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Sri Lanka Investigates Possible ISIS Involvement In Easter Sunday; "New IRA" Apologizes For Journalist's Death; Boeing To Release First Quarter Earnings Wednesday; Trump To Make First State Visit To The U.K. In June; Funerals Begin in Sri Lanka as ISIS Claims Responsibility for Sunday's Attacks; White House May Try to Block McGahn Testimony. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired April 24, 2019 - 02:00   ET

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

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FAZAL HANIFFA, NEIGHBOR OF BOMBING VICTIM: The children, small children, what do they know?

I can't understand it.

Are these people humans?

They are not human. They are animals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Sri Lanka mourns the devastating Easter massacre as families bury their loved ones. We learn more

about the militants that are aligned with ISIS.

President Trump says he cooperated with investigators on the Mueller probe but there won't be any answering questions from Congress.

And the leader of North Korea says he's happy to be in Russia and promises this is just the first step as his meeting with Vladimir Putin makes the U.S. nervous.

Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us all around the world, I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

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CHURCH: Sri Lankan authorities have just released new details about Sunday's bomb attacks. The country's state defense minister spoke at a news conference just moments ago. At least 359 people are now confirmed dead and authorities say there are at least nine attackers.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for these attacks and released this video of the bombers. The man with the face uncovered is said to be their leader, Zahran Hashim. The minister blamed an Islamist splinter group for these attacks. And he would not name the group's leader but says he committed suicide at the Shangri-La hotel.

There have been fears of more attacks and some suspects are still on the run. But authorities have vowed to find those responsible.

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RUWAN WIJEWARDENE, SRI LANKAN MINISTER FOR DEFENSE: Investigations have come. The intel on this. And we will be making further arrests in the next couple of days. And we can firmly say that within the next couple of days that security agencies will have the whole situation under control.

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CHURCH: For more, CNN's Nikhil Kumar is there in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's defense minister really did struggle at this news conference. He didn't answer questions about how his government failed to act on specific intelligence that warned of attacks and he updated everyone on the number of arrests and, of course, the bombers and this group that's behind this heinous attack.

Talk to us about all that we learned.

NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Rosemary, you're right, he did struggle a little bit and the government has throughout this process ever since we started learning that there was information with the Sri Lankan authorities that warned them about what was in the works.

The government minister struggled to explain how it was that this information wasn't relayed to people that it needed to get to. The prime minister said he was kept in the dark and the president said he was kept in the dark, state defense minister echoed that. People have been asking how is it that it was allowed to happen.

Today outside one of the sites that was hit, St. Anthony's Church, I just visited a wake, where a 19-year old was mourning his father. His father was down the aisle from him in this church. He had to lift his body. He died on the way to the hospital.

People like that are both trying to come to terms with immense tragedy that's befallen families in this country as a whole. But also they're extremely angry at these gaps in the intelligence sharing, in the law enforcement apparatus of this country.

And they want answers. And the government has been struggling to get those answer and still, from this press conference, it's still a fluid situation. There are still suspects out there. They government has said they're racing to make sure they can apprehend them before they have the ability to perpetrate any further attacks -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: So the defense minister said that is was because of security arrangements. I don't think people are going to buy very quickly or for very long.

What more was revealed about the group responsible for these attacks and the links to ISIS?

KUMAR: Well, as we heard they're still investigating those links and seeing whether it's just ideology or more than that. That investigation is unfolding alongside the parallel investigator to try and nab others. He didn't name the leader of the group but said that he died in a suicide attack.

So details are still coming through. We don't have a full and proper picture of what exactly unfolded and exactly how much of a threat is out there. We don't have a full idea of that. The concern among everybody here, particularly given what we know --

[02:05:00]

KUMAR: -- now on the information that was there and wasn't acted upon, the concern here, the fear here is that if there are any further attacks, the fragile peace, the fragile reconciliation process in this country over the last decade after the civil war came to an end, that process could be compromised. That's the ultimate risk here for a lot of people -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right, Nikhil, thank you so much for giving us an up date on that news conference, We appreciate that, joining us live from Colombo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

For more I'm joined now from New Delhi by Padma Rao who is on the phone, she is the author of "Sri Lanka: The New Country." She is also the former South Asia bureau chief for "Der Spiegel."

Thank you so much for being with us.

PADMA RAO, AUTHOR: Thanks, Rosemary.

CHURCH: As we mentioned you've written extensively about Sri Lanka and you understands the country's history and politics.

So how did the government fail so miserably and tragically to act on very specific intelligence about these attacks targeting churches and hotels?

They were given a heads-up on that?

It killed 300 people, they had no security in place and apparently from that very model news conference, we learned that the problem was, the reason they dropped the ball was due to defense security arrangements rather.

