER: Thank you.
NOBILO: Thanks, Cyril.
ALLEN: Well, let's talk more about this story. It is estimated about half a million people came to Britain from the Caribbean at the government's invitation. The strict requirements for documentation took many of them by surprise.
VANIER: Erin McLaughlin talked with one Windrush migrant who's had to fight to prove her identity.
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BARBARA ISAACS, WINDRUSH MIGRANT: We're not wanted here. That's the way they make me feel. I'm not wanted, I'm not valued, I'm not nobody, I have no identity. As far as they're concerned, I'm an alien.
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN REPORTER: Barbara Isaacs says in 2008, her life forever changed. A mother of six struggling with mental health issues, and living on benefits, she applied to the British government to renew her welfare. Something she'd received for decades, only to suddenly be told there was no record she existed.
ISAACS: How can you throw away a whole generation of people that you invited to come here.
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MCLAUGHLIN: Barbara's part of what's known as the Windrush generation, a wave of migrants from the Caribbean, encouraged to come rebuild the U.K. after World War II. They were told they could stay for the rest of their lives. Many lived in the U.K. without paperwork.
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Decades later, the government would begin to demand documentation to prove their right to stay. Documentation many say they don't have.
To make matters worse, the British government acknowledges it destroyed thousands of landing cards. As a result, some were threatened with deportation and deprived of badly need benefits.
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AMBER RUDD, U.K. HOME SECRETARY: I bitterly, deeply regret that I didn't see it as more than individual cases that had gone wrong that needed addressing. I didn't see it as a systemic issue until very recently.
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MCLAUGHLIN: Barbara is one of the lucky ones. She kept her old passport which shows she arrived when she was six. Even so, she had to prove she had the right to remain in the United Kingdom.
ISAACS: They wanted 42 years' worth of information. They didn't even save their paperwork for 42 years.
MCLAUGHLIN: It took her three years to come up with the money and the paperwork necessary to apply. In the meantime, she says she lost all government support.
ISAACS: How can you have lived somewhere all of your life and 50 years later, you're sleeping on the streets, begging people for certain things?
MCLAUGHLIN: You're homeless.
ISAACS: Yes, totally. I was homeless, destitute, it's so degrading.
MCLAUGHLIN: Isaacs was granted residency in 2011, the same year she applied, something the home office points to in a statement responding to CNN's request for Comment. Adding that it's looking into her case, "as a matter of
urgency."
Even though she once again receives government support, for Isaacs and so many others from the Windrush generation, the damage is deep and permanent.
ISAACS: I've cried me a river and I've almost drowned in it. A part of me has died, completely dead.
MCLAUGHLIN: Erin McLaughlin, CNN, London. (END VIDEO CLIP)
VANIER: It could, the start of Pack's (ph) career, or just another ruse.
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U.S. officials are still processing the latest peace gestures from Pyongyang. At the historic inter-Korean summit Friday, South Korea say the North vowed to close its nuclear test site.
North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, also pledged to denuclearize.
ALLEN: And, all of this comes ahead of a potential U.S. summit with the North. The U.S. national security adviser says to take Mr. Kim's promises with a grain of salt.
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JOHN BOLTON, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: The North Koreans have already agreed to this. They agreed to it in 1992 with South Korea, and they've pledged similar things since then. Now, it's also the case that they've lied about it and broken their commitments.
Just one reason, there's nobody in the Trump administration starry- eyed about what May happen here, but by demonstrating they've made a strategic decision to give up nuclear weapons, it would be possible to move quickly.
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ALLEN: Let's talk more about it with CNN Paula Hancock, she joins us live from Seoul. And you know, we saw handshakes, we saw even hugs between President Moon and Mr. Kim.
But, what is South Korea - - what's the government saying about wariness about the motives of Kim Jong-un?
[01:10:11] PAULA HANCOCK, CNN REPORTER: Well, Natalie, we're not really hearing too much about the wariness from the government itself. I mean, they're clearly viewing this as a win. This summit on Friday went as well as it could possibly have gone between the two leaders.
