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Hala Gorani Tonight
Britain's Labour Party in Favor of Public Vote; Theresa May Says A Deal Is in Our Grasp; Trump and North Korea's Kim Resume Denuclearization Talks; Trump Says We Are Going to Have A Signing Summit with China; Markets Rally on Trade Deal Hopes; More Than 150 Venezuelan Security Forces Defect to Columbia. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired February 25, 2019 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00] HALA GORANI, CNN HOST: Hello everyone, live from CNN London on this Monday, I'm Hala Gorani. Tonight, a huge move on Brexit, the
opposition Labour Party is prepared to back a second referendum. We will have the full story.
Also, tonight Hanoi awaits, Trump is heading to Vietnam for a high-stakes negotiation with Kim Jong-un. A foldable phone at an eye watering price.
We're live at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as Huawei unveils its newest $2600 gadget.
In the last hour, the U.K.'s Labour party has said it is in favor of a second referendum to stop what it calls a damaging Brexit. Big
developments this evening. It comes just 32 days before the U.K. is scheduled to leave the European Union. There are growing calls for that
March 29 date to be delayed. Those calls are coming from all sides now, including from Theresa May's own party. In fact, including from her own
cabinet. The British Prime Minister is refusing to budge, though. It's a position which is clearly at odds with the EU
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THERESA MAY, PRIME MINISTER, UK: We have it within our grasp, as I just said, I've had a real sense from the meetings I've had here, conversations
I've had with EU leaders in recent days. A real sense that we can achieve that deal. It's within our grasp to leave with a deal on the 29th of
March.
DONALD TUSK, PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL: The last time -- the 29th of March, the greater the likelihood of an extension. It is an objective
fact, not our intention, not our plan, but an objective fact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, Bianca Nobilo is here with me, Erin joins me from Brussels. Let's start, Bianca, with this announcement from the Labour party that they
are prepared to back another referendum. This is a pretty big development. They have not gone this far before.
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is. And the People's Vote Campaign, the people who have been pushing for this second referendum
for many months now have said -- admitted basically that unless the official opposition backs it, they've got no chance of really making it
happen. So, if the party really gets behind it, if Jeremy Corbyn and his shadow cabinet support this , it does give huge momentum to the cause. If
we look at what they said, it was the Labour Party's conference motion if they couldn't obtain a general election which they haven't been able to do,
they will pursue all other alternatives on Brexit, including a second referendum.
GORANI: This is quite significant. The fact they are verbalizing it now, in quite a clear way. And there are reports that Theresa May is
considering a plan to delay Brexit by up to two months.
NOBILO: There have been. And she was quite strong in her denial of this today. She said on many occasions, delaying simply doesn't solve the
issue. It just kicks the can down the road, it doesn't resolve anything. The people I speak to in Parliament and government who are concerned want
to delay, want to avoid that cliff edge Brexit. That's why most people --
GORANI: And you have very high profile names backing that idea as well. And Erin McLaughlin, you're in Brussels. Would the EU be prepared to allow
for this delay of Brexit if the U.K. requests it?
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, LONDON BUREAU: Well, I think they absolutely would be prepared to allow for a Brexit delay. In
fact, according to an EU diplomat, I'm told that they are now preparing or focusing on two main possibilities. The first one he called the easy
option, which is that Theresa May's deal makes it through Westminster. And that the EU would be prepared to allow a technical extension to allow the
completion of the ratification process. The other scenario, which is much more complicated, is if she's unable to get this deal through Parliament,
what could then n fact, happen next? They're looking at the possibility of a much longer extension. But another diplomat I've been talking to has
been cautioning me. He said in order for an extension to be granted, it has to be requested. And at this point, from his view, Theresa May is
playing a very dangerous game of running the clock.
[14:05:00] GORANI: Yes, and also, Bianca, importantly, the status quo is that the U.K., if nothing happens, if all else remains equal, there is a
law in the books in this country, which is -- which states that the U.K. leaves the EU on March 29th at 11:00 P.M. British time. Something needs
to change for that not to happen.
NOBILO: It does. That is the default option. It would require another statute to be passed. There have been several instances lately where
Parliamentary convention has been completely broken. These are conventions that have taken centuries to get to where they are now, and they've been
turned on their head. And the Speaker John Bercow has something to do with that as well, and he's given oxygen to those who want to see potential
delays and an overturning of the result. This is why there have been accusations of European leaders that the Prime Minister is sleeping --
sleep walking into Brexit.
GORANI: What she wants to do presumably is appear to say, look, we're going to get to the wire where there is no request for a delay. And where
there is no other option than voting for my deal or you fall off the edge. That could be a strategy.
