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Kim Jong-un Arrives in Singapore from Pyongyang; G7 Summit Ends in Chaos; China's Counter-Summit; Inside North Korea's Propaganda Machine; Cashing in on Trump's Tariffs; Royal Family Celebrates Queen's Birthday; Justify Becomes 13th Triple Crown Winner. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired June 10, 2018 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Following the breaking news this hour in Singapore, the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, has arrived for the historic summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell, live at CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

Kim Jong-un has landed in Singapore just over an hour ago. Singapore's foreign minister posted a picture of him greeting Kim at the airport. Then amid heavy security, Kim and his motorcade left the airport. You see the vehicles as they arrive moments later at The St. Regis hotel.

President Trump is expected to arrive in the coming hours in Singapore. He left Canada on Saturday after the G7 summit.

In a tweet from Air Force One, he said he has a feeling that, quote, "This one-time opportunity will not be wasted."

Before leaving Canada Mr. Trump put the responsibility for success on the North Korean leader. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's got an opportunity the likes of which I think almost, if you look into history, very few people have ever had. He can take that nation with those great people and truly make it great. So it's a one-time -- it's a one-time shot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: CNN covering this story with our correspondents around the world on every angle. Our international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is live in Seoul, South Korea.

But first on deck, Paula Hancocks on the ground in Singapore.

Paula, again, we saw the Air China flight from Pyongyang, then several vehicles leaving the airport and then the image of the North Korean leader, a meeting with the minister of foreign affairs in Singapore.

What more are you seeing there on the ground?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. We know that Kim Jong-un has arrived here in Singapore ahead of that historic summit with the U.S. president, Donald Trump.

He has arrived just in the last few minutes at The St. Regis hotel. We understand in Singapore there were hundreds of journalists outside waiting for him; also North Korean state-run media was there to capture the moment as well.

We understand he will be staying there until at least the meeting is over between him and Donald Trump. Of course we don't know if that will be a one-day or a two-day meeting after Mr. Trump suggested it could go longer.

What we do know about Kim Jong-un today is that he will be meeting with the Singaporean prime minister a little later today. This is really protocol. He is leader of the host country.

And Singapore has made a huge effort for this. They are spending about $15 million, we understand from the government official figures, just in hosting the summit itself. Certainly that would be expected and then the U.S. President Donald Trump would be meeting with Singapore's prime minister on Monday.

So clearly you can see there was a fair bit of security. You could see the bodyguards running alongside the convoy and the cars as it turned into The St. Regis hotel. We will wait to see what we could expect from Kim Jong-un tomorrow.

At this point we don't have a schedule. We are not expected to have a schedule for the North Korean leader. This is very usual for this kind of summit but it is very usual for the North Koreans, who don't have forward notice of what Kim Jong-un is going to do.

But clearly a very historic moment. The North Korean leader touching down in Singapore, now at his hotel in Singapore and will be meeting the host country's prime minister shortly.

HOWELL: Paula Hancocks, stand by for us.

Now bring in Nic Robertson, following this story, live in South Korea, in Seoul. Nic, let's talk about the nature of this meeting, if you could recap for our viewers, the president saying it will be more about attitude, a getting-to-know-you meeting and we certainly know that both leaders put great value in the importance of optics.

What do you expect from this summit?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, certainly there's going to be a huge photo opportunity. The photo opportunity will be that moment where the two leaders meet, smiles and a handshake, one might expect.

And predictions kind of go out of the window. President Trump's own description is, I'll know pretty quickly if we can make some headway. The United States' position has been a gently sort of walk backwards from a one-and-done type meeting that seemed to be the idea of Kim coming in and --

[04:05:00]

ROBERTSON: -- agreeing to denuclearization right off the bat and the protocols, the inspections and everything that would be incumbent upon that kind of decision, to the United States saying that this is a meet and greet. This is a getting-to-know-you. This is setting the mood.

The way secretary of state Mike Pompeo outlined it in the past 24 hours is to say we are going to look at -- you know, what is it about our security relationship that we could work on, that will put us, our two countries, in a good position?

Then what is it politically we could talk about that we could develop this relationship?

President Trump has talked about, if everything goes well, the follow- on meeting back at the White House. But it's only after those steps, the security and the sort of political that Mike Pompeo, sort of, said it is only after that we get to the core issue of denuclearization.

