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World Headlines; Dennis Rodman May Attend Historic Summit; China ZTE To Pay $1 Billion Fine To U.S.; Beyond Plastic. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired June 07, 2018 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, and welcome to News Stream.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Recovering from obliteration, people in Guatemala look for signs of hope with dozens missing from Fuego's eruption. Gaining leverage,
Japan's Prime Minister gets to sit down with U.S. President Donald Trump just before the Singapore summit, and Antarctica's battle, how the icy
region is slowing succumbing to pollution and climate change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: In Guatemala, time is all, but running out in the search for survivors four days after that devastating volcanic eruption. The death
toll now stands at 99, and nearly 200 people are missing, weather it's tempering the rescue effort.
Now homes and businesses are buried in ash, and some of it still hot to the touch. This video captures the extent of the disruption. On the left, a
luxury hotel resort, and on the right is what became of it. Incredibly, the hotel staff said they managed to get everyone out in time.
CNN's Patrick Oppmann is in Guatemala where some survivors are talking about multiple members of their families missing or dead, and he joins now.
And, Patrick, this was a volcano, the one right behind you, when you it erupted, Fuego, it wiped out entire villages, how are the residents coping
with the loss along with the threat of even more eruptions?
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kristie. And of course, the death count has gone up, nearly 100 people, but identifying so many of
those victims who were burned terribly on all recognition is going to take weeks if not longer, and so these family members were now on day four for
them. The long wait is not getting any easier.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TERESA DE JESUS BARITAS, LOST MOST OF HER FAMILY: (Speaking Foreign Language)
OPPMANN: Teresa tells us the name of her family, either lost or killed after the Fuego erupted. The list is long, 18 names long. Too long
seemingly for any one person to bear.
The volcano next to the small town of San Miguel Los Lotes, where Teresa has lived most of her life gave little warning before lashing out at her,
and her neighbors. More than 90 are dead, nearly another 200 missing. Did you think you were going to die?
BARITAS (through a translator): Yes, I thought my children were going to lose me as I couldn't run. But my children kept saying, mom, come on, run,
mom, let's go, but I just couldn't run.
OPPMANN: Miraculously, Teresa and a handful of family members escaped. But she says most of her family, her father, five siblings, their spouses,
and children, a granddaughter, are still unaccounted for.
This 52-year-old grandmother says she's racked with guilt that she survived, and so many her family may not have. We make our way into her
Teresa's town where the volcano's fury smashed life here into a million pieces.
Clothes hang unattended on wash lines. Chickens sprout from their cages. The town has become for so many of its residents, an unmarked grave.
This really gives some perspective on how devastating the volcanic explosion was here. This is the roof of a house. The entire house is
buried in ash. This down here is a front door. I can still feel the heat coming off this ash which is fused completely solid. And then here at the
entrance of door is someone's shoe. We have no idea who it belongs to, and if they got out in time.
Rescue workers are still searching for survivors. But as more time passes, they're losing hope. Teresa refuses to give up hers. She like so my
others here still has to wait to find out just how much the volcano has taken from her.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
OPPMANN: And, Kristie, we're giving you a live look of the El Fuego Volcano, and when we arrived just a little while ago, there were thick
clouds -- thick plumes of smoke coming from the volcano. That is a concern for us, and few workers all the time, and while they doing it where danger
is a very hard work here.
They have one eye on this volcano. They know that if there is another explosion, that if there is another corruption, they will have seconds, and
not much longer to evacuate.
[08:05:02] Last night, we were here, and it began to rain, and they were concerned that that can lead to mudslides, and bring out some more of that
lava, and some of the materials, the volcanic ash, it is still very hot, it could come slide down the mountain.
And they told us that we needed to leave immediately. So that is the rhythm of the work here. People are going out there still looking for
survivors, but not expecting to really anymore. And I was always keeping an eye on this volcano to make sure this doesn't all happen over again.
LU STOUT: You know, Fuego, that volcano right behind you has taken so much, and time is running out to find any more survivors. Patrick Oppmann
reporting live on the scene for us, thank you. Now, authorities on Hawaii's Big Island, they are warning people to stay indoors with the
windows closed.