NOBILO: That is the strategy that downing street had been pushing for many months now, to present -- exactly, very dangerous strategy to present them
with no deal or her deal. But that is what Parliament is seemingly being presented with. And the MPs I've been speaking to are seeking some sort of
evidence from the Prime Minister that she has at least got some evidence of progress. They don't want to feel that all along she was going to present
with her deal or no deal. They want evidence she's gone back to the EU and tried to get those reassurances on the backstop that they've been pushing
for in order to nullify them. Otherwise they feel they are forced into this binary decision where the future of the United Kingdom is at stake.
GORANI: Thank you very much, both of you. We'll be talking about this all week I'm sure. This is shaping up to be a major week for Donald Trump's
presidency. Just a short time ago, he left for Vietnam where he will have two days of talks with Korea's Kim Jong-un. On Tuesday, his plan to use
emergency funds to build a border wall with Mexico will face a vote in the House, though it is not clear whether the House can stop the emergency
declaration. And later this week, the President's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, will testify to Congress about what he knows about the Trump
campaign. As for the President, he seems focused or at least says that he's focused on the Korea summit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Right after this meeting, I leave for Vietnam where I meet with Chairman Kim and we talk about
something that, frankly, he never spoke to anybody about, but we're speaking loud and I think we can have a very good summit. I think we'll
have a tremendous summit. We want denuclearization.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: The two leaders are traveling to the summit in two very different ways, it has to be said. Mr. Trump is, of course, flying aboard Air Force
One. Mr. Kim is taking a special armored train which can go faster than 80 kilometers an hour. So obviously in order to make it to Hanoi, he had to
leave a few days ago. Let's bring in CNN White House reporter Sarah Westwood. Sarah, first of all, what are the expectations for this summit?
Because there's been a meeting between the two leaders before. It really amounted in the end to words without actionable and verifiable
denuclearization by North Korea.
SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's exactly right, Hala. The administration is saying these second round of talks with Kim Jong-un and
other North Korean officials will be an attempt to put meat on the bones for what they laid in Singapore. They want to have substantive talks.
Administration officials say one of the main goals of the second summit is to engage North Korea. The Trump wants to see some sort of clear
verifiable step toward denuclearization. But the White House has also been very coy about what kind of concessions they are looking for from North
Korea. What would qualify as that verifiable step toward denuclearization. Hala, there doesn't seem to be a common definition of denuclearization
among administration officials and with the North Koreans.
GORANI: And let's talk a little about this week and the lead in to you, Sarah. I discussed all these issues that the President could have to face,
including testimony by Michael Cohen, his former personal attorney.
WESTWOOD: That's right. We're going to see an incredible split screen on Wednesday. That's the day that President Trump has his one on one face-to-
face meeting with Kim Jong-un in Hanoi and the day that Michael Cohen testifies publicly before the House Government Oversight And Reform
Committee. That is going to be a consequential day for the Trump administration. There is a lot going on for the President's foreign policy
and domestic agenda. You also have House Democrats moving forward tomorrow with a vote to block the President's emergency declaration to try to build
his wall.
[14:10:08] You have those three different testimonies that Michael Cohen is going to give. This is all coming against the backdrop of the looming
completion of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe. That is not expected to wrap up this week, but it is coming soon, and this is all taking points
as President Trump is trying to focus on his diplomacy efforts in Vietnam.
GORANI: Could you explain to our international viewers, the President declaring this national emergency, what is the immediate implication of
that? Are funds unblocked right away? You mentioned that Congress could be voting against this declaration. Could you expand on those concepts?
WESTWOOD: That's right. Well, Hala, so this national emergency declaration will allow the President to access several different funding
sources for the wall, some of which he will be able to get his hands on sooner than others. House Democrats are moving forward with what is called
a resolution of disapproval, a bill that would prevent the President from using this emergency declaration. That is expected to pass the House
easily. Its fate in the Senate is unknown, but President Trump has already said he would veto that if it reaches his desk. So there is really some
hurdles for Congress being able to block the emergency declaration.
GORANI: All right. And we'll be discussing a little bit later in the program as well some ex-national security officials are coming out and
taking a position against using a national emergency declaration of a national merge sill to fund this border wall. Thanks very much, Sarah
Westwood, is at the White House.
One of the other big topics of concern, of discussion for the President and this administration is the China trade tariff question. World markets are
seeing a bump because President Trump has boosted hopes of reaching a trade deal with China. He's putting those tariff hikes that he promised on hold.
