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London Mayor Lashes Out at Trump; Trump Weighs in on Brexit; Virginia Beach Mourning Victims; Liverpool Dominate Tottenham in Final 2-0; Dems Address Gun Violence; Historic Floods Threaten Communities in Arkansas; Philippines Returning Plastic Waste as Unusable; Take Two for Trump and Elizabeth II. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired June 02, 2019 - 05:00   ET

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


[05:00:00]

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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): London's mayor Sadiq Khan lashes out at the U.S. president Donald Trump, comparing his rhetoric to fascists of the 20th century.

Plus officials in the state of Arkansas work to save hundreds of homes there as floodwaters grow along the Arkansas River.

Also ahead this hour, mountains of trash dumped without permission are being returned to where they came from. We'll take a look at the world's problem with growing trash.

Live from CNN World Headquarters, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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HOWELL: 5:00 am on the U.S. East Coast.

Hours before President Trump heads to the U.K., the mayor of London is lashing out against President Trump. Sadiq Khan has never held back his criticism of Mr. Trump and in a new op-ed in "The Observer," Khan compares the rhetoric used by President Trump to fascists of the 20th century. He writes this.

"Donald Trump is just one of the most egregious examples of a growing global threat. The far right is on the rise around the world, threatening our hard-won rights and freedoms and the values that have defined our liberal democratic societies for more than 70 years."

He also says Trump's divisive behavior flies in the face of ideals on which America was founded and says it is un-British to be rolling out the red carpet for him.

In the meantime, President Trump made comments to the British newspaper "The Sunday Times," wading into the debate over Brexit. Mr. Trump insisted he wouldn't pay the $50 billion price tag for leaving the E.U. Listen. (BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

TRUMP: Well, if I were them, I wouldn't pay $50 billion. That's a big number. I wouldn't pay $50 billion. That's me. I'm only saying this from my standpoint. I would not pay -- that's a tremendous number.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of these candidates are saying they'd walk away if they don't get what they want. Others are disagreeing.

TRUMP: If they don't get what they want, I'd walk away. I would walk away. This is their decision. You're just asking my opinion. I would not -- if you don't get the deal you want, if up don't get a fair deal, then you walk away.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

HOWELL: Let's get the reporting from London with our Phil Black.

Phil, it is common knowledge the president of the United States is no fan of the mayor of London and vice versa. Mayor Sadiq Khan is making his thoughts very clear.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're right, they don't like each other. They've been feuding on Twitter since 2016. But this is strong stuff from the London mayor, where he argues this state visit should not be happening. He says President Trump does not deserve the honor because his views are not compatible, he says, with British values.

He says that President Trump uses otherness, racism, xenophobia as a tactic. He gives a long and comprehensive list of policies, comments, behavior that he says all add up to the fact that President Trump should not be honored in this way with a state visit.

But take a listen now to Sadiq Khan explaining why he feels this way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SADIQ KHAN, MAYOR OF LONDON: I don't think we should be rolling out the red carpet. I don't think this should be a state visit.

And why do I say that?

I think a close ally is akin to a best friend. The thing about a best friend is of course you stand shoulder to shoulder with them in time of adversity but you've got to call them out when you think they're wrong.

And there are so many things about President Trump's policies that are the antithesis of our viewers in London but also our values as a country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACK: Sadiq Khan is not alone in feeling this way about President Trump. We're expecting big protests in London and other senior politicians in this country have made it clear they feel the same way, too, including Labour's Jeremy Corbyn, essentially the alternative prime minister in this country.

Well, they are staying away deliberately from the state banquet at Buckingham Palace where President Trump will be the guest of honor -- George.

HOWELL: All right. And Phil, Mr. Trump also made his feelings known to the newspaper about British politics, including the outgoing prime minister and people who he sees as strong contenders to lead the U.K. through Brexit. Tell us more about how those comments are being received ahead of this visit.

[05:05:00]

BLACK: There are some traditions with these state visits. Generally the tone should be polite and respectful and the guest is not supposed to get involved with the domestic affairs of the host nation.