The Civil Defense Agency reported a new eruption of ash at Kilauea summit, shooting to an altitude of more than 3,000 meters. And the fire department
has released pictures showing this stunning image, steam building up into the air.
After lava evaporated, Hawaii's largest freshwater lake, and lava began pouring into the water on Saturday at about 10:00 a.m., and five hours
later, the lake was gone.
Now, two major meetings are taking place in the coming days with global consequences. We have the G7 summit this Friday, and U.S. President Donald
Trump's summit with Kim Jong-un next week. The historic talks with North Korea will be the focus at the White House today as Japan's Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe meets with President Trump.
Now we are covering the story from all angles. CNN's Kaitlan Collins is live in Washington. But let's begin with Anna Coren in Tokyo. And, Anna,
why is Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yet again back in Washington to meet with Donald Trump?
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kristie, just under four hours, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be meeting with President Donald Trump, and as you
say, this will be the seventh time that they have met. Some are reading this is a sensitive deeper desperation on the half of the Japanese, and
they have every reason to be concerned.
They've been leading with the story for the last 30 years, and what's North Korea developed a nuclear weapon, we have seen America's attempts to reach
out to the United States under the Clinton and Bush administrations failed.
It had North Korean rockets fly over the Japanese territory land in their waters, and they have also had North Korea threatened to attack Japan. So
they're concerns are very real. Abe is going to appeal to Trump that when he goes to the summit in Singapore next week, that he represents Japan, and
it's very legitimate security concerns.
So there is going to be a lot on the table as far as Abe is concerned. Not only does he want a full demilitarization of the Korean Peninsula, that
commitment that certainly was a deal breaker for President Trump at the -- at the beginning, but they are also appealing for the abductees to be
returned.
Now, for those of you not familiar with the story, it's something like out of a spy novel, but back in the 70s and 80s. Japanese citizens were
abducted from Japan by North Korean spies, taken to North Korea to teach them how to speak Japanese, to behave like Japanese, and this is something
that really has been an open wound for this country.
When Shinzo Abe got on the plane last night, he addressed the media saying that this is the most important issue for Japan, and as far as he's
concerned, they will need those nationals to return to Japan if they want relations to normalized in the future. Kristie.
LU STOUT: Anna Coren with the preview of the meeting, and reporting live from Tokyo. Thank you, Ana. Now let's go to Kaitlan Collins who is
standing by the White House.
And, Kaitlan, the G7 summit is about to get underway at a time when Donald Trump has been alienating quite a number of close allies, including Japan
over the issue of tariffs. Could sparks fly at this upcoming meeting in Canada?
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: They certainly could. The President said this morning on Twitter that he is going there to fight for
the country, and it's not just Republicans back here in Washington.
They are giving the President stiff pushed back to his latest trade moves. It's also some of America's closest allies who is going to be spending the
next two days in Canada with, and that meeting could proved to be more attentive than his meeting with North Korea with Kim Jong-un.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY KUDLOW, NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL DIRECTOR: The President wants to go on the trip. The President is at ease to all these tough issues.
COLLINS: The White House insisting that President Trump is looking forward to this weekend's G7 summit in Canada, despite mounting tensions after
America slapped its closest allies with new steel and aluminum tariffs.
KUDLOW: It may be disagreements. I regard this as much like a family quarrel.
COLLINS: The Washington Post reports that President Trump has complained about having to attend, and thinks the two-day trip as a distraction as he
prepares for next week's summit with Kim Jong-un.
[08:10:00] DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: North Korea looks like its moving on very well.
COLLINS: The President will hold bilateral meetings at the G7 with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel
Macron, after recently having testy phone calls with both leaders.
Sources tell CNN that during the May 25th call with Trudeau, he pressed Mr. Trump about justifying the tariffs as a national security issue to which
Trump quote, didn't guys burn down the White House? A reference to when the British, not the Canadians, attacked Washington during the war of 1812.
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: The idea that we are somehow a national security threat to the United States is quite frankly is something
unacceptable.
COLLINS: President Trump meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today, ahead of next week's North Korea Summit. CNN is learning that
officials have laid the groundwork for a potential second day of talks. The President's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, weighing in on the historic meeting.