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The fact they were building up a relationship, the word trust was repeatedly used by both Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in, saying that building trust between not just the leaders, but also the countries.
But, when you're looking at what, South Koreans think, there was one interesting poll out just recently from Rail (ph) meter, and they have said of those polled, 14.7 percent of people didn't trust North Korea before the summit. And now 64 percent of people do trust North Korea that is a massive jump just because of that one summit.
So it's quite a remarkable poll, really, obviously a small amount of people polled, but the overall feeling does appear to be that the summit went fairly well. Now obviously, there's pockets of disenchantment.
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You've had some small protests here in Seoul but they are pretty small.
You had a few hundred defectors, as well, who were gathering and telling journalists there that it was a show, what you saw on Friday and North Korea should not be trusted. But, I think the overall feeling and, of course, we're only a few days after the summit, there's a long way to go, is that it went fairly well.
Natalie.
ALLEN: And, you said that South Korea is now taking steps to kind of stand down on what it used to broadcast over inter-North Korea. So, there are signs that this is progressing?
HANCOCK: That's right. Yes. The defense ministry, this morning, said they were going to dismantle the propaganda speakers which are stationed all along the DMZ. These were broadcasts that they had that were like K-pop or news, or things that the North Koreans wouldn't usually hear. And, they blasted that across the border, part of the psychological war, if you like, that was ongoing for many years.
The North Koreans did a similar thing, as well, broadcasting things to the South, but they were stopped about ago. They're dismantling them and they say they're going to start the process from tomorrow, saying it's part of the good faith that hostilities are going to end.
Natalie.
ALLEN: Yet another step in the right direction. Alright, Paula Hancock, for us.
Thanks so much, Paula.
VANIER: And more on this, U.S. President Donald Trump signaled on Saturday that his summit with Mr. Kim could happen within the next four weeks. He also made clear who he thinks deserves credit for what's happening with the two Koreas.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: They were saying, "What do you think of President Trump had to with it?" I'll tell you what, like how about everything.
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VANIER: The new U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, recently met with the North Korean leader, and here's what he told ABC about the potential for reaching an agreement.
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MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: My goal was to try and identify if there was a real opportunity there. I believe there is. Who knows how the ultimate discussions will go, there's a lot of work left to do. But, I'm very hopeful that the conditions that have been set by President Trump give us this chance.
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VANIER: Alright, let's talk to Daniel Pinkston, he's a professor of international relations at Troy University in Seoul.
Daniel, how is the North Korean leader explaining all of these developments to his people?
DANIEL PINKSTON, TROY UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR: Well, that's been choreographed afterwards. They usually get their news about a day after. They extol the greatness of Kim Jong-un and pushing for unification with the South, but, of course, this the beginning of a process, and we will see how this plays out in North Korea.
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The North Korean people believe that much of their problems in terms of economic difficulties, food insecurity, the huge defense burden that they face, that these problems are a result of national division and they believe that unification would solve some of these problems.
So, they're very hopeful and they look at this in a very, very positive manner. But again, we will have to see how this plays out, it's the very beginning of a process.
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VANIER: Kim Jong-un recently told North Koreans, explained to them that they are a mature nuclear country. So, there's a disconnect between what Kim Jong-un says when he's speaking to his country, to North Koreans, and what he says when he's speaking to the South Korean President, isn't there?
[01:14:58] PINKSTON: That's correct. So, North Korea, their messaging is delivered to, or aimed at, different audiences. There's of course, the ruling elite in Pyongyang, the North Korean people, the South Koreans, the Korean people on the peninsula and then, of course, the international community at large.
So, they will send different messages to different audiences. I argue, and I believe, that for true peace to take hold on the Korean peninsula that both parties have to be tolerant, accepting and be willing to coexist. But, North Korea's not organized that way.
