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President Trump Visits U.K.; Boeing Finds Another Problem with 737 MAX; "Purged" North Korean Diplomat Appears in State Media; Virginia Beach Shooter "Quiet," "Unassuming"; Indians Search for Eight Climbers; Cruise Ship Rams Tourist Boat at Venice Dock; Appleton Estate in Rum Game Since 1794. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired June 03, 2019 - 00:00   ET

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

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CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A lunch with the queen and tea with Prince Charles, Donald Trump is on his way to his first state visit to the U.K.

More troubles for Boeing as some of its 737 aircraft may have defective parts.

And this frightening scene in Venice, Italy, a massive cruise ship loses control and crashes into the wharf.

We are here in the CNN NEWSROOM in Atlanta, I am Cyril Vanier, it's great to have you with us.

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VANIER: U.S. president Donald Trump will arrive in the U.K. just a few hours from now, for a state visit prime minister Theresa May has been trying to arrange for two years. Before he left, the president ignored diplomatic norms and weighed in on British politics in a series of newspaper interview.

He advocated that Britain take a tougher stand on Brexit and praised some of Ms. May's possible successors and said the former London mayor, Boris Johnson, would be an excellent successor.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I may meet with him. He's been a friend of mine. He's been very nice. I have a very good relationship with him. I have a very good relationship with Nigel Farage, with many people over there and we'll see what happens, but I may meet with him.

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VANIER: Mr. Trump's first day in London is packed with ceremonial events, a private lunch with the queen, tea with Prince Charles and finally a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

On Tuesday, the president will meet with Prime Minister May and other leaders.

As with his last visit, not everyone will welcome him with open arms, large protests are expected. And the mayor of London a frequent critic of the president, called him one of the most egregious examples of a growing global threat.

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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 our close allies are akin to a best friend and the thing about a best friend is, of course, you stand shoulder to shoulder with them at times of adversity but you've got to call them out when you think there are wrong.

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

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VANIER: CNN's international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is in London for this.

Nic, Trump has been to the U.K. before, he has even met the queen before but this is the first state visit for Donald Trump, tell us why that is important.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It signifies, and I think this is the intent here, of course, it's that close and special relationship between the U.S. and the U.K., at a time when the Britain is leaving the Europe and is keen to make strong -- have a strong trade relationship with the United States in the future.

This is something the Trump says he wants for Britain, he wants Britain to get out of European Union quickly but he wants to forge that trade relationship that many in Britain are questioning what level of leverage the United States would have over Britain, for example, to accept its chlorinated chicken, which is a quite a concern for a lot of people in Britain.

So this is truly symbolic but truly part of the formalizing, if you will, continuing to formalize a strong relationship between the two countries, something Britain is going to need, as it exits the European Union, to have that close relationship with the United States.

It may not get it on the terms that it wants but I think the idea that President Trump will come and meet with the queen and have this state banquet, it's something very high on his agenda.

So if Britain has any leverage in the relationship between the two countries, this is one of those moment that shows a very warm and trusting friendship.

VANIER: Trump will meet with prime minister Theresa May, that's a little awkward because she's not going to be in power for very long.

ROBERTSON: It's going to be hugely awkward for so many reasons, not just that she is not in power past the end of the week, when she steps down and the race for a replacement will begin in earnest.

When Trump was here last year, he criticized her handling of the negotiations with the European Union over Brexit. He criticized -- he said Boris Johnson will make a good prime minister as well. And he's going to repeat that before he arrives on the U.K. this time so he kind of doubled down on what he came here to apologize to --

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ROBERTSON: -- Theresa May for criticizing her. He has been a bit softer on her this time but he was talking about, not only how Boris Johnson and may be others would be good as future prime minister but also talked about Nigel Farage, the leader of the Brexit Party, how he should be involved in the negotiations for Brexit, how Britain should take a tougher line with the European Union and it should not plan to continue payment beyond leaving.