RUDY GIULIANI, DONALD TRUMP'S LAWYER: When Kim Jong-un got back on his hands and knees, and beg for it, which is exactly the position you want to
put him in.
COLLINS: This as a growing number of top Congressional REPUBLICANS break with President Trump on his unproven claim that the FBI planted a spy in
his campaign.
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: If the President felt strongly about this, and that it should be fully looked, and I think he's
got some real reasons to be concerned.
COLLINS: House Intelligence Committee member Tom Rooney telling Politico, what is the point of saying that there is a spy in the campaign, when there
was none. It's like let's create this thing to tweet about knowing that it's not true. Maybe it's just to create more chaos, but it doesn't really
help the case.
Senate Intel Committee Chairman Richard Burr, and House Speaker Paul Ryan throwing cold water on Trump's claim, saying they too agree with
Congressman Trey Gowdy's assessment of the FBI's use of a confidential source to obtain information related to the Russia investigation.
REP. TREY GOWDY (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I am even more convinced that the FBI did exactly what my fellow citizens would want them to do when they got the
information they've got, and that it has nothing to do with Donald Trump.
PAUL RYAN, U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: I think Chairman Gowdy's initial assessment is accurate. I think -- but we have some more digging to do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Now today, back to the White House, the President is going to a meeting, and holding a press conference with the Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe, someone who is pushing him to take a hard line when he does it down face-to-face with Kim Jong-un in Singapore next week. Whether that
will happen remains to be seen.
LU STOUT: Kaitlan Collins live at the White House, thank you. Let's dive deeper into what's at stake when Shinzo Abe meets with Donald Trump.
Tomohiko Taniguchi is a Special Advisor to the Japanese Prime Minister, and he joins me now live from Tokyo.
So, welcome back to the program. Thank you for joining me. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is back to Washington, D.C., very shortly he will talk with
President Trump. What is at the very top of his list of concerns when it comes to North Korea?
TOMOHIKO TANIGUCHI, SPECIAL ADVISOR TO JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER: On top of the list is certainly as you say North Korea, and it's very much important
for the two biggest Democratic allies in the region to speak with one voice. That's the whole aim of the pilot meeting.
So see the idea completely verifiable, irreversible, dismantlement, denuclearization is going to be once again shared by the two leaders. And
I think Shinzo Abe is going to cheer up Mr. Trump because he is headed for a historic meeting with Kim Jong-un.
LU STOUT: Prime Minister Abe will remind Donald Trump that he wants the United States to continue to take a tough line on North Korea. And we also
know that Donald Trump going into this historic summit, he wants to make history. He wants a win here. So, how concerned are officials there in
Japan than President Trump will favor a historic deal with North Korea over any security concerns that Japan may have?
TANIGUCHI: I think whatever agreement may or may not be forged between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump, everything has to proceed rather slowly, and it's
going to take a lot of time. And a low hanging fruit actually is not there. We have come here twice before, twice North Korea has cheated.
The international community, notably the United States, and Japan, and South Korea, and not much has been reiterated, and understood again, and
again by the two leaders. Shinzo Abe and Donald Trump by spending a lot of time have walked through many scenarios.
So I doubt that there is anything new to be discussed by the two leaders, and it's important, however, for the two leaders to show to the
international community, and to North Korea that they are speaking actually with one voice.
[08:15:08] LU STOUT: Yes. And we will see that in the photo opportunity shortly, and it's also an opportunity for Prime Minister Abe to remind Mr.
Trump of the adoptee issue -- of the issue of a number of Japanese citizens who have been kidnapped by North Korea in the last two decades.
You know, we know that when the North Korean envoy Kim Yong-chol visited with Trump last week, human rights was not discussed. So do Japanese
officials fear that Trump will neglect. He won't raise the adoptee issue when he meets with Kim Jong-un next week in Singapore.
TANIGUCHI: Donald Trump met some of those members of the families of the abductees as the U.S. President in Tokyo, and Shinzo Abe made a number of
opportunities available for Donald Trump to really look into how terrible the situation was.
