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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Kim-Trump Summit Could Be Back On; Kim And Moon Held Talks On Saturday; Flash Floods Rush Through Maryland, Trapping Residents; Earthquake In China Damages 1,600 Homes; Malian Migrant Held A Hero; World War Hero II Gets Final Wish. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired May 28, 2018 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN NEWSROOM HOST: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and of course all around the world. You are watching "CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: I'm George Howell. With the headlines we are following this hour. The U.S. President Donald Trump says a delegation from Washington is in North Korea to make plans for June 12 summit between Mr. Trump and Kim Jong-un. It is a complete reverse on President Trump announcement just three days ago, that the meeting was off, because of what he calls North Korea's hostile remarks. On Saturday, Mr. Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in held more talks the second time they met face-to-face.

CHURCH: Authorities in the U.S. State of Maryland focusing on rescue and recovery efforts in Ellicott City. Building were toppled and people were trap after flash floods rip though the area that is near Baltimore. Many of the residents have only just finished rebuilding from the last flood two years ago.

HOWELL: Clean-up efforts are under way in China's city. CCTV says a 5.7 magnitude earthquake a few hours ago damaged over 1600 homes. Shaking, a forced local people to evacuate their homes. Farmers nearby found deep holes in their rice fields as well. It is called sand liquefaction, often triggered by an earthquake.

The former President of the United States, George H.W. Bush is in the hospital again. His chief of staff says Mr. Bush, who is 93 years old, was suffering from low blood pressure and fatigue and that he is awake and that he is alert and not in discomfort.

CHURCH: Now, he fell ill a day after attending the veterans pancake breakfast. Mr. Bush was last hospitalized in April for an infection just one day after the funeral of his wife, Barbara. He will stay in the hospital for a few days for observation.

And Palestinian authority, President Mahmoud Abbas will remain in hospital despite early reports he would be released Sunday. This video shows him a week ago, when the 83 year old was hospitalized after ear surgery. HOWELL: He is being treated for pneumonia. The hospital officials

says the President's health is continuously improving. Mr. Abbas has been President since Yasser Arafat's death back in 2004.

Now to Italy. The President there is expected to ask a former international monetary fund official to be that nations interim Prime Minister. That is after the man was expected to take the reins declined to form a government.

CHURCH: Giuseppe Conte, a law professor with almost no political experience had been approached by a populous coalition to lead the country. But Mr. Conte's choice of a U.S. skeptic finance minister was rejected by the countries president. Who said it would scare investors.

HOWELL: While President Sergio Mattarella is expected to appoint a nonpolitical Prime Minister until new elections are held. Let's get the latest live from Rome from CNN's Delia Gallagher is following the story there for us and talk to us about the reason for putting a technocrat in this position.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, George, Italy is in turmoil this morning after President Sergio Mattarella's decision to not approve the government proposed by the two leading anti- establishment populous parties five star and the league in particular. The President voiced objections over a Eurosceptic finance minister, Paulo Savona, saying the appointment would alarm markets and have dangerous consequences for Italians' savings and Italy's national debt as you can imagine, the decision did not sit well with the leaders of the Five-Star movement and the league in particular, Luigi Di Maio, the Five-Star movement called for the impeachment of President Mattarella.

Now, what is happening this morning about an hour from now, George, we are expecting the President to meet with his choice for a new interim Prime Minister, Carlo Cottarelli, as you said, he is a former official of the IMF. Now, Mr. Cottarelli also have to be approved by parliament. It is a parliament which has majority of the coalition between the league and the Five-Star movement. It is unclear whether if the President's choice will actually be approved by parliament.

In the case it is not, we are looking at snap summer elections. That is something the President said he did not want, because it would exclude Italian voters who are on vacation.

[04:35:03] So, it is a developing story by the hour, George. One thing is for sure. These elections were held in March. We are now some two months on from those the elections. And it is the longest period in Italy's post-war history that they are without a government. George?

HOWELL: Early speaking, Delia, what is the sense among people there? Because again, as you pointed out voters have been there and they have done that and cast their votes. And now a great deal of uncertainty and it could be headed right back to do the same again. GALLAGHER: That is right. It is very divided this morning. We are

hearing a lot of talk in the papers and on radio and internet between those who support the President's choice not to accept the proposed government and those who elected these leaders of the two populous parties, the Five-Star and League, to form a government. So, it is quite a challenging time for the Italy democracy right now.

On the one hand, the President is the guarantor of the constitution, he has the right and the role to make sure that government are stable and Italy is part of the European Union, part of the Euro, and he is concerned about what markets are going to do, what the European partners are going to think. At the same time, you got Italians who democratically voted for this government. So, we are still in a state of flux, George. We will be looking in the next hour for what comes from the meeting between the President and proposed new interim Prime Minister.

HOWELL: At 10:36 a.m. in Rome, our Delia Gallagher following the shifting political winds there. Thank you so much for the reporting. We will stay in touch with you.