This is leverage that Donald Trump thinks Britain has over the European Union. But Donald Trump has his critics back in the United States, senators there criticize Donald Trump's approach and this could impact, may send Northern Ireland and Ireland and certain U.S. politicians are saying, if President Trump really tries to pressure Britain in some way, more than these verbal comments, then this will turn into a hard exit with the European Union and this is going to bring problems for him back home. So it's not going to be an easy path for him if that's the road he goes down while he's here.

VANIER: All right, Nic Robertson, coming from London, thank you, where Trump is expected to touch down in about four hours.

We are bringing in our European affairs commentator, Dominic Thomas.

How is the special relationship between the U.S. and U.K. doing at the moment?

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: I think it really depends on to whom you pose that particular question. Clearly many officials, during this state visit, will be underscoring the historic relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom, much like when President Trump met with president Emmanuel Macron, both in France during Bastille Day celebrations or during Emmanuel Macron's visit to the United States.

They're emphasizing that aspect, if anything, to cover up some of the tensions that are in place. Of course there are many people in the U.K. who are offended by Donald Trump's attacks on liberal democratic values and so many aspects of his presidency.

But it's also a very interesting moment of transition in the United Kingdom, in which the political momentum seems to be moving in a direction that favors Donald Trump's views of the U.K. and of Europe. So many of those interlocutors, you could argue, will be happy to meet with him.

VANIER: I was going to say, from Trump's perspective, arguably, this is the best time to have a state visit.

THOMAS: It's an interesting time of course and also to think about the way Donald Trump actually sees and understands British politics. We know his fondness for FOX News, we know that Nigel Farage is a commentator on that network.

But that network, along with newspapers like "The Sun" and "The Sunday Times," in which President Trump recently gave interviews, also belong to Rupert Murdoch. These are outlets that, for a very long time now, have been pushing the Brexit agenda and tougher negotiations, too.

So these are the people through which he understands the British political context and also who are sympathetic to Donald Trump's agenda, which is important to him.

VANIER: Is it fair to say than, that Trump's view on British politics have, in some respect, in some degree, been vindicated?

THOMAS: I think we are seeing in both the United Kingdom and in Europe in general, that some of these political groups of course, the far right, the Brexit argument, have been around longer than President Trump himself. But they both are providing oxygen to the other.

President Donald Trump's protectionist, nationalist agenda, infused with so many complex xenophobic and racist comments, are also precisely the kinds of things that so many of the far right and populist groups in Europe have been embracing.

So there is a symbiotic way in which they are feeding off each other and mainstream political parties have not yet found adequate ways to respond to the inroads that these political groups are making.

VANIER: And you mentioned it goes beyond the U.K., the far right is doing very well in several other European countries. And you see a brand of populism that's not dissimilar to Mr. Trump's.

THOMAS: That's absolutely right, one cannot deny the fact that each of these countries work in different ways. But the fact is that in both France and Italy and also in the U.K. in the recent European elections, those political parties that have scored the highest, were these far right political parties.

Now they work in very different ways. What is going to be interesting, of course, and we are already seeing this, the ways in which some of these far right parties, particularly those that have --

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THOMAS: -- actually got into power in Austria and Italy, they're actually struggling when it comes to governing. What we are seeing now with the Brexit transition, away from Prime Minister May, is a Conservative Party trying to decide who the new leader will be.

It will be interesting if they indeed appoint a Brexiteer to head the party, it will be interesting to see how the new leader will navigate through Parliament and actually take over this poisoned prize, that's the process of negotiating Brexit from here on in. And that's going to be interesting.

VANIER: Dominic, another aspect to this visit, a historical aspect, the D-Day commemorations this week in the U.K., in France and in Ireland.

THOMAS: Right. Of course, and it's not only the 75th anniversary, if you look at the algorithm, it's going to be one of the last major commemorations with living representatives that of course left back in 1944, from the southern shores of the U.K. from Portsmouth to go to Normandy.