They were set to go into effect on Friday in just a few days. Here's a live look at the Dow. While there's nothing to write home about, we're in
positive territory. Up 141 points this session. No market shot up like China's shanghai composite which saw its best day in more than three years,
5.6 percent. Mr. Trump is keeping that optimism alive. He is describing his next meeting with the Chinese President as a "signing summit.:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Tell you how well we did with our trade talks in China, and it looks like they'll be coming back
quickly again and we're going to have another summit. We're going to have a signing summit which is even better. Hopefully we can get that
completed. But we are getting very, very close.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: That was the U.S. President there discussing the possibility of reaching a deal with China over tariffs. Richard Quest who is here in
London, host of "Quest Means Business" at the top of the hour. We saw the shanghai composite jump up more than 5.5 percent. Are they right,
investors, to be optimistic about a deal?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST OF "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": A deal, yes. What sort of deal no one knows. And the reason I think that the U.S. markets have
not responded in anything like the same verve and enthusiasm is because a lot of it is priced in. If you look at where the market has rallied since
January, we are in a 3 to 4 percent all-time high on the Dow. All in all, the market is basically -- the U.S. market is saying for the time being
we've priced in. Now, if the deal happens and suddenly these are the details, and it is a real, real, Hala change in shift of policy from the
Chinese, then I think you see the U.S. markets move
GORANI: Is it because they believe Mr. Trump is bluffing, that the tariffs will be put in place when in fact it's just a bargaining place?
QUEST: No, I think the tariffs will be put in place if he doesn't get a deal. He's a man of his word. I'll buy you off by buying more of your
goods. Or it seems like the administration is saying, no, there has to be root and branch where we do business with you. That seems to be the sort
of deal and only deal Trump will accept. But when we see the final deal, then we'll know -- what is the final expectation in terms of what a deal
looks like?
GORANI: A halfway House. That's not exciting. It could be more than this. I think it could be more than this, more than that and Chinese will
give an inkling they are ready to start changing procurement, intellectual, controls protections, and maybe even opening up some sensitive parts of the
Chinese economy. If they give a scintilla of that, I think that is going to be enough for the U.S. to say we've opened the door.
[14:15:05] GORANI: Are U.S. corporations in agreement with Trump that the U.S. had a bad deal in place with China?
QUEST: Oh, some are, some aren't.
GORANI: Because he loves portraying the U.S. as a big victim, the worldwide conspiracy to rip the Americans off. America is still the most
powerful, most influential economy in the world. China has a long way to go.
QUEST: If you look at a trade imbalance and deficit, no, Americans companies wouldn't agree. The American companies would say it's unfair the
way there is such trading. If you take the larger picture of all these other things, yes.
GORANI: But that trade I have balance exists because Chinese goods are sold in the U.S. it's a simplified way to look at the things and the number
is balanced.
QUEST: It's a meaningless number all its own despite the President's attempt to use that as the barometer.
GORANI: The big issue is the United States us dead and how much is held by China. China is lending money. So that's another issue that could be
factored in. Love discussing those things with you. What's your lead?
QUEST: China.
GORANI: Are you disappointed? Not at all. I thought you'd do the $3,000 foldable phone.
QUEST: Would you buy it?
GORANI: Absolutely not.
QUEST: I don't believe you for a moment.
GORANI: Not at all. I am not at all the type of person who likes to upgrade maniacally. If I had my way, I'd go back to the '90s and keep my
giant brick Nokia and keep it for three years. I don't know, it's too much, too much hyper --
QUEST: So sorry I started.
GORANI: I'm so sorry. See you at the top of the hour.
We're back here with news from Venezuela after a weekend of violence and humanitarian aid. We ask, what is next for the opposition in that country?
Also, ahead, we visit Europe's largest port, which is warning of unrest even, and insecurity in the event of a no deal Brexit. We'll be right
back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:03] GORANI: I want to turn now to the crisis in Venezuela. There is movement today on two fronts. First, news that could impact the balance
of political power. That's because more than 150 Venezuelan security forces have defected, according to Colombia's customs agency. Also, the
opposition got a boost in the diplomatic arena with a visit by the American Vice-President, Mike Pence condemned the violent clashes that broke out
along Venezuela's border with Colombia over the weekend. He laid the blame surprisingly squarely on the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What we've seen in the last two days wasn't a bold stroke by a triumphant leader. It was the
desperate act of a tyrant clinging to power with violence and intimidation. Our efforts to date will not only continue, they will be increased.
Despite Maduro's brutality, we will press on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, Mike Pence arrived in the region after that incredibly dramatic situation on the border. Take a look at this scene from this past
weekend in case you missed it. You can see black smoke rising above aid trucks set on fire. The opposition leader Juan Guaido says it's sadistic
for the humanitarian supplies to burn. People in Venezuela are indeed desperate for food, medicine and other basic necessities. But President
Nicolas Maduro has blocked the aid from entering the country. He sees it as a way for the United States to force its way in and allies to force
their way in. Mike Pence said they will take further action against the Venezuelan leadership including sanction. Nick joins us from Bogota. Are
supporters by and large happy that Mike Pence is meeting with their leader Guaido? Do they want Mike Pence's involvement in this?
NICK PATON WALSH, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the opposition figures you normally speak to don't have a problem with the way
the Americans are lending them support. I think there is obviously concern if that turns into military intervention of some description.
You can look at this weekend's scenes of violence and the five dead and 300 injured as an astounding failure or success, depending how cynical you are.
