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Trump Face Allies With Grievances on him Over Tariffs; World Awaits if Trump's Charm Works with Kim Jong-un. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired June 08, 2018 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GEORGE HOWELL, HOST, CNN: A trade war of words, the U.S. President, Donald Trump feuding with two members of the G7 just hours before the group meets face-to-face.

Plus this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think I'm very well prepared. I don't think I have to prepare very much. It's about attitude.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: That's right. He says he knows North Korea. Days from now he will meet with Kim Jong-un.

Plus, a rescue and reunion. We'll show you what happened to the baby found in the rubble from Guatemala's deadly volcano.

Live from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta we want to welcome our viewers around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN, Newsroom starts right now.

Around the world, good day to you. The U.S. president may be forward to next week's meeting with Kim Jong-un. But first Mr. Trump has a contentious G7 summit in Canada. U.S. allies are taking aim at President Trump's America first policy, specifically his tariffs and has playing out on Twitter with Mr. Trump saying this.

"Please tell Prime Minister Trudeau and French President Macron that they are charging the U.S. massive tariffs and create nonmonetary barriers. The E.U. trade surplus with the United States is $151 billion, and Canada keeps our farmers and others out."

Then later, "Prime Minister Trudeau is being so indignant bringing up the relationship with the U.S. and Canada had over the many years and all sorts of other things but he doesn't bring up the fact that they are -- they charge us up to 300 percent on dairy, hurting our farmers and killing our agriculture."

Take a look at how Justin Trudeau responds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I also know our citizens expect us to find a solution to those differences to manage to demonstrate to the U.S. president that his unacceptable actions are hurting his own citizens.

It is American jobs which will be lost because of the actions of the United States and its administration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Justin Trudeau there responding. Now the White House says Mr. Trump will leave the G7 early on Saturday before talks about climate change and environment take place.

We get more now from CNN senior White House correspondent Pamela Brown.

PAMELA BROWN, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN: President Trump arrives in Canada today to meet with the G7 leaders but it appears he is looking more forward to meeting with America's adversary Kim Jong- un, the leader of North Korea than America's allies.

In fact, before heading to Canada, the president engaged in a Twitter spat with French President Macron. Macron sending the first feisty tweet, saying Trump many not mind being isolated, but neither do we as in signing a six-country agreement on trade if need be.

The president fired back targeting both Macron and Prime Minister Trudeau who is hosting the G7, saying that they are charging the U.S. with massive tariffs. And all of this really is setting the stage for what could be awkward meetings between President Trump and some of the leaders of, you know, America's allies after President Trump imposed steel and aluminum tariffs on the E.U. as well as Canada.

And President Trump has been telling his aides sort of questioning whether he even needs to go to Canada for this, questioning whether anything worthwhile will come out of these meetings. His aides have warned him that, yes, this is very important.

And then on Saturday the president will be heading to Singapore ahead of the North Korea summit, and he struck a much more positive tone when talking about that, he basically said that he is looking forward to it, he thinks it's going to be a great success in terms of what he believes will create that success.

He says it's all about attitude that he doesn't need to prepare very much ahead of that summit. Now Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did tell reporters that he will be prepared when he meets with Kim Jong-un. Back to you.

HOWELL: Pamela Brown there reporting. Thank you. Now as Pamela just mentioned both the president and the U.S. secretary of state believe Mr. Trump will be well-versed and well-prepared in the issues when he gets to Singapore. The Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe was at the White House on Thursday to help the president about those issues and also to ensure that Japan's security concerns are considered. Here's how Mr. Trump describe his mindset though ahead of the summit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think I'm very well prepared. I don't think I have to prepare very much. It's about attitude. It's about the willingness to do get things done. But I think I've been preparing for the summit for a long time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Let's put this into focus now with our international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson following the story in Seoul, South Korea. Nic,, look, it is a complicated matter. A lot of details at play here but the president says it's about attitude feeling, really, he says that he's well-versed and ready to go. What do you make of that?

[03:05:11] NIC ROBERTSON, INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR, CNN: Yes. And his secretary -- yes, sure. And his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo backs him up and that he says the president has been getting the daily briefing for several months now on the economy, on trade, on the military and on the history of the region as well.