So how did this happen?

RAO: Yes. Absolutely right, Rosemary. Well, there are two things essentially that happened. One is, you know, one has seen ironically a Sri Lanka has been ease as of the past 10 years since the end of the civil war.

Now during these 10 years, the certain, you know, level of complacency set in. A kind of, you know, people just taking security matters rather too easily. The other thing that happen is that there has been a political crisis, a long political crisis in the ruling coalition in Colombo. The president and the prime minister have not been able to get on, they belong to rival parties, they are in a very desperate coalition.

And, you know, the prime minister was sat at the end of last year and reinstated again, so there has been a demand of underlying tension there and this is one of the reason why the prime minister, Mr. Wickremesinghe, saying initially said that, you know, this information is there, the information incidentally will come to that in a minute was given to them by the Indian authority and the intelligence agency which you're watching an ally group for their own reasons, you know, to prevent terrorism within India. And it attacks on India from the outside.

And they passed on this information three times, Rosemary. The first time on the 4th of April, the second on the 11th of April and then three times just before the attacks happened on Sunday.

And they were just not taken, you know, they were not taken seriously and what is worst is that they are not even passed on to the prime minister and other ministers.

So there are two things, one is a desperate coalition that has been, you know, the squabbling and the other is a sense of complacency and you know, perhaps -- and ironically it's because this has been taking for granted over the last 10 years.

CHURCH: But still, I still can't grasp how this sort of level of specific intelligence would not penetrate beyond the security officials and go to any of these ministers and we've got the president denying he knew about this?

We have the prime minister denying it, we heard in that news conference, the defense minister denying it.

You buy that, do you, that this is all this whole failing is due to security arrangements?

RAO: Absolutely, I buy that and I think in the meantime the Sri Lankan minister and the Sri Lankan government itself is, you know has had to buy that.

The buck should be stop and, you know, the fact that the information would not passed on in time and it wasn't taken seriously and if it was passed on to the security details of -- even just to the security details of individual ministers and individuals embassy.

You know, ultimately, it has to be, the Sri Lankan government to act. It is the prime minister who is the executive head of government to would have to order, you know, the security. And mid you as I said, Rosemary, that the information that that was passed on and I seek on courting the Indian media which has spoken to an Indian intelligence agency and they say that the information being passed on was very, very specific including even the mobile numbers of some of the perpetrators.

CHURCH: This is the horrifying thing and more than 300 people have died because of this failure, it's just astounding and now we did to hear. Let's look up this group, because the group behind this attacks, because the defense minister said, it was the NTJ group but it --

[02:10:00]

CHURCH: -- had splintered, it was a very muddled news conference we have to say. It was very difficult, you could hear journalist there struggling, because they weren't really getting answers also he change his answers in many situations.

But apparently this is more extreme side now of this NTJ group. And they are the ones White House perpetrated this attack and they're trying to a stall established links to ISIS. So talks to us about that what you know about this particular local extreme group.

RAO: Right. Rosemary, the NTJ is -- as you said, its an unknown group. We have never ever heard of it. There's a group by a similar name in southern Nadu, in Southern India but that group has denied, you know, any kind of connection to the Sri Lankan perpetrators of this attack.

So what we know is that it is a small group, there is one of the suicide bombers was a chief and he is in and out of India and he has been trying to radicalize Indians and Sri Lankans to launch attacks. The reference at the press conference that you look on to, was to an allied group known as JMB, the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh.

Now if you remember in 2016, there was an attack on a bakery, a cafe in Dhaka, in the capital of Bangladesh in which 24 persons were killed. That is a suicide attack as well.

That is the group that Sri Lankan perpetrators are supposed to be allied but at least that's the information that our sources are saying, was passed on by the Indian intelligence agencies which were watching the Bangladesh group, their own reasons and you know, that's how they stumbled upon the National Thowheeth Jama'ath, the NTJ and passed on that information in increasing and growing detail to the Sri Lankan authorities.

So you know, -- what is the role of ISIS in all of this?

Well, as you know, I mean, ISIS has been on the run, to an extent from Syria and it has spread out, you know, across the world. It announced the opening of a so called South Asia chapter some years ago, base in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

And it has been -- it has a lot of resource at its disposal indeed as also, you know, towards the bombers involved in Sunday's attack, that they came from wealthy families, they were, you know, they were financially independent. And all of this was narrated by one of the Sri Lankan ministers in parliament.

So it wasn't a lack of money and the training and they certainly had support system in place in the form of ISIS, perhaps even the Al Qaeda, we don't really know.

You know the larger picture emerging but it's very clear that there is a small group in place in Sri Lanka that is NTJ, it had some support from a group based in Bangladesh which is also trying to spread its wings to India and all this, you know, little groups have the overall support and encouragement of the big groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda. So that's the larger picture emerging and yes.

