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Moon-Kim Meeting Revives Hopes for June 12 Summit; American Released by Venezuela; Ireland Votes Overwhelmingly to Repeal Abortion Ban; Deadly U.S. Border Shooting; Athlete Plans Civil Lawsuit against Milwaukee Police; UEFA Champions League Final; Double Amputee Climber Conquers Everest. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired May 27, 2018 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:00]
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The U.S. president revives hopes for a summit of his own with Kim Jong-un. This comes as Mr. Trump welcomes home another American prisoner, freed from two years of detention in Venezuela.
And later this hour fans in Spain celebrate football history as Real Madrid beats Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League final.
Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, we want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
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HOWELL: Just three days after Donald Trump abruptly canceled his summit with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the U.S. president now says preparations for the meeting are moving ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: If we can be successful in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula it would be a great thing for North Korea and South Korea and great for Japan and great for the world, great for the United States, great for China.
A lot of people are working on it and it's moving along very nicely. So we're looking at June 12th in Singapore. That hasn't changed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: The day for that meeting is less than three weeks away. Many experts doubt it's enough time to pull together a high-stakes meeting like this. But they are going to try.
The leaders of North and South Korea met Saturday secretly in the Korean demilitarized zone to see if they could revive the process. To that point, they seem to have succeeded. Afterwards, the president said Kim still wanted to meet with Mr. Trump and he remained committed to denuclearization.
Let's bring in CNN's Matt Rivers following the story live in Seoul, South Korea.
Matt, looking back at this push and pull, we are getting more insight into exactly what North Korea wants.
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is a little bit more insight than we're getting from the president of South Korea after his meeting with Kim Jong-un yesterday from 3:00-5:00 pm on Saturday afternoon at the DMZ.
He did brief reporters, President Moon Jae-in briefed reporters this morning here in Seoul around 10:00 am. Let's play you a little bit of what he had to say about what came out of this meeting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOON JAE-IN, SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I told Chairman Kim that if he decides to put into practice a complete denuclearization, President Trump is willing for economic cooperation and ending hostile relations.
As a continuation to the Panmunjom declaration, Chairman Kim once again affirmed his commitment for denuclearization, emphasizing that he will clear the history of war and confrontation and cooperate for peace and prosperity and a successful U.S.-North Korea summit meeting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS: So we're getting a little bit more as well from the South Korean president. Also brought up the fact that Kim Jong-un was talking about a security guarantee from the United States.
We had heard from the president of the U.S., he has already publicly given a guarantee of security for the regime, making sure the regime can stay on in power. But apparently the words are not enough for the Kim Jong-un regime. There is still some concern that if North Korea were to give up its nuclear weapon, which is something many different experts would say is not all that likely, that he would want a stronger security guarantee from the U.S.
What does that look like?
Is that removal of U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula?
Does that mean the tearing down of missile defense systems in South Korea?
Does that mean the removal of troops from Japan?
We don't know the answers yet but we are getting a little more insight into what North Korea wants here.
HOWELL: We are looking ahead at the possibility of this summit, Matt. But let's talk about what we just saw here with the president of South Korea crossing over into the North for this meeting. Talk to us about the significance of that and the reaction to what happened. RIVERS: It was one month ago to the day on April 27th, that these two
leaders met for the first time and seeing the video from yesterday, seeing the photos, there is clearly a relationship between these two men. They have clearly established a personal rapport.
I think that is something that the South Korean president is trying to use to his advantage. Yes, we know that it was the North Koreans that actually reached out to the South Koreans to meet yesterday when both leaders got together.
But clearly these two men have established a relationship that, just a couple of months ago, would have seemed absolutely outlandish to suggest these two men would have met twice --
[05:05:00]
RIVERS: -- in one month's time. The fact that their relationship is strong enough now, there is enough of a dialogue between North and South Korea that they were able to pull together what really amounts to an emergency meeting.