All of which absolutely is going to be vital to President Trump if he's going to be able to walk into that room as he believes he can, you know, taking his business acumen with him, which we know at times has been flawed. He's made some pretty great business deals over the years that he feels it's that kind of get in the room, that gut instinct, that understanding of who you're in the room with what they stand for and what they want that are going to be the clues for him cutting a deal.

And from what we heard from President Trump late yesterday was that the economy is going to be a large part of his thrust on that. He said Japan, Sou Korea, China are all going to be economically North Korea.

We know from the North Korea's vice foreign minister back in the middle of May that that the notion of sort of money for Trump's -- for Kim Jong-un's nukes may not work. In fact, he said, you know, that's -- you know, that's not something that's on the table for us. However, the economy is an issue.

But it's all of that complex nuances going to be bound up in those first moments of engagement for President Trump. But it's all going to come down to what is it these two leaders want to achieve? What do they want to walk away from this meeting with?

Soon varying missteps this could a reality. President Trump and Kim Jong-un side by side. At stake it would seem nuclear Armageddon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: The threat may have gotten the two to the table. For now at least Trump dialing down on the bad stuff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think it's a getting-to-know-you meeting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: So what do these leaders want from this? Kim, face time with Trump. Recognition North Korea craves makes Kim big back home.

And Trump Keeps a campaign promise, kind of, rocks his base back home. Even though none of these, Kim's nukes, are being handed over despite this demand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE POMPEO, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: The complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: To get that, Kim wanted these gone U.S. troops in South Korea, for now it seems off the table. And more of this, sanctions eased. he also wants to keep these, his conventional weapons. And this, his army so he can keep lots of this, loyal obedience. And this is how he wants to feel when it's all done. But if he gets it wrong, he might get this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: If the meeting when I'm there is not fruitful, I will respectfully leave the meeting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: And then even this again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They will be met with fire, fury, and frankly power the likes of which this world has never seen before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Trouble for Trump. Kim is perceived to have given up very little and gained a good bit along the way. Lots of this, valuable face time with other leaders, meaning he is unlikely to face maximum pressure sanctions again.

Still after this Trump gets to do this. Walk away. Leave the details to his deputies. That absent Trump cracking Kim's will could take years. Leaving Kim doing a lot more of this. And this and none of these get handed over any time soon, if ever.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Seoul, South Korea.

HOWELL: Nic Robertson there with the reporting in site, thank you very much. And now let's bring in Kenneth Choi following this story in the South Korean capital. He is the international editor joining us there. Thank you for your time today.

We want to get a sense from you just when you saw Nic's report, it really did get to the heart of it, these images that it will be so important to these leaders, how important are images the optics of this versus the substance, the details of what's to come out?

KENNETH CHOI, INTERNATIONAL EDITOR, CHOSUN ILBO: Well, I think first of all, what Kim Jong-un wants from this meeting is that when he go back -- when he goes back to North Korea, he wants to be able to explain to his people that he has achieved something.

[03:10:03] So he's giving up nuclear weapons for economic benefits. And I think probably the North Koreans expect that as a good deal because a lot of -- there was a recent report that about 90 percent of North Korean population are malnutrition. So, you know, getting economic assistance from abroad is a good thing in North Korea.

So for Kim it's not really a lose-lose situation. I think he's been gaining a lot from simply meeting President Trump. For President Trump, yes, there's a lot of image issues but still I think he wants to get the substance done which is, you know, complete, irreversible, verifiable denuclearization process in North Korea.

And I think, you know, it may take a while to get all this done, CVID done, but still from loading things like, you know, he gets a firm commitment from Kim Jong-un and maybe he can start working on -- if Kim Jong-un goes, moves into the right direction of CVID, President Trump and South Korea and Japan may be able to start providing economic assistance to North Korea.

So, in that sense, all these images, yes, there are some images issues and stuff like that but still I think President Trump will get the substance done. I hope that's what he's there for.

HOWELL: OK. So you say will get the substance done, but again, is there a concern that getting that done could take a great deal of time if you look back at past interactions between the United States and North Korea. These meetings tend to play out one after another after another after another over a long period of time, is that a concern that we could see that happen again?

