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New Fissures Raise Fears Of Possible Explosive Eruption; Controversial Pastor To Lead Prayer In Jerusalem; Trump Wants To Help U.S. Sanctioned Chinese Phone Maker; Zachary Cruz Has Had Run-Ins With Police Since Massacre; One Month Out: Trump Preps For Historic North Korea Summit; Decoding The President's Defensive Body Language. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired May 13, 2018 - 17:00   ET

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


[17:00:00] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much for being with us today, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The next hour of the Newsroom starts right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: You are in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. Thank you for being with us on this Mother's Day. We begin with breaking news, from the island of Hawaii, where new cracks have opened, and the earth is spewing lava into the air, and raising fears that an explosive eruption could happen at any time.

Now, this is a video from one of the newest fissures just this morning. I want to give you just a second here to listen, because it is so powerful.

More than 2,000 people have already been forced to evacuate, and with every new fissure, more people brazed for orders to get out immediately, leaving their homes, and most of their belongings at the hands of mother nature.

We have CNN reporters, meteorologists, and victims of this volcano sting by. Let's start with CNN's Dianne Gallagher at CNN's World Headquarters in Atlanta. Dianne, how imminent is this threat for those close to the volcano?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the good news here, Ana, is that those latest fissures are on private property, and mostly near vegetation. But there are homes around there, and it did prompt new evacuation orders job this weekend.

What is important to keep in mind here is that the activity has been going on for 10 days now, and it is really unpredictable as to what will happen next, and again, how powerful it may be.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GALLAGHER: Exploding through the air. This weekend, three new vents spewing lava up to 100 feet in the air like a foundation. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says an explosive eruption at the Halema'uma'u Crater is possible, one that could shoot rocks, and debris the size of refrigerators into the air in any direction with ash plumes over a 12-mile area. New evacuations ordered as an 18th fissure opened up Sunday morning with steam and lava spatter activity on the Kalapana site of Highway 132.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first thing that I noticed was, I heard what sounded like a jet turbine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fissure 16th...

GALLAGHER: The 16th and 17th fissures erupting Saturday, about a mile from the Puna Geothermal Venture.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't want to be here in case of 60 million gallons of some unknown frocking type material decides to ignite and to go up.

GALLAGHER: John Davidson (ph) evacuated his home on Wednesday before planning to plea if he finished moving the flammable chemicals, but he retuned to check on his property when the new fissure started sizzling spewing lava on Saturday.

Well these fissures far from the series of eruption, as you can see from this helicopter footage, ripped through neighborhoods earlier this week, destroying nearly 30 homes, damaging almost 40 more, clouding the air with dangerous gasses in vogue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not like it's a hurricane, where you think, OK, in three days, it will be here and go, or a forest fire, this is almost like a slow motion train wreck.

GALLAGHER: With more than 2,000 residents already under a mandatory evacuation order, authorities are warning others to prepare to get out now, because they can't predict, where, when, or how powerful Kilauea's next eruption will be.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GALLAGHER: Now, the Hawaii County Civil Defense has ordered all rental property owners to seize operations. They would like to get those tourists out of the area. They are not sure just how many are in the specific area in lower Puna, which is where this order it.

But they want to make sure that if something does happen, unexpected that things like water, and also rescue supplies are allotted for the residents, Ana.

Instead, President Trump has declared the island of Hawaii as a disaster area, meaning that once this stops, whenever it may be, they can use some of that federal funding to try, and put those pieces back together, and repair things.

CABRERA: The unpredictability there though is so scary. Dianne Gallagher, thank you. When we talk about new fissures, and the cracks, and the vents that are opening up, I know it's probably hard to get a good idea just how big these are, how far they stretch, I wanted to go to meteorologist Tom Sater to help us get a better understanding here. Tom, talk to us about these fissures, where they are located, how dangerous they are, give us some visuals.