Internally, it's an autocratic system, there's no tolerance for any opposition. So, I think North Korea would have to change in terms of its ideology, change its party bylaws, change its Gungtin (ph) line. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Which is a line that Kim Jong-un established in 2013 that calls for, or requires, nuclear development and economic development, this is a rigid policy in North Korea.
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So, until we see some of these changes, I'm not convinced that North Korea is willing to coexist peacefully with its neighbors and willing to denuclearize.
VANIER: Is there any way to tell, or perhaps you've addressed this, I don't know, is there any way to tell at this early stage, whether Kim Jong-un is sincere or not?
PINKSTON: Well, I think there's an opportunity. Both, there's an opportunity for Kim Jong-un to show his sincerity and his seriousness, and there's an opportunity for us to test North Korea's intentions and their preferences.
I would argue that here's an opportunity for North Korea to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, or the CTBT. For the treaty to go into effect, there are 44 countries that have to sign and ratify the treaty, including North Korea. North Korea is one of three countries that have not signed, and that are required to sign the treaty.
So, they could do that. It doesn't even require nuclear disarmament, but it's a pledge that there will be no nuclear tests, no nuclear explosions conducted. If North Korea is not willing to that, how can we count on them to denuclearize?
And then, secondly, the chemical weapons convention, if North Korea were to sign the CWC. The good news is they could sign a confidentiality agreement with the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons, the EOPCW, and they could do this in a confidential way and not have to suffer the embarrassment or humiliation.
But, if they get rid of their WMD, this would be a signal that they are serious about this. So, those first two initial steps would reveal their true intentions in my view.
VANIER: Alright, that's good to know, definitely something to keep an eye on then, going forward.
Daniel Pinkston, thank you for speaking to us.
Daniel Pinkston, in Seoul, South Korea.
Now, just hours after getting the job, U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, hit the road.
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ALLEN: We will see what he's up to, as he takes on key issues in the Middle East and look at what's at stake there.
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Also, after trekking across Mexico, dozens of migrants from Central America are turning themselves in at the U.S. border. They are seeking asylum, but they have a lot of fears and concerns, mothers fearing they'll be separated from their children. Our Leyla Santiago talks with them next.
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[01:20:42] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good Monday. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri, watching a trend of some severe weather the next couple of days across the central United States. Records set across the state of Oklahoma with no tornadoes, so far this season, but I think the next
several days we're going to see some changes for the worst as far as beginning to prompt some active weather.
But, how about the 20's in Chicago? 23 degrees there, same score out of Atlanta. Dallas at 27, 23 a popular number, because Denver warms up to such a range as well over the next couple of days.
And that's winter weather radar having some fun potentially for the last time around the northeastern United States. Getting some snow showers across the higher terrain, beginning to push out. Notice the cooler air, goodbye, see you in October, because we think a trend here for some big time warmth possible, at least over the next week or so.
We certainly could see some cooling by the middle of May, but not necessarily for the southern tier of the U.S. But, into the western U.S., parts of British Columbia as well, generally going to be another warming trend.
The 20's come back, Portland, Oregon, what a remarkable month of April they had as far as big time warmth and they're back at it again to start off the month of May.
How about Mexico City? We'll take some thunderstorms there, about 26 degrees, Belize City about 31. Some showers possible in Jamaica, Kingston looking at around 30 degrees or so, and as you travel farther towards La Paz, the season's certainly beginning to shift. The cooler air is certainly being felt. 15 degrees across that region.
It will leave you farther from the south.
VANIER: Welcome back. We're just getting this news in from the Afghan capital. At least four people have been killed in two blasts that are reported in an area of Kabul, where government buildings are located.
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At least one of the explosions was from a suicide attacker. So far, there have been no claims of responsibility.
ALLEN: Security officials have warned there could be more attacks as the country prepares for Parliamentary elections coming up in the fall, in October. Just last week, dozens were killed at a voter registration center.
We'll bring you more about this latest incident as soon as we learn more.
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VANIER: The new U.S. Secretary of State hasn't been to his office yet.