So we've walked back from one and done to several steps along the way. I think that's what we can expect. But there's a lot of other things going on. South Korea has invested a huge amount of effort to try to make this happen. Their relationship with North Korea at the moment has certain steps that will go ahead in the days following on from the summit.

There will be expected meetings about reestablishment of the liaison office to try to get some trade going again, of a meeting of the military, at the generals' level, of a potentially joint commemoration of some important anniversaries.

So these things are sort of ready to go ahead once the summit goes off, assuming it goes off well. Also secretary of state Mike Pompeo, coming here to Seoul, will meet with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts for a couple of days here before going to Beijing, where we are told he will meet with his counterpart there, again, to explain everything that's been agreed, that's been talked about, they'll plan their way forward from the summit.

But what actually comes of substance out of this, I think at the moment it would be speculation other than to go beyond getting to know you. It is clear, what's been laid out by the State Department, is a number of steps, which really require engagement and conversation and trust.

HOWELL: Nic, I want to take a moment to pause here and just a live look at video that we have at the hotel. You get a sense of how many people are there, the media that has come in to cover this story. In fact, hundreds, if not thousands of journalists, there on the ground to cover the story.

The question that I have for you and to point out to viewers, we don't get a lot of information really as you would expect with a big meeting like this. It really comes down to the visuals, what we see and what we hear.

ROBERTSON: Hugely important for Kim Jong-un to have this meeting, to be meeting with President Trump, the most powerful man in the world, the nemesis of North Korea. It is hugely important signaling to his population back home that he is standing on an equal footing with the United States, who is such an enemy for the country.

They are getting into these talks but on an equal basis. That will certainly be the basis that he wants to be recorded back home, which is why, when we heard from Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, several days ago that a rather -- President Trump's lawyer Giuliani saying Kim Jong-un was essentially coming in on his knees.

This was not the sort of messaging that would go down well in Pyongyang. So this is the -- what's behind that photograph, what's behind that first meeting and handshake is very important for Kim Jong-un but also for President Trump.

President Trump has said this is something he was going to deliver on, that he was going to get Kim Jong-un to the negotiating table, that he was going to be able to denuclearize and take away the threat of North Korea as it threatens the United States.

This is something that he told his base, has told the people of the United States. This is something that, as we continue to hear from his presidency, when he says something, he will try to deliver on it.

So for him, the photo op of the smiling handshake will be very symbolic, that he is selling that message that, yes, I'm on this. I'm doing it. But of course, everyone is looking at what comes out beyond that because a handshake and a smile and a photo opportunity alone is not the deal done.

But the White House is very carefully saying, no, it's not a deal done. It's the first and a necessary step. But the perception is Kim Jong-un potentially takes away a lot more from just that photo opportunity than President Trump can.

HOWELL: But again, to the point, it seems tightly controlled images, the optics coming out.

[04:10:00]

HOWELL: We will, of course, continue to see more and more as it tells the story of these two leaders meeting. Nic Robertson, thank you. We'll stay in touch with you. Let's now bring in Joseph Yun, a CNN global affairs analyst and a former U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, live in Singapore.

It's a pleasure to have you on the show. Before we get into the details of it, the nitty-gritty, as we say here in the States, let's talk about the importance, the significance of this moment in Singapore. The leader of North Korea traveling beyond more familiar turf of South Korea, of China into Singapore, meeting with the U.S. president.

Given the history between these two nations, how big of a moment is this?

JOSEPH YUN, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Thank you, George. Good to be here.

I think it's a huge moment. I think Nic was right. Whatever happens here, it will go down in history.

Now we must remember that this problem, the whole problem of nuclear North Korea, has been with us for 24 years. So it's a significant moment, in which the leaders for the first time are getting together.

Remember, in every negotiations we have had before, it's been underlings, someone like me, someone else. But it's always been an underling. But now we are getting leaders together.

And that is a huge significance in the fact that leaders from the United States and North Korea are getting together to see how far they can get to an intractable solution, intractable problem that's been with us for decades -- George.

HOWELL: President Trump says, for him, this will be more about feeling, about attitude and really his instinct.

How does instinct play into something like this?

YUN: Well, I think as you can see, the U.S. administration position has changed incredibly over the past two weeks. Now as you say, President Trump is saying it's about getting to know them, you know, taking the first step. Process, progress are the keywords now.