TOM SATER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, the scientist that have been working, and really monitoring as we knew that more fissures were going to, you know, show themselves and probably a few more. But let's look at how the energy is disbursed.

These are tremors and earthquakes. This is the main summit where you have the main chamber, 20 to 25 miles away. The magma, which is dropping in the chamber is traveling under ground until it can't withstand that pressure anymore, and it releases it.

So this is the concern, and it seems to be building more toward the east, but again, when you look at all these little green little triangles here, these are all the fissures that have opened. The last one is up here.

But there's really no rhyme or reason, they're opening in all locations. As it releases the gas and the lava, the problem is, the lava is dropping in the main chamber.

[17:05:03] The USGS just released this video. It used to have a lava lake at the top. You can't see the lava anymore. We can go back to April 23, and see the lava, but watch. This is why this is so important, May 5th, it's dropping, May 6th, it continues to go down, and continue to go down.

And that is the concern, when that lava drops down to the water table, it could create a violent eruption. So, again, a cross section gives you a better idea.

What once was a lake of lava at the top has been dropping, the water level is down, Ana, to about 1,500 feet. The lava is now down over 1,100, and been dropping quickly, and it releases that pressure, and so debris falls inside like in 1924, boulders the size of trucks -- semi-trucks, 14 tons were blown a mile.

So if that gets down to that water table, the volcanists (ph) are really concern say it doesn't mean there's going to be a violent eruption, the elements are there. It's just how they interact. But this is the last thing we want to see. Unfortunately, the lava does show signs that this could possibly occur.

CABRERA: Yikes. Tome Sater...

SATER: Yes.

CABRERA: Thank you so much for that. Now this next video I'm about to show drives home the personal loss being felt by people who are forced to flee their homes by this eruptions. Imagine if this were your houses going up in flames. This one belongs to Larry and Jerry Butler who evacuated along with thousands of other residents near the volcano.

And check this out, this is their backyard, with molten lava, swallowing up their trees, their flowers, even their swimming pool. Wow. Butler is retired, and they moved to Hawaii about 15 years ago, and now they have lost everything.

The will have to start over. Their son Christian Butler flew to the Big Island to help out his parents. He is joining us now on the phone. Chris, I'm so heart broken for you guys. First of all, how are your parents doing?

CHRISTIAN BUTLER, PARENTS' HOME IN HAWAII OVERTAKEN BY LAVA (via phone): Thank you, my parents are actually doing pretty well under the circumstances. And they're tired, they're frazzled, but they're safe, and they have a roof over their head now, and that's all that really matters.

CABRERA: Tell me a little bit more about your family's situation right now, what you're experiencing, what you guys have seen?

BUTLER: Well, right now, it's kind of day by day, literally we bought the house a week ago. So they're just -- they stayed in a vacation rental for a few days, but were able to find some long-term housing.

But right now, they just have a couple of chairs, and that's about it. And some inflatable beds that we got for them yesterday. But they're having to really start over from scratch and, you know, they're in their '70s, and, you know, on retirement income, and just having to rebuild their lives from zero. It's really phenomenal.

CABRERA: So sorry to hear. What goes through your mind as you see these images?

BUTLER: It's a little heart breaking, honestly. I had actually tried to convince my parents to, like, save some of the things, like family photos, and stuff, you know, put that in the car, back when we were having just the earthquakes, and there was the possibility of having to evacuate, and they kind of put it off, and then they had to leave. And they basically just had a few days clothing with them, and a pet, and that was it. And...

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: How much time did they have in advance in terms of to know that they -- knowing that they had to get out?

BUTLER: It was probably maybe a few hours, maybe two. that they had to get out.

CABRERA: OK. And do they live in like a neighborhood? Just how many homes around them may be at risk?

BUTLER: They live -- they're right there in Leilani Estates, so there were quite a few homes there, 36 homes have been destroyed so far. It seems like the fissures are moving down, further away from Leilani Estates, so it's not impacting residential areas so much. But there is still the poisonous gases that could be a big risk to people down there.