So this is historic and it's also a visit that clearly emphasizes the relationship between the U.K. and the U.S. has been there for a long time and will be there way beyond these discussions around President Trump and Brexit.

VANIER: Dominic Thomas, our favorite European affairs commentator, thank you very much. We'll see you next hour as well, so stand by for that.

Boeing is facing yet another problem as it tries to get its grounded 737 MAX fleet back in the air. The company said some of the 737s, including many of the MAX planes, may have faulty parts on their wings that could fail prematurely or even crack.

It's known as the leading-edge slat track. U.S. aviation officials say a plane could be damaged in flight if that failed. Airlines have been ordered to inspect and repair it within 10 days' time. The 737 MAX was grounded worldwide after two deadly crashes in less than five months.

Let's bring in CNN's David Soucie for his perspective. He's in Denver.

How dangerous is this, David?

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: It can be very dangerous. I think the way it's being handled right now is a good sign of the FAA working with Boeing to get things done properly.

There are so many of these slides. There are eight slides on each wing and each slides have about two or three tracks that guide it. So I think they made the right call, to say it's a safety critical issue but it's not going to cause the aircraft to come flying out of the sky.

VANIER: So the FAA says if this part failed, it will not bring down the plane.

You agree with that? SOUCIE: I do agree with that. I think they made the right call on this one.

VANIER: I have to say, when I read that, I was not very reassured, given Boeing's recent history, the crashes of the two 737 MAX 8s and at the time Boeing had deemed a software non-critical when in fact the software is critical.

So when I see the FAA saying this wouldn't down the plane, I have to say, I just have my doubts.

SOUCIE: Yes, everyone does. The only reason I'm uncomfortable with it is because I'm very familiar with that system. I've actually removed and reinstalled those slat tracks before as a mechanic for an airline. And I know what they are and what they do and if they fail, it's not going to cause a problem with the flight. It might slightly but these are just secondary flight control systems, they're not primary flight control systems, which are the part of the MCAS and the problems they had with the MAX 8.

I'm so seeing this as something that is safety critical, not at this point.

VANIER: That's really valuable insight so we will just have to separate these two problems.

What are we talking about is a problem?

Apparently Boeing employees found this particular batch of slats coming to them from a supplier had not been heat tested.

SOUCIE: So what happened is the materials are made in one place and maybe heat treated to allow them not to crack or to be flexible, however the metal needs to be. That's part of the process.

So if a piece of the process falls out, like I said, this is a good sign that the system is working. When they see something like this, they identify the issue to FAA and the FAA does not hide it under a delegation authority. It's part of the way the system works. It's like a looking into the sausage factory and see how they make sausages.

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VANIER: With your sausage analogy, how do you find the sausages that potentially have defects now that there are outs on these 737s that airlines have around the world?

How do they locate the parts?

SOUCIE: Each one of these parts is serialized so they are looking to see which serial numbers --

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SOUCIE: -- were installed on which aircraft so that is tracked. It's part -- because it is a part of the aircraft that has to be replaced over time, so they do have systems to keep track of where they are.

The big concern is they do not know where exactly they are and exactly which aircraft; that should be faster than this. Bu the fact that they are given 10 days to come up with it, I think that tells me that they actually know where these parts are, they're going to do an inspection on these parts, they're given 10 days but they are going to inspect each of these items first, to see if there are cracks. If there are cracks, they will be removed from service immediately.

VANIER: All right, thank you, David Soucie, for joining us, thank you for insights.

Still to come, shock after Friday's mass shooting in Virginia, where many of the gunman's longtime colleagues say there was no sign of this happening. We'll bring you an update on the investigation.

Plus this in Italy, a cruise ship crashed into port. Officials say it's proof that tourism in Venice is out of control.

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VANIER: Reports of the disappearance of North Korea's chief envoy --

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VANIER: -- may have been greatly exaggerated. State media reported that Kim Yong-chol attended an art performance with leader Kim Jong-un and other high ranking officials. The state newspaper even published this photograph, with what appears to be the envoy sitting a few seats away from Kim.