The failure was to get the humanitarian aid in. They had hoped the opposition, when they sent those convoys, they'd melt away. We saw in a
couple of instances Venezuelan soldiers giving themselves up. A total of over 160 have done that since this weekend. That is a slow erosion,
perhaps, of their cohesion. But the success if you're cynical over the weekend, is images of Maduro being willing to use any kind of brutality to
stop the aid getting in, providing the backdrop they need. today where we heard more measures against Maduro, sanctions against regional governors
who support him, possibly more later in the week and travel bans on Maduro officials.
Nothing earth shattering, but certainly so solidarity along with leaders next to Juan Guaido.
GORANI: what's the next step for those who want Maduro out? How far is the United States prepared to go? How far are regional leaders prepared to
go?
WALSH: This is a question I think nobody really has a concrete answer to. It's clear the Americans want to leave the idea that military forces
available to them on the table. They have seen in the past taken off the table as a bargaining mistake. There's no sign that's imminent at all. We
may possibly see in the weeks ahead that Army defectors from the Venezuelan military might get some sort of backing somewhere in the region.
We're seeing U.S. military reconnaissance flights on the coast line. We're hearing from my colleague Barbara Starr in the Pentagon. But there is no
military plan obviously in the footing, more sanctions I think we expect.
The big question, Hala, nobody can answer, the opposition leader is Syrian Colombia and has left Venezuela. Does he try to go back? Does he try to
go back to the country he says he is President of and try and control the levers of power? He may risk of ask if he does that. Or stay as a leader
in exile here in Columbia shoring up international support? That's the question ahead of the days ahead without a doubt.
GORANI: By leaving Venezuela, Juan Guaido took a big risk there. As you mentioned this is the big question. Will he try to go back? What did Mike
pence tell Juan Guaido -- what did he promise them in terms of how the United States would help them become the President of Venezuela?
WALSH: Mike Pence said they are 100 percent behind Juan Guaido. Many are 100 percent behind them, found out a couple weeks later. It does appear
the Trump administration feels the bit between their teeth here. With the sanction and slow erosion, another attempt to get military aid in the
country to unseat Maduro. There is no next step for humanitarian aids to sign again. If these military actions keep up, we should keep things in
that area. It was all about political unity. Juan Guaido has to make a decision. Stay here and stay on the international track or go back and be
the interim President, self declared, of Venezuela, Hala?
GORANI: What would be if he goes back and is arrested or put in prison, what would then happen to the opposition movement inside Venezuela?
WALSH: Well, you're not going to get rid of the opposition movement by putting one man in. They tried that before. Really, the debate is among
activist if that arrest occurs, which some people think is a possibility or be an enormous difficulty I think after the last weekend for Nicolas Maduro
to allow Juan Guaido to freely roam around Caracas
[14:25:00] Given the sort of basic step he made, define the travel ban and trying to get aid in. If Guaido is arrested then you would probably see
some enormous international reaction as a response. It may cause people out on the streets.
Remember, just over a month ago, he was briefly arrested for matter of hours, and they took the pictures, so they released him very quickly
because of the pictures on social media trying to say the whole thing had been a mistake.
Things have changed massively since and, we are into a new potentially more violent and reckless phase here. It is Guaido's choice whether goes back
in and makes that risk of stays out here and shows international support. Hala?
GORANI: Nick Paton Walsh, thank you for the comprehensive report of what is going on inside and outside Venezuela. Mike Pence paying a visit to
Juan Guaido, the opposition leader, promising to be behind him or back him 100 percent.
Speaking of leaders visiting other leaders, the Syrian President Bashar Al- Assad, does not make many trips outside of his country. On Monday he visited Iran to meet with the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in
Tehran.
Iran has been Syria's closest ally in the region and has fighters in the country to help the regime out. It is Mr. Assad's first visit to Iran
since the Syrian conflict started eight years ago, and there he is embracing the Supreme Leader.
Still to come tonight, Brexit is just over a month away, but the chaos surrounding the deal or lack of one shows no sign of easing. Theresa May
insists the deal is within reach. Do the people believe her? We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: The deadline for Brexit is looming large here in the U.K. it's just about a month away, but the plan for leaving remains in complete
chaos. Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, says extending the Brexit process would be a rational decision. The British Prime
Minister insists a deal is still possible before the deadline. Meanwhile, the Labour party is announcing that it will back a second referendum.
While the U.K. as a whole is facing an uncertain future after Brexit, even before Brexit, some parts of the country could be at greater risk than
others. The U.K.'s second largest city is Birmingham. It was once a manufacturing power House, and it's already feeling the effects. The city
voted to leave the EU by a whisker. But have residents changed their minds? Let's go to Phil Black who's in Birmingham for us, continuing his
tour of the United Kingdom pre-Brexit.
What are residents of Birmingham telling you about -- by the way, I know it's a little too soon to have a reaction to Labour backing a second
referendum. But would the residents of Birmingham potentially vote differently this time around?