It wasn't so two weeks ago; if you remember, Vice President Pence and national security adviser Bolton talking about it, it was going to be a big bang thing, one-go thing.

No. That is gone.

And so I would pose to you that this is very much according to the script North Koreans have put forward. They want to go slow. They're not so sure that this is a good step, that they feel the need to take this step.

So I think in that sense President Trump is being matching their expectations so whatever comes out, he can say, we have taken the first step.

And I think that was the point Nic tried to make a few minutes ago.

HOWELL: I want to key in on this image that we received, the first image of Kim Jong-un on the ground, when he was meeting with the minister of foreign affairs there in Singapore.

When you saw this image, what did you take from it?

YUN: I think it is great having this in Singapore. I'm reminded, about a week ago, 10 days ago, when Secretary Pompeo showed North Korean security general Kim Yong-chol, the kind of looking at Manhattan and saying, almost saying, well, this could be you.

Well, not quite. But you look at Singapore. You look at where I'm looking, and you see this is a city. That's happened within the last few decades. It's a global city. It has opened up. It has neighbors, giant neighbors, like Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia.

Yet this island has prospered. So maybe, maybe, just maybe, this is a better model for North Korea than New York. And you remember, they know something about dynasty, also in Singapore. We had Lee Kuan Yew, the really strong leader, now his son, Lee Hsien Loong. And same with North Korea, with a very strong leader in Kim Il-sung, now his grandson, Kim Jong-un.

So I think rather than New York, maybe it's wise to look at Singapore.

HOWELL: Joseph Yun, we appreciate your time and perspective today as we continue to monitor images coming out of Singapore. We'll stay in touch with you. Thank you.

Again, President Trump is due to arrive in Singapore in the coming hours. But he leaves a lot behind, a lot of confusion in Canada, after he backed out of the G7 formal communique and now a trade war seems all the more likely.

[04:15:00]

HOWELL: America's allies had hoped their summit would ease tensions over U.S. tariffs but that was not the case. Nothing was resolved and the summit ended in disarray. By all accounts the U.S. president didn't even want to be there.

Take a look at this video here, where you see the president arriving late for the summit and he showed up late for breakfast the next morning.

During the meetings, the other members lobbied hard for Mr. Trump to change course on his trade policies and optics are important, as told by two photos. This is the first of two. The official White House photo, it seems people are happy, smiling there, an amicable atmosphere.

Compare that to this, a very different photo there. This released by the press secretary for Germany's Angela Merkel. Look at the body language there, leaning in to the crossed-arm President Trump. The U.S. leader summed it up this way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I will say it was not contentious. What was strong was the language that this cannot go on. But the relationships are very good, whether it be President Macron or with Justin. We had -- Justin did a really good job.

I think the relationships were outstanding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Remember that statement, Justin did a very good job, OK. because in contrast, here's how President Trump described trade relationships with these same countries.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It's going to change. It's going to change. It's not a question of I hope it changes. It's going to change 100 percent. And tariffs are going to come way down because we -- people cannot continue to do that. We're like the piggy bank that everybody's robbing. And that ends.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: OK, so a positive statement about the overall meeting, disagreement on tariffs. Then President Trump departed for Singapore, where, again, he is set to meet with the North Korean leader.

At this point, things are going just fine. All the other G7 members, they believe the U.S. was on board with the group's joint communique but then this happened.

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JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: It would be with regret but it would be with absolute certainty and firmness that we move forward with retaliatory measures on July 1st, applying equivalent tariffs to the ones that the Americans have unjustly applied to us.

I have made it very clear to the president that it is not something we relish doing. But it is something that we absolutely will do because Canadians, we are polite, we're reasonable but we also will not be pushed around.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Remember, he complimented Trudeau earlier. But after he found out about that, the president -- U.S. president fired off this angry tweet, backing out of the communique. And then he sent another tweet, calling Mr. Trudeau, "meek, weak and dishonest."

Mr. Trudeau's office responded, "The Prime Minister said nothing he hasn't said before, both in public and in private conversations with the president." A lot to talk about here for sure. Let's bring in Leslie Vinjamuri. Leslie is the head of the U.S. and Americas program at the Chatham House.