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Fresh off the back of his confirmation, Mike Pompeo, left on a tour of the Middle East.
ALLEN: He is in Amman, Jordan, where he's scheduled to meet with King Abdulla and the foreign minister there. On Pompeo's agenda, Syria, tension in the region and the future of the Iran nuclear deal. A deal that Pompeo's boss, President Trump, has railed against.
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MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Unlike the prior administration, we will not neglect the vast scope of Iran's terrorism. I is, indeed, the greatest sponsor of terrorism in the world and we're determined to make sure it never possesses a nuclear weapon.
The Iran deal, in its current form, does not provide that assurance. We will continue to work with our European allies to fix that deal, but if a deal cannot be reached, the president has said that he will leave that deal.
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ALLEN: We will continue to bring you more about Pompeo's visit.
Well, in a few hours, U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence is set to U.S. border with Mexico.
VANIER: He will not be far from where dozens of Central American migrants are now seeking asylum.
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ALLEN: The migrants celebrated when reached the U.S. border after fleeing violence and poverty in their countries. They spent almost a month walking across Mexico and now their future is uncertain.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VANIER: Activists have organized similar caravans of migrants before,
but this time it caught the attention of President Trump, who said he told his homeland security secretary not to let them into the country.
CNN's Leyla Santiago has more.
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LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN REPORTER: I've seen many people with tears. Many people saying we're excited to finally be here, but we come here with excitement and a lot of anxiety.
They are very anxious, very nervous, especially the mothers and the grandmothers, wondering what will happen when they cross this border. They have spent weeks and weeks of walking, of riding on a train, on a train in which I watched as a pregnant mother of two, sat on top of scrap metal and trash for hours in the cold an through the night.
They have slept on the floors of shelters to arrive at this very moment. Something that stuck with me, one woman who said, "I think a lot of people think we just woke up one day and said, 'oh, I'm going to go to the U.S.'", but this has been a very, very, tough journey for them.
Many people sniffling, as well as coughing, many of them are sick because of the type of environment in which they have travelled through to come here. This woman, obviously in a wheelchair, that quite frankly looks very sort of beat up. So, I can only imagine what that wheelchair, the story that wheelchair would tell.
I want to sort of make sure you understand what's happening right now. Beyond the high emotion, the migrants that are very excited, but also anxious. We are right now not far, within feet of the United States of America.
So many of these migrants will tell you horrific stories of what they left behind in Central America. So, what they see on that other side is hope, and what they're hoping for is to seek asylum.
This is the legal way to do it. U.S. Federal law says if you want to seek asylum, you go to a port of entry that is what they're doing.
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VANIER: CNN's Leyla Santiago, reporting there now. Some 50 migrants have been admitted into a processing center at a point of entry in San Diego, near Tijuana, that's where she was reporting from.
Dozens more, however, are waiting outside until authorities actually consider their case. Donald Trump taking credit for the breakthroughs on the Korean peninsula, but does he really deserve any of it?
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We'll be asking our political guests just ahead.
ALLEN: Also, the president plans to host his Nigerian counterpart at the White House, Monday, how Mr. Trump's past comments might affect this meeting.
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[01:30:55] CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey -- everyone. Welcome back to the NEWSROOM. I'm Cyril Vanier.
NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Natalie Allen. Here are our top stories this hour.
Britain's Home Secretary Amber Rudd has resigned. The Prime Minister is expected to name a replacement in the coming hours. Rudd said she inadvertently misled a government committee about deportation quotas for immigrants.
VANIER: U.S. Defense officials say the United States and its coalition partners are not responsible for reported missile strikes in Syria. State media say military bases were struck in Hama and the countryside near Aleppo. The reports didn't specify who may have launched the strikes and there's no confirmation of any damage or casualty of life.
ALLEN: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the U.S. goal in North Korea remains denuclearization. He spoke with ABC News on Sunday after his recent meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. His comments come ahead of a potential summit between President Trump and Kim. Pompeo says he believes there's a real opportunity this time with Pyongyang.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's very nice. Thank you. That's very nice.