CHURCH: Yes. And indeed, too, we understand that this suicide bombers were very educated men but we will as you say, the picture is emerging of who these people were and who this group is. Padma Rao, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your perspective on this, I appreciate it.

RAO: Thank you, Rosemary.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: In the streets of Sri Lanka, grief and loss as loved ones began burying victims of the terror bombings. CNN's Will Ripley has our report.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In this Central Colombo neighborhood, terror turns to grief. One by one, family members carry the coffins of Anistie Napoleon, her husband, Prathap Kanagasabai, and the tiny caskets of their two daughters, 7-year-old Andreena and 1- year-old Abriana.

The family did not usually go to St. Anthony's; they decided to attend a special Easter mass, along with around 1,000 other people, including the man who entered the sanctuary and blew himself up.

The clock on the church tower stopped at 8:45, the time the bomb went off, an act of brutality incomprehensible to Fazal Haniffa, a family friend and a Muslim.

HANIFFA: The children, small children, what do they know?

I can't understand it.

Are these people humans?

They are not human. They are animals.

RIPLEY (voice-over): This family, like so many others, heard about the bombings on TV. They went to the hospital, the mortuary and finally the church. It was there in the decimated sanctuary, they found their loved ones --

[02:15:00]

RIPLEY (voice-over): -- in pieces.

FATHER JUDE FERNANDO, ST. ANTHONY'S CHURCH: They're taking around 30 bodies from here and still they are searching, so we don't know what is inside still.

RIPLEY (voice-over): On a normal day, these coffins would be open. This is not a normal day. These pictures are the only closure they get, if you can call this closure.

RIPLEY: There's so much raw emotion here, outside of one of the churches. She's lying on the floor, she's sobbing. And she kept saying, they need to catch the people who did this. They need to find them and they need to stop them before they do this to some other family.

RIPLEY (voice-over): With sorrow comes anger and questions.

Why did this happen?

Why this family?

The answers may never come, certainly not today -- Will Ripley, CNN, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: For more on the victims of these Sri Lanka attacks, you can go to our website at cnn.com.

When it comes to the Russia investigation, Donald Trump says enough is enough. His message from members of Congress who want to hear from his White House aides. We are back in just a moment.

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CHURCH: Donald Trump says his administration cooperated fully with special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation but it will not do the same with Congress, telling "The Washington Post" he is opposed to current and former aides testifying before House committees because they are too partisan. CNN's Jim Acosta reports from the White House.

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JIM ACOSTA, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Trump is digging in his heels as the White House seems to be stonewalling a slew of demands from House Democrats. The president is not complying with the 5:00 pm deadline to turn over his tax returns to Congress. It's a battle that appears to be headed for the courts. REP. BRENDAN BOYLE (D-PA): If the White House continues to stonewall this, we will have to turn to the courts in order to get to a final resolution and to force the White House to comply with the law.

ACOSTA (voice-over): It's also unclear whether the administration will allow former White House counsel Don McGahn to tell the House Judiciary Committee what he knows about the Russia investigation and the president's demand for him to fire special counsel Robert Mueller.

HOGAN GIDLEY, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPERSON: I understand why they're doing it, because to drop the collusion narrative or --

[02:20:00]

GIDLEY: -- the impeachment narrative or going after the administration, they would be admitting to the fact the last two years of their life have been a complete and total waste.

ACOSTA (voice-over): The White House is also insisting that a former official, Carl Kline, refused the House Oversight Committee subpoena to explain the granting of security clearances to top aides, including Jared Kushner, who told "Time" magazine he thinks he's been vetted enough.

JARED KUSHNER, TRUMP SENIOR ADVISER: I've had to divest of a lot of things and avoid a lot of things but I think that I've been fully vetted now of two years, 19 hours of testimony, different places.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Kushner raised eyebrows when he appeared to grossly downplay Russia's interference in the 2016 election.

KUSHNER: When you look at what Russia did, buying some Facebook ads to try to sow dissent and do it, it's a terrible thing but I think the investigations and all of the speculation that's happened for the last two years has had a much harsher impact on our democracy than a couple of Facebook ads.

ACOSTA (voice-over): But that's not true. According to the Mueller report, which found that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systemic fashion. Mr. Trump's former opponent, Hillary Clinton, believes the report also revealed potential obstruction of justice.

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: The Mueller report is part of the beginning, it's not the end. As I read it, basically, what I thought it was saying is, look, we think he obstructed justice; here are 11 examples of why we think he obstructed justice.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Some of the president's possible opponents in 2020 are taking that one step further.