It's going to have you to sort all of this out, Leslie. I don't know where to start.

LESLIE VINJAMURI, SOAS, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON: Hi, George.

HOWELL: Obviously Mr. Trump en route to Singapore. But surely his counterparts in the G7 not singing his praises. These American allies now looking more likely to face off in a trade war.

Where do you see things going from here?

VINJAMURI: I think it's very difficult and undoubtedly the Europeans and the Canadians that were at that meeting will be thinking very hard about how to respond, whether to take a hard line, to issue those retaliatory tariffs or whether to try and deescalate and defuse.

And, of course, there's a concern that hard line might result in even further tariffs from the United States president and a trade war. So it is a very tricky calculation. It wasn't a good meeting in the end.

Even prior to that, that tweet after he had left, of course, the president had refused to have certain language that historically America's been very committed to, a rules-based international order, was not going to be in that communique because there was resistance on the part of the United States.

This is a very significant departure from the approach that America has been taking for many decades. And it clearly has not gone unnoticed.

HOWELL: Leslie, optics clearly important from the G7. So there was that moment, where the president arrived late. People surely took notice of that. And then there were two images, of the U.S. president meeting with other leaders, standing together. Everything seemed fine, amicable.

And then the second image, this other image we showed earlier, released by Germany, showing Angela Merkel with other leaders, looking directly at Mr. Trump. He seems to be the odd man out there.

Your thoughts?

[04:20:00]

VINJAMURI: That is quite a photo. It was all over Twitter last night.

Yes, absolutely. This is Germany and Europe trying to say, we will hold firm. As you said, the optics are critical. That was a photo that was released in order to demonstrate that Europe will not back down.

But the question still is, what will that response be?

Is there a concern, will there be a concern on the part of the Europeans that this could not only lead to a greater trade war but could have repercussions on the security side?

It is a very delicate thing here. And Europe is, unfortunately, in a very weak position. One has to remember that President Trump domestically is also in a weak position. His party does not support the stance that he's taking on trade. The American public has been in support of strong and stable trading relationships.

So there's a lot of dissent domestically. Nonetheless, it is difficult. Europe wants to project that image of strength but it's very difficult for them to unite on it, on a tough stance against this American president.

HOWELL: There was also a tweet from the U.S. senator John McCain in support of American allies at the G7. I would like to bring that tweet up if we have it.

Basically saying this, "To our allies, bipartisan majorities of Americans remain pro-free trade, pro-globalize and supportive of alliances, based on 70 years of shared values."

The Arizona senator tweeted, "Americans stand with you even if our president doesn't."

Leslie, what value does that statement have with these other leaders that are scratching their heads?

VINJAMURI: I think it's very difficult. Undoubtedly it's the case that across the United States, there are plenty of individuals, groups, forces, in support of free trade and trying to maintain America's position and to strengthen that relationship with its allies.

But ultimately the decisions that are being made on trade are coming from the president, from the White House and America's strongest partners. Its strongest partners historically have to deal with that reality. It is very difficult to say, well, yes.

But the rest of America might think differently when you're faced with steel tariffs, aluminum tariffs and potentially others. Unfortunately, the message might be significant that McCain has put out there. I think it is significant. But the reality is very different.

HOWELL: Leslie, thank you so much for your time and perspective. We'll stay in touch with you.

VINJAMURI: Thank you.

HOWELL: The latest on another summit of world leaders in China. We have a live report ahead. A lot happens this day. Stay with us.

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HOWELL: It is a week of summits. We've been covering a lot of summits. But this one is not the G7, this one is not the upcoming U.S.-North Korea summit. This is the summit in China that just wrapped up of world leaders. Top officials from Iran, Russia and India attended there in China. This happened in the city of Qingdao and Matt Rivers is following the story live for us.

Matt, compared to what we talked about with the G7, the optics from that summit, certainly a different story coming out of China.

Matt Rivers Yes, a big difference. You didn't see any of the discord here at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as it is known, that you saw at the G7 between the United States and its traditional European allies.

Here in Qingdao, frankly, you had a rather run-of-the-mill summit, pretty boring; not a ton of news, headlines that were made in terms of those big, splashy headlines. You had a lot of smiles, a lot of handshakes. But none of the discord.