Indeed, Japanese citizens are still alive I believe in North Korea, and Japan is urging Pyongyang to send back all those Japanese citizens. And
after that, the normalization process between Pyongyang and Tokyo should resume.
And that much again has been actually understood by North Korea and Japan, when the Japanese Prime Minister named Junichiro Koizumi together with then
his right-hand man Shinzo Abe were in Pyongyang, both North Korea and Japan issued a declaration in the sort of a blueprint was laid out already in
that document.
LU STOUT: Tomohiko Taniguchi, a special advisor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe joining me live from Tokyo. Sir, thank you so much for joining me on
the program. Now, the Antarctic should be one of the most pristine places on the planet, but these beautiful icy landscapes are changing because of
our habits and our pollution. We've got an up close look next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Welcome back. Now Friday is World Ocean's Day. And we want to call attention to the growing problem of plastic pollution. It is
affecting even the most remote waters is on a new issue. In fact, in the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in the ocean, scientist found a plastic
bag back in the year 1998.
The footage was recorded by the Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology. The researchers, they found other man-made debris as well.
In 2014, the Alfred Wegener Institute headed to the Arctic Ocean, they found record plastics of micro plastic inside the Arctic sea ice. Those
samples are from bottles and packaging, and the South Pole, not immune as well. Greenpeace headed to the Antarctic this year.
[08:20:00] It found micro plastic splitting the ice, and the snow, as well as industrial chemicals. All of these places have incredible ecosystems
are risk from plastic. Arwa Damon gives us this look at the Antarctic waters, and host of environmental threats to the region.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Nature sets the rules out here with its wild winds, raging waters, and freezing temperatures.
We're off the coast of the western Antarctic Peninsula on the last leg of a three-month long Greenpeace expedition to raise awareness about the need to
create ocean sanctuaries, and fishing buffer zones within these waters.
THILO MAACK, MARINE BIOLOGIST AND GREENPEACE CAMPAIGNER: The Antarctic is a cooling chamber that mitigates the effects of climate change. And what
happens here is having an effect on the climate of the planet. The ocean currents are driven by the cold waters of the Antarctic.
DAMON: This entire region from its waters to its seabed to its wildlife is central to the battle against our planet's dangerously claiming climate.
Because it's what's called a carbon sink, a place where the carbon dioxide we emit into the atmosphere is held, making the plane habitable.
And that's more crucial now for this amazing ecosystem than ever before. Scientists say rising global temperatures are causing Antarctica to lose
about 183 billion tons of ice each year, the largest decline in sea ice in 1,500 years.
This is the awesome site of a whale feeding frenzy on krill. And beneath the surface lies so much more. Krill is a keystone species, holding the
entire Antarctic food chain together.
But krill is at an all-time low, in part because of rising ocean temperatures and melting ice. If the krill continue to decline, it could
be a problem not only for the Antarctic, but for the entire planet because scientists are discovering that these shrimp-like crustaceans actually help
capture carbon dioxide emission, the main culprit behind warming waters, and rising sea levels.
Here's how it works. Algae absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Krill feed on the carbon-rich algae, and as they fill up, they sink to the
bottom where they rain down their carbon-rich fecal matter into the icy Antarctic Ocean's depth. There, since cold water holds more carbon than
warm, carbon can be stored in this liquid deep freeze for millennia.
And scientists have now discover, that krill swim to and deposit their fecal pellets in even deeper depths than previously anticipated, which
means they trap even more carbon than previously thought -- a lot more.
The extra depth these tiny creatures swim to in the Antarctic is believed to offset the carbon emissions of the entire United Kingdom, and benefit
other parts of the ecosystem in the process.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now we know that the carbon sinks and goes to the bottom where there's like very, very diverse communities so that they are
able to use to capture these carbon, and they use it or sometimes they make it available for other organisms.
DAMON: What you're basically saying is that the actual organisms that live on the ocean floor are in and of themselves also a carbon storage facility
to a certain degree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes, yes. Basically that's the way it works.
DAMON: But the sense that the Antarctic is pristine is deceptive. It's already being threatened by us. Dr. Marcelo Gonzalez shows us what they
found in some of the Antarctic clams they tested.