CHOI: Yes, it could happen again. But still President Trump wants to get this thing done maybe in two years. CVID may take longer than that but if North Korea moves into the right direction, meaning that, you know, Kim Jong-un comes and make a firm commitment that he will commit to CVID and then he allows IAEA inspectors into North Korea, sort of roaming around, searching for nuclear arsenals and so on.

If we are moving into that territory, then, you know, this, we are heading into a good direction. And even if it takes two years and longer than two years, still, you know, the period issue will be gone and I think from there both leaders can move into a, you know, more constructive sort of business to come.

HOWELL: The president has indicated that if he doesn't like what he sees, doesn't like what he hears, he could walk away from this meeting with Kim Jong-un. The question here, if these things do goes sour who is the person that would lose the most here?

CHOI: I think if this thing goes sour, the most -- I mean, the person who will lose the most is Kim Jong-un because Kim Jong-un has no choice but to go through the CVID process. If he doesn't go through, then I think this will the beginning of the end of his regime.

Because, you know, there will be more sanctions coming and as President Trump indicated that there are 300 more sanctions available on North Korea. So if, you know, just imagine they are putting through all these sanctions on North Korea, North Korean economy cannot survive.

So, I think the person who's going to lose the most is Kim Jong-un.

For President Trump, yes, you know, maybe he regrets here and there, but still, you know, if North Korea doesn't really come out the way they're supposed to, you know, Trump can walk away and he's, you know, a good businessman before and I think art of -- he understands how to deal with these issues.

I hope and North Korea comes back and -- you , know, he has cancelled the meeting before and I hope that North Korea understands that, you know, President Trump means what he says and hopefully, you know, the meeting actually comes out with lot of expected results.

HOWELL: It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. And good to have you on the air with us today. Kenneth Choi, the international editor, again, of the Chosun Ilbo newspaper. We appreciate your time today.

Now as the United States of course prepares for the summit as it draws near, the U.S. president basically looking ahead to see what happens as other leaders also get into this situation. The presidents of Russia and China meeting in Beijing.

These live images right now. Russia's Vladimir just arrived there he is set to meet with China's Xi Jinping ahead of a regional summit.

For more on this including warming ties between the two leaders CNN's Matt Rivers is following the story live in Beijing.

Matt, as we see these live images right now, again just moments ago, rather, these images. Tell us what happens as these two nations watch on ahead of the summit what is to come out of these meetings these talks.

[03:15:02] MATT RIVERS, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Yes, we're not expecting a ton of news to be made out of this particular summit. I don't think unless both sides really try to surprise the news media that is here watching.

This is the third time Vladimir Putin has visited China in the last year alone. So clearly there are warming ties between these two countries. But President Putin is making this visit ahead of going up to the city of Qingdao in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization that's an annual summit. It mainly features China, Russia, and Central Asian countries like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan mainly talking about economic issues.

But the reason why there's of course such of more than eye on it this year would be twofold. One, of course, North Korea that adds context to every single summit in this part of the world. Russia and China clearly have a major stake in the way these negotiations go forward.

And the other thing too that will be interesting is Iran. Iran is a not a full-fledged member of the SCO but they will be attending that meeting in Qingdao, and so that we'll be looking to hear anything about the Iran nuclear deal that of course President Trump terminated.

So that's what we're going to be looking for. But when it comes to China and Russia ties are warming, they like presenting a united front against the west, against France and England and Germany and the United States traditionally two sides of the coin there. And that's something that you've seen President Putin really push that narrative over the past several years.

HOWELL: Matt Rivers live for us in Beijing following this meeting. We'll stay in touch with you, Matt.

U.S. allies prepare for battle with President Trump over the issue of tariffs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We can show the U.S. that his actions, unacceptable actions are hurting his own citizens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: We'll have more on the back-and-forth there that he even played out on Twitter.

Plus an apocalyptic scene in Guatemala just days after the deadly Fuego volcano erupted. Coming up, we go to the disaster zone where conditions there make it nearly impossible to find survivors. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Summits like the G7 starting just a few hours from now in Canada are famous for their protest and they often turned violent. The police there are taking extra steps to ensure things don't get out of hand.