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ALLEN: It was nice. The crowd is chanting "Nobel" at a Trump rally in Michigan Saturday, suggesting the U.S. President be given the Nobel Peace Prize for the recent breakthroughs on the Korean Peninsula.
VANIER: At the rally, Mr. Trump said he had everything to do with the historic summit between the North and South Korean leaders.
ALLEN: Let's bring in our panel. CNN political commentator Ben Ferguson is in Dallas for us and political analyst Ellis Henican joins us from New York. Hi -- guys. Thanks for being with us.
ELLIS HENICAN, POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to be with you.
BEN FERGUSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hey.
ALLEN: Let's start with North Korea. It's like Kim Jong-un stepped over the demarcation line as a brutal dictator taunting the world with Armageddon and stepped into the South as a peacemaker -- almost Oprah like.
FERGUSON: Yes.
ALLEN: A new charm of the South Korean president. How would you describe the makeover if it's for real and how it happened? Ben -- I'll start with you.
FERGUSON: Look, I think a lot of I was international pressure. I also think it was the fact that sanctions clearly were certainly having an impact. And I think some of it was just having a conversation.
I mean the fact that you had this administration which allowed for a top level member of the administration to go and have direct talks and meet face to face with the leader of this country clearly humanizing one another was a good thing.
Having other countries come in and have conversations with him I think the Olympics honestly had a big impact from what we understand where it was saying what was a possibility for the people of North Korea if they decided to work with the international community.
And I also think that that really blunt line of showing strength by this White House saying we're not going to allow you to continue this nuclear weapons program, inter-ballistic missiles -- intercontinental missiles the way that you're doing this and expect that we're not going to stand up to you at some point and protect not only our allies but also our own country.
I think it was a very sobering moment for many Americans when that false alert went out in Hawaii earlier this year --
ALLEN: Right.
FERGUSON: And it scared a lot of people in America when that happened to the reality that these weapons could in fact possibly hit the United States of America. So you combine all of that together while also being willing to have conversations and this is where we are -- Nat.
I give a lot of credit to the President but not from a political standpoint --
ALLEN: Yes.
FERGUSON: -- this is good for the whole world. ALLEN: Absolutely. Let's talk more about President Trump's role in this. He certainly tried to shake down Kim with taunts and threats since he became president. Let's listen to what Adam Schiff, a Democrat had to say about it. He's the top House Intelligence Democrat on North Korea. And Ellis -- you're up to respond.
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REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA), HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: I think it's more than fair to say that the combination of the President's unpredictability and indeed his bellicosity had something to do with the North Koreans deciding to come to the table.
But before the President takes too much credit or hangs out the "mission accomplished" banner, he needs to realize that we may go into a confrontational phase and he may not want the full blame if things go south.
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[01:35:03] ALLEN: Ellis -- let's get your take on this and certainly the next thing up is the meeting with President Trump and Kim Jong-un.
HENICAN: That's right. And I too am clinging to optimism here, right. There are all kinds of things that can go wrong. We're dealing with a, you know, a homicidal maniac. And let's be frank about it and, you know, we have a president who doesn't -- who doesn't always have a completely firm and his own emotional responses at things.
So there are all kinds of things that can go wrong. Plus it's -- it's just a nagging and complicated issue. But I think most Americans say let's hope it works. I mean it's something different. It's a little bit of a piece of hope to cling to.
And it seems that the calculations on the North Korean side of it might have shifted in a way that it really is in everyone's interest to proceed in a hope of talking. Let me (INAUDIBLE) on this talking is a whole lot better than hurling insults -- Nat.
ALLEN: Yes. Absolutely.
FERGUSON: You know. One thing that I think everybody looks at, the fact that these two individuals met. The fact that they walked across this line and back into one another's country, the fact that they agreed to end the Korean war, the fact that they were shaking hands and saying they are from the same blood lines. This is something that a year ago, no one would have said was a possibility --
ALLEN: Absolutely.