CNN has not authenticated it and his hands are partially covering his face. A South Korean newspaper reported Kim Yong-chol had been sent to a hard labor camp for his part in the failed Hanoi summit between President Trump and Kim Jong-un.

A flurry of meetings between the U.S. and Mexico begin in the coming hours, Mexico's secretaries of the economy and foreign affairs will meet their U.S. counterparts this week. This comes days before punishing tariffs on Mexican imports start to set in. President Trump said the tariffs are meant to jolt Mexico to do more about illegal migrants.

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TRUMP: They have to stop the flow of the drugs and illegal immigrants, people that have not gone through the process. We have people, we want people to come into our country but they have to come in legally.

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VANIER: Mr. Trump's acting chief of staff and said he does not think tariffs will cause hardship for U.S. consumers.

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MICK MULVANEY, ACTING WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: He's absolutely, deadly serious. In fact, I fully expect these tariffs to go onto at least the five percent level on June 10th. The president is deadly serious about fixing the situation at the southern border.

But the proof is in the pudding, there is no inflation. Prices have not gone up. We've put -- put tariffs on China, we're putting tariffs on Mexico and inflation is still under control. That's because that old-fashioned economic orthodoxy doesn't work when it's relatively easy to substitute other goods.

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VANIER: But the U.S. Chamber of Commerce disputes that, writing in a statement, "Imposing tariffs on goods from Mexico is exactly the wrong move. These tariffs will be paid by American families and business without doing a thing to solve the very real problems at the border."

Mexico's president says his country considers the U.S. a friend and he will not engage in a trade war. As Patrick Oppmann reports from Mexico City, the president said he prefers conversation to confrontation.

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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump said that Mexican government officials are "abusers" and that Mexicans have only offered talk and no action, as the U.S. and Mexico continue to square off over trade and immigration. Trump has vowed to begin placing tariffs up to 25 percent tariffs on Mexican products sold in the U.S., which would have a major impact on Mexico. The U.S. is Mexico's largest trading partner.

And despite the tough talk from Trump, Mexican government officials have taken a very different tact. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, says that he is friends with Trump that the United States, the relationship is very important there and that dialogue is the key to resolving this issue. He has sent a delegation of Mexican officials, including several cabinet secretaries to Washington.

And starting on Monday, they'll begin a series of high-level talks to try and figure out a path forward. Trump says, though, that the only way for Mexico to not begin suffering the immediate impacts of these tariffs is to crack down on immigration. But the majority of the immigrants coming through Mexico, coming from Central America, countries like Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador.

It's a very porous border. And even though Mexican officials said they were doing much more, that they are deporting the immigrants that they arrest, the illegal immigrants that enter into Mexico or that they're offering others asylum and job and educational opportunities here. There are just too many people coming towards the United States.

It's really the situation in these countries that is to blame and not so much Mexico. But President Trump has been very, very clear, saying it's Mexico's job to deal with this crisis. That they're seeing hundreds of immigrants showing up everyday with the U.S.-Mexico border and that Mexico needs to fix this very quickly or else -- Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Mexico City.

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VANIER: Days after 12 people were killed in a workplace shooting in the United States of Virginia, the gunman's colleagues remain shocked. Many of them said the shooter was not someone they expected to be violent. In fact, they remembered him as a nice person, before the rampage, of course.

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JOSEPH SCOTT, DEWAYNE CRADDOCK'S CO-WORKER: DeWayne was a very nice person, he was quiet. He was unassuming. He was pleasant to be around.

And when I last saw him, which was just before this incident happened, he wished me to have a good weekend. The whole department up there is very close. We have a lot of celebrations together and we all celebrate victories for each other.

There was absolutely no sign, even when I talked to him just before it happened --

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SCOTT: -- and there was no sign that this was going to happen.