CHURCH: Well, the next President of Colombia will either be a critic of the historic FARC peace deal or a leftist candidate who was once part of an armed rebel group. Far right candidate, Ivan Duque took the most votes in Sunday's first round of presidential elections. He insist he does not want to get rid of the peace deal which ended one of longest wars in Latin America.

HOWELL: Duque says he wants to ensure the former FARC fighters are prosecuted for war crimes. In a run-off in three weeks, Duque He will face Gustavo Petro, the first leftist candidate to have a real chance of becoming Colombia's President.

Now to Ireland. A resounding victory for supporters of legal abortion. 2/3 of voters on Friday's referendum voted to repeal the eighth amendment of the constitution. An amendment which bans abortion in almost all cases.

CHURCH: The result flies in the face of the teaching of the Catholic Church which was thought to still have enormous influence over people's beliefs in Ireland. And for more on that, let's get to CNN's Atika Shubert. She is live in Dublin, Ireland. So, Atika, what is the next step for the Irish government? It is trying to get this legislation put in place by the end of the year, as we understand.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is right. And it really belongs to lawmakers now and the government. A draft bill has already been drawn up. But it has to be submitted and of course debated. So, it is not likely to happen immediately. This is something that is going to take a few months to process. But this government was instrumental in pushing this referendum through. It wants to see this change and clearly it seems to have the public mandate. We had a chance to interview the health minister Simon Harris at the Dublin castle when the vote was announced. He told us exactly why this vote means so much to him. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON HARRIS, IRSIH HEALTH MINISTER: I was always hopeful that this would pass by majority. But when the numbers were as large as they were, I was really taken aback. I am quite overwhelmed. People right across our country in rural Ireland, the urban Ireland, men and women, all of them voted yes in large numbers. Yes, pleasantly surprised and overwhelmed. And people voted for compassion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHUBERT: And because there is a summer recess, it is likely that even if a bill is submitted shortly, it will not be debated until later in the year, possibly in the autumn. But the Prime Minister has said, he is hopeful that there will be legislation in place by the end of this year, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And of course, that is in Ireland. Meanwhile, this vote has put pressure on Prime Minister, Theresa May, to legalize abortion in Northern Ireland. Part of the United Kingdom. How is she dealing with this very delicate political situation?

SHUBERT: It is very delicate. Because she, of course is in a coalition with the Democratic Union Party in Northern Ireland. And this is a pro-life anti-abortion Party. She will face a difficult problem here. Balancing out her coalition partner on one hand and M.P.'s within her own party who are saying, listen, we have to do something about abortion rights. Women's rights in Northern Ireland.

So it is going to be difficult. We have not heard from her yet. It is slightly different situation there, because, of course, there is no constitutional ban in the U.K. So, one thing that could happen is she could argue for example that this is a local issue, that the local legislation has to deal with, but we will wait to see what she says.

[04:40:03] CHURCH: Yes. We will see what sort of pressure comes to bear on her. Our Atika Shubert bringing us up to date on the situation from Dublin, in Ireland. Just after 9:30 in the morning. Many thanks.

HOWELL: Now, the next story we are following about a migrant moves to France and saves a child's life and he's looking to start a new life. And there is this moment that was caught on video. Take a look, a migrant risked his life to save a toddler in Paris.

CHURCH: It is an extraordinary video, then we will explain when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: This is just incredible to watch. It is stunning video from Paris. And immigrant from Mali is being called a real-life spiderman, you can see why right here. Going floor to floor. Scaling balcony to balcony. This is Mamoudou Gassama, pulling himself up to reach this 4-year-old child and save him right there. Listen to how he explains his heroic feat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAMOUDOU GASSAMA, RESCUED CHILD DANGLING FROM BALCONY (TRANSLATOR): We came here to watch the football match at a restaurant. I saw a lot of people yelling. Cars were honking. I got out and I saw the child who was about to fall from the balcony. I have children. So, I would hate to see him get hurt in front of me. I ran and I thought of ways to save him. And thank God, I scaled the front of the building to that balcony.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (TRANSLATOR): How did you climb, it seem easy?

GASSAMA (TRANSLATOR): I got on top of door and managed to pull myself up from balcony to balcony. And thank god, I saved him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: What a remarkable young man. And Paris mayor wrote on Twitter that she spoke with the 22-year-old. And she said this, he explained to me that he had arrived from Mali a few months ago dreaming of building his life here. I told him that his heroic act is an example to all citizens and the City of Paris will obviously be keen to support him in his efforts to settle in France. Let's hope that happens.

[04:45:14] HOWELL: And then there was this. The French President passing on his congratulations. These pictures just in from the palace. Emmanuel Macron invited Mamoudou Gassama to basically meet him personally and thank him. It is probably safe to say this is the weekend he will never forget. Just imagine how brave you have to be as you see this child up there.

CHURCH: He was focused on getting to the child. He wasn't unnerved by the height. That mother will never forget what he did. Unbelievable. Well done.

Well, the U.S. Government says it is not responsible for the nearly 1,500 undocumented minors who essentially have gone missing. These are children who crossed the border into the U.S. and landed in the custody of office of refugee resettlement.