FERGUSON: -- virtually in the world. And that's the reason why I think this is real and authentic. And look the President's made it clear. If he doesn't agree to certain things, you know, in this meeting, we will walk away. But I do believe that this was genuine and authentic in the way that these two members and the individuals. These two men interacted was so great for that part of the world to see this.
And knowing that you are going to have to face the United States of America at some point soon if you don't stop these actions clearly had a major impact the same way that we have a thin red line that we enforce the chemical weapons in Syria. This is a new time in this country with new leadership and it seems to be working well.
ALLEN: Well, let's talk about another issue closer to home. At a rally in Michigan this weekend the President addressed the migrants that are heading toward the border, families that have walked for weeks from Central America, either to Mexico or the U.S. They're adhering to legal channels offered by the U.S. for asylum seekers.
But here's what the President had to say about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We have to have borders. And we have to have them fast. And we need security, we need the wall -- we're going to have it all. And again, that wall has started. We've got $1.6 billion, we come up again on September 28th. And if we don't get border security, we'll have no choice. We'll close down the country because we need border security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: All right. Ellis -- let's begin with you. Shutting down the country over this one.
HENICAN: It's crazy talk -- right. I mean it is ridiculous. First of all there is not going to be a wall. There's no appetite for a wall. Most of the President's supporters don't even really want a wall. I mean maybe those folks in --
FERGUSON: I disagree.
HENICAN: -- in Washington. I understand Ben's in that category.
But most Americans --
FERGUSON: And by the way, in Michigan which they're not a border state.
HENICAN: Ben -- hold on a second, Ben. Excuse me. Most Americans don't want it -- the idea of shutting down the government over this people. I love these migrants -- the folks coming up in this (INAUDIBLE) because you know what, they're doing it Ben, exactly right.
They're following the procedures. They're presenting themselves at the port of entry. They're explaining their reasons for coming which in many cases are heart-wrenching and truly dire and threatening. And they're saying hey, we want to do this right.
So the notion of all these people trying to attack these Central Americans that are coming up here -- pregnant women and kids and people in these horrible situations and trying to turn them into villains. It just shows how out of touch and frankly how cruel the President has been on so much --
(CROSSTALK)
FERGUSON: There's two things -- two things here. It's not attacking them as villains. It's not attacking them and saying that they're all trying to -- it's just not true. We saw reports in California from local media tonight including confirmation from the government that many of those that were associated with this caravan did in fact come over the border into this country illegally including a woman that had young children who was also pregnant.
We saw that tonight so I don't buy that all the people in the caravan, now knowing that these reports, they have been detained crossing the border illegally saying that they're all doing it the right way. Saying that they're all doing the appropriate to asylum is a lie. It's not true.
And it's been confirmed now that that has in fact happened. That there are people associated with this caravan that did break in this country and did not respect our laws and did not do it the right way.
ALLEN: We'll look into that. We'll look into that. Our reporter was just standing in a long line of people that were adhering to rules.
FERGUSON: No, I'm not saying --
HENICAN: They're doing it right.
(CROSSTALK)
FERGUSON: -- I'm not saying -- I'm not saying that some of them were not. But what I am saying is that --
HENICAN: Don't attack them -- Ben. That's not nice.
FERGUSON: -- I'm not attacking them. I'm saying that we have to deal with the honest issue here. There are some people that do it the right way, Ellis but not all of them are doing it the right. Some of them are doing it the wrong way.
And look I have no problem with legal immigration here. But you have to have a secure border to be fair to the people that are doing it legally. It is unfair to them that we allow people to come in this country illegally and stay here illegally and they're part of this country illegally.
[01:40:04] That's unfair to the people that you mentioned earlier that are in fact coming to this country the right way.
HENICAN: Yes. So we need to -- so we need to fix the system and they give them a system to adhere to. Because what we have now is --
FERGUSON: I agree but we have to enforce our border.