But President Trump has already defied that convention as you touched on there. In newspaper interviews ahead of the visit, he has injected himself into the biggest political issues in this country at the moment.

He's criticized Prime Minister Theresa May's handling of Brexit negotiations. He has effectively backed one contender in the upcoming internal party contest, the Conservative Party contest, to determine who will replace her as prime minister.

Now in a sense, these comments are not a surprise because he did the same during a working visit to the U.K. just last year. But this is a delicate -- it is a different time. It is a more delicate, sensitive time, a time of greater uncertainty, really, a time where President Trump's potential to inject himself into the affairs of the country, where anything other than polite respectful language really has the potential to create political shock waves here that will be felt long after President Trump departs.

HOWELL: All right. Phil Black with the reporting. Phil, thank you.

Let's get perspective now with Gina Reinhardt, a senior lecturer in the Department of Government at the University of Essex, joining this hour from Essex, England.

Good to have you.

GINA REINHARDT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Thank you, George. It's nice to be here.

HOWELL: The U.S. president will be a welcome figure to some who support him. And in this op-ed, it appears Sadiq Khan is engaging those who oppose the president and his politics. He had this to say in a quote.

"Rather than bestowing Trump with a grand platform of acceptability to the world, we should be speaking out and saying that this behavior is unacceptable and that it poses a grave threat to the values and principles we have fought hard to defend, often together, for decades."

Gina, this will be a divisive state visit in a politically divided country.

REINHARDT: There's no doubt. It's important to remember, though, that there have been many controversial state visits, especially with Queen Elizabeth II. She's been in her position for a very long time. And she has hosted people that we would consider dictators and really brutal tyrants from around the world over the last 65 years.

So even though there are a lot of objections to a state visit by Donald Trump, it's not unheard of. Her job is not to make political statements. Her role in this situation is to try to improve diplomatic ties. And I think that's what they're trying to do here.

HOWELL: OK. On one side, you have Sadiq Khan; on the other President Trump, praising Boris Johnson, who he sees as a favorite of Conservatives to be next prime minister. He is supportive of Nigel Farage. All of this in line with Mr. Trump's world view and his view of Brexit.

Does his presence there give energy to that movement?

REINHARDT: Absolutely. There's no doubt about that. It also gives a shot of energy to the opposition. He's coming at a time that is probably the biggest political crisis here since World War II.

And the fact that he's willing to make statements about it is increasing the tensions and the divisions between people. In the most recent election here, the top two vote-getting parties were not the two parties that have been in control of Parliament for the last several years.

They were two parties that usually don't get that much support. One was absolutely coming down on the side of Brexit. That was Nigel Farage's Brexit Party. And the other were the Liberal Democrats, who came down clearly against Brexit.

So it's clear that people are moving toward the extremes of this debate. They are tired of not knowing what's going to happen and tired of representing this sort of indecision to the world community.

HOWELL: There's also Theresa May. You'll remember the comments that Mr. Trump made the day she announced she was resigning. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I feel badly for Theresa. I like her very much. She's a good woman. She worked very hard. She's very strong. She decided to do something that some people were surprised at, some people weren't. It's for the good of her country. But I like her very much. In fact, I will be seeing her in two weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Gina, though, in his comments to "The Sunday Times" newspaper --

[05:10:00]

HOWELL: -- he criticized Theresa May.

So what is it like to be Theresa May, to welcome this president as one of her last duties as prime minister?

REINHARDT: Oh, I'm sure it's unpleasant for her. He has not spent a lot of time saying nice things about her. And he -- definitely his comments have also been at least partially gendered and misogynistic as well.

She is essentially a lame duck prime minister. She tried very hard and she's up against -- she's in between a rock and a hard place, with one being the E.U. and the other being Parliament and her own party. So she's done the best that she can.

She's realized that she can't do any more with calls from inside her party to resign. She's had to announce her resignation. And at this point, just with the finish line practically there, she now has to entertain and host someone who's never been very friendly to her.

I'm sure it's quite unpleasant. But I'm sure she won't let a lot of that show on her face. She'll be gracious and cordial to him.

HOWELL: Gina Reinhardt, thank you, again, for your time and perspective.