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VANIER: The gunman was a 40 year old city engineer and he was killed in the shootout with police. Investigators are trying to find out why he did this. CNN's Miguel Marquez has the latest.

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MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What maybe is most disturbing about this situation is that we don't understand yet what the motive was or is.

We know that he tendered his resignation by email the morning that this terrific shooting took place, that the city manager saying that he was in good standing with his department, that there were no disciplinary actions that pending against him, that there was no sign of this.

Friends, colleagues, everyone that CNN has spoken to, every account that I've seen from other reporters was that he was a quiet, unassuming, nice guy.

And now a growing memorial, one of couple around town, that is just growing bigger and bigger. People remain in the hospital, critically injured from this shooting. The police chief went into more detail about what happened when the detectives who heard about this went into confront him.

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JAMES CERVERA, CHIEF, VIRGINIA BEACH POLICE: The suspect was firing, he was moving, they were returning fire and at one point suspect was firing through the door and through the wall at the officers and then the firing stopped. They eventually breached the door and when they breach the door, suspect was then alive and he was taken into custody and first aid was immediately rendered to him.

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MARQUEZ: This memorial has been growing now for some time. There are now 12 crosses, there names of each of the victims, their pictures and people are signing the crosses. People coming here for a little bit of connection essentially. Dropping of flowers, taking a knee, saying a prayer and hoping that this community can get beyond this, Virginia Beach, Virginia, now on the grim list of U.S. cities that have suffered this sort of violence.

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VANIER: Miguel Marquez reporting there from Virginia Beach.

Rescuers are racing to find eight climbers missing on one of India's highest peaks, stay with us for the latest on the high altitude search and a live report from New Delhi, coming up.

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VANIER: Welcome back to the newsroom. I'm Cyril Vanier. Let's look at your top stories this hour.

[00:30:54] Donald Trump is on his way to the U.K. for a three-day state visit. Before he left, he said he might meet with Conservative Party leadership candidate Boris Johnson during his trip. He also said he didn't think much of London Mayor Sadiq Khan after Khan wrote a blistering op-ed about him.

President Trump however, is praising White House adviser Kevin Hassett, who will apparently be stepping down. Hassett chairs the Council of Economic Advisors and marks the latest high-level departure from the administration. He tells CNN he was not asked to leave and that it is good for the council to bring in fresh people and fresh ideas.

Boeing says some of its 737 planes, including many Max aircraft, may have faulty parts on their wings that could fail prematurely or crack. That faulty part is highlighted here. It's known as a leading edge slat track. U.S. aviation officials say a plane could be damaged in flight if the part failed. They're ordering airlines to inspect and repair it within ten days.

Iran's foreign ministry says the U.S. is playing with words and must change its approach. This comes after remarks by the U.S. secretary of state in Switzerland. Mike Pompeo said the U.S. is ready to talk to Iran with no preconditions. However, he did also say the Iranians have to, quote, "want to behave like a normal nation."

Indian rescuers were expected to resume the search early Monday for eight climbers missing in the Himalayas. The mountaineers were a part of a 12-person expedition on Nanda Devi East, one of India's highest peaks. Reports say a helicopter search Sunday turned up no indication of them. The missing include four Britons, two Americans, an Australian and an Indian. They were reported missing after only four of their group made it back to base camp more than a week ago.

Those four team members were taken off the mountain. Officials say they've been given medical exams to make sure that they're healthy.

CNN's Nikhil Kumar is live for us now in New Delhi.

Nikhil, what do we know?

NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So Cyril, the latest is that the air operations have resumed within the last hour. A chopper took off, up -- going up to Nanda Devi East to do another aerial survey, to try and spot these climbers who are missing, the eight who didn't return to base camp on the 25th of May with the other members of their team.

The air operations that took place yesterday, two choppers went up. They conducted aerial surveys. They didn't spot the climbers.