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You don't get to meet too many people here who have changed their mind, Hala, but you also don't meet
many people who are excited about the no-deal scenario. That's what people here are really worried about.
You're right, this was narrowly in favor of leaving. This is the 50/50 city in that context. Fewer than 4,000 votes in the 2016 referendum swung
it in favor of leave, and it is a big diversity. So you get the full spectrum of Brexit views here.
But we've been talking to people specifically about the government's handling of the process and in particular that decision by Theresa May to
schedule parliament's final say on her negotiated withdrawal agreement for March the 12th, just 17 days before the Brexit deadline.
We've met some people here who say they admire and respect the prime minister's efforts to get her deal over the line, but we've met many who do
not, who believe that she is bungling Brexit, who say that she is being reckless with the country's future by taking it so close to what they
consider to be a cliff edge with potentially a disastrous consequences.
Take a listen now to what a few people here in the city have told us today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The politicians as a whole have let us down, from top to bottom. They have just brought themselves, their own careers, their
parties ahead of the country.
BLACK (on-camera): And in particular Theresa May's decision to delay the final vote until 12th of March?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's politics at play, all the way. And just put it off and off and off until there's no decision left to be made.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's disgusting. I think Theresa May is stalling for time because she is happy enough for a no-deal which would be
disastrous for this country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know what's going to happen to Venice if that is that is the case? She's going to keep bumping it back until it comes to a
point where they have even a harder decision to make and they're mostly likely to kind of own that case and all. So I think it's very, very
tactically smart. But I think it's not very fair to a lot of M.P.s and a lot of the people of the nation.
BLACK: It's risky though, isn't it too?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is risky. It is risky.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's delayed tactics. But I hope she can just get it for the best. I mean, I don't want her to fall through with it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel frightened.
BLACK: Why do you feel frightened?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I don't know what's going to happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACK: Fear inspired by uncertainty, Hala, we've met a lot of that in Birmingham and that's because while the prime minister insists she is not
deliberately running down the clock, not many people believe her and the clock is still ticking down. And it means that much feared no-deal
scenario is still very much a potential reality. Hala.
GORANI: All right, Phil Black in Birmingham, thanks very much.
So we've talked about how the U.K. is preparing for Brexit and that potential no-deal. But what about in Europe? Rotterdam is Europe's
largest and busiest port, and the U.K. is one of its biggest beneficiaries.
Right now, it all works like a well-oiled machine. It's been working this way for decades. Everything's been working just fine. But that could come
to an abrupt stop on March 29th.
Atika Shubert has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At 42 kilometers long, Rotterdam is Europe's biggest and busiest seaport and the
U.K. is the fourth largest customer here with 40 million tons rolling in and out annually.
But now that a hard Brexit looms, Rotterdam port is sounding the alarm.
MARK DIJK, MANAGER EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, PORT OF ROTTERDAM: And, of course, we were hoping for a transition period, but therefore, we said together with
the Dutch customs, prepare for the worst and prepare for a no-deal scenario on the 29th of March.
SHUBERT: That could hit British supermarkets first.
SHUBERT (on-camera): So this is peek loading time at DailyFresh Logistics. You can see this one is going straight to the U.K. after this. And they
run about 150 to 200 trucks a day.
But after Brexit, this is all going to slow down. Ninety percent of its business is delivering fresh produce across the U.K. within 24 hours.
But here's how it works. A British supermarket can call in the morning to DailyFresh Logistics for an order of radishes, peppers, lettuce, tomatoes.
And by closing time on the same day, this will arrive on supermarket shelves. That's pretty fast. But after Brexit, it won't be happening like
that anymore.
SHUBERT (voice-over): Peter Trigt remembers waiting hours for customs before the U.K. joined the E.U.
[14:35:01] PETER TRIGT, DAILYFRESH LOGISTICS: Always waiting, waiting, waiting. So when the day came we don't have to clear customs anymore,
everybody was happy.
SHUBERT: Those waiting days are back. DailyFresh says it will see delays of 48 hours initially as truckers will have to fill out eight times more
paperwork just to get on the ferry to Britain. Still, it is determined to keep supplying the U.K. after Brexit.
NICOLA VISBEEN, DAILYFRESH LOGISTICS: Two years ago -- we still have two years, and then awfully evening go, we still have one year. But, yes, now,
it's only one month. And then you think, oh, that's going to be tight.
SHUBERT: No fresh tomatoes may be the least of it. And Rotterdam, when it comes to Brexit, the phrase you hear most is, hope for the best, prepare
for the worst.
Atika Shubert, CNN, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: U.S. President Donald Trump is on his way to Vietnam for his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Mr. Trump is flying
there on Air Force One. Mr. Kim is using his preferred method of travel, to go most of the way, an armored train. It can't go very fast, by the
way, about 80 kilometers an hour. So it takes a while.