CABRERA: Is this something insurance will cover? Do you even know at this point?

BUTLER: Fortunately, yes, they have insurance. They started working with them. And so far, things are looking good that they're going to be able to recoup from this. But it's going to be a long, long road before they are actually able to get everything settled, and really move on with their lives.

CABRERA: I know there is a GoFundMe page. So hopefully, people, we always see come to, you know, give their best efforts during these times to give back. Christian Butler, thank you so much for joining us. Again, I am so sorry what you just are experiencing right now. We really do send our very best to you and your parents.

[17:10:02] You can help the Butler family by donating to their GoFundMe page. And you can also find out how to help other victims by going to CNN's Impact Your World page at CNN.com/impact. Coming up, it is the day before the U.S. embassy opens up in Jerusalem. Palestinians are already protesting with chants of no more Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: No more Trump! No more Trump! No more Trump!

CABRERA: Now Israel is boosting troop levels ahead of the opening. We will take you there live. Plus, new details about a very controversial guest who plans to be there, you're live in the CNN Newsroom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: One of President Trump's boldest, and most controversial decision as far as foreign policy goes, it becomes a reality tomorrow when the new U.S. embassy opens in Jerusalem. Right now, Israel is celebrating ahead of tomorrow's ceremony, and booting troops at the Gaza border, bracing for Palestinian backlash.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[17:15:00] CROWD: No more Trump! No more Trump! No more Trump! No more Trump! No more Trump! No more Trump! No more Trump!

CABRERA: Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, were all be on there for tomorrow's opening ceremony in Jerusalem. Another name on the guest list is causing controversy this hour, a pastor who campaigned for Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CNN's team of reporters and analysts are covering every angle, Elise Labott, our Global Affairs Correspondent in Jerusalem, and Correspondent Ian Lee is live in Gaza, and here in New York, CNN Political Analyst Julian Zelizer, he's also a Princeton University historian, and professor. So, Elise, to you first, tell us about this controversial pastor expected to take part on the event. ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Robert Jeffress is a southern Baptist pastor, Ana. He campaigned vigorously for President Trump, one of his biggest supporters, and he's drawn a lot of fire over the years for his controversial remarks against Islam, against gays, Catholics, Mormons, you name it. A very controversial pastor.

He will be giving the opening benediction to the ceremony tomorrow. And he -- in an interview with Fox News, he said he will be there speaking about support for President Trump's decision, another promise kept, he said.

And we'll also be talking about, you know, support for what he calls, you know, our people, the Israelites. You know, despite the fact that there is a lot of talk about Israel being the home of the Jewish people, there's also a lot of close ties between Israel and Evangelicals in the U.S. So, a controversial choice, sure, but a very big supporter of President Trump talking at the ceremony tomorrow.

CABRERA: Let's just talk just a little bit about the politics of this, Julian. Why include this controversial individual? I mean, there are plenty of other spiritual leaders out there who could have been part of this.

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, this is the Trumpian paradox, every time he makes a big move, he injects something controversial into it. This choice plays to some of the elements of his base that have been very controversial.

It plays to remarks about many groups, Muslim, even Jews that he has made, and it's a mystery of why he's doing this is, and either it was an oversight, somehow you have to imagine that he didn't check this for...

(CROSSTALK)

ZELIZER: Or the other is that it's intentionally, and that he wants to provoke certain arguments and elements in the American public, and oversees as well.

CABRERA: Provocation, not mean it (ph). We already know it's heated over there. Ian, I know you have visited the protest camps. How volatile is the situation right now?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think people are gearing up for what tomorrow is likely to be one of the largest protests that Gaza has seen. We were at that camp, and we were seeing them prepare. They were bringing in tires. They light these tires on fire to obscure the site of the snipers.