HOWELL: Just last year he office admitted it had lost track. Lost track of nearly 20 percent of the children in its care. Our Tal Kopan explains.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

TAL KOPAN, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: If someone comes to the border without an adult. A child comes to the border by themselves or if for some reason they are separated from their parents through or with the adults they are with through the course of actions, they are turned over to a different government agency who then works to place them with a sponsor. Sometimes a family member or sometimes an individual who seems responsible and can care for these child. Now this government agency has testified that it is their position that once they make that handoff, they are not legally responsible for what happens to those children. They are expected to show up for court dates and that type of thing.

But they typically have not been followed up and figured out what happens to these children. So, in the last three months of 2017, they followed up on about 7,500 of these children. As you mentioned, about 20 percent of them, 1,500, they could not account for what had happened to them after their placement. Now, it is unknown what happened to them. It is possible that those children made an independent decision to go into the shadows and live undocumented in the U.S. They could very well have ended up in the hands of traffickers.

But this is now, you know, a potentially even bigger problem as the U.S. is pursuing policy options that could result in even more children being separated from their families. And the U.S. government is grappling with these questions, what happened to these children and what can they do in the future to prevent it to happening again.

(END VIDEO)

HOWELL: Tal Kopan there, and you see it right there. The question is what happened to these children. All of this as the Department of Homeland Security is defending a controversial policy of separating families that cross the U.S. border illegally.

CHURCH: We will take a short break here. But as the U.S. marks Memorial Day, one World War II veteran has had his final wishful filled. That heartwarming story next.

[04:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: It is Memorial Day weekend here in the United States. We have got a story for you about the bonds of war.

HOWELL: A World War II veteran's final wish was to meet one of his brothers in arms. CNN's Gary Tuchman was there as two complete strangers, bound by a battle, became friends.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A World War II marine veteran. Shot three times and bayonetted in the battle of Guadalcanal. A Purple Heart recipient. This is Sergeant Bill Hession, today.

How old are you?

BILL HESSION, WORLD WAR II VETERAN: 96.

TUCHMAN: 96 and when do you turn 97? When is your birthday?

HESSION: May 30th.

TUCHMAN: That is coming up.

HESSION: Yes.

TUCHMAN: Sadly, Sergeant Hession's health is failing and he is now receiving hospice care. And it turns out long ago battle on the Solomon islands has flooded Sergeant Hession's memory of late. So much so, his hospice care givers decided to do something about it. Do your thing, Twitter. A hospice facility in New York is seeking someone willing able to visit with a veteran patient, age 96, who was in the battle of Guadalcanal. The patients is fixated on talking to someone with has a specific shared experience.

And Twitter did its thing. We found Harold Berg in Peoria, Illinois also a former World War II marine sergeant, also a recipient of the Purple Heart. And also at the battle of Guadalcanal. Without hesitation, Harold Berg and a family friend hopped the plane to New York City and headed to the Rockland County New York Home, Bill Hession's shares with his daughter and her family to fulfill this last wish.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Harold Berg? This is Bill Hession. You are both marines. Both at Guadalcanal. Both American heroes.

HESSION: A leatherneck. You were in the -- what outfit are you in?

HAROLD BERG, WORLD WAR II VETERAN: 8th company. Combat unit.

By golly. You and I are just about the same age.

HESSION: I'm 96.

BERG: You are 96, I'm 92. I still chase girls. I lie, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Jake.

TUCHMAN: With family and friends gathered around them, the men shared stories of their time during the war and spoke of the physical and emotional wounds that remain all this decades later.

BERG: Boy, you are lucky to be here.

HESSION: You're right.

BERG: Yes.

HESSION: Yes. It went right through me. And then it went down my back.

BERG: Life's been pretty good for you and I.

HESSION: Right now it is.

BERG: Yes. Look at it. We had a lot of good days, good-by, go by. I lost my wife two years ago. We were married 71 years.

[04:55:00] TUCHMAN: Sergeant Hession is also a widower. He was married for 55 years.

BERG: What do you got doing now?

HESSION: I'm living here with my daughter. BERG: You mow the grass? That is what they got me doing now. Mowing

the grass.

HESSION: I can't even do that.

TUCHMAN: It took more than 75 years after these men shared a battle field at Guadalcanal, but Bill Hession and Harold Berg are now friends.

BERG: This is the coin I had for the United States marines. That is where you and I got our education.

TUCHMAN: But when they said good-bye, they knew they likely would not see each other again.

BERG: Good to see a fellow marine.

HESSION: I tell you, I enjoyed it.

BERG: I want you to look into the camera.

TUCHMAN: A last wish fulfilled. Gary Tuchman, CNN, New City, New York.

(END VIDEO)

HOWELL: that story was just beautiful.

CHURCH: Amazing story.

HOWELL: Absolutely. Thank you for being with us for CNN Newsroom. I'm George Howell.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. For our U.S. viewers, "New Day" is next and everyone else, I will be back with a check of the headlines. Do stay with us.