[03:19:59] Our Paula Newton is in Quebec city with the look. PAULA NEWTON, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: So, as the G7 summit kicks off here in Canada, so do the G7 protest. There is quite (Inaudible) collected here, everything communist to those combating gender and inequality (Inaudible). And even though wanting peace in the Middle East this province here Quebec has had quite a prolific and in fact violent history of protest.

These (Inaudible) number in the tens of thousands, hundreds of millions of dollars being spent on security. But what's different about this summit is that actually the protest groups have been so far quite predictable, but what will not be predictable is what happens around that summit table. We are not even sure that they will be able to agree on (Inaudible).

And the irony here is that the prime minister, Mr. Justin Trudeau had tried and set a G7 meeting where a lot of disagreements is this protest for things like climate change, and income inequality would actually be on the G7 agenda.

But at this moment we are still expecting that the issue surrounding trade will in fact take over this summit.

Paula Newton, CNN, Quebec City.

HOWELL: Paula, thank you. Now let's bring in Scott Lucas. Scott is a professor of international politics and the founder of E.A. Worldview, live for us in Birmingham, England. Good to have you with us, Scott. Talk about what we will see ahead with the U.S. president and the G7, what we have seen so far this back-and-forth on Twitter.

I want to go tweet by tweet with you starting with the French president talking about what's been described as the G6 plus one minus the United States, essentially saying there's nothing wrong with signing a six country agreement where does leave the United States.

SCOTT LUCAS, POLITICS PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM: Well, what Emmanuel Macron is saying is it could leave the U.S. isolated which would be an extraordinary position given more than 70 years that the Cold War and afterwards were you had the bedrock of the U.S. European alliance.

But a lot of this is economic of course with the anger over the Trump administration's tariffs a lot of this political and that is worries about the U.S. position on Europe especially vis-a-vis, Vladimir Putin, who Donald Trump has embraced. Worries about the U.S. position in Asia with the on-again off-again approach to North Korea which is unsettled Japan, as well as the Europeans.

In other words, Emmanuel Macron is not just talking about French leadership which he's pursuing a European leadership. He's really pointing to the fact that no one around that table today in Canada trust Donald Trump's and some of his closest advisers.

HOWELL: All right. And then there was that response from the U.S. president on Twitter, I want to call your attention to the language in this tweet. More about the language here just the term. "Please tell Mr. Trudeau and President Macron, please tell them."

Well, Scott, who's he talking to? I mean, clearly he's sending this tweet to them but which audiences is he talking to you to tell these leaders about his Twitter diplomacy here.

LUCAS: Well, there's two audiences. And that is to the European audience, to the Canadian audience. This just about poking these men in the chest and a bottle of alpha males and say you can't boss me, I'm the star of the apprentice around.

But then there's another audiences as well and that is an audience which is at home. In part that is going to be that Donald Trump's photo opportunity that he wants is what none of those other six leaders today is with Kim Jong-un North Korea on Tuesday.

And at the same time, he's going to be saying to people in America no one can boss me around over our economy. I will make America great again even he's risking economic turmoil, even if he's risking turmoil on the world stage. He is playing to a base in America six months before the congressional action saying, hey, you and I can take on the rest of the world together including the Europeans and Canadians.

HOWELL: Also another tweet complaining this from President Trump about bringing up the relationship the U.S. and Canada had over many years. You see this tweet here as it displays keeping in mind this is the man who told the Canadian prime minister just days ago that his nation burned down the White House in 1812, but in fact, Scott, that was the British.

LUCAS: Absolutely. I mean, that, you know, whether or not Donald Trump was trying to tell a joke it didn't go down very well north of the border. But beyond that historical slip are the ones in the streets last night. He was actually putting out a series of economic distortions about the Canadian supposedly ripping off America to the tune of $300 billion on agricultural products, about the European Union supposedly ripping off America because it has a trade surplus, which in fact, is a completely different matter from tariffs.

[03:24:56] In other words, what really matters in the streets last night is it's either Donald Trump does not have a fundamental grasp of economics or he and certain protectionist advisers don't care. They are willing to push this to the idea that the North American Free Trade Agreement can be taken apart, that trade agreements with Europe are now the past, that trade agreements with China, remember, can be put at risk.