On the Israeli -- on the Israeli side, there are soldiers there, you know, dozens of Palestinians have been killed, and these weekly protests have been seven weeks of them so far, and it's really all been building up to tomorrow, and to the next day.

And even tonight here on the streets of Gaza City, we have been hearing trucks going around with loud speakers calling people to go out, and then at the same time, we have these leaflets right here that are dropped by the Israelis saying, don't go to these protests, don't go near the border.

They say that Hamas is trying to use these protesters to carry out what they call their terrorist activities. But it is going to be very tense for the next 48 hours, as the Palestinians reject what they say is this move by the United States to declare Jerusalem to the capital.

CABRERA: Right.

LEE: They also say that this is a call for unity with the Palestinians.

CABRERA: Elise, what can you tell us as far as the preparations go when it comes to security, and others -- other types of preparations ahead of tomorrow?

LABOTT: Well obviously as Ian said, there's heightened security at the border with Gaza, because they're expecting tens of thousands of protesters, but here in Jerusalem, not only do you have this very high level delegation of, you know, cabinet secretaries, from Steve Mnuchin, the Deputy Secretary John Sullivan to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.

Prime Minister Netanyahu will also be addressing the ceremony tomorrow, the streets surround the embassy are very tight in security, they have been -- actually the roads, I spoke to some residents in the area, have been closed for the last several days as they, you know, prepped the area.

They have had a lot of flags, Israeli and American flags being put up getting the area ready, and there's also an increase of U.S. marines in the area. And I will say, Ana, not just here in Jerusalem, but around the world, the U.S. is really fortifying its embassies in the area of Muslim world, getting ready for some severe protests.

[17:20:05] CABRERA: Julian, this is historic. Other administrations have talked about moving the embassy. This President is actually doing it. How significant is this?

ZELIZER: It's very significant. This is something that Democrats and Republicans have talked about doing, no one in the end went through with it, in part because of a realization of how volatile this decision is.

He's made a really bold move in this case, so it's significant, shifting the capital, it's what many Israelis have felt should have been done a while back. It has to be handled very delicately. The situation is tense. It is dangerous.

And ideally, somehow the President has an idea how he can use this as the basis for some kind of peace agreement. In an ideal world, that's what we would be looking for. We don't know if that's what the administration is thinking, if this is part of a plan, or if it is based on an assumption that they can do this, and the politics of the region have shifted, and no one's really going to do much about it.

CABRERA: All right, everybody, thank you so much, Ian Lee, Elise Labott, and Julian Zelizer. I appreciate it. Tensions were already high in the region after President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal.

And now Tehran is taking steps to deal with the economic problems that renewed sanctions will bring, Iran's Foreign Minister is on a diplomatic tour, aimed at insuring other countries that are part of the deal stick around. The White House National Security Advisor John Bolton tells our Jake Tapper, he doesn't expect that to happen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm here to discuss, President Trump's national security advisor, Ambassador Bolton. Ambassador Bolton, thank you so much for joining us.

JOHN BOLTON, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: Thanks for having me.

TAPPER: So we have a lot of topics to get to, I want to start with the Iran deal. It took a decade of world wide sanctions against Iran to get Iran to come to the table to make this deal, which I know you and the president feels inadequate. Can you explain to me how you're going to be able to get Iran to agree to a new, tougher deal without...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: All right, Bolton has long pushed for regime change in Iran, but is he still doing so now that he has the President's ear? Jake asked about that and Bolton responded, the advice I give him -- him being the President, is between us.

From America first to saving Chinese jobs, why does President Trump want to help a Chinese company banned from the U.S. for violating U.S. sanctions on Iran and North Korea?

[17:25:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: President Trump is trying to help a Chinese telecom company that broke American trade rules get back in business in the U.S. He tweeted this, quote, President Xi of China and I are working together to give massive Chinese phone company ZTE a way to get back into business fast.