REINHARDT: Thank you, George.

HOWELL: Now to the issue of trade with Mexico and President Trump's threat of tariffs. Mexico's president says he's open to negotiating with the United States. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says an agreement is possible and he's not interested in having a tariff war with the United States.

While he says President Trump's threat to impose tariffs in a dispute over migrants is unfair, he is taking a conciliatory approach.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR, PRESIDENT OF MEXICO (through translator): There are international options that we could turn to. We think that won't be necessary, that we will achieve a good agreement through dialogue and we won't resort to legal processes. We want to maintain good relations with the government of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: A delegation from Mexico will head to Washington in the next few days. They're expected to meet with U.S. officials, including secretary of state Mike Pompeo. Mexico's foreign minister tells CNN he hopes to find common ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCELO EBRARD, MEXICAN FOREIGN MINISTER: We are going to present our arguments to the administration. Essentially I think that the tariffs is a decision that can make great harm to our economies, Mexico and the United States. Mexico is the most important commercial partner of the United States right now. So I think that we have the argument and the possibilities to reach some common ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: All right. As for China, a more confrontational tone is coming on the issue of trade there. China says the U.S. bears the sole and entire responsibility for stalled trade talks between the two countries. China's defense minister, he had this to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WEI FENGHE, CHINESE DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): As for the recent trade friction started by the U.S., if the U.S. wants to talk, we will keep the door open. If they want to fight, we will fight to the end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: At that same conference, the acting U.S. Defense Secretary said the U.S. would not ignore China's behavior in the South China Sea but said he didn't see a trade war, he saw ongoing negotiations.

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HOWELL: In Virginia Beach, Virginia, grief and heartbreak in that community as people struggle to understand why a long-time city worker went on a shooting spree. A memorial service is set Thursday for the 12 victims. All but one were city employees. Four others remain in hospital.

The gunman also died. His family posted a note of condolence to the victims. But they told CNN they were not aware that their son had any work-related problems.

Without any clear-cut answers, the city can only mourn. Virginia's governor ordered state flags to be lowered to half staff. U.S. president also ordered all U.S. flags lowered. A police officer who was injured in the shootout is back home, doing well. The mayor vowed to help the city move past the tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOBBY DYER, MAYOR, VIRGINIA BEACH: Let me just say this. We will not be defined by this horror. We will go forward. We are a city of resiliency and resolve. The true character of our city is going to rest with our public, our citizens and our neighbors that we share borders with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Dozens of FBI agents have now taken over collecting evidence in the case. Federal investigators say that --

[05:15:00]

HOWELL: -- the shooter used two handguns in the crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASHAN BENEDICT, ATF SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: Working with Virginia Beach Police Department, state police and our partners with the FBI, we identified two weapons used in the shooting yesterday.

Both weapons are .45 caliber pistols. One was purchased in 2016. One was purchased in 2018. Both pistols were purchased by the shooter and all indications are they were purchased legally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Now if police know the motive, they're not saying at this point. We do know the shooter was a certified engineer in the public utilities department and had been with the city for about is a years.

Coworkers say he was generally quiet and revealed no clues into what he was about to do; 11 of the victims were dedicated employees murdered at their workplace. The 12th was a contractor, coming in for a permit. Here are their names and faces. You should know them. Stay with us.

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HOWELL: Can you imagine what that moment was like?

Wild celebrations there as Liverpool recaptures the coveted title. The Reds are about to take a victory lap through Liverpool after they notched a 2-0 victory over Tottenham in Saturday's Champions League final in Madrid. Up next for the team, a victory parade set for Sunday afternoon. Of course, fans are overjoyed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How does it feel to be six-time champions?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Biggest club in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This means everything to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: All right. Here's how it all came together. With Liverpool's first goal from Mohamed Salah, who scored an early penalty, then this. Divock Origi scored in the final few minutes of the game to seal the victory. It seems Origi had something to prove after a heartbreaking defeat last year.

Amanda Davies is live in Madrid following it all.

What was that like for Liverpool fans?