Now we did get a quick press conference that only given limited access with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and one thing that we did hear in that press conference that he mentioned that was newsworthy was that he wants to meet one-on-one with U.S. president Donald Trump to avoid the issue that he talked about, which would be the prevention of a potential arms race between the United States and China, the Russian president saying that the U.S. president in their most recent phone call, brought up that issue, talked about how dangerous it could be for both countries.

So Vladimir Putin wants the ministries of foreign affairs in both countries to get together and set up some sort of one-on-one meeting.

And that's the big takeaway there, George. What we were hoping to hear from the Russian president was anything about the North Korea summit. That's scheduled for just a couple of days.

We know that Russia and China wanted to talk about that summit while they were here. We presumed that they did, given that both sides have strategic interests on the Korean Peninsula. Both sides traditionally have been more supportive of North Korea than the countries on the other side of the equation.

The United States, Japan, South Korea, we didn't hear anything specific from the Russian president on that. But this summit would have been a very good opportunity for both of those countries to get on the same page in terms of how those negotiations are going to play out -- George. HOWELL: All right, Matt Rivers at the summit that seemed to flow pretty smoothly, we appreciate your time. We'll stay in touch with you.

Kim Jong-un doesn't talk to reporters, doesn't use social media but we'll take a look at how Kim Jong-un uses propaganda instead. Stay with us.

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[04:30:00]

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HOWELL: Welcome back to viewers here in the United States and around the world, following the breaking news this past hour in Singapore.

You see the leader of North Korea there, Kim Jong-un, who has arrived there in Singapore ahead of this historic summit with the U.S. president, Donald Trump. Singapore's foreign minister in this picture greeting him at the airport.

Then amid heavy security, Kim and his motorcade left the airport, arriving moments later at The St. Regis hotel.

President Trump is on his way to Singapore. In a tweet from Air Force One, Mr. Trump said he has a feeling, "This one-time opportunity will not be wasted." The two leaders will meet face to face on Tuesday.

President Trump and Kim Jong-un have come a long way from trading insults, like "Little Rocket Man" and "deranged dotard." In the leadup to this summit, rhetoric has softened. Will Ripley takes a look inside North Korea's propaganda machine.

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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Can you really have a transformation?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you want to know what President Trump wants from Kim Jong-un on Tuesday, he'll tell you.

TRUMP: This is the whole key to what we're doing on denuclearization.

RIPLEY: Or he'll tweet it.

But North Korea's supreme leader doesn't stop for journalists or use social media.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

RIPLEY: So to get a sense of what Kim Jong-un is thinking, the best bet is to look at what his government is telling its people. Propaganda sets the tone for the entire country and the message is changing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

RIPLEY: I've been to North Korea almost 20 times and I can tell you people there have always treated me with respect.

RIPLEY (voice-over): But for more than 60 years, since the brutal Korean War, America has been public-enemy number-one, a narrative constantly reinforced by the North Korean government.

RIPLEY: What if I told you I'm an American? Do you want to shoot me, too?

UNIDENTIFIED NORTH KOREAN BOY (through translator): Yes. Yes.

RIPLEY (voice-over): North Koreans have almost no Internet access. State broadcasters don't run all day, even if there's enough electricity to turn on the TV.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking foreign language).

RIPLEY: So that makes posters like these a highly effective way for the government to communicate and the best way for us to track Pyongyang's priorities.

This year, as Kim Jong-un has been on a diplomatic charm offensive, government propaganda has lightened up a lot.

Posters like these are popping up in Pyongyang, telling people --

[04:35:00]

RIPLEY (voice-over): -- to believe in a newfound peace on the Korean peninsula.

The colors have meaning, too. Blue and green indicating peace, harmony, integrity. The gold stands for prosperity and glory. These new posters don't feature any red or black, colors of war and aggression, used on the ones like I saw all over North Korea last year.

I've had the chance to ask North Koreans what they think. With government guides always nearby, their answers always seem to echo state propaganda.

So if you're wondering whether North Koreans will change their minds about Americans after Kim meets Trump in Singapore, look for propaganda that paints old enemies in an entirely new light -- Will Ripley, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Let's discuss this more now; President Trump's meeting with North Korean leader, with Daniel Pinkston, joining from Seoul, South Korea. Daniel a professor of international relations at Troy University, good to have you here on this show at this hour. Let's talk about the transition of propaganda or the evolution of

images of North Korea and its leader, just a year ago, fiery rhetoric and threats seemed to be the norm and the image of its, mysterious. But now the rhetoric seems to have cooled, seems to be open to conversation and the leader of North Korea, smiling and shaking hands. Very different.