DR. MARCELO GONZALEZ, MARINE BIOLOGIST: You can observe this material. They're wet materials, and plastic, and also we can see fiber.
DAMON: Fiber.
GONZALEZ: Fiber.
DAMON: And so this was found in...
GONZALEZ: This was found in the intestine of the Antarctic clam.
DAMON: And if this is what scientists are finding here, imagine what there could be in oceans and seas closer to our dining tables. The microplastics
found could be due to the human presence in Antarctica, but Dr. Gonzalez suspects that they originated in other oceans, other continents. But
further testing still needs to be done.
Greenpeace also tested for microplastics, and found elements in most samples they tested. And that's not the only toxic material in this remote
region.
GONZALEZ: We just take a walk around this little bay, find us a place that is untouched for the last -- for the last weeks, at least.
DAMON: Thilo Maack is going to take snow samples to be tested for PFAS, polyfluoroalkyl substances. PFAS are the chemicals used as stain and
water-repellant coating in things like outdoor gear. They're not biodegradable, which means that once they've been released, they stay in
the environment forever.
[08:25:04] Greenpeace has been testing snow in remote areas for the last few years for traces of these toxic compounds.
MAACK: We already found it in snow samples of China. We found it in snow samples in Russia, in the Alps in Europe. And it would be really
outrageous if it would be already here in the Antarctic.
DAMON: Sadly, it is. And some of the freshly fallen snow samples suggest that the presence of these chemicals don't come from local sources, but
were carried by the atmosphere. It's so beautiful and quiet, you almost don't even want to speak above a whisper. And there are two whales right
there. This is absolutely unbelievable. Do you see them?
Nature here gives off a deceptive illusion of indestructibility. It's not. That is why Greenpeace is fiercely advocating for action at the source, but
also for the creation of large-scale marine reserves to give the ecosystem here a fighting chance.
Scientists are only just beginning to understand the scope of the Antarctic's role as a carbon sink, and buffer against climate change.
There is still time to protect it, not just for the beauty of its majestic creatures, but also because it could protect all of us. Arwa Damon, CNN,
the Antarctic.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: And we have some breaking news just coming in to CNN. The U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross tells CNBC that the United States has
reached a deal with the Chinese telecom giant ZTE. The company will pay the U.S. with $1 billion fine, and put $400 million into an escrow account
among other measures.
Now ZTE is one of China's largest tech companies. This move, if it goes against the advice of U.S. intelligence and defense officials are concerned
about the security risks that the company poses. Back in April, the Pentagon ban the sale of ZTE phone on U.S. military bases worldwide, and
security concerns. We have more in the story after the break. You are watching News Stream.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You are watching News Stream, and these are your world headlines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: In Guatemala, 200 people are still missing after Sunday's volcanic eruption. The death toll has reached 99, and we are seeing new
images of the devastation. This on your screens is the before and after image of a luxury hotel resort. Incredibly, a hotel stuff there said that
they manage to get everyone out in time.
Meanwhile on Hawaii's Big Island, authorities are urging people to stay indoors with the windows closed because of the danger of ash thrown by
Kilauea.
[08:30:06] The Civil Defence Agency reported a new eruption from the volcano summit, shooting this flume of ash more than 3,000 meters into the
sky.
Jordan's new prime minister says a controversial tax bill that sparked nationwide protest will be withdrawn. Omar al-Razzaz made the announcement
after meeting with parliament. He is tasked in forming a new government on Tuesday, after the cabinet resigned amid the wave of demonstrations.
Japan's prime minister will meet with the U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in the coming hours. Their talks come ahead of the G7
summit and the U.S. summit with Kim Jong-un. Shinzo Abe wants to make sure Japan's concerns are not overlooked when Mr. Trump meet the North Korean
leader. Abe is expected to raise the issue of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korean agents.