[05:20:00]

DAVIES: George, the players in the run-up to this game had been talking about how much they wanted to repay the faith and the dedication of the tens of thousands of Liverpool fans who had made their way from the U.K. here to Madrid, so many of them without a ticket.

And, boy, did they do that, as you said, making amends for that heartbreaking defeat to Real Madrid 12 months ago, winning their first European crown since 2005. The celebrations went on long into the night, into this morning here in Madrid, fans in the city center, in the bars spilling out onto the streets.

The players also stayed in Madrid overnight. But they are now on a plane on their way back to Liverpool as you said for that victory parade.

The Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, called it afterwards the greatest night of his footballing life after That well-documented run of six defeats in six major finals. He's finally, at the third time of asking, managed to get his hands on that Champions League trophy and give Liverpool their first piece of silverware in his time there since he joined in 2015. The players were rightly delighted as well. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SADIO MANE, LIVERPOOL FORWARD: I could not believe until now. So for me, it's just like I'm still dreaming. But, yes, I think I'm here now. (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is the next dream?

What is the next dream for you?

MANE: More focus to win.

XHERDAN SHAQIRI, LIVERPOOL MIDFIELDER: It's amazing. It's amazing we won the (INAUDIBLE) just amazing, just amazing after a long time to win the championship again and for me, especially, too, it's the second time. It's amazing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIES: And, George, Sadio Mane there said what is next, more, more trophies. And it is ominous for fans of rival teams. This has been a steady progression, a building process for Liverpool. You really do suspect now they're back at European football's top table. There is plenty more to come.

HOWELL: And they have a lot to be excited about. Thank you.

Search teams are headed up one of India's highest mountains, hoping to find eight climbers missing in the Himalayas. An Indian guide, four from the United Kingdom, two Americans and an Australian failed to return to base camp one week ago. Officials are now hoping to use aircraft in the search if the weather allows for it.

Let's bring in CNN's Nikhil Kumar following the story live to New Delhi.

Tell us more about this search and the use of aircraft.

NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: Well, George, two helicopters were, in fact, sent up earlier today, early Sunday morning local time in India. They've now very recently returned back. They were unsuccessful.

They conducted aerial surveys around this mountain in the Eastern Himalayas. It is about 24,000 feet. That's about 7,400 meters tall. So the choppers were sent up to try to locate the climbers. They didn't have much luck.

Three search teams are at the base campground. The fourth is going to dispatch up there and officials told us they're hoping to send up the choppers once again to do further aerial surveys if the weather allows, either today or tomorrow, as they try and locate these climbers.

As you say, they've been missing since the 25th of May. They were part of a larger group of 12 climbers who all left together. The other four returned to base camp but these eight did not. Officials don't yet know exactly what happened, whether these climbers were lost on the way up or down the mountain and what exactly caused their disappearance.

They're trying to determine all of that as the search still continues. An official we spoke to recently shortly before I came on air told us they're still hopeful of finding them alive, even though they've been missing now since the 25th of May.

HOWELL: All right. You'll stay in touch with your sources as the search continues during what has been a notably treacherous climbing season there in the Himalayas. Thank you again for the reporting.

Floodwaters are still rising in parts of America's Midwest. And some are warned of the possibility of a levee breach. We'll have those details ahead.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, hey. Hey.

HOWELL: On-stage drama in the race for the White House. How Democrats dealt with protesters in California. (END VIDEO CLIP)

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[05:25:00]

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HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Atlanta. I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following this hour.

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HOWELL: Gun violence in the United States is a major issue in the 2020 presidential race and impeaching President Trump seems to be another issue. Democrats have been talking about both topics this weekend at their California state convention. CNN's Kyung Lah is at that --

[05:30:00]

HOWELL: -- gathering of presidential contenders and filed this report from San Francisco.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR U.S. CORRESPONDENT: The day after the Virginia Beach shooting, many of the 2020 presidential candidates did speak to reporters, sharing their thoughts about the shooting and gun violence.

But it was Senator Cory Booker that made gun violence the centerpiece of his speech that he delivered to California Democrats.

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's time for us as a nation not to normalize the violence and the carnage of gun violence.