In other words, who does America consider to be a reliable trade partner under Donald Trump?

HOWELL: And also important to point out these tweets just because he tweeted doesn't make it so. I mean, there are certainly factual inaccuracies in these tweets. And as they are official records of the White House of the United States the bigger question, as you point out, what implication do these tweets have when they're sent out to world leaders.

Scott Lucas, thank you so much for your time and perspective. We'll stay in touch with you.

LUCAS: Thank you.

HOWELL: Now one person with some kind words for President Trump the British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. In recorded comments published by BuzzFeed, Johnson says that he increasingly admires Donald Trump. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: Imagine Trump doing Brexit, what would he do? He's go in bloody hard, you know, he's do it bloody. He also can breakdown (Inaudible) but actually you might some (Inaudible) and it's very, very important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Those comments came at a conservative fundraiser, apparently, Johnson did not know that he was being recorded.

Six men who allegedly made fortunes by trafficking migrants from Libya to Europe that could slap with U.N. sanctions. Details on this unprecedented boo spark by CNN reporting, ahead.

Plus, days after erupting piles of ash, there is all that's left of the town here Guatemala's Fuego volcano. We'll take you to the disaster zone. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers around the world. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you.

This hour protest has been underway in Canada ahead of the G7 summit. President Trump is expected to clash with U.S. allies over trade and tariffs. The White House says Mr. Trump will leave the Summit early Saturday this before talks about climate change and talks about the environment.

The U.S. president has a historic summit with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un just days after the G7 meeting. The Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe was at the White House on Thursday to help Mr. Trump get ready but the president said he didn't need much help, claiming that he's been getting ready for this for, quote, "a long time."

[03:29:54] The U.S. is lifting its ban on selling parts of the Chinese phone maker ZTE. And in return ZTE has promised to take billion dollar fine and replace its board. The ZTE was slapped with the ban after accusations that broke sanctions on Iran and North Korea.

The Trump administration spearheaded lifting the ban as China and the U.S. threaten each other with new tariffs.

United Nations has slapped international sanctions on six people for their alleged role in trafficking migrants through Libya to Europe. It is an unprecedented move, these sanctions by speared by CNN's expose of slave auctions in Libya last year. Our Nima Elbagir, broke this exclusive reporting as part of our Freedom Project that is following the international fallout of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Inside smugglers warehouse is in Libya, squalid and desperate. African migrant can wait here for days, weeks, months even. (Inaudible) to Europe. At the mercy of human traffickers. CNN was granted access to the warehouses by the owner's property.

The Safety of our contacts we agreed not to identify the location. This come across our cameraman, their patience is limited. They have money to make and they don't want witnesses.

For years now these networks have held Libya to ransom. Their crimes resonating far beyond its borders. Shipwrecks in the Mediterranean, human cargo brought to shore in body bags. A litany of death and violence. Last October we found a slave auction.

500, 550, migrants sold off to the highest bidder. Finally the world's step up and took actions. The Netherlands has been working for the last year pulling all of this together, alongside their co- designating states, the U.S., U.K., France and Germany had been spearheading this sanctions effort. These documents obtain by CNN outline the case that they put forward against this men.

Risk of death, brutal conditions inhumane treatment. The sanctions include an asset freeze and travel bans. Ermias Ghermay, trade citizen accused of heading to east African network. An arrest warrant has been issued in Italy. For Diwa Abdebarasek (ph) another (inaudible) his network is believe to reach all the way to the United States. He is the subject of several criminal investigations. And the following men all Libyan. Ahmad al Dabbashi, a militia leader accused of counting ISIS members amid his rank. Mus'ab Abu-Qarin, aka, the doctor, linked to the worst migrant ship wreck in the Mediterranean. 800 people in total drowned. Muhammad Kishlab (ph), a multimillionaire running an infamous migrant detention center. Abd al Rahman al-Milad, aka al-Bija, the commander in the European Union funded coast guard. Sending the message that enough is enough. That the African migrant's lives have value.

In this morgue in southern Libya, there is no one to claim the bodies of the corpses of dead migrants.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATOR): At the clinic we receive up to two bodies a day. Crimes of murder.