(CROSSTALK)
HENICAN: -- you keep blaming all those people. Blame us.
ALLEN: Thank you so much, both of you for talking with us.
FERGUSON: Thanks for having me.
ALLEN: We appreciate it.
HENICAN: Good seeing you guys.
VANIER: President Trump is preparing to host Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari.
ALLEN: He will be the first African leader to visit the White House since Mr. Trump's derogatory comments about some African countries -- you may remember that.
Eleni Giokos reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When it comes to Africa, the Trump administration's attitude has at times seemed more hostile than harmonious.
TRUMP: I have so many friends going to your countries trying to get rich.
GIOKOS: The continent has been the target of travel bans and derogatory comments.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: President Trump today tweeted a half-hearted denial that he denigrated immigrants coming from -- and I'll not use the slur -- let's leave it as s-hole countries.
GIOKOS: But on Monday, the administration hopes to take a more traditional diplomatic approach when it welcomes Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari to Washington.
The White House said the two presidents will discuss shared priorities of combating terrorism, promoting economic growth and building on Nigeria's role as a democratic leader.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the pre-Trump era that would have been a home run. But ever since President Trump made his remarks about African countries, it's actually quite controversial to meet him.
GIOKOS: For Buhari and Trump, oil is likely to be near the top of the agenda. Last week, Trump lambasted OPEC on Twitter for withholding supplies saying, "Oil prices are artificially very high. No good and will not be accepted."
Nigeria is an OPEC member and it's been hurt by the growth of cheap U.S. shale oil. In 2017, Nigeria exported less than half as much oil to the United States than it did in 2010. Given Trump's tough stance on trade, Buhari might be walking a tightrope when it comes to strengthening economic ties. In 2016, the United States had a $2.3 billion trade deficit with Nigeria.
And then there's the issue of fighting the Boko Haram insurgency which is in the U.S.' favor as well as Buhari's. Last year the State Department approved the sale of 12 military planes to Nigeria for nearly $600 million. It's deals like these that will keep both sides of the Atlantic content.
Eleni Giokos, CNN -- Johannesburg.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: Two of the big four U.S. mobile phone giants are about to be won. Coming up, we'll have details of the T-Mobile/Sprint mega merger and its effect on the very competitive mobile landscape.
[01:48:03] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VANIER: And they were once bitter rivals and now Sprint and T-Mobile are poised to be just one company.
ALLEN: North Korea, South Korea -- Sprint/T-Mobile. Everyone's coming together here.
The two U.S. mobile providers have agreed to merge in a $26 billion deal. U.S. regulators still have to approve it since it would leave the country with just three major carriers. That was a sticking in their previous attempts to merge. If approved the new company will keep the T-Mobile name.
VANIER: In their announcement, the CEOs of the two companies touted the jobs the merger will create and the innovation their combined resources will bring to markets.
ALLEN: All right. Let's just hope they don't mess with our cell phones.
All right. Pedram is here in the studio with us. Good to see you.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. You know you're talking about North Korea/South Korea, Sprint/T-Mobile and we have the U.S. and Europe very similar sort of a weather pattern the next couple of days and we're going to touch on that too.
ALLEN: All coming together, except the water is definitely stormy.
JAVAHERI: It is. It's a little stormy exactly. And we're going to start off in Europe because it's been a wild going the last couple of days. And we'll put the maps in motion for you guys.
And here we go across portions of the North Sea, severe weather. Of course, you check your calendar -- May is around the corner. This is the time of year Mother Nature really begins to ramp up severe weather activity. And of course, the area indicated in red -- that's the highest likelihood there for this morning to see active weather.
The past 24 hours, would you believe if I told you parts of Belgium and on into Germany 26,000 and 83,000 lightning strikes in 24 hours alone between those two countries of that continent-wide. We measure upwards of 230,000 lightning strikes so talk about a tough go as far as weekend activities planned across this region with a lot of active storms.