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The United States Congress cannot sit by and say, it's OK for a president to do that. We have a responsibility to step up. And the way we step up is to begin impeachment proceedings. ACOSTA (voice-over): The churning of investigations may explain the president's recent Twitter tirade, of roughly 50 tweets in the last 24 hours, as the president complained, "In the old days, if you were president and you had a good economy, you were basically immune from criticism."

Mr. Trump is portraying himself as the victim of what he calls the radical left Democrats and the fake news media.

A former French ambassador to the U.S. says the picture inside the administration is less pretty.

GERARD ARAUD, FORMER FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: A lot of offices are still empty, two years after the inauguration of President Trump. Or people are appointed and they leave after one year. Or if there are people in the office, as I said before, they don't know what the president will decide the day after. So it's, in a sense, it's dysfunctional.

ACOSTA: As for the president's tweets, he's been complaining that Twitter has been discriminating against conservative voices on the social media app. He met with the Twitter's CEO about that issue. The White House also announced the president will be visiting Britain and France later on in June, where Mr. Trump hopes to be out from under this cloud of investigations that seem to be swirling around him -- Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Let's take a closer look at all of this with CNN's political analyst, Michael Shear in Washington. He is the White House correspondent for The New York Times, great to have you with us.

MICHAEL SHEAR, CNN POLITIOCAL ANALYST, THE NEW YORK TIMES WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Certainly good to be here, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So the White House clearly stone walling on a range of issues missing the deadline to hand over Donald Trump's tax returns and now the treasury secretary stalling for time and giving until May 6th for final decision on this. What would be their legal arguments for not complying with the law and it begs the questions, what are they trying to hide?

SHEAR: Right. And so in the latter question, I think nobody really knows, though people suspect that his taxes may be filled with all sorts of if not illegal things then, you know, things that rich people do to be essentially, cut down on their taxes, which can be embarrassing when you are trying as Donald Trump does to present himself as the sort of champion of the regular guy.

I mean, I think on the legal arguments, this is really a clash between two interpretations of a very simple law. The law says, you know, congressional -- this certain congressional committee chairman can have anybody tax returns, period. Democrats say that is very clear. Republican say yes, but if you're motive is political, than the law never intended for that to be the case.

So, they are saying, it's not so much what the law says, it's what the interpretation of what the motive is. And they say that the motive was intended to be a, you know, a committee chairman who needs a particular tax returns to be able to sort of inform policy making, regarding taxes. If that is not the intent, if the intent is political embarrassment of an enemy, their arguments to the court is that's invalid and that shouldn't be upheld.

CHURCH: Right. We'll see what the courts eventually decide, which is exactly where this is going clearly. So, according to a senior White House official, they will likely fight the subpoena served on the former White House counsel Don McGahn to prevent him from testifying. How do they go about doing that, preventing McGahn from complying with the House subpoena? And what are they afraid of?

SHEAR: Yes. So on that one, there is a really long -- a much longer history of, you know, sort of legal trail, or a legal record on this question. You know, there have been over many years' attempts by the Congress to compel testimony from a president's aide --

[02:25:00]

SHEAR: -- on any number of subjects and a White House, a president is given the opportunity to assert executive privilege. To essentially say, look, if you compel testimony from one of my aides that is going to cause me to not be able to rely on close aides in making important decisions that are important to the country.

And the courts have, you know, have essentially split. I mean, many of them have come down and said, look, the president does have a right to assert executive privilege and in other, cases courts have said, yes, but that's limited and there are exceptions to that. And this is going to be another, you know, clash that will probably go to the Supreme Court, because, you know, ultimately, neither side is going to give in. The Democrats are going to insist on McGahn and other top aides coming and testifying, the White House, it looks like it's going to say absolutely not, we don't want them to do that. We are exerting executive privilege. And ultimately, it will have to be the Supreme Court that decides it.

CHURCH: And of, course all of this is clearly buying time, isn't it? Because we've also got the White House telling the former security Director Carl Kline not to comply with the subpoena over security clearances. What's going on here? And what happens to Kline personally if he does not comply, because he would not be protected necessarily, would he?

SHEAR: I mean, that is a good question. As of now, the White House isn't actually asserting executive privilege over Kline, they are basically saying, we -- yes he can testify, but we want to put some conditions on it. We want to have another official in the testimony with him, Democrats have rejected that saying look, that's not ever been a condition that we've accepted in the past, Democrat or Republican. I think you have to look at all three of these things that we've talked about in the same context, which is, you know, the president is angry, the White House is angry that the Democrats are in the wake of the Mueller report continuing to lob investigation after investigation their way and I think the president has essentially, it looks like the president essentially all, but ordered the White House to say we are just not cooperating on any of this.