ELBAGIR: In death as in life the migrants are in limbo.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATOR): This year specifically has been such a rise in deaths and rise in crimes against migrants.

ELBAGIR: There's no way of knowing who these men were. No way of letting their families know that they are gone. International sanctions are of course just a start. The hope is they will lay the foundation for future criminal prosecution for justice. At the very least they send the message that this people do matter. That the world finally does care. Nima Elbagir, CNN London.

(END VIDEO)

HOWELL: Nima, thank you for that reporting. The Dutch foreign minister told CNN he credits out network's reporting on those slave auctions in Libya. We are sparking the new sanctions -- the U.N. sanctions that we just told you about.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very glad Netherland was able to initiate this important human initiative to effectively punish human traffickers active in Libya.

[03:35:12] It was CNN that draw the attention to this terrible -- well, you may actually call it a slave trade that has been going on in Libya for far too long. As Netherlands is currently a member of the U.N. Security Council we proposed to them to imposed sanctions of six of the worst perpetrators. And that will mean that this crime won't be left unpunished.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: You can read more of CNN's reporting on the fight to end modern day slavery at cnn.com/freedomproject.

In Guatemala grief and anger are growing in that nation.

In Guatemala grief and anger are growing in that nation. Days after lava and ash from the Fuego volcano swallowed the entire town. 109 people are now dead and the disaster management agency there is under fire accused of delaying evacuation, but in the meantime search operation are on hold despite the fact that some 200 people still missing. CNN's Patrick Oppmann report from the disaster zone.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is hard to believe that this is a neighborhood where people live. There are houses here, this was the main street and it is just tons and tons of volcanic ash. Need to be cleared before it can be livable, before anybody could come back.

We have a mask on in case the wind changes direction. But the smell makes you somewhat dizzy. It is really just overpowering odor. And you see as they watering it down, the steam rises all these days after the volcanic eruption. That volcanic ash is still boiling hot. It is not safe to go there. And this worker was not spraying it down it would probably cause melt or malfunction. He is trying to cooldown that volcanic ash. It give you an idea of how dangerous this is. This is why they are telling residence not to return because pulling little further up the street, it could still take someone's life. You look down over here and this one someone's house. Again, completely buried by volcanic ash. We don't know if the people who live in this neighborhood that is now

one color, the great color of SHARPTON: got out in time, but you can see what a hell-scape it's become and you can see how difficult will ever be for anyone to ever return in this neighborhood in Guatemala. The smoke is coming off or you can feel the heat emanating. I'm going to step back because it really is quite hot. And we are going to leave -- we've been told we should only stay in this area for a short time. It is an incredible sight to see and it makes you wonder if anybody could ever live here again. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, near the Fuego Volcano.

(END VIDEO)

HOWELL: Surely a great deal of devastation there. But we do have a glimmer of hope to share with you amid all of that devastation. Rescue workers police, take a look at this -- rescued a baby. It happened on Tuesday. That baby swaddled in a pink Disney blanket. She stands out in the rubble all around here. On Thursday CNN reached out to the baby's family. We learned that the infant has been reunited with her family including her parents and three siblings. The baby's father says they are doing well.

Next here on "Newsroom."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are still options available to us if we start looking at it now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: We go live to Australia to learn how scientists hope to save the Great Barrier Reef.

[03:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: If you didn't know Friday is World's Oceans day and the race is on the Great Barrier Reef to save one of the planets incredible wonders from destruction by global warming and pollution. Let us go live to Australia. CNN's Ivan Watson is following the story live in Palm Cove Australia. Ivan good to have you with us, not sure -- you are with us there -- I just want to get a sense that you have a firsthand look here. What is happening Ivan, tells us about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

IVAN WATSON, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: In aquamarine waters off the coast of Australia there is a world so fantastic that words cannot do it justice. A sprawling Marine habitat of coral reefs that is larger than Italy.

I am at the Great Barrier Reef. It is one of the natural wonders of the world and it is in trouble.

Turley Baron (ph) is the world's leading authority on the Great Barrier Reef. In a career spanning half a century, he's discovered a quarter of the world's coral.

You still remember the first time you came out and saw some of this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I forget the first time. I was absolutely -- my life stuttered.