DANIEL PINKSTON, TROY UNIVERSITY: Yes. The media carries the party message, all of the media messaging, whether broadcast media or print media, it's drafted and disseminated by the Korean Workers' Party, in particular the Department of Propaganda and Agitation.

And Kim Yo-jong, who is Kim Jong-un's younger sister, she apparently is running that department now. So it's very disciplined in how it reflects party, the party lines. There is no alternative voices or dissent that's expressed in the media.

So if you look at that you will get a good idea of what the party is trying to disseminate to the people and what's important to the party.

HOWELL: You know, how do you believe that new message is being received in North Korea, just given decade after decade after decade of a pretty predictable message?

PINKSTON: I think this is predictable as well. I think it reflects their confidence in having completed their nuclear development program as they say.

So they believe that strength and security comes through force or military capabilities. So now they believe that they can interact with the rest of the world on an equal basis or as a peer nuclear state.

So this is something that North Korean leaders have wanted to have for decades. Now I believe that the state media in the coming days and weeks will depict this as a success and a validation of their nuclear program, their strengths and great achievements in science and technology, ballistic missiles, space launch vehicles and nuclear weapons have forced the American leader to come sit as an equal with Kim.

So they will spin this as being a very prestigious event, reflecting upon the great glory of the Korean Workers' Party and the Kim family.

HOWELL: But for nations around the world that have viewed North Korea as a pariah nation, what are leaders to make of this about-face, these new images from North Korea?

Are they to believe that this is the new course that North Korea plans to take?

Or is this something that, as critics say, is not to be trusted, that something that could in fact turn on a dime?

PINKSTON: Only time will tell. There are optimists and pessimists on this summit an on the path forward. Some people believe that North Korea's changed and that Kim Jong-un is clearly different and that he is going to take North Korea onto a different path that's more cooperative, less belligerent and willing to embark upon arms control and security cooperation.

Others believe it will be a more contentious path but nevertheless could be manageable. Pessimists believe that this will come unraveled at some point, that this is a scam by North Korea to buy time and they would never relinquish their nuclear weapons.

So we'll just have to see how this goes and whichever trajectory this takes, we have to be prepared with the right policy mix to respond.

HOWELL: Thank you so much for your perspective on this. And as the U.S. president says, we'll just have to wait and see, I suppose.

Daniel Pinkston, live for us in Seoul, South Korea --

[04:40:00]

HOWELL: -- thank you.

An American steel town is cashing in on President Trump's tariffs.

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MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In President Trump's growing trade war, Granite City's a winner. But it wasn't always. In 2015, U.S. Steel shut down the mill, blaming depressed steel prices and unfairly traded imports. Almost overnight, close to 2,000 people lost their jobs.

HOWELL (voice-over): And that's just a bit of our Martin Savidge's story. We'll have that ahead for you as NEWSROOM pushes ahead.

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HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell.

A steel plant in the U.S. state of Illinois is back in business. This thanks, in part, to President Trump's tariffs on steel imports. But when you ask people in the Granite City if the president should get all of the credit, well, the answer is a bit complicated there, as our Martin Savidge shows us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE (voice-over): In Granite City, Illinois, this sign says it all. The U.S. Steel plant's back in business and folks couldn't be happier.

SAVIDGE: How does it feel to be back at work?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Feels good. Real good.

SAVIDGE: What's it like to be back at work?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's absolutely awesome.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): In President Trump's growing trade war, Granite City's a winner. But it wasn't always. In 2015, U.S. Steel shut down the mill, blaming depressed steel prices and unfairly traded imports. Almost overnight, close to 2,000 people lost their jobs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was devastating. Every store you went in, every restaurant you went in, people were saying, have you heard anything?

Are they doing anything?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Daily somebody was coming in and reaching out for some type of help to either try to save, you know, a house, a car, pay some bills.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Many believe that's why, in 2016, Granite City and Madison County, traditionally Democratic-leaning, voted 54 percent for Donald Trump, a vote that paid off this past March, when Trump ordered a 25 percent tariff on imported steel.