The North and South, the second meeting came together in just about 24 hours. That shows you the amount of progress that has been made here on the Korean Peninsula, at least between the two Koreas.
When it comes to solving the overall crisis, there's a lot more work to go. But between the North and the South, clearly there's a relationship there.
HOWELL: You're really setting the stage here for this next story. Matt Rivers, thank you so much for the reporting.
The United States and North Korea may be on the verge of their first ever summit. No one would have ever believed this just a few moments ago. CNN's Michael Holmes explains how we got to this point.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): As the U.S. was celebrating its Independence Day in July last year, North Korea conducted its first successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Pyongyang claimed the Hwasong-14 could reach,, quote, "anywhere in the world."
In August, U.S. president Donald Trump issuing his most stern warning yet to North Korea.
TRUMP: North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.
HOLMES (voice-over): In September, North Korea conducted a sixth nuclear test. North Korean television showing pictures of Kim Jong-un inspecting what it said was a hydrogen bomb ready to sit on top of an ICBM. The New Year began with Trump ridiculing Kim Jong-un on Twitter, he warned Kim that he also had a nuclear button and that the U.S. button was bigger and more powerful.
But just a few days later, the White House issued a statement, indicating a willingness to hold talks with North Korea. In February, North Korea sent 22 athletes to compete in five sports at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The two Koreas marching together at the opening ceremony.
In March, President Trump accepted that invitation to talk with Kim Jong-un. And in April, the U.S. president revealed a secret Easter weekend trip to Pyongyang by then CIA director Mike Pompeo. Pompeo held talks with Kim Jong-un about North Korea's nuclear program.
Two days later, North Korea announced it had suspended all missile tests and that it was shutting down a nuclear test site. April ended with a memorable handshake in the demilitarized zone between Kim Jong- un and South Korean president Moon Jae-in, setting an optimistic tone for future relations on the peninsula.
May saw the release of three U.S. prisoners by North Korea as the newly appointed U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo made a second visit to Pyongyang. President Trump then announced a summit with Kim Jong-un would take place in Singapore on June 12th, announcing it via Twitter.
But things started to unravel when U.S. national security adviser John Bolton mentioned the so-called Libya model as a possible blueprint for North Korean nuclear disarmament. Despite an eight-year gap between the Libyan nuclear disarmament process and the downfall of the country's former leader, Moammar Gadhafi, North Korea didn't seem to appreciate Bolton's comments or vice president Mike Pence's subsequent explanation.
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This will only end like the Libya model ended if Kim Jong-un doesn't make a deal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some people saw that as a threat.
PENCE: Well, I think it's more of a fact.
HOLMES (voice-over): A high-ranking North Korean official called the comparison between Libya and North Korea "ignorant and stupid," and labeled the U.S. vice president "a political dummy."
North Korean television quoting the official as saying, quote, Whether the U.S. will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear- to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent on the decision and behavior of the United States," unquote.
That proved to be the last straw for the U.S. president. Donald Trump sent a letter to Kim Jong-un cancelling the Singapore summit but leaving the door open for possible future talks -- Michael Holmes, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Jasper Kim joins us now live from Seoul, South Korea. Jasper is the director of conflict management at Ewha University.
It's great to have you with us, Jasper Kim. So let's talk about where we are now. Michael Holmes set it up there.
Just generally speaking here, are you surprised that this is what we're talking about, given what we were talking about a year ago?
JASPER KIM, CENTER FOR CONFLICT MANAGEMENT: Well, George, I think a lot of people are surprised. The fact that we came so long in such a short time period, I think really we are in unchartered, unprecedented territory. It just shows you what will happen in the future.
A lot of people who have been in the game of diplomacy for a while have said what's going to happen, what's needed, the conditions --
[05:10:00]
KIM: -- we don't have enough time, it's not the right forum, et cetera. But this is exactly the type of condition and platform and stagecraft that Trump likes to turn upside down on its head and I think we'll see more of that going ahead in the future.