Too many jobs in China lost, commerce department has been instructed to get it done. Now what makes this so interesting is back in February, U.S. intelligence agncies warned lawmakers that Chinese smartphone makers including ZTE post a security threat to American customers.

Now ZTE said its business was crippled after a U.S. ban against the company went into effect in April. The U.S. commerce department has blocked American firms from working with ZTE until 2025, saying it violated U.S. sanctions on North Korea, and Iran, and lied to U.S. officials.

So why would a president who ran on the slogan America first be worried about Chinese jobs, and throwing a lifeline to a company like this. CNNMoney's Christina Alessi is joining us now. Break it down for us, Christina.

CHRISTINA ALESSI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a very good question. And we're not sure we have the exact answer to that question just yet. But what is clear to your point is that the administration, and President Trump is taking a much softer tone with China than we have previously seen with China, and with this company more broadly.

To your point, just to put more context around this, in 2017, the administration imposes a very hefty fine on ZTE for essentially violating U.S. sanctions, selling goods to both North Korea and Iran.

The administration just last month goes even further, and says, wait a second, ZTE did not punish its employees enough or properly, and it went ahead, and nearly issued a punishment that nearly crippled the company, halted it's operations, halted its stock from trading on the Hong Kong exchange, and then the President this morning tweets out that he want -- he wants to get the company back to business.

So it's a bit of a head scratchier, I have called the commerce department, we're still waiting for a response as to why this reversal happened today, but critics are not going to let this go because they are going to point to this as another example of the President talking tough, but perhaps not following through.

We saw a similar theme play out when it came to aluminum and steel tariffs in the U.S. when the President issued a mandate for those hefty taxes, and then the administration kind of walked it back making exemptions for certain countries.

And to your point, I don't think that Democrats are going to let it go that ZTE poses a security threat, because apparently it's technology will allow the U.S. or -- sorry, the Chinese government to spy or listen in on U.S. citizens.

CABRERA: In fact we're already seeing Democrat Adam Schiff tweeting about this, and saying this isn't OK.

[17:30:00] ALESSI: Yes. He said the President should care more about national security than Chinese jobs. Our intelligence agencies have warned ZTE technology, and phones pose a major cyber security threat, Ana.

So the larger context here is that ZTE was seen broadly as the first victim of this escalating trade dispute between the United States and China.

And look, maybe some experts will see today's tweet as a thawing of those relations, and unwillingness to work with China. But again, critics are going to point out all of these other problems, and it's also very confusing to do policy this way, without explaining, for example, why this reversal -- what is the U.S. saying... (CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: He just sends a tweet, and there's a lot to be asked, and we'll have answers hopefully...

ALESSI: Yes.

CABRERA: ... in the hours and days ahead. Thank you, Christina Alessi.

ALESSI: You're welcome.

CABRERA: Good to have you with us. Coming up, the brother of the parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz is now speaking out with new insight into their family. Why he is calling his brother's fragile state, and why he feels forced to leave Florida. A live report next.

[17:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Welcome back, the brother of the Florida school shooting suspect is talking. He says he wishes he could have done something to prevent that horrifying tragedy. And now Zachary Cruz is heading out of Florida for a fresh start. Our Polo Sandoval is following this for us. He is joining me now. So, Polo, what more are we learning for his new interview.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And the key question here, Ana, why are we talking about Zachary Cruz, after all of the investigation, court proceedings determined that he had absolutely nothing to do with his older brother's heinous actions in February when he opened fire on those students.

So what's happening now is a judge is allowing this young man, this 18-year-old to basically pack up from his home in Florida, and then head up to Virginia to start a new life, to potentially escape that dark cloud that was created by his brother's actions.

Now, his legal troubles, unrelated legal troubles, I should add, have more to do with his trespassing on that campus, on the Stoneman Douglas Campus, not long after the shooting, he was on probation, eventually violated to a probation.