And you know, he will take the fight especially in an election year as we head towards an election year, he figures that, you know, the Democrats will look bad, they will like they're on a fishing expedition and that the public will be behind him.

CHURCH: Right. And meantime while this is going, President Trump's son in law Jared Kushner says the Mueller investigation was more damaging to U.S. democracy than Russia's attack on the 2016 election, which he said amounted to just a couple of Facebook ads. Is this ignorance or spin?

SHEAR: Oh, it's a total spin. It's not ignorance at all. Jared Kushner is a smart man, he understands and has been steeped in everything that is been going on for the last and two and half years, if not before that during the campaign. He knows what the truth is. The truth is it wasn't just a couple of Facebook ads, this is entirely the spin that they have been trying to put on this for, you know, for as long as the investigation has been underway. That it's invalid and it really is doing more damage than even the underlying circumstances that it purports to investigate.

But look, I think that, you know, the real truth here is that it undermines what is really -- put aside the politics, the substantive issue of is this administration, is this country going to push back against Russia in its efforts to undermine the integrity of our elections? And I mean, I think, what Jared Kushner's comments suggests is that they are not taking it seriously.

They're not taking it seriously in terms of what happened in the past and they are not really taking it seriously in terms of the future efforts that Russia is making to undermine the integrity of our elections and frankly elections around the world. And you know, there is some deep resentments, deep frustrations among the bureaucrats here in the United States, who want to push back, who want to develop, you know, responses to Russia and just can't, because this president and his White House are just not interested.

CHURCH: It is all extraordinary stuff that we are all analyzing as you, Michael Shear, many thanks for your perspective on all of this.

SHEAR: Good to be here.

CHURCH: Kim Jong-un is in Russia for his first summit with Vladimir Putin and Pyongyang's nuclear program is the main item on the agenda.

Plus, Israel's flair for naming things after Donald Trump reaches new heights. That's next on CNN NEWSROOM. We are back in a moment.

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[02:31:56] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome back, everyone. This is CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Rosemary Church. Let's check the headlines for you this hour. Authorities in Sri Lanka now say there were at least nine bombers in Sunday's terror attacks. At a news conference earlier, the state defense minister said the blast was carried out by an extremist splinter group and the group's leader committed suicide. At least 359 people were killed in the attacks. ISIS has claimed responsibility.

The U.N. says that at least 272 people have been killed this month in renewed fighting in Libya. A militia group called the Libyan National Army has mounted a offensive against government troops in the capital Tripoli. More than 30,000 people have been forced from their homes.

Malawi has become the first nation to begin immunizing children against malaria. It's part of a pilot project by the World Health Organization with the goal of vaccinating about 360,000 African children per year. Kenya and Ghana will also start using the vaccine in the coming weeks.

A train packed with protestors is now in Sudan's capital to support activist demanding civilian rule. They say talks with the military transition council have broken down after the uprising which troubled former President, Omar al-Bashir. The head of that council met a U.S. delegation on Tuesday. He says the military will hand power to the people and will not use force to end the protest.

Well, North Korea's leader is in Russia for his first summit with President Vladimir Putin. High on the agenda, North Korea's nuclear program but a Russian presidential aide says they do not plan to sign an agreement or make a joint statement following their meeting in Vladivostok. Now, it comes as talks between Pyongyang and Washington have stalled. Let's turn to Paula Hancocks. She's following developments and joins us now live from Seoul.

Good to see you, Paula. So, no agreements, no statement no joint statement at least expected out of this meeting. So what's in it for both Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin and what decisions might be made on North Korea's nuclear program?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, I think it's interesting that ahead of time they have specified there will be no agreement, there will be no joint statement. I think they probably to lessen from Hanoi with the U.S. President Donald Trump meeting Kim Jong-un, they did ahead of time, say there will be some kind of signing, some kind of joint statement and then have to walk that back.

So, that's certainly interesting that lowering expectations ahead of time that anything concrete will come out of this meeting. But this is an invitation that the Russian President Vladimir Putin gave to Kim Jong-un some time ago, about a year ago. So, it's a meeting that is fairly overdue according to many experts is one we've been waiting for for a while. And many long time North Korea observers that I have been speaking to say that it is clear that what Kim Jong-un is doing is that after -- that the failure or at least the lack of agreement from the Hanoi Summit, he is making sure that he has allies elsewhere.

[02:35:11] Here's what one expert had to say.

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JAMES STEINBERG, FORMER U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE: The North Koreas were unsuccessful in getting the kinds of concessions that they hope to get our President Trump, and so need to find an alternative way to get some pressure on United States and also to escape the pressure that comes from the continued end position of sanctions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: And that's really the key that the sanctions of Kim Jong-un has made no secret of the fact he wants these sanctions to be eased. He has set this to the U.S. President Donald Trump. Believing that he has given up concession in the past that there should have been some sanctions lifted in Hanoi. Now, we know clearly that hat did not happen. But it is a valid question to ask, what can Russia actually give to North Korea.