LAH (voice-over): The candidate who received perhaps the longest and most sustained applause from this crowd was Elizabeth Warren as she said that the party needed to steer away from small steps forward. And she made the argument for a push for progressive values.

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... about how you should settle for little bits and pieces instead of real change. They are telling you something important, they are telling you they will not fight for you. Not me. I'm here to fight.

LAH (voice-over): This convention is unabashed progressive politics on display and it's often more to the Left than the voters of California.

So when Speaker Nancy Pelosi began to deliver her remarks and talk about the president and the Mueller report, every time she paused, there were cries of the word, "Impeach!"

John Hickenlooper was booed by this progressive crowd as he warned Democrats that if they moved to far to the left, they would not defeat Trump.

There was an alarming moment for Senator Kamala Harris at the Move On event. It is happening at the same time as the California party convention, a protester jumping the stage as she spoke.

LAH: Harris' campaign said she was fine and was able to continue with her remarks and that protester was led away. Most of the 2020 candidates did already speak on Saturday and the big name on Sunday, Bernie Sanders -- Kyung Lah, CNN, San Francisco.

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HOWELL: Arkansas has been hit hard by flooding after weeks of rain and the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, is among those affected most by the rising water. Take a look at this video, a view of the capital from a local bridge.

Vulnerable residents there have been cautioned to get out of the way, get out of the affected area for their own safety. The Arkansas River snakes across the state from west to east. It is a major tributary of the Mississippi River.

The scope of the flooding in Arkansas and the potential danger to those who live nearby, it is staggering when you see what is happening from the air. CNN's Natasha Chen has more on that.

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JOSEPH BLUNDELL, CROP DUSTER: This is my family's land right here. It was all underwater yesterday.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's usually cattle all over Joseph Blundell's family property but he says most of the cows have now been moved to higher ground.

BLUNDELL: Financially, this area will be devastated probably three to five years due to the lack of income and not being able to produce any crops.

CHEN (voice-over): Crops like corn, soybeans, rice, which are distributed to other parts of the country. Blundell says he sprays pesticides and fertilizer for a living, so he'll have to find work in other states.

CHEN: Right now we're flying over Holla Bend, it's a wildlife refuge and it's close to where the levee breached. We can tell that the opening is already much bigger than it was just a day ago.

CHEN (voice-over): But this dam farther north is structurally sound, even with the unusual violent flow of water. Senator Tom Cotton grew up in this area. SEN. TOM COTTON (R-AR): Well, it's hard to describe just how abnormal this is. If you go up the river a little bit to the Highway 7 bridge, there are entire baseball parks and even basketball goals now that are completely submerged underwater.

CHEN (voice-over): We saw Blackhawk helicopters dropping large sandbags, just one of the ways local, state and federal partners are trying to mitigate the damage. And however difficult the challenge is, the mayor says they'll get through this together.

JIMMY WITT, DARDANELLE MAYOR: This is Dardanelle. This is what happens. I can literally put a Facebook message out right now and, within 30 minutes, I can have 100 people. That's how much I believe in this town.

CHEN (voice-over): Natasha Chen, CNN, Dardanelle, Arkansas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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[05:35:00]

HOWELL: The global glut of plastic waste. It is too often ending up in developing countries and it's a problem.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEA GUERRERO, GREENPEACE PHILIPPINES DIRECTOR: It is a deplorable practice that a lot of countries, especially in the global north, do to get rid of the waste they cannot process.

HOWELL (voice-over): Now countries including the Philippines, they're sending it back. We'll speak to a leader of Greenpeace Philippines organization about saving that country from becoming the world garbage dump. Stay with us.

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[05:40:00]

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HOWELL: Everywhere humans go, they leave behind trash. Sometimes they leave behind mountains of trash. And the world's tallest peak, well, it's no stranger to trash, either. Decades of trekking up and down Mt. Everest has left behind a sad legacy of food containers, of climbing gear and a lot of other things.

Climate change is melting the snow and ice to expose even more. So volunteers have been engaging in a 45-day cleanup campaign, their goal of removing 10 tons of trash from Mt. Everest. And the leading scourge is plastic. Most of it doesn't decompose and

it's not easily recycled. So to get ahead of the problem, many countries are moving to outlaw some types of plastic.