HOWELL: Do you get a sense that there will be enough time?
Or will this be a meeting just between these two leaders as opposed to having so many people involved in the process?
KIM: Well, in this type of thing, it is very complex, denuclearization. There is never enough time. And so the issue is, based on scarce time, what you want to accomplish and what's in the agenda.
I think denuclearization is one of them. It's a D word but there's other things as well that relate to it. And this is something in my view, and I've written upon this, is that these two men at the top of the command chain, Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, they have to face each other and kind of feel each other out and see what they want to talk about and to what granular level of detail, if any, they want to proceed.
So that is what a negotiation is about. And we're at very early stages. We can't put the cart before the horse. So it's step-by- step.
HOWELL: Our Matt Rivers touched on this a moment ago. But from what we are hearing from North Korea, these talks, for them to take place, clearly security guarantees are a top priority. For the United States, it is about denuclearization. But again, the devil always in the details.
What do you believe those details will be?
KIM: I think the issue is time and process. These two things relating to denuclearization and security guarantees. What type of security guarantee will North Korea want to give up its nuclear weapons if that's the case?
And a rough analogy is, why does someone have weapons at home?
I think that person may fear some type of force used against him or her and his household. And this is sort of the mindset, I think, of North Korea and its leader.
Why does it have nuclear weapons?
I think it's based on fear. And so (INAUDIBLE) someone instead let me take these guns away from your home, what would they want to do, what would they want to receive as security guarantees in exchange for that?
And negotiation's always a quid pro quo. And so these things have to be hammered out face-to-face in my view.
HOWELL: Also let's talk about the U.S.-South Korean alliance. They describe it as ironclad, no daylight between it. But clearly President Trump cancelled the summit to the surprise of the South Korean leader and President Moon Jae-in, then held a surprise summit with North Korea's Kim Jong-un.
Are these different interests at play here?
Or is there are sense that it's every man for himself to figure this thing out?
KIM: There is a great quote from a politician in England that says based on our prominent allies, they have prominent interests. So the U.S. is trying to protect its interests. Same with South Korea and North Korea.
The question is, with these three Venn diagrams, where to they overlap?
And I think one issue is people want security and stability in Northeast Asia and specifically in the Korean Peninsula. But how to get there, these things are very detailed and very complex.
And I think that's why Trump and Kim have to speak in the same room. This is unprecedented. And I think either a lot or very little progress can be made if this is the case. But I'm hoping that it will be the case.
HOWELL: What is the influence of China in all of this?
KIM: I think China and South Korea, what they are trying to do is jostle together and against each other in terms of who's going to play the mediator in chief role between the U.S. and South Korea.
As we have seen in the last few weeks, President Moon of South Korea wants to play the lead mediator role, kind of cherishes that, he looks forward to that. And I think President Moon is staking a lot of his positive political capital on his effectiveness in doing that.
But then all of a sudden China sees itself as sort of the odd man out. So I believe it is trying to reassert itself into the process. There might be a little bit of clash when China's trying to do that because inevitably its interests will be at the mix.
HOWELL: That is an interesting point because we have seen two meetings with Kim Jong-un and President Xi. We have now seen two meetings with Kim Jong-un and President Moon.
The question now, will that meeting take place with Donald Trump?
So Jasper Kim, we'll have to, as President Trump says, wait and see. Thank you so much for your time and perspective today.
KIM: Thank you.
HOWELL: Venezuela has released an American and his wife from behind bars. How their freedom was secured and how this affects the U.S. administration's approach to Venezuela.
Plus a resounding yes in Ireland. Women's rights advocates cheer a historic decision. But not everyone is happy there. Stay with us.
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[05:15:00]
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HOWELL: After almost two years behind bars in Venezuela, an American citizen and his wife are free and they are starting their lives again here in the United States.