Baring in mind, Russia a member of the United Nation Security Council. Russia signed up to the sanctions along with the other members of the security council against North Korea. So they did agree that there should be more pressure on North Korea at the time that they were signed. Now, they have recently been very public about the fact that they think these sanctions should be eased as has China.

But certainly it's very difficult to see what unilateral moves must go could actually make to alleviate any kind of financial pain that North Korea is going through. Potentially according to some experts, there could be some kind of humanitarian assistance that could be offered. But certainly when it comes to sanctions and that is the main thing that Kim Jong-un wants lifted at this point. Russia really has its hands tied. Rosemary?

CHUNG: Yes. It will be interesting to see what comes out of this meeting, Paula Hancocks joining us live Seoul. Many thanks. Well, halfway around the globe the U.S. Navy is beefing up its presence in a potential hotspots with Russia. And it's not just the Navy ships deployed to the Mediterranean Sea getting attention but also who's on board. CNN's Fred Pleitgen explains.

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FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: An exclusive look as they send a message of deterrence to Russia, moving two aircraft carriers to the Mediterranean and in a rare move bringing America's ambassador to Moscow, Jon Huntsman on board. The clear signal to Russia.

JON HUNTSMAN, UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA: When you have 200,000 tons of diplomacy that is cruising in the Mediterranean, this is what I called diplomacy. This is forward deployed diplomacy. Nothing else needs to be said. You have all the confidence you need when you sit down and you try to find solutions to the problem that have divided us now for many, many years. PLEITGEN: CNN was onboard at the USS Abraham Lincoln and the John C.

Stennis are going to conduct operations on a scale unseen here since 20106.

HUNTSMAN: Our senior leadership has mandated that our Navy become more lethal, more tactically proficient. It's very important in the error of competition that we're in.

PLEITGEN: All this in an area where Russia is trying to expand its influence deploying more warships and submarines with cruise missiles. The U.S. military is extremely concerned about Russia's increasingly strong military posturing in this region. And with this deployment, American is making clear to Moscow that it -- even as President Trump's associates claim there was nothing wrong with his campaign seeking information stolen by Russian military intelligence in the run-up to the 2016 election.

The U.S. Navy is also assuring America's allies that it won't waiver on commitments to protect against Russian aggression. A Spanish ship even sailing as part of the carrier strike group.

JAMES FOGGO, COMMANDER, UNITED STATES NAVAL FORCES EUROPE: We're not going to be deterred by any potential adversary and we are going to support our interest as Americans and also those of our allies as we steam throughout the world.

PLEITGEN: With Russia increasingly assertive in the entire Northern Atlantic and Arctic region, the U.S. Navy is putting on its own show of force for the Kremlin to clearly see. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Mediterranean Sea.

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CHUNG: We turn now to a stunning announcement by the Israeli Prime Minister over one of the most disputed pieces of land in the world. Benjamin Netanyahu says he wants to name a new settlement in the Golan Heights after Donald Trump. CNN's Oren Liebermann has our report.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: The first Donald Trump naming frenzy in Israel began back in December of 2017 after President Trump recognize Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel. Within a matter of weeks, there was a high speed train station that was supposed to be named after Trump Park and number of streets all of which be named in honor of Trump. Soccer team in Jerusalem even renamed itself Beitar Trump Jerusalem. Now it seems like the trend hasn't finished yet.

[02:40:00] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin said he would name a settlement in the Golan Heights after Trump following the President's decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights right before the last Israeli election, in a move that was a big political gift for Netanyahu. Israeli leader was in the Golan Heights during the Jewish holiday of Passover, he said he would bring that proposal to the government soon.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: And we are on the beautiful Golan Heights. All Israelis were deeply moved when President Trump made his historic decision to recognize Israel sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Therefore, after the Passover holiday, I intend to bring to the government a resolution calling for new community on the Golan Heights named after President Donald J. Trump.

LIEBERMANN: But the move is unlikely to sway anyone except the American President. The international community still considers the Golan Heights occupied territory taken from Syria during the 1967-68 war. Only the U.S. has recognized it as Israel. Oren Liebermann, CNN, Jerusalem.

CHUNG: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is cementing his grip on power. The National Election Authority says voters have overwhelmingly backed constitutional amendments that could keep him in office until the year 2030. They amendments expand the President's power of the legislative branch and judicial appointments. Opposition activists accused the government of putting pressure on voters but the country's electoral commission denies any wrongdoing.