Tanzania is the latest of more than 30 African nations to join a ban on single-use plastic bags. Even tourists are being warned not to bring those items in their luggage. The government says it is fully committed to phase it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMIA SULUHU HASSAN, TANZANIAN VICE PRESIDENT (through translator): Once the ban is effective, the government is not planning on any extensions and we will not tolerate anyone caught using them. This will apply to all, even at the supermarkets. No plastic bag will be allowed in the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: For many years developing countries imported plastic waste as a raw material to be recycled into new products. But sometimes material that couldn't be reused was just dumped there. So now countries like the Philippines are sending it back. Our Anna Coren has this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sixty-nine containers full of Canadian plastic trash on its way back home. It was sent from Canada to the Philippines over five years ago, labeled clean and ready to be reprocessed.

Much of it was unwashed food containers, filthy and unrecyclable. So on Friday morning, the Philippines sent it back.

GUERRERO: It is a deplorable practice that countries, especially in the global north, do to get rid of the waste they cannot process in their own countries. So wherever waste trade happens, it infringes on human rights of the people who accept the waste.

COREN (voice-over): Perhaps understandable that people in the Philippines, an archipelago of picture-perfect tourist beaches, are unhappy about being treated as a dumping ground. Protests like these prompted the government to send Canada's ambassador home earlier this month with one message, "Take your trash back."

Canada agreed to take it and said it would dispose of it in an environmentally responsible way. Ottawa also promised to crack down on trash traders that purposely mislabel rubbish as recyclable.

Southeast Asian countries are routinely listed among the top polluters as studies reveal, our world increasingly swamped in plastic. But countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam say it's Western waste littering their shores, sent to poorer countries instead of being recycled. YEO BEE YIN, MALAYSIAN ENVIRONMENT MINISTER: Malaysians, like any other developing countries, have a right to clean air, clean water, sustainable resources and clean environment to live in, just like citizens of developed nations.

COREN (voice-over): Last year, China banned imports of the world's plastic scrap for environmental reasons, which means some 7 million tons of plastic needs to be recycled elsewhere. But reprocessing plastic is often easier said than done, especially when it's not clean.

Now Southeast Asian countries are sending back anything that can't be recycled. And countries like the U.S., Australia and the U.K. have all been told to expect their garbage to be returned to them. Malaysia and the Philippines say their trash is their problem -- Anna Coren, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Lea Guerrero is with Greenpeace Philippines, joining this hour from Manila.

Good to have you with us.

GUERRERO: Thanks for having me on your show, George.

HOWELL: So we're talking about the trash trade. Many people just discard their plastic waste. They don't think twice about where it goes, what happens --

[05:45:00]

HOWELL: -- to it. A lot of it does get shipped away to countries like the Philippines. And there was a time when shipments like this seemed to be accepted.

Why the trend now with these plastics being turned back?

GUERRERO: I think it's mostly the amount that we've seen in the past few years. Because of the past, a lot of it -- I think around 51 percent -- was going to China. So countries in Southeast Asia were not absorbing a lot of the impact from municipal waste trade or plastic waste trade.

But China realized the reason why they closed their doors is they realized they were getting a lot of unrecyclable plastics, plastic which was just filthy. And it was ending in their waste dumps and in the incinerators.

So when they closed their doors, that was when the impact happened. And that's why countries in Southeast Asia right now are sending back their trash to all these developed countries that have sent them.

HOWELL: You know, it does seem -- you know, the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, even made it clear to Canada the trash was not welcome, to send it back to Canada. The question here, what should other nations consider?

What options should they look to now that the trend is that nations like the Philippines are saying no?

GUERRERO: For developing nations, I think the option is to ratify the Basel ban (ph) amendment, which would prohibit the trade of waste even if they are labeled as recyclable. For developed countries -- and I guess that goes for all countries developing or developed countries -- it's time to look at waste reduction.

It's time to look at a massive reduction in plastic production because a lot of municipal waste that have been shipped to developing countries is really mostly plastic. And we have to address the problem at the root. And the problem is we produce so much plastic that we can't discard what we have produced.