Josh Holt finally able to see and hug his mother. Take a look at that. The Venezuelan government says Josh and his wife, Thamy, were released to maintain respectful diplomatic relations with the United States. They were arrested shortly after they got married in Venezuela. And they were held with trial on espionage and terrorism charges.
Just last week, Josh survived a prison riot. On Saturday he was thankful when President Trump welcomed him to the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSHUA HOLT, AMERICAN DETAINED IN VENEZUELA: I'm just overwhelmed with gratitude for you guys, for everything that you've done, for the support of my wife. Those two years, they were very, very difficult two years, not really the great vacation I was looking for.
But we are still together, starting off our marriage rough. But now we'll be together and I'm just so grateful for what you guys have done and for thinking about me and caring about me, just a normal person. So it really touches me. And thank you.
TRUMP: You were a tough one. I have to tell you. That was a tough situation. But we've had 17 released and we are very proud of that record. Very proud and we have others coming. We are in the midst of some very big negotiations to get others out.
In most cases they are Americans. But we can try and help other countries, too, where there's unjustice (sic). So we have been working very hard on it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: In the meantime, the White House is warning, quote, "The release of Joshua Holt does not change the United States policy. The Maduro regime must call for free, fair and transparent elections consistent with its constitution."
The White House again criticized the reelection of President Maduro as illegitimate. It also says that Maduro, the government there, must, quote, "release all political prisoners and must accept desperately needed international humanitarian aid for Venezuela's dying citizens."
The Holts were released as diplomatic relations between the United States and Venezuela hit a low point and one person who was crucial in securing their freedom was the man that you see here, Republican U.S. Senator Bob Corker.
He has been at times a vocal critic of President Trump. On Friday, Senator Corker met with the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas and secured the couple's release. Corker was --
[05:20:00]
HOWELL: -- also on the plane with Josh and his wife and he spoke about getting them out of Caracas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BOB CORKER (R), TENN.: We are just glad to have you home. A lot of people had worked for a long time to make this happen. We were going down the runway. And then they turned the engines off and we turned around. So we still weren't sure we were leaving until like --
TRUMP: (INAUDIBLE) they do that?
CORKER: It was an instrument issue that occurred. But we finally we got out of there. Obviously Josh had a huge smile on his face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: In the meantime, two U.S. officials are telling CNN that the Trump administration did not offer Venezuela anything for freeing the couple.
In Ireland by any practical standard, it was a landslide vote. Women's rights supporters cheered as Irish voters overturned the constitutional amendment that banned most abortions. It opens a new era in the traditionally Catholic country and rolls back some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the developed world.
Our senior international correspondent Atika Shubert has been following this story live in Dublin.
It is good to have you, Atika, just to get a sense of how significant, how important this vote was and where the country goes from here.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. It was an extraordinarily day, an historic one, and Ireland's prime minister called it the culmination of a quiet revolution. Here is how the day unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT (voice-over): A sweeping victory for women's rights in Ireland. The final count, 66 percent voted yes to change the Irish constitution and paved the way to make abortion legal in Ireland. Only 34 percent voted against, 64 percent of registered voters cast their ballots.
For veteran women's rights campaigner Elba Smith (ph), this was a long time coming.
SHUBERT: I heard you say that this is history being rewritten with this vote.
ELBA SMITH (PH), WOMEN'S RIGHTS CAMPAIGNER: There is no doubt about it. What we are saying, maybe it's not about -- maybe it's about making a new Ireland, where women truly matter and where we have a right to make choices for ourselves about our lives and our bodies.
SHUBERT (voice-over): It's a seismic shift that's been building for decades in Ireland, a country whose deep Catholic roots had underpinned some of the harshest laws against abortion.
At the Dublin vote count, cheers as ballot box after ballot box went for yes. But no voters struggled to come to grips with their loss.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shocked that nobody was listening to the no side. The right to life stands for every human being from the moment of conception to the time that they die. Nobody can take that away, no law, no anything. So in fact we don't stop.