WATSON: The 73 year-old god father of coral gives me a guided tour. With a few short strokes we dive into a vibrant underwater universe, a place where living coral some of it centuries-old provide shelter and food for countless species of marine life, but that's Baron takes me to a nearby patch where the coral dead, as far as the eye can see. These coral forest cook to death by record marine heat waves in 2016 and 2017.

Australia is now in a race to save what is left of the reef. In April the government pledge around $400 million U.S. to come up with ways to protect it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All our studies has suggesting none is all possible to help the reef, help itself.

WATSON: Dr. Lina Bay, is one of the scientist at a government research center trying to genetically engineer heat resisting corals. This is an example of plating coral from the Great Barrier Reef, but born in bred here in the laboratory four years ago and you can see how much grown in that time.

Scientist are also experimenting with the kind of IVF treatment to boost reproduction in the wild, in this lab they test what they call a sunshield thinner than a human hair it could theoretically protect corals from the sun. This inventor demonstrates a submersible drone call the Ranger Bot.

[03:45:10] Guided by artificial intelligence it is design to one day patrol the reef and protect the coral from predators. So far this are just pilot projects that could get funding from the government's new reef protection program.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are still options available to us. If we start looking at it now we can't wait for 20 years and then start thinking about it.

WATSON: $400 million save this reef. Why not?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because all is warming.

WATSON: Research shows record heat is killing corals in an increasingly frequent rate all across the planet. Australia alone cannot stop global warming cause by the burning of fossil fuels.

Scientist here warn unless that changes this incredible reef stands little chance of surviving.

(END VIDEO)

HOWELL: Let us now bring in Ivan Watson in following this story in Palm Cove, Australia and Ivan again, quite sobering report on what is happening.

WATSON: Yes, I mean there is a bright spot if you will and that is that after the heat waves of 2016 and 2017, George, 2018 has been more temperate and so what we saw with Charlie Baron, out on the reef, he pointed out baby coral. Coral that is starting to grow back after those heatwaves that bleached and killed the coral.

Scientist are still compiling the research data to feel figure out how much is possibly recovering which -- which says something about the power of mother nature, but scientists have also pointed out that this bleaching incidents are happening more and more frequently as the planet heats up more and they are not just happening on the great barrier reef there happening on reef systems all around the planet. This is something that is a global phenomenon and the concern is, is that as the planet continues to heat up in all of projection say it will continue to heat as we continue burning fossil fuels, it will not give the new coral enough time to recover from the previous heatwaves, George.

HOWELL: Thank for following this story live. Ivan, thank you. Now let us bring in Dr. Jean-Luc Solandt, he is a coral reef scientist with the Marine Conservation Society, it's good to have you with us, Dr. Jean-Luc. I'm sure you got to hear Ivan's report just a moment ago and waiting to a bright spot, but want to get your thoughts on that indeed given the of the world water temperatures are rising, do you see this as a bright spot to take solace.

JEAN-LUC SOLANDT, CORAL REF SCIENTIST, MARINE CONSERVATIVE SOCIETY: Not really I'm -- I'm sad to say it is pretty bad. I mean, I worked in the Great Barrier Reef in 1992 - 93, before I knew the onset of these global bleaching events. I work now on the moldings and have to since 2005 on the prognosis is really bad, because we are not just talking bluntly about the amount of coral that's alive, but the corals of the framework for all the other life in the marine ecosystem for them to be constantly hit back reduced to rubble and have to grow again and that is happening more frequently, it just won't recover in time.

HOWELL: The things that I, you know, are being looked into as possible remedies to the situation from Ivan's piece were there any promising options that you heard off.

SOLANDT: To me they are sticking plaster remedies to what is catastrophically. We have a process which is affecting as you reporter said an area the size of Italy just in Australia. This is happening all over the world if we were able to action some of those projects we might be able to save a few hundred hectares of reefs. These are -- these are ecosystems that are on the scale of the entire countries, the scale of a -- the ability to do anything other than to cut carbon emissions is too limited.