It seems that the former NBA star Dennis Rodman wants to join in in all the diplomatic excitement around North Korea again. His agent says he may go to
Singapore for the Trump-Kim summit. The Trump administration says Rodman has nothing to do with the White House team. Brian Todd has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DENNIS RODMAN, RETIRED BASKETBALL PLAYER: Happy birthday to you.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He is likely the only American who Kim Jong-un considers a personal friend, serenading the North Korean
dictator on his birthday and lavishing him with gifts. And now, it appears the outspoken and outlandish former NBA star Dennis Rodman is hoping to see
his pal again soon. Rodman's agent tells CNN he is considering going to Singapore for the summit between Kim and President Trump, but says no firm
plans have been made.
BALBINA HWANG, ADJUNCT ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: The insertion of Dennis Rodman into this summit reminds us how bizarre the
summit itself is in terms of the characters of Kim Jon-un and President Trump.
TODD (voice-over): What does he do for the atmosphere there?
MARCUS NOLAND, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, PETERSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS: Well, basically, it's a sideshow. It's a circus
act.
TODD (voice-over): It's not clear who might be underwriting a Rodman trip though his agent, Darren Prince, tells CNN the marijuana currency vendor
PotCoin has often sponsored Rodman's missions of what Rodman calls basketball diplomacy. The 57-year-old once tweeted this video commissioned
by his backups.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This diplomatic mission is funded by pot heads, PotCoin. Sent Rodman to the city (ph) PotCoin diplomacy. I call that green
peace.
TODD (voice-over): Rodman has the distinction of being one of very few people who know both Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump personally. He was a
failed contestant on Trump's reality show, "The Apprentice."
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Dennis, you're fired.
TODD (voice-over): And Rodman has been to North Korea several times, conducting basketball exhibitions with other former NBA stars, visiting
personally with Kim Jong-un, even presenting Kim with samples of Rodman's brand of vodka. Following one recent trip, Rodman told the website TMZ, he
was able to give Kim insights into Trump by giving him a copy of Trump's book, "The Art of the Deal."
RODMAN: (INAUDIBLE) with Donald Trump and stuff like that. People know that. People have the video of me giving his book and all that stuff about
Donald Trump and about America. I think he didn't realized who Donald Trump was at that time until I guess he started to read the book and started to
get to understand him, stuff like that. And I don't want to take all the credit.
TODD (voice-over): And it was Rodman who for years have been the only American of any stature who Kim had met.
NOLAND: Rodman has had extraordinary access. Rodman held his first baby and was through Rodman we learned the name of the child.
TODD (voice-over): But there had been dark moments as well like a 2014 live interview from Pyongyang when Rodman speaking with CNN's Chris Cuomo
appeared to meltdown after being asked if he's advocate for an American detained by Kim.
RODMAN: I was just saying (INAUDIBLE) what the hell you think. I'm saying to you, look at these guys here. Look at them.
TODD (voice-over): Rodman likely wouldn't be allowed to venture anywhere near the actual meeting between Trump and Kim. But even with the sideshow
elements, analysts say Rodman could serve a constructive purpose in Singapore.
NOLAND: One thing that Rodman could do for better or worse is humanized both of the participants, both Donald Trump but especially Kim Jong-un who
has seen his very strange character.
TODD: The Trump administration is already distancing itself from any potential Rodman trip to Singapore. A senior administration official
telling CNN, he's not part of anything they're doing at the summit. A state department official telling us they have no comment on Rodman's private
travel, but he's not a representative of the U.S. government.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: And returning to breaking news I brought to you just moments ago, the U.S. commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, tells CNBC that the United
States has reached the deal with the Chinese telecom giant ZTE. Let's bring in Dana Bash in New York for more on this. And Dana, what are the terms of
this deal?
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's certainly money and then they're going to have to put millions of dollars in escrow but,
you know, as far as we know so far, it is just money. And if that is the case, then this is going to be far, far from enough when it comes to
members of Congress in both parties.
[08:35:05] And I mentioned both parties, a lot of Republicans beyond Congress are livid at the notion of doing anything to help ZTE. And it's
not because of the financial cost. It's the security cost, the fact that they have been sanctioned for security issues, for intellectual property
and beyond.
So, look, this is certainly better than nothing as far as the president is concerned and trying to allay the concerns of the bipartisan criticism of
him even dealing with or giving any kind of break to ZTE at all. But it's not going to go if it's just financial, it's not going to go anywhere near
far enough for the idea of placating them.