SHUBERT (voice-over): There was fierce debate leading up to the referendum but more and more women told their harrowing stories of seeking abortions they knew were illegal at home.
Scared and desperate with an unwanted pregnancy, that's how Lucy Watmouth (ph) described her experience to us before the vote. Now she sees this.
LUCY WATMOUTH (PH), ABORTION RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I'm just so overwhelmed. I just kept thinking we are safe now. My sister will never go through what I went through. (INAUDIBLE) one day she won't go through what I went through. I'm glad they listened to us. (INAUDIBLE).
SHUBERT (voice-over): It was also a political win for Ireland's prime minister, Leo Varadkar, and health minister Simon Harris. Both had pushed to hold the referendum. Now they must shepherd the legislation through parliament.
SIMON HARRIS, IRISH MINISTER OF HEALTH: For me personal as minister for health, when I started meeting women in Ireland who'd be putting this out, all I can say is I'm sorry we couldn't help you rather than be able to help them. I became very determined that we should try and do something on this and work with civil society so that we could campaign for that.
SHUBERT (voice-over): The politicians will get to work next week. But for yes voters, it's time to celebrate a historic moment for Ireland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: There were celebrations throughout the night. It's a bit quieter this morning. But take a look at the Sunday headlines here from the Sunday "Independent," "The Power of Women" is the headline. You can see the emotion in that photo there.
But of course it wasn't just women. The fact that the vote was so overwhelmingly in favor of changing that amendment shows that this issue really cut across gender lines, generational as well as urban and rural.
There was a lot of concern that this issue might divide the country. But in fact, in many ways, it seems to have united the country.
HOWELL: Atika Shubert, live for us in Dublin, Ireland, thank you so much for the reporting. We'll continue to see the reaction after this very historic vote.
The first named storm of the hurricane season is here. Subtropical storm --
[05:25:00]
HOWELL: -- Alberto is moving north toward the Gulf of Mexico, where it could make landfall -- just ahead.
Plus this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I came out and I got my phone and I just started recording. I didn't stop. There was somebody there.
HOWELL (voice-over): A terrifying encounter plays out in front of this woman's house. Why the official account of that Texas border shooting doesn't match hers. Stay with us.
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HOWELL: Live across the United States and around the world this hour, You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Thank you so much for being with us today. I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you.
(HEADLINES)
[05:30:00]
Here in the southeastern part of the United States, a wet, wet couple of days are in store for many people. The states of Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, they are declaring states of emergency as subtropical storm Alberto moves toward the Gulf of Mexico.
The warm waters will likely strengthen that system. The National Hurricane Center predicts heavy rains and possible floods will drench parts of the Southeast in the coming days. Alberto is the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which doesn't officially start until Friday. But it certainly started early here.
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HOWELL: Two more deaths are being blamed on a fierce cyclone that slammed into Oman and Yemen. Officials in Oman say that two people were killed when cyclone Mekunu hit the southern region of the country on Saturday.
Local media report three Asian nationals are missing there. This follows seven deaths on the Yemeni island; at least 40 people are missing there. The storm has now been downgraded to a tropical storm.
Waves of fresh lava from the Kilauea volcano are threatening to engulf more homes on Hawaii's big island. Firefighters there were going door to door, urging residents to leave the area.
This as molten rock continues to spew from giant cracks in the Earth. Dozens of structures have already been destroyed there and the lava has consumed nearly 1,000 hectares. That's almost 2,400 acres of land.
In the meantime, the U.S. Geological Survey says more volcanic explosions have occurred, producing ash clouds that rise some 3 kilometers or 10,000 feet into the air.
And a NASA satellite image, take a look at this. You see the lava flow there. The space agency has been monitoring Kilauea since it erupted earlier this month. That is just amazing.
The Trump administration is being criticized for a policy that could separate more migrant children from their parents if they cross the U.S. border illegally. And now President Trump is again blaming that policy on Democrats.