Lyra Mckee's family prepares to say goodbye. As a new dissident group apologizes for killing the journalist during violent clashes last week in Northern Ireland.

And a preview of Boeing's bottom line. How the grounding of its 737 Max fleet will figure in the aviation giant's first quarter earnings report. We're back in just a moment.

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CHUNG: A vigil for the journalists who was shot and killed in violent clashes in Northern Ireland last week. Lyra McKee's funeral begins in just a few hours form now.

[02:45:00] And her parents say they are trying to overcome this tragedy as she would with understanding and kindness. The New IRA has apologized for McKee's death. In a purported statement to the Irish Times, the group also accused the young journalist of standing too close to enemy forces.

Well, the dissident group is a new breed of terrorists. But as CNN's Nic Robertson explains, they're using the same old tactics.

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[02:45:32] NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Even before, the New IRA admitted killing Lyra McKee. Her friends targeted the offices they believe there it's political wing. Bloodying its walls with red paint handprints. In the streets near where she was murdered, in the Catholic Creggan neighborhood, where the ideal of a United Island is popular, the New IRA are facing a backlash, admitting her murder and saying they are sorry that they'll tell their gunmen to take better care in this community smacks of damage control. Its signs like this that give an indication of the strength of the new IRA's messaging, and a sense of the intimidation that they inflict on communities like this.

BRIAN TIERNEY, COUNCILLOR, DERRY AND STRABANE: I spoke here because young people in my area were being shot.

ROBERTSON: Local councillor, Brian Tierney's car was set on fire when he stood up to the New IRA a few months ago. He believes poverty helps their recruiting.

TIERNEY: As people who are intent and dragging this community back, they're using young people to try and advance their political goal. This conflict spoke 21 years ago and said that the best way to achieve our United Ireland is by peaceful democratic process.

ROBERTSON: The stark reality of Lyra McKee's killing is that a generation who grew up in peace is now being dragged back into yesteryears war, both victim and killer, and that's worrying police.

JASON MURPHY, POLICE SERVICE OF NORTHERN IRELAND: My broader concern is that what we're seeing is a new breed of terrorists coming through the ranks. And that for me is a very worrying situation.

ROBERTSON: A new breed of terrorists for the same old tactics, intimidation and the same old problem getting witnesses to speak up.

MURPHY: I think there's a real fear because individuals continue to exert influence over communities. Not just in the Creggan, but across other parts of Northern Ireland as well.

ROBERTSON: Over the weekend, despite appeals for information, the police released two teenagers they arrested who they said were members of the New IRA involved in McKee's killing.

Tuesday, they arrested a 57-year-old woman in connection with the killing. Later, releasing her too. Nic Robertson, CNN, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

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CHURCH: Well, later Wednesday, Boeing will release its financial report for the first quarter and it will illustrate how to crashers and the grounding of the 737 MAX fleet have hurt the company's bottom line. Richard Quest has more on the plane maker's outlook.

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RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Only weeks away from the start of the summer travel season, and there's no end in sight to Boeing's woes. The entire fleet of 737 jets still grounded.

In the U.S., American Airlines and Southwest are canceling hundreds of flights through August.

DENNIS MUILENBURG, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BOEING: It's our responsibility to eliminate this risk. We own it and we know how to do it.

QUEST: Boeing, said it would shrink monthly production of all 737s by 20 percent, while it works to deliver a software fix for the MAX. Last week, the chief executive Dennis Muilenburg, said that work was almost done.

MUILENBERG: I had the opportunity to participate in another demonstration flight. And saw our first hand, this software in its final form operating as designed across a range of flight conditions.

QUEST: The pressure from investors is building upon Boeing. Shares are down nearly 15 percent since the start of March.

RICHARD ABOULAFIA, VICE PRESIDENT OF ANALYSIS, TEAL GROUP: The company is going to be extremely keen to get the existing fleet airborne, and to get deliveries of the MAX on the production line underway.

QUEST: The software fix is just the start of the long road back for Boeing.

ABOULAFIA: You're looking at imminent resolution the next couple of weeks. What really matters though is getting all the regulatory bodies out there on that world -- in the world comfortable with this fix and willing to implement it, and that could take several additional months.

QUEST: Wall Street believes even when the 737 MAXs are back in the air, Boeing still has a host of problems. Bank of America downgraded the company, citing the cost of penalties owed to customers. A weaker negotiating position with airlines and operational inefficiencies from the production disruption.

Returning the fleet to service will be a hard sell for a public. That's weary of Boeing's promises on safety.

[02:50:03] ABOULAFIA: I think there's going to be an emphasis on, hey, is there and across the board, culture problem here?

QUEST: This has been a crisis of confidence in Boeing's planes, and one that won't be solved either cheaply or easily. Richard Quest, CNN, New York.