But now the judge is allowing him that opportunity to travel to Virginia to start a new life, to focus not only on finishing high school, but also on anti-bullying efforts, because as we heard today in his conversation with reporters is that he, quote, acted hard on his older brother, even bullied him at times.

And fells that perhaps that was a factor in what happened in February that left -- that left 17 people dead, so that is what this young man wants to focus his efforts on, as you see here, he's had those run ins with the law, and he hopes that he can leave that behind by moving to Virginia.

CABRERA: And I read that he said his brother is really close with their mother, and when their mother dies, his brother he said was in a fragile state -- he was a fragile person. I understand Zachary says his employer has been unfairly harassed as well?

SANDOVAL: Right. Nexus company, it's a non-profit organization rather that it's civil rights advocacy group that he will be essentially, at least, working with at some point, and as you are about to hear from one of the employers there, he is asking a judge to take a closer look at Broward County Sheriff's Department because he feels that Zachary's civil rights were violated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE DONOVAN, CEO, NEXUS SERVICE: I think it's incredibly necessary. I don't think that he would have the opportunities to even live here, and just from my experiences with him over the last 24 hours, he's set up to fail here, and there are people in law enforcement, and in government in Broward County that very much want him to fail. I don't understand why.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: So a lot of different threads that are on going here. You have the potential litigation that's playing out here, and then also Zach's story line here, which is now leading him to Virginia as we just discussed.

He will still be on probation, he will have to be checking in with his probation officer on a weekly basis. He will have to go through counseling as well. But he's only 18-years-old at this point Ana. He is still a young man, still with his adult life ahead of him, and he hopes that today's move will be a step in the right direction.

CABRERA: All right. Polo Sandoval, thank you.

SANDOVAL: Thanks, Ana.

CABRERA: Now, the U.S. is gearing up for a big deal -- a potential deal with the stakes. Never higher, they head into this summit with North Korea. President Trump used to call him little rocket man.

Ahead, what's the President book, The Art of the Deal, telling us about his negotiating style, and how it might be applied in talks with Kim Jong-un.

[17:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Welcome back. Tonight, reunited at last -- three men recently returned to the U.S. after being held in prison by the North Korean regime are now free to go home.

Doctors cleared Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak-song, and Tony Kim to leave the hospital today. The three men had been undergoing evaluations at Walter Reed Medical Center since they touched down in the U.S. early Thursday morning.

Well, the Trump administration says that the President is not starry eyed over negotiations with North Korea. Many in the foreign policy community are worried that when the President meets with Kim Jong-un, a month from now in Singapore, he will be too eager to strike a deal.

And all too willing to look pass North Korea's history of breaking promises. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recognizes the odds of the U.S., getting what it wants, a nuclear free North Korea are stock against it. So, get ready for a lot of expectations starting like this, between now and June 12th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, to quote, President Trump, we'll see. We are not to the place yet where we should be remotely close to declaring that we have achieved what it is we want.

There's a great deal of work that remains, our eyes are wide open with respect to the risks, but it is -- it is our fervent hope that Chairman Kim wants to make a strategic change -- a strategic change in the direction for his country, and his people, and if he's prepared to do that, President is prepared to assure that this could be a successful transition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: CNN's Boris Sanchez joins us from the White House. Boris, what does the President's team say about how he's preparing for this summit?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Ana. Some key officials, some of the top officials when it comes to foreign policy in the administration were making the rounds on the Sunday morning talk shows. You saw Secretary of State Mike Pompeo there.

[17:45:01] John Bolton, the national security advisor, also made a round. He was on CNN on State of the Union with Jake Tapper this morning, and he said that the President was intensely preparing for this summit.

Just about a month from today with Kim Jong-un in Singapore, saying that President Trump had taken time in speaking to a number of his advisers, and foreign leaders as well, including China's President, Xi Jinping.

The President clearly trying to gain some perspective on Kim Jong-un from Xi Jinping, someone who has met with the North Korean Leader numerous times, and the lead up to this summit.