The president wrote this on Twitter, in part, quote, "Put pressure on the Democrats to end the horrible law that separates --
[05:35:00]
HOWELL: -- "children from their parents once they cross the border into the U.S."
But it was actually Mr. Trump's attorney general who announced that policy earlier this month. Jeff Sessions said, quote, "If you don't want your child to be separated then don't bring them across the border illegally."
Now Democratic congressman Ted Lieu is calling on the president, tweeting this, "Dear RealDonaldTrump, your administration made the policy change to separate children from their parents. If you don't have the courage to own up to it, then reverse it."
Earlier, CNN spoke with Representative Lieu.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TED LIEU (D), CALIFORNIA: As a father of two children, I can't imagine having them ripped away from me. And then the government to lose track of them? That's unconscionable.
And Donald Trump needs to reverse his policy now.
And how do we know it's his own policy?
Because attorney general Jeff Sessions announced it a few weeks ago. And for the president to now somehow blame Democrats is disgraceful. He could change his policy right now if he wanted to.
The Republicans control the House, the Senate and the White House. So Republicans could move on this if they wanted to. I'm calling on that GOP-controlled Judiciary Committee to at least hold hearings on it because we have oversight over the Department of Justice and this is a policy change made by attorney general Jeff Sessions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Representative Ted Lieu there, speaking to CNN earlier.
Investigators are trying to get to the bottom of a shooting at the Texas-Mexico border. Border security opened fire on a group of suspected undocumented immigrants. In the end, 20-year-old Guatemalan woman who was going to the U.S. to find work was killed.
The official story of how that happened seems, though, to be changing. Our Martin Savidge takes a look into this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Searching for answers, even as investigators, including the FBI, showed up to process the scene of Wednesday's fatal shooting, Customs and Border Protection officials began walking back critical details of the reported attack on one of their border agents.
The revised statement released Friday now says the border patrol agent was allegedly assaulted. In the original press release, the word "allegedly" never appears. Instead, it states initial reports described an agent under attack by multiple subjects using blunt objects.
The revised statement simply states now the group of suspected undocumented immigrants rushed him.
Wednesday, CPB said the agent fired his weapon, fatally wounding one of the assailants. The revised statement now says the agent discharged one round, striking one member of the group, no longer characterizing the shooting victim as an assailant.
Marta Martinez was a witness to what happened. What she says she heard and saw was nothing like either account officials have given.
SAVIDGE: So when was the first indication there was a problem here?
MARTA MARTINEZ, WITNESS: When I heard the gunshot.
(INAUDIBLE).
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Martinez says when she rushed out of her home, she didn't see a border patrol agent being attacked by a group.
MARTINEZ: So I came out and I got my phone and just started recording. I didn't thought there was somebody there.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Marta livestreamed the aftermath, which has since been viewed thousands of times.
SAVIDGE: Marta Martinez had a front-row seat to this tragedy because it happened literally right next door. She found the body of the young woman lying on the ground really good there. There's still traces of blood.
And if you come down here and look across her fence into this lot, there were other indications that something happened, a struggle or an altercation. Just look at the way the grass is all matted down.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Juan Gonzales, the Rio Bravo fire chief, was among the first responders to treat the woman who was shot. He said when he got there, she looked very young, very petite and barely alive. When she stopped breathing, he says, rescuers carried on with CPR.
SAVIDGE: Did she say anything?
Did she move in any way?
Did she seem conscious? JUAN GONZALES, RIO BRAVO FIRE CHIEF: No. She was not conscious but she was breathing.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Martin Savidge, CNN, Rio Bravo, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: The woman who was killed was identified as Claudia Gomez Gonzales. Her family called for justice at a news conference in Guatemala. Her aunt says that it is unfair that migrants from less developed countries are treated like animals.
A pro athlete in the United States is planning to sue police in the city of Milwaukee. This after they Tasered him over a parking violation. How police and the city are responding to that.