HOWELL: What would you say to the average person?

Because, again, you know, you look at the chain here and really it starts with the person that goes to the coffee shop and gets the plastic straw and then discards it after a single use.

What would you say to people, you know, who have choices to make?

GUERRERO: Right. I would say the chain doesn't start with people. The chain starts with the plastic producers. In this case, it's fossil fuel companies. So if you look at the trend of plastic production, it's projected to increase massively over the next decade.

In the past, around, I think -- only around 4 percent of fossil fuel inputs was being used for plastic projection. It's going to balloon to several times what it is now. So that means a lot of plastics will still be produced by manufacturing companies, by these facilities that produce the polymers, that produce the -- that produce plastic from fossil fuels.

That needs to be reduced. That needs to stop. What we are seeing is it is single use plastic that is flooding our waste streams. And single use plastic has to go.

And when we look at how consumers, ordinary people, are being pressured about, you know, stop using straws, stop using plastic cups, et cetera, it's because technically they're left with no choices in a lot of places.

(CROSSTALK)

HOWELL: I didn't mean to interrupt. But to your point, you're saying really, though, it starts with these companies. But certainly people, you know, have no choice, you say. But they have a choice to make. Lea, we appreciate your time. Thank you so much for your time today.

GUERRERO: OK. Thank you.

HOWELL: The U.S. president is headed to the United Kingdom Monday and he might be wise to avoid certain subjects when making small talk with the world's most famous monarch.

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HOWELL: The U.S. president Donald Trump arrives in the U.K. on Monday for a state visit. The outspoken U.S. leader may want to temper his remarks though, especially when it comes to certain subjects, as our Jeanne Moos explains.

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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Whether attending a state dinner with the queen or getting pointers from Her Majesty, we have a few pointers of our own about topics President Trump should avoid.

Don't apologize for the last time you reviewed the guard together.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He broke royal protocol by walking in front of the queen but she quickly stepped forward.

MOOS (voice-over): No point in reminding her of all those jokes.

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

MOOS (voice-over): Be especially careful, Mr. President, not to mention the tweet you posted about Prince William's wife back when French paparazzi shot her sunbathing nude.

"Only herself to blame," you wrote. "Who wouldn't take Kate's picture and make lots of money if she does the nude sunbathing thing. Come on, Kate."

And definitely don't bring up what Howard Stern coaxed you to say about Lady Diana two decades ago.

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HOWARD STERN, RADIO HOST: Would you have slept with her?

TRUMP: Without even hesitation. Lady Di had supermodel beauty.

Really?

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MOOS (voice-over): And positively leave out the part where you said she was crazy. (BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

TRUMP: She was crazy but, you know, these are minor details.

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MOOS (voice-over): Another detail?

After recently giving birth, Meghan Markle isn't expected to be on hand for the state --

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MOOS (voice-over): -- visit. But maybe the royals should stay mum about what Meghan once said about Trump.

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MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: With as misogynistic as Trump is and so vocal about it.

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MOOS (voice-over): And don't remind the president of that 2017 parliamentary debate about whether he should be invited for a state visit.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pimping out the queen for the Donald Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Walker, I don't think it's in order to refer to pimping out our sovereign.

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MOOS (voice-over): And most of all, royals, keep President Trump away from a TV, where he might see this promo for coverage of his visit. It could cast a shadow on the festivities -- Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

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HOWELL: One of the world's biggest bands has invaded England. Korean pop phenomenon BTS filled Wembley Stadium on Friday. Local media report tickets for the 90,000-seat stadium sold out in minutes. Fans called the BTS Army are said to be inspired by the band's ability to bring Asian culture to Western audience.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's amazing how they're not from the West and they're doing so well here and they're, like, doing really, like, great things and like, also Asian representation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the entire army which is the BTS fandom are really welcoming. And there's always this notion of, because we are fans of this group of people, then we all share something in common. And, like, we can be together in that, like, warmth of, like, almost a family.

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HOWELL: The group is set to perform a second night at the stadium on Sunday.

Thank you for being with us for CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. The news continues here on CNN right after the break.

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