His land route takes him mainly through close North Korean ally China. And once there, President Trump and his delegation hope that Mr. Kim will take
a close look at Vietnam's recovery from war as a template from a future North Korea.
Will Ripley has a preview from Hanoi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These three flags, the United States, Vietnam, and North Korea line the streets of Hanoi. The
capital known for its iconic landmarks like the (Tay Ho) bridge. A symbol of this city's past which also includes the Vietnam War, which left much of
this city in ruins.
RIPLEY: And then the city was rebuilt. An economic miracle here in Vietnam as a result of normalized relations with the United States. And
perhaps a lesson for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un who is on his way here for his historic second summit with the U.S. President Donald Trump.
RIPLEY: This is the International Media Center. Thousands of foreign journalists are descending on Hanoi and the Vietnamese government knows
that the eyes of the world are watching. They've even flown in these flowers from Da Lat, in the central highlands of Vietnam.
And you can see cleaning crews all over the city, sprucing things up, making sure everything is perfect.
Behind me here is the infamous Hanoi Hilton where American prisoners of war were detained, interrogated, and tortured during the Vietnam War including
the late U.S. senator, John McCain.
This building really is a symbol of just how far Vietnam has come since those dark days during the war. A symbol of how a country can recover from
a conflict with the United States. Normalize relations and end up with a booming economy and better relationship with the rest of the world. It's a
message that U.S. President Donald Trump will, undoubtedly, be trying try to hit home when he meets with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un here
later this week.
Will Ripley, CNN, Hanoi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Samantha Vinograd is a CNN U.S. security analyst and she joins me from New York. Samantha, thanks for being with us. What is the best-case
scenario for this North Korea summit, this 2.0?
SAMANTHA VINOGRAD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: The best-case scenario is that President Trump does something which he has to date been unable to
do as well as his predecessors, which is secure a nuclear freeze.
We have to keep in mind that this status quo in which Kim Jong-un and President Trump are in love and they're summiting and they're talking, is
actually unto itself a concession, Hala.
North Korea is currently continuing to proliferate nuclear weapons almost as quickly as they're proliferating new relationships and new friends
around the world. And the United States and start contrast when President Trump took office is seemingly OK with it.
We're no longer saying that all options are in the table to deal with the North Korean nuclear threat. Secretary of state Pompeo said in interviews
this weekend that, well, if they don't give up their nukes, they'll stay a pariah state. That is very different than where we were before the
Singapore summit. So in my opinion, best outcome is a nuclear freeze.
GORANI: But, Samantha -- sure. But, Samantha, the president could say, look, since I've started speaking with Kim Jong-un, there have been no
missile tests, no missile launches. That's a huge deal. Under Obama that was kind of always hanging over the region and these missile tests were
happening pretty regularly. Is that a cause for celebration at least?
VINOGRAD: Perhaps in the short term, but Hala, for anybody that's worked on denuclearization, it's a red herring. The lack of nuclear tests does
not nothing to address the fact that North Korea is proliferating and stock piling and actually dispersing nuclear weapons, even though they are not --
no longer conducting nuclear tests.
So certainly, it is a positive that there aren't missiles flying that could hit the continental United States and our allies. But that is not a step
towards denuclearization. We cannot be distracted by red herrings like the lack of missile test, POW remains, the opening of the diplomatic liaison
office. If we are actually focused on addressing the nuclear threat.
[14:40:58] GORANI: Yes. I was going say Kim Jong-un doesn't appear to be ready. I mean, we'll have to wait and see, to promise a nuclear free zone.
And even if you do, it has to be verifiable. You can promise something in the context of a meeting. You don't have inspectors in there. You have no
real way of checking if he's keeping his word.
VINOGRAD: Well, that's exactly right. And there's no secret sauce to verifying a nuclear freeze. That's why we have organizations like the
IAEA. And if Kim Jong-un is, and it is very much and if situation at this point, willing to discuss a nuclear freeze, we don't have to reinvent the
wheel here.
And a clear signal would be a green to let in international inspectors during the first instance inventory with North Korea has. And then in the
second, make sure that they're not breaking their word in terms of a freeze.
GORANI: Sure. Let's talk about Venezuela and Mike Pence there, very publicly displaying the U.S.'s support for Juan Guaido, the opposition
leader, saying they're backing Guaido 100 percent.
What do you think the ultimate objective of the United States is? I mean, we know that they want Juan Guaido to be the president. I should say --
the question is, how far are they willing to go to see that happen?
VINOGRAD: I think we're a bit ham strung at this point, by way, I mean, the United States and the fifth year so other countries that have declared
Guaido the legitimate president and that are options are somewhat constrained at this point.
The United States just announced a new sanctions against governor's associate with the Maduro regime. But when we actually look at what could
lead Maduro to change his calculus, we look at financial pressure. We have already sanctioned the PDVSA, which is really the source of his revenues.