LU STOUT: Yeah. And also raising a lot of questions about how tough Donald Trump is going to get on China's as he has promised to get tough on re-
balancing just the trade relationship.
Dana Bash, we thank you for the update there and the breaking news story, this deal announced by Wilbur Ross on ZTE. Dana Bash reporting live from
New York. You're watching newss. We'll be back right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Welcome back. World Ocean Day is upon us, tomorrow, Friday, June the 8th. And as part of that coverage, we are highlighting the fact that
every minute, every day, the equivalent of two garbage truckloads of plastic are dumped into the ocean.
But there are ways that we can help reduce that amount. Take plastic drinking straws. Worldwide, they are the sixth most common type of litter.
And among the top 10, marine debris items. That's according to (INAUDIBLE) and Ocean Conservancy. But how long do we use the plastic straw before we
toss it to the trash? Ten minutes.
A lot of people are asking, do we actually need plastic straws especially when there are maybe better alternatives. Most of the time, plastic straws
are not recyclables, certainly not biodegradable. But some companies, they are trying to change that.
Joining me now is Petra Schweiger. She is the owner of LILY FLD, a company based here in Hong Kong that imports sustainable drinking straws made in
Germany. Petra, thank you so much for joining us here in the program. Exactly what are these biodegradable plastic straws made of and how long do
they take to decompose?
PETRA SCHWEIGER, OWNER, LILY FLD: So the one we -- currently, our best seller is called Bio-Pot which is made out of potato starch. The starch
content is very high and the rest is only natural fillers.
So after use, it can easily go into food waste or the normal trash as well (ph) and it takes in an landfill environment 18 to 21 months to break down.
It is absolutely (INAUDIBLE) which means once it breaks down, it degrades. There are no micro particles left behind.
LU STOUT: Interesting. This is bioplastic. It is made of potato starch. This produce is a better environmental choice than a plastic straw. But
from an environmental perspective, isn't it better just to go with a reusable straw like stainless steel straw or just go strawless?
SCHWEIGER: Yes, absolutely. No straw is definitely the better solution. That's what also what we advocate as well. So if you want to reduce, I
think reduce and change in behavior are happening already but usually takes a generation anyway to change the behavior.
[08:40:03] So as long as we are not there yet, why not use a sustainable solution? When it comes to reusable ones, it's definitely a good solution
for households as well. So we are targeting the food and beverage industry when it comes to volumes. Everything needs to be really quick as well.
LU STOUT: You sell these bioplastic straws as well as bamboo straws, reusable straws, paper straws. How much interest is there from big
restaurant chains and food outlets especially here in Asia in your products?
SCHWEIGER: There is a shift going on. When we set up the company here in Hong Kong, there was not so much of an interest, but especially since the
beginning of this year, we see the change. We not only see the change in Europe, in the Middle East, worldwide, but also here in Asia.
So, companies are approaching us proactively. They see the need. They have to push also from their guests and customers as well and they want to make
the switch.
LU STOUT: Are plastic addiction problem is out of control. We are now reporting that plastic has been discovered in the antarctic as well as the
arctic. It is all over the planet. Do you think these biodegradable plastics can help tackle plastic pollution?
SCHWEIGER: Well, definitely not. I think we are the (ph) bigger problem. But at least it's a small step and it's one step (ph). If there is a
biodegradable solution out there, why not use it?
LU STOUT: Petra Schweiger of LILY FLD, thank you so much for joining us on the program. Take care.
SCHWEIGER: Thank you.
LU STOUT: Now, you, our viewers, if you want to help save our oceans from plastic, again, Friday, that's tomorrow, it's World Oceans Day. We have
been asking students and also everyone around the world to celebrate by enjoying a lunch without single use of plastic.
No straw. No single use coloring (ph) made of plastic, et cetera. And the best efforts will be featured on CNN's live blog. You can learn more at
CNN.com/zeroplasticlunch. Hashtag is zeroplasticlunch to get yourself up there.
Now, that is it for "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Stout. Don't go anywhere because we got "World Sport" with Alex Thomas, next.
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