Bolton sort of pushed back criticism pointed toward the administration that this summit was taking place too soon, and that the administration would need more time to prepare for it. Listen to what he told Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOLTON: His preparations have actually been extensive already, he's talking to a lot of different people, foreign leaders, he had an extensive conversation with Xi Jinping of China earlier this week. He is consulting with all of his advisors. You know, I have been on

the job about five weeks. I would say that Iran and North Korea probably had taken over half of my time, and a lot of that obviously is helping him make the decisions, and get ready for these meetings. So I think these preparations are very intense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: And Bolton also echoed what you heard from Pompeo there, that the United States is optimistic, but this is an ambitious agenda, and that President Trump is trying to do something that no sitting American President has ever done. One final note, Happy Mother's Day, Ana.

CABRERA: Hey, Boris, thank you very much, and to your mom as well. Thank you. Joining us now to talk more about all of this, Donald Trump biographer Michael D'Antonio, and Balbina Hwang, former assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the State Department.

Michael, you have chronicled Donald Trump the real estate tycoon, in negotiations, how much does simply getting a deal matter to him versus getting a good deal?

MICHAEL D'ANTONIO, DONALD TRUMP BIOGRAPHER: Well, I think it matters to him that he return from these talks with something to show for it, it's going to be very important just for his image -- his self-image, to be able to say I achieved something. And in a way, he already has achieved something. I think we need to give him credit for getting to this point where they're sitting down to talk.

It's interesting hearing Boris' report on his preparation, Mr. Bolton talks about the miracle briefings that he has had, and that he has talked to President Xi, and others, I don't think he'll prepare in the way that, say, Reagan did for his talks with Gorbachev, which was -- he commissioned a lot of different papers, and did a lot of work in advance. But Trump will go with his method of negotiating, and help to try to come back with something.

CABRERA: I want to talk more about his method of negotiating, about being a -- Donald Trump has long touted his (Inaudible) as a negotiator.

Here's what he said about his approach in The Art of The Deal, quote, I never get too attached to one deal or one approach, for starters, I keep a lot of balls in the air, because most deals fall out, no matter how promising they seem at first. Is that a sound strategy for negotiating with the North Korean regime, Balbina?

BALBINA HWANG, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER, STATE DEPARTMENT: Well, here's the important thing, President Trump is the great negotiator, and he's quite impulsive, he's very ambitious, and he's very transactional.

And he's also dealing with a very, very unusual leader in Kim Jong-un, nobody really knows Kim Jong-un. He's very young. Kim Jong-un himself is very ambitious, and he's an unknown quantity. And the other thing is that actually this is all happening very, very

quickly, and it's a very sudden turn around. And also, this is also happening very impulsively, and we think that Kim Jong-un himself is also very impulsive.

And so this is all also very bold. And so in many ways, maybe this is one of the only ways in which something like this could happen, and so this is all very risky, maybe this is the only way this can be done, we will see.

CABRERA: Excuse me.

HWANG: We also that maybe this is not -- maybe not very lasting.

CABRERA: We have come a long way since the days of little rocket man, and my button is bigger than yours, and locked and loaded. The President is sounding confident going into these talks. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you deserve the Nobel Prize, do you think?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Everybody thinks so, but I would never say it. They were saying, what do you think President Trump had to do with it? I will tell you what, like, how about everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: A lot had build up here, Michael.

[17:50:01] You hit it earlier, the President wants to look good coming out of this. Would his ego allow him to walk way from negotiations at this point after how much he's hikes this up?

D'ANTONIO: Well, I think it would if he was certain nothing good was going to come of it for the United States, and for him. You can see in his presentations that he's playing to the domestic political audience as well as into this reality of this negotiation.

And I think the observation that Kim is an unusual character, and unknown perhaps as impulsive, and ambitious as Trump himself to say this personal style that he has, he'll apply, and if it doesn't work, he's willing to walk away. I think he had rather come home, and say, there's no good deal to be had than to be stuck with something that he's going to leave thinking poorly of almost immediately.