And we've sanctioned him and a lot of senior officials and that is really being offset by the fact that Maduro's patrons, Russia, China, and his
cronies in Cuba, are probably stepping in and sending him lifelines that are offsetting our pressure.
So absent discussions with Moscow and Beijing frankly about what it will take to get Maduro out of power, I don't know that the United States has
that many options on the table.
GORANI: A quick last question on these 58 ex-national security officials. We were saying that the president's declaration of a national emergency is
a tactic simply to divert funds to building a wall, by circumventing Congress.
VINOGRAD: I couldn't agree more. I actually wrote a CNN column saying that the national emergency is unto itself a national emergency. And these
58 national security professionals, many of whom I worked with, both under the Bush administration and under the Obama administration, agree and this
is not just a national emergency that's going to cause some people to spin some wheels.
This is an actual diversion of financial resources. And even if this national emergency is caught up in the U.S. courts indefinitely, funds that
the department of defense allocates for the emergency are not being spent on actual projects that help American national security like military force
readiness, infrastructure projects and counter narcotics. This emergency is not caused free, even if it's never implemented.
GORANI: Samantha Vinograd, thanks very much for joining us. Appreciate your time this evening.
VINOGRAD: Thanks, Hala.
GORANI: Still to come tonight, the world's biggest mobile tech show now underway in Barcelona.
Let's talk about the latest gadgets release and just how much money they'll set you back, next.
And not all queens wear crowns. Olivia Colman's stunning performance in "The Favourite" stuns again. And she beats the bookies favorite at the
Oscars.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:43] GORANI: Many of the biggest names in tech are in Barcelona for the World Mobile Congress. It's a four-day event and it plays host to
major product releases so it gives us perhaps clues on what we'll be carrying around in the next few years.
Huawei is getting a lot of attention because it's unveiling a folding phone to take on Samsung. And Microsoft is launching something called the
HoloLens. HoloLens, augmented reality device as in from hologram, obviously.
Samuel Burke is covering the event for us. He joins me now from Barcelona. Let's first talk about this folding phone because people have been talking
about it all day. A, it's super expensive. And, B, it's not the flip phone that we used to have a few years ago. It's something completely
different.
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Well, kind of like a flip phone in the sense it flips out to give you even more space and
lets you put it -- flip it inward. That's way, it's a little smaller when you're carrying it around.
But a flip phone certainly did not cost $2,600, Hala. That includes taxes, unlike that Samsung foldable phone which was $2,000 without taxes.
But Huawei has one-up Samsung. This phone actually folds out into a tablet that's eight inches diameter compared to 7.3 inches for Samsung. It's got
a battery that you can charge to 80 percent in just 30 minutes.
But they won't actually give us the phones, Hala, neither of these companies. Literally, you couldn't even touch the glass where the phones
were behind. They wouldn't let us touch the phone or the glass. They're not quite ready for the public to use yet. Samsung's comes out April 26.
Huawei won't give us a date yet.
But one thing they didn't mention at their big event were those accusations of the U.S. about spying. Though I was able to speak to the chairman of
Huawei, the current chairman who told me that he does believe this is all politically motivated from the United States.
He says people accuse us of something just because our founder used to be a military engineer. That would be like accusing U.S. phone makers of
something, because Donald Trump used to be in a military academy in the United States, a little bit of apples and oranges there.
But at the end of the day, he said that the company, even though they're not affiliated with Chinese government, would never violate any law in
China. Nor would they do that in any country where they operate. So they're changing the narrative a bit by getting this big technology which
is way ahead of Apple. But of course this big security questions do loom large here at Mobile World Congress.
GORANI: And why are these phones so darn expensive?
BURKE: Well, it's really quite simple. If you want to be the first company to do something, or one of the first companies, you have to pay a
lot of money to invest in the engineering to make those screens foldable. I have to use my hands because they won't give me the device.
And if you want to be one of the first customers, you've got to pay for all that innovation.
GORANI: OK. And, quickly, you found something more expensive than that phone there?
BURKE: The second generation of the HoloLens not the HoloLens 2. That's Microsoft's mixed reality device. They're one of the few companies that
have actually had success with these devices. One, it's not as heavy as some of the other ones that give me neck pains. But they focus this much
more on commercial uses, constructions workers, doctors using this device to carry out every day tasks. $3,500, Hala.
GORANI: Well, if it's all for a good cause, it's all for very worthy activities. Thanks very much, Samuel Burke in Barcelona.
More to come including there's nothing shallow about this woman. Stay tuned for all the buzz from the Oscars.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:08] GORANI: I want to bring you and update now on a controversial story we brought you last year. You may remember the cartoon of tennis
superstar, Serena Williams, which many people summed as being racist.
We're going to show it to you know, and you may find it offensive, obviously. It is offensive. It appeared in the Australian newspaper, the
Herald Sun and it lampooned Williams for her conduct after losing the U.S. Open final to Naomi Osaka.