HOWELL: This comes down the warming oceans obviously there's a great deal of money that's been put forward in Australia to try to address this problem, but is this something that Australia can really affect alone or is there something that you know the world can come together to, you know, make an impact? SOLANDT: Well, the Trump administration and other un-blinded

politicians around the world have to realize the fact of the matter probably the voice being the canaries in the coal mine, they had been bleaching from 20 to 30 years is just getting more severe and more frequent and is obviously put our head in the sand like an ostrich. We are just going to deny this issue while the globe around this classes and car is one of the only things that happen in the decertification in land, desert is a growing at Beijing seems dust storms every year, the Sahara is growing, we just have to wake up to the fact that destroyed our planet.

[03:50:00] HOWELL: Well, you know, I ask you this last question is there really anything that can be done at this point or do you see this is a process that will continue despite any efforts from human involved.

SOLANDT: I think, the (inaudible) of the reef itself on the scale of the problem is the solution we can look at and what we can do is human species in this lifetime I remember seeing the change in my lifetime, Charlie Barron seen it. It changing to -- maybe in 70 years on half his age. All we can do is see the areas of resilience this protect and protect them from the small human uses like overfishing, anchor damage and construction, where there are certain sites that are showing resilience to this and could spell their lobby into the other affected areas. That is our short-term solution to this problem, but loans that we have to stop making carbon dioxide, it's really simple.

HOWELL: Jean-Luc Solandt, thank you so much for your very direct that information here that I hope many people especially people leading countries are listening to, thank you.

SOLANDT: Pleasure.

HOWELL: As a U.S. president continues to back away from dealing with climate change, executives of major oil companies have been invited to the Vatican for talks, they are expected to hold closed-door meetings with Vatican officials on Friday and to meet with the Pope on Saturday for more on this let's Delia Gallagher, following the storyline in Rome. Delia, certainly this is important point of these leaders to do this.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: That is right, George. As you said this is a closed-door meeting, I must say that even Vatican standards everybody is being tightlipped about it, however we know that is sponsored by the Vatican and Notre Dame University bringing together some CEO's from major oil companies around the world we know BP and ExxonMobil are here, George. And what they are doing today is meeting with Vatican officials they all will have a chance to speak during the conference and then tomorrow they'll hear from Pope Francis and we know obviously, George that this is a top priority for Pope Francis.

He has been very outspoken on climate change, he dedicated his entire document which is quite unusual for a Pope to the issue. So, this is the Vatican's chance to really raise awareness amongst oil companies the people who can actually do something about this issue and have their ear or some time. It is unclear of course what kind of concrete measures can come out of it. Clearly for the oil companies is advantageous to them to be seen to be working with Pope Francis on this issue, they come under a lot of pressure from environmental groups about the damage that there companies cause to the environment indeed there are lawsuit in the United States against them.

So, it remains to be seen what kind of concrete measures can come out of this George, but from the Vatican's point of view, Pope Francis take every opportunity to have the ear, if you will, of people who can actually affect change, George.

HOWELL: The good news is, you know, that they're coming to talk Delia Gallagher live for us from Rome. Thank you Delia.

Here's new music from a dearly missed voice, how Prince's legacy living on two years after his death.

[03:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: The reality TV star Kim Kardashian was on a mission to get a life sentence commuted by President Trump and she succeeded with it. Alice Johnson, spent 21 years in prison for first-time drug offense take a look here the moment she really just reunited with family after being released.

Kardashian (inaudible) across the case about six-months and set out -- take it out from President Trump she spoke exclusively to CNN's van Joe without breaking the news to this former prisoner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIM KARDASHIAN, REALITY TV STAR: I was a little bit shocked, because she was very calm and I assumes she knew. So I just was like, wait, she doesn't know and I'll know -- why and going home like I can like cry thinking about it. Hearing her scream with like, I know I am going to cry so much when I see her, but just to know like we changed one person's life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Johnson said that she is thankful to Kardashian for never giving up on her case and we leave this out with Prince the late artists like you never heard him before.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

Prince's state is revealing at least (inaudible) previously unheard recordings of his from his home studio called the piano and a microphone 1983 now, who knows of friends who was intensely private would have approved of this, the nine tracks are expected to be released on September 21. It out came Thursday to mark what would had been Prince's 60th birthday.

Thank you for being with us with CNN Newsroom. I am George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta, the news continues now with my colleague Hannah Vaughan Jones live in London. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)