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CHURCH: A national park in Ethiopia, says 28 of its 200 hippos have been found dead. That is according to local media. The head of the park says they still don't know what happened to them. A conservation group estimates a global population of only about 130,000 hippos. Experts say they are vulnerable to poaching, disease, loss of habitat and pollution.

Still, to come, Tropical Cyclone Kenneth is on track to strike Northern Mozambique, which is still reeling from last month's ferocious storm. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri will have all the details for you in just a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Well, Tropical Storm Kenneth is churning across the Indian Ocean and may bring threatening weather to parts of the African nation, Mozambique, a country already devastated by Tropical Cyclone Idai last month.

So, let's get more on all of this from our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri. So, what is the latest and when will Kenneth make landfall?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN INTERNATIONAL METEOROLOGIST: You know, Rosemary this is working its way across this region very quickly. So, we're about 24 to 36 hours before the storm begins on making its impacts across Northern Mozambique.

The Comoros Islands right now being impacted by what is equivalent to a Category 1 system. And this far north, you're so close at this point to the equator that storms of this magnitude happen very, very rarely.

In fact, the last time a storm of such magnitude impacted this region of the Comoros Islands, it has to go back 23 years. So, it really speaks to the level of experience folks have had across this region dealing with such storms as it works its way across these islands.

And unfortunately, we know what happened here some five weeks ago to the south. Of course, Beira was impacted significantly with 175 kilometer per hour winds. At that point last month, it was the strongest storm to impact Mozambique since 2008. And then, you take a look at what -- yes, amount of damage that was left behind. We know a billion dollars in losses.

The deadliest tropical system across the Southern Hemisphere as well. So, certainly, was an impressive storm and a deadly one at that as well.

This particular storm has what it takes to intensify incredibly fast over the next 24 hours potentially, gets stronger than what we saw with Idai last month. Maybe a Category 3, maybe a Category 4, it would move in within the next 36 hours.

Pemba population there across the extreme northern tier of Mozambique, sets at 200,000 people. It is the tenth most populous city across the country there. And again, it looks like it's going to be a slow rainmaker of a system. So, not only powerful winds upon landfall but potential for significant flooding as much as a half a meter of rainfall within a couple of days across that region could be devastating.

And really, the frequency of a storm to see it this frequently is very unusual. We talked about Idai, occurring once every nine years when you have a Category 1 equivalent feature move across Mozambique. Well, within five weeks, we have a repeat of a stronger storm here potentially working its way into Northern Mozambique.

So, certainly going to be a dangerous system. And if you're curious, only 11 times in recorded history have we had storms of Category 1, a magnitude move across Mozambique. Three of them of the strength that a Kenneth could get through, Rosemary.

[02:55:08] CHURCH: Pedram, thank you so much for keeping a very close eye on all of that. We appreciate it.

JAVAHERI: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, Donald Trump is getting a second crack at royal protocol when he heads to the U.K. in June for a state visit, complete with all the regal bells and whistles. But he isn't the only one to have bucked official etiquette at Buckingham Palace. Jeanne Moos takes a look.

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JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Queen and President Trump, soon to be back together again. We can hardly wait all that pomp and protocol to mess up. Remember the last time?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He broke royal protocol by walking in front of the Queen, but she quickly step forward.

MOOS: But not quickly enough to stop the jokes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's cutting her off like he's trying to beat her to the early bird special.

MOOS: Actually there was a lot of real-time coaching going on. Royal gestures indicating where to go. Without a rehearsal, no wonder President Trump ended up going off into the wild blue yonder. Comedians piled on with imaginary protocol breaches.

SETH MEYERS, HOST, NBC: During dinner, put his elbows on the Magna Carta. Wore a burger king crown the entire time.

MOOS: But the Obamas made her own royal faux pose. Michelle acknowledged in her book that she touched the Queen first on the shoulder, a no-no, on the monarch reciprocated placing her hand on Michelle's back.

President Obama put the Queen in a bind. She had to ignore him when he toasted her.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To the Queen.

MOOS: Because he did it while Britain's national anthem was played. President Trump had tea with the Queen.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This was supposed to last for 15 minutes, but it lasted for like an hour because we got along, we got along.

MOOS: But long before President Trump actually met the Queen, they were practically inseparable. This is one way to make America Great Britain again, face swapping. A graphic designer made a name for herself by replacing the Queen's face with the president's over and over. There was Queen Trump in his youth. The Donald with a duck make that a swan.

His first trip to the U.K. inspired the Trump baby blimp. On his upcoming state visit, take care not to make like a blimp blocking the queen. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

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CHURCH: So, many confusing rules, right? Thanks for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with another hour of news in just a moment. Do stay with us.

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