And we have a decision from the Australian press council which is a media watchdog and it has ruled that it is not racist according to it,
exonerating the cartoonist Mark Knight. He said it had nothing to do with race, but you can decide for yourself.
Serena Williams was one of the stars at last night's Oscars. Hollywood's biggest event ended with a couple of plot twists of its own. As well as a
few moments that still have people buzzing on Twitter. Stephanie Elam has our roundup.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the Oscar goes to "Green Book."
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Green Book's" Best Picture win capping a historic night at the Academy Awards. A record 15
women winning Hollywood's top honor. And more than a dozen people of color earning golden statues, including Alfonso Cuaron who won best director for
"Roma." The film won Best Foreign Film and Best Cinematography.
Spike Lee winning his first competitive Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for "BlacKkKlansman." He thanked his grandmother before turning to
politics.
SPIKE LEE, AMERICAN FILM DIRECTOR: Make the moral choice between love versus hate. Let's do the right thing.
ELAM: Plenty of diversity in the acting categories. Regina King and Mahershala Ali winning best supporting acting awards. And Rami Malek
winning Best Actor for his portrayal of Queen front man, Freddie Mercury, in "Bohemian Rhapsody."
RAMI MALEK, ACADEMY AWARD WINNER, BEST ACTOR: We made a film about a gay man, an immigrant, who lived his life just unapologetically himself. And
the fact that I'm celebrating him and this story with you tonight is proof that we're longing for stories like this.
ELAM: Perhaps the biggest upset of the night, acting legend Glenn Close losing to Olivia Colman, who won Best Actress for her performance in "The
Favourite."
OLIVIA COLMAN, ACADEMY AWARD WINNER, BEST ACTRESS: Any little girl who's practicing their speech on the tele, you never know.
ELAM: The night beginning with a high-octane performance by Queen and Adam Lambert.
ADAM LAMBERT, SINGER: We will, we will rock you.
ELAM: The band kicking off the first host-less Oscars since 1989.
(MUSIC)
ELAM: And this passionate performance by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. The superstar duo from "A Star is Born" singing "Shallow," which earned
Lady Gaga her first Academy Award for Best Original Song.
LADY GAGA, ACADEMY AWARD WINNER, BEST ORIGINAL SONG: It's not about winning, but what it's about is not giving up. If you have a dream, fight
for it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, on that final point, Lady Gaga is the first person in history to win an Oscar, a Grammy, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe in a single
year. Stephanie Elam is in L.A. with more.
And, Stephanie, the U.S. president weighed in with a tweet about Spike Lee's speech. I just want to put it up and get some of the reaction. I'm
not -- essentially he wrote, "It would be nice if Spike Lee could read his notes, or better yet not have to use notes at all when doing his racist hit
on your president." What got the president so upset?
ELAM: You know, Hala, he actually in his speech, Spike Lee said that 2020 was an election and that you basically need to get out and vote. He didn't
mention the president by name at all. He just said vote. So I'm not exactly sure which part of that is racist.
[14:55:05] But still, we know that people are saying, oh, do people still watch the Academy Awards? We have proof that the president does. He has a
lot going on this week. He's traveling this week. He's international this week and yet he was talking about Spike Lee.
GORANI: And what about, you know, it didn't have a host this year. It's only the fourth time, I think, that the Oscars don't have a host. How did
they do in terms of viewership?
I mean, in the last few years, anecdotally, we've all sensed that the event itself has lost some of its luster.
ELAM: Right. Well, I will say this. The show did move along a little bit more speedily because there wasn't a host. But in some ways, it made it a
little bit bland in some places. A lot of the energy for that show, and perhaps the reason why the ratings went up this year, I think the one
number that I saw was about 11 percent. Those aren't the final numbers yet.
But I think a lot of that has to do with people wanting to see Bradley Cooper sing, see if he sounded the same when singing live. And then also
to see the chemistry between Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper which was pretty much palpable. I don't care if you were on the other side of the world.
You could feel it. And that was a lot of the draw for people this year.
GORANI: And so -- and that was really pretty much the key moment, I think, of the evening, wasn't it, that duet?
ELAM: Oh, by far. And it was also produced really well. One camera shot, they started off sitting in the audience and coming up together and
sitting. The camera moved around the piano. And then just the close intimate shots. It's what everyone was waiting to see.
There were some shockers along with the awards themselves, but I can tell you, after Lady Gaga performed and then after she got her Oscar which
everyone expected that she would get for "Shallow," she was pretty much just emotional after that.
GORANI: Yes, great. And people thought how they're looking at each other so lovingly. It's like, people, they're actors. This is what they do for
a living. It seems to me like they're --
ELAM: That's what I keep saying. They're really good actors acting in front of a whole bunch of actors.
GORANI: It's literally their job. So, and they do it -- they do their jobs well. Thanks very much, Stephanie Elam Live in L.A.
That's going to do it for me. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is up next from London.
END