CABRERA: I see you're nodding your head along with that, Balbina. What were the consequences be of walking away?

HWANG: Well, remember this is also -- President Trump is also a reality TV star. And the reality about all this is that it could also end up being about as insubstantial or unsubstantial as a reality TV show. In the sense that he could just walk away, and it could end up being really all about nothing at all. And that could actually be the sad thing about all of this. CABRERA: Would it matter if he walks away? Do we...

(CROSSTALK)

HWANG: We end with up...

CABRERA: Is there a bigger loss if he does that -- apologies too for the bit of the delay we have here. I keep stepping on you.

HWANG: Well, yes, in fact, there is. What that really means is the fate of world because it's really all about the global non- proliferation regime, and the fate of 80 million people on the Korean Peninsula.

I mean, what we're talking about is the end of the Korean War, which is a tragedy. We're talking about a war that has seen no end for 65 years, about -- you know, 50 million people in South Korea that are still divided -- 80 million people that are still divided, and Americans that are worried about, you know, nuclear war. So, yes, it's actually something about real consequences unfortunately.

CABRERA: Balbina Hwang and Michael D'Antonio, thank you both. I really appreciate you joining me. Coming up, President Trump might have a poker face, but does he have a tell that gives him away? Jeanne Moos explains next.

[17:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: It's no secret President Trump has a big personality, and usually, the body language to go along with it. But sometimes his body goes on the defense. Here is Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some tend to think of President Trump as man you better not cross, but there he is, crossing his arms.

TRUMP: I think it's a disgrace.

MOOS: In a very un-Trump like gesture.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a negative defensive gesture.

MOOS: As the author of famous faces decoded noted...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His shoulders hunched together. It's extremely unusual for Trump to make himself look smaller than he is.

MOOS: Normally, his gestures are expansive, assertive. But it seems frequently...

TRUMP: In my performance...

MOOS: ... President Trump's been performing with arms crossed.

TRUMP: Didn't say what that Congresswoman said. Didn't say it at all.

MOOS: Crossed arms made it on to the list of the 10 worst body language mistakes to make in an interview. Arms crossed over your chest signal defensiveness and resistance. When an expert like Dan Hill watches the President react to that FBI raid.

TRUMP: Democrats, all, or just about all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Underneath the bluster and the anger is also real sense of being under siege.

MOOS: When the President had to listen to a Democratic governor argue against arming teachers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Packing heat in first grade classes.

MOOS: He's crossed arms weren't just offensive...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But it's also dismissive. He shows contempt on his face.

MOOS: Comedians have their own theories.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's so cute that whenever Trump is out of his depth, he gives himself away with that little hug that he gives himself for comfort.

MOOS: It's become so common, Alec Baldwin has worked the gesture into his SNL impersonation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm like skunk stink all the dogs, I linger.

MOOS: The crossed arms even inspired a parody product.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have a president who's unrelieved?

TRUMP: Go get those lights off.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are his arm movements a danger to those around him? Then we have got a solution. The straight jacket suit for presidents, it looks just like a regular suit. No one has to know.

MOOS: It has a way of tamping down the President's...

TRUMP: Fire and fury.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN...

TRUMP: Why don't I just fire Mueller?

MOOS: ... New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: You are live in the CNN Newsroom. I am Ana Cabrera in New York. Thank you for being with me. We have breaking news. An explosive eruption could happen at any time on the Big Island of Hawaii, and anyone living within 12 miles of the Kilauea Volcano could be in imminent danger.

At this moment, three new cracks have opened in the earth, and spewing lava up to 100 feet in the air, and emitting a toxic gas that could be deadly. Take a moment, and just listen to how powerful these vents are. Look at that. Listen to the sound and now, these images. It's heartbreaking for the families to live there.