See all these triangles? Those are indicative of tornadoes over a decade period over Europe. That area right there across the BeNeLux region around Germany, eastern areas of France and also the red triangle -- that's an F-4 tornado that was reported in eastern France in the last year.
That tornado alley of Europe, of course, that's where all the active weather is in place in the next 24 or so hours. And just a little farther to the east, the main concern not only these tornadoes this go-around but gusty wind and also some large damaging hail.
But look at what has happened to the temperatures. Remember last week when we were telling you upper 20s around 30 in London -- well, the best we can do is the tail-end of that forecast and it gets up to around 21 but single digits are back in action across portions of London. Even Madrid has cooled off to the teens but we do warm up nicely as we approach the most important two days of the week, that being Saturday and Sunday.
Now, take you over to the United States -- severe weather generally the concern this time of year but it's really frankly been too cold across the eastern half of the U.S. and moisture across the southern tier of the U.S really suppressed the sever weather action. And also the dry air around Texas has kept it at bay.
In fact zero tornadoes in the heart of tornado alley so far in 2018. When you take a look, the month of May -- there you upwards of 268 tornadoes typically what you expect. We think some severe weather could be back between today and Monday and eventually by Wednesday peaking there.
So this is the time of year that I said you begin to see activity that we've seen almost nothing in the heart of it.
ALLEN: It's gone a bit cool.
JAVAHERI: Yes.
ALLEN: Now it's coming.
JAVAHERI: So changes are coming, yes.
VANIER: All right.
ALLEN: All right. Thanks for the warning.
VANIER: Thanks for the update.
JAVAHERI: Yes.
ALLEN: All right. Coming up here, most parents will give anything to keep their children happy, right. So why are these parents paying to make their babies cry? The answer is actually adorable. And we'll explain.
[01:49:47] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VANIER: Welcome back -- everyone. "The Avengers" assembled this weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH BROLIN, ACTOR: In time you will know what it's like to lose, feel so desperately that you're right and to fail all the same.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VANIER: Well, they did not fail at the box office. Marvel Studios' "Avengers: Infinity War" made an estimated $630 million worldwide on its opening weekend, crushing the previous record of $541 million held by "The Fate of the Furious".
ALLEN: That's a lot of money.
And "Infinity War" shattered the global record without the help of China, the world's second biggest movie market. The film opens there May 11. "Infinity War" brings together more than 20 Marvel heroes and a decade's worth of storyline.
All right. Here's a story for you. This is about crying babies but don't worry, it's not as sad as it sounds.
VANIER: CNN's Anna Stewart tells us about a centuries' old tradition in Japan that supposedly will bring you good luck.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're not lean but these sumos definitely looks like mean fighting machines. Today they're facing off with these.
[01:55:00] Every year parents bring babies to Tokyo's ancient Sensoji Temple which hosts the Naki or Crying Baby Sumo Festival -- a centuries' old tradition. Some believe it wards off demons and many think it brings you good luck.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Japan, we have a saying, a crying baby grows well. So we make babies cry. The louder they cry, the better they grow.
STEWART: Each baby enters the ring with a sumo, the first to cry wins. For some just entering the ring is enough to (INAUDIBLE). Others need elegant (ph) jostling, or just being told to Naki -- Japanese for "cry". When all else fails, there's backup with terrifying masks. Each
nerve-wracking (INAUDIBLE) are paid $140 a baby to take part. And it doesn't always work. Some babies really will sleep through anything. But many returned home victorious.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is such a good Japanese tradition; I'm so pleased I could take part.
STEWART: I'm trying to get some tips.
You seem like a really nice guy. You didn't look scary at all.
That's pretty scary but you know what, I think it will take the mask to really get me.
Despite the lesson, I can happily say I made no baby cry in the filming of this story.
Anna Stewart, CNN -- Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: How about that one?
VANIER: Anna Stewart is not scary -- that's what we learned.
ALLEN: I'm Natalie Allen. Thanks for watching.
VANIER: I'm Cyril Vanier. Stay with CNN.
[01:56:23] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