Plus just look at that sea of supporters, cheering for the teams of the Champions League. Find out who is holding the silverware this year -- next here on CNN NEWSROOM.
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[05:40:00]
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HOWELL: U.S. pro basketball player Sterling Brown says he is planning to file a civil lawsuit against police in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This after an officer Tasered him over a parking violation several months ago. And now that the body camera video is out, Brown wants to tell his story. CNN's Ryan Young reports for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Milwaukee Bucs player Sterling Brown is speaking out for the first time since his arrest in January and the release of this bodycam video Wednesday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Taser, Taser, Taser.
YOUNG: The video showing how the incident escalated from a parking violation to Milwaukee police officers pulling the NBA rookie to the ground and tasing him.
STERLING BROWN, NBA PLAYER: I get mad every time I watch it, you know, because I was defenseless pretty much.
YOUNG: In an interview with ABC News, Brown, the son of a retired police officer, says at first he didn't want the footage to be released because he saw it as a personal matter, but now believes he can be a voice for victims of police misconduct.
BROWN: I mean this happens from coast to coast. It's something that's being shown more now that technology has advanced and it's something that's been happening for years. And people's stories have not been told, people's stories have not been heard. And I feel like me doing this helps a lot.
YOUNG: The body cam video shows Brown's car double parked against two handicaps spaces in a Walgreens parking lot. The officer approaches and asks for Brown's I.D. A back and forth ensues after the young basketball player is told to back up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back up. Are you obstructing me? I just told you to back up. YOUNG: Then the officer calls for reinforcements.
[05:45:00]
YOUNG: Around eight minutes into the video, one of the officers yells for Brown to get his hands out of his pockets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take your hands out of your pockets now! Take your hands out of your pockets.
YOUNG: Four officers then grab Brown and wrestle him to the ground and tase him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Taser, Taser, Taser.
YOUNG: You can hear Brown grunting. The encounter resulted in Brown's arrest, but the basketball player was never charged. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett calls the video disturbing.
MAYOR TOM BARRETT, MILWAUKEE: No citizen should be treated this way. The actions I saw also demand accountability.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry this incident escalated to this level. Our department conducted an investigation into the incident which revealed members acted inappropriately and those members were recently disciplined.
YOUNG: The Bucks also released a statement saying in part, the abuse and intimidation that Sterling experienced at the hands of Milwaukee police was shameful and inexcusable. Brown has said he plans to file a civil rights lawsuit against the city's police force with the hopes of preventing situations like this in the future.
BROWN: Really just hold officers accountable, hold future officers accountable and have the city make a commitment to people in the community saying that they're going to try to change some of the ideas and thoughts and policies and try to help as many people in the community not get involved in a situation like this.
YOUNG: Ryan Young, CNN, Milwaukee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: We'll have more news right after this.
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HOWELL: Celebrations on the streets of Madrid this Sunday as the hometown team points the UEFA Champions League trophy, Real Madrid beat Liverpool 3-1 playing in a third consecutive title. Gareth Bale, the hero, with two goals right off the bench.
Real Madrid has now won the Champions League for four out of the past five seasons, 13 titles overall. After the match, players tossed around words like "legendary" and "dynasty" but the disappointment is deep in Liverpool. CNN's Alex Thomas reports for us.
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ALEX THOMAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There were 30,000 fans here at Anfield Stadium, even though the match wasn't even being played here, such is the massive support from the Liverpool Football Club and the excitement at this team being back in the Champions League final for the first time since 2007.
But as those supporters start to make their way home, there's a real feeling that what could have been a massive party has rather fizzled out after their dreams of winning this trophy for a sixth time were wrecked not only by Real Madrid but also by two massive mistakes from Liverpool's own goalkeeper.
There was also a massive change of mood during the game when Mo Salah, their star striker, who has broken so many records with the number of goals he's scored this season, had to go off injured in the first half.