[04:45:00]

TRUMP: We just want fairness.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): That same month, U.S. Steel announced it was firing Granite City back up, praising Trump.

"The president's strong leadership is needed to begin to level the playing field so companies like ours can compete."

And just Tuesday, U.S. Steel announced it was adding more capacity and jobs in Granite City. By October, the plant should be fully operational, providing 1,500 jobs, paying on average $55,000 a year.

When I asked if Trump gets all the credit, things get a bit awkward.

SAVIDGE: The President of the United States certainly would say he gets the credit.

Is Donald Trump wrong?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would say that he gets some of the credit. But I'm not going to look past all the hard work that our International United Steel Workers has done.

SAVIDGE: If I were to ask you who gets the credit for this turnaround, what do you say?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would say that it's a culmination of people. SAVIDGE (voice-over): It's not the only debate. Industry experts say Trump's actions are making steel more expensive. Steel prices are up almost 38 percent this year and more than 13 percent since March. That hurts U.S. automakers and heavy equipment manufacturers.

And an angry Europe is threatening retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products, like Harley-Davidson motorbikes, Bourbon, even Levi's jeans, which could bring economic hardship to other towns in Wisconsin, Tennessee and California.

SAVIDGE: Your community benefits.

Does it ever cross your mind that there could be others that don't?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, and I hope they don't have to go through what we did.

SAVIDGE: There's no question the return of this plant really is good news here. As for the concern about a trade war and the negative impact it could have elsewhere, many people here think that's being overstated. And about the cost or increased cost of steel, union leaders here say it will add about $100 to the cost of each new car, which they don't think is too much to pay for solid middle-class wages that will support not just a family but, they say, an entire whole town -- Martin Savidge, CNN, Granite City, Illinois.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Martin, thank you for the report.

I want to tell you about a rapidly spreading wildfire across parts of Southern Colorado. It's being pushed along by very strong winds. So far it has forced the evacuation of more than 1,300 homes and officials say the weather over the coming days is only going to make the fire worse.

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[04:50:00]

HOWELL: Still ahead, a celebration fit for a queen, the details ahead of the colorful birthday tradition in the U.K. Stay with us.

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HOWELL: All right and here it is. The moment Justify galloped into history. The chestnut colt dominated the Belmont Stakes to become the 13th Triple Crown winner. And his rider, 52-year-old Mike Smith, is now the oldest jockey to achieve that feat. Justify's trainer, Bob Baffert, is no stranger to the Triple Crown title. He also trained American Pharaoh, who won all three Triple Crown races back in 2015, wow.

On Saturday, the queen officially celebrated her 92rd birthday with the --

[04:55:00]

HOWELL: -- annual Trooping the Colour parade in the United Kingdom. Nearly the whole royal family joined in, including the newest family of the member, who, some say, stole the show. CNN's Nina dos Santos was there for the big day and has all the details for us.

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NINA DOS SANTOS, CNNMONEY EUROPE EDITOR: Meghan Markle took part in her first major royal engagement just three weeks after tying the knot with her new husband, Prince Harry. This ceremony was the Trooping of the Colour.

Since 1748, U.K. monarchs have had two birthday celebrations, one unofficial and one official. The queen turned 92 in April but this was the official ceremony to mark her birthday, the so-called Trooping of the Colour is actually an opportunity for the sovereign to inspect her troops.

More than 1,000 soldiers took part in this event, 200 expert cavalry men and about 400 soldiers as part of the marching band as well.

One of the highlights of the day was when the royal family gathered upon the balance of Buckingham Palace to wave to the crowds but also to inspect the fly-by of Lancaster bombers, helicopters, fighter jets and also those famous RAF Red Arrows as they flew by with their characteristic trails of red, white and blue smoke.

Just as there was one new member of the royal family present at the celebrations in the form of the new Duchess of Sussex, there was also somebody who was noticeably absent. The queen traveled back and forth from the palace to Horse Guards parade on her own because the Duke of Edinburgh, who will turn 97 on Sunday, has retired from royal duties -- Nina dos Santos, CNN, outside Buckingham Palace in London.

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HOWELL: Nina dos Santos, thank you.

Again, CNN, following the breaking news this hour. Kim Jong-un has arrived in Singapore. We'll have more at the top of the hour. Stay with us.