While he was on the pitch, it had all been Liverpool dominating the defending champions, Real Madrid, after Salah went off. It really went the way of the Spanish club.
So no more trophies for Liverpool Football Club as far as this Champions League ends just (INAUDIBLE) under managing Jurgen Klopp continues. We'll have to wait for another piece of silverware -- Alex Thomas, CNN, Liverpool.
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HOWELL: Alex, thank you.
Real Madrid fans could soon be feeling a bit of disappointment of their own. Star forward Cristiano Ronaldo says that he will be making an announcement next week on his future with the club.
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CRISTIANO RONALDO, REAL MADRID FORWARD (through translator): Due to respect for my teammates and supporters, who also deserve an answer because they always stand by me and it is not an opportune moment. But obviously I will talk because people want to know.
You walk in the street of Madrid and people say, Cris, are you staying? Are you leaving? So I want to also let them know that you know I don't normally stop here to talk. But when I speak, I like to speak from my heart and say what I think.
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HOWELL: Well, whatever he decides, Ronaldo says the most important thing right now is that Real Madrid has won three Champions League titles.
Now to Mt. Everest. That mountain both majestic and treacherous but the challenges of conquering the world's highest peak, it is the Holy Grail for many climbers. One Chinese man had a tougher challenge than most, though. He's the first double amputee to ever scale Everest from the Nepali side. Kristie Lu Stout brings us his story.
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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It has taken nearly a lifetime of illness and setbacks. But now 69-year-old Xia Boyu has successfully summitted the highest peak in the world and broken records doing it.
XIA BOYU, EVEREST CLIMBER (through translator): It's been a dream of mine for almost 40 years. In the past, it was thwarted by weather, such as earthquakes and avalanches and difficulty from nature.
This time, after 40 years, Mt. Everest finally accepted me.
STOUT (voice-over): Xia first tried to climb Everest in 1975 when he was in his 20s. But he got frostbite and after illness had to have both his legs amputated. He says using prosthetics adds another level of difficulty.
XIA (through translator): Whatever you are standing on, what kinds of roads you walk on, whether it's flat or bumpy, you do not have any sensations. You have to learn to do it day to day, to find the feeling.
And because the prosthetics cannot be adjusted to the angles of going uphill and downhill, it's different. So you have to utilize the strength of your whole body to maintain balance.
So I have to have one-third more physical strength than normal people.
STOUT (voice-over): Xia attempted Everest in 2014, 2015 and 2016. On that last attempt, he got within 100 meters of the 8,850-meter peak --
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STOUT (voice-over): -- but a blizzard kept him from his goal. Last year, the Nepali government banned the disabled and blind from climbing. But the supreme court lifted the ban to review it and Xia was able to try again this year. And with the help of a team, including a veteran Nepalese mountaineer, he made it.
XIA (through translator): I have learned from my journey to the top that you should advance bravely, no matter what harsh conditions you face. Never give up on your ambition. You have to overcome these difficulties so that you can move forward, so that you can get the payoff and accomplish your goal.
STOUT (voice-over): Xia Boyu has realized his dream. He is now the first double amputee to reach the top of Mt. Everest from the Nepalese side.
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HOWELL: All right, Kristie Lu Stout, thank you for the reporting.
And finally this hour we close the show with this. At the international airport in Tampa, Florida, Eleanor Rigby delivered eight puppies while she was waiting for her flight to Philadelphia. The 2- year-old yellow Lab is a service dog who helps her owner with mobility issues.
The puppies' father, named Nugget, was on hand to welcome the new arrivals. Paramedics from Tampa Fire and Rescue helped to deliver the seven males and one female, right there at the airport.
Thank you so much for being with us for CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. For our viewers in the United States, "NEW DAY" is next. For viewers around the world, stay tuned for a CNN special report, "A Double Life: The Spy Inside Al Qaeda." Thank you for watching CNN, the world's news leader.