But officials this morning tell us that they did spots signs of an avalanche. Now, they've been trying to determine what exactly happened, why these climbers haven't returned. And this is still unfolding, but as of now, officials tell us that the choppers that went up yesterday, they did spot signs of an avalanche. They didn't however, as I said, spot any signs of the climbers, which is why they've gone back up.

There were three search teams, ground search teams, which reached the base camp on Saturday. Another one was making its way up there yesterday, so four teams in total. And they're waiting for the aerial surveys to tell them where to go to try and find these climbers.

So they're hopeful that today they might see signs of these climbers. Yesterday they had to stop the operations in the afternoon because of bad weather. Officials are hopeful of doing more surveys today, the weather allowing.

So this is still an unfolding situation as they try and spot the climbers. We asked an official this morning shortly before I came on air about how hopeful they were of still finding these climbers alive. Remember, they've been missing since the 25th of May.

And they say that they are still hopeful, and all hopes really are pinned on these aerial surveys, that they can spot them, and then hopefully, direct the ground teams that are already up at the base camp, to go further up the mountain, and hopefully, find these climbers and bring them back -- Cyril.

VANIER: Nikhil -- Nikhil, can you give us a sense of what the -- what the track record is for these search teams? I imagine Indian authorities have quite a bit of experience looking for climbers in the Himalayas?

KUMAR: Well, the -- the agencies that are involved, and these are disaster agencies, which over the last few years, in various situations, have performed quite well.

But this is a much broader operation. You've got the disaster agencies on the ground that are working with the Indian mountaineering agency. They are also working with the Air Force. The choppers that have gone up are Air Force helicopters. And there's an Air Force station nearby, which is directing these aerial surveys.

[00:35:09] So you've got a whole bunch of agencies that are taking part in trying to find these climbers. And this, of course, Cyril, comes you know, on the heels of the very bad news that we've had from Everest, across the border in Nepal, about the 11 climbers who died up there, amid those extraordinary images of overcrowding.

This is quite different, of course. This mountain is not as busy. You don't have as many climbers going up. There aren't as many expeditions. But there's a number of agencies involved trying to find these climbers. And hopefully, as I say, officials pinning their hopes on these air operations, to direct the ground teams who can go further in and, hopefully, bring back these climbers -- Cyril.

VANIER: Nikhil Kumar, reporting live from New Delhi. We hope for the best. Thank you, Nikhil.

Italian officials have long warned about the dangers of overcrowding in the famed canals of Venice. Now there are renewed calls to do something about it after a harrowing incident involving a cruise ship.

Michael Holmes reports.

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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sirens blared as a massive cruise ship plowed into the dock, also colliding with a tourist boat.

One bystander describing it as a scene from a disaster movie.

People on the Venice dock fled as the MSC Opera rammed into the San Basilio terminal on Sunday morning.

A terrifying scene on the Giudecca canal, one of the busiest in the city. Four people were left injured in the Italian city frequented by so many tourists.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It is a shameful situation. It's bad luck. They were lucky. It could have been much worse.

HOLMES: MSC Cruises, the cruise ship operator, said in a statement, "The ship experienced a technical issue" as it headed for the terminal for mooring, and they're investigating the exact cause.

But the incident highlights the long-standing problem of traffic caused by large ships in crowded Venice canals. The country's environment minister, Sergio Costa, also drew attention to the issue, saying cruise ships should not sail down the Giudecca.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It is probably a thing that had to happen. I hope nobody is injured or dead. That's to be expected. We did see it coming.

HOLMES: Locals say they hope Sunday's events will push authorities to address the issue of canal overcrowding and avoid a potentially worse outcome in the future.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It is a problem, but half of the city earns money, thanks to these cruise ships. Before, they said they will send them away, slowly. Now this is going to happen. They're going to do it immediately, that's all.

HOLMES: The local port authority tells CNN it is aware of the congestion problem, and it will look into a solution.

Michael Holmes, CNN, Atlanta.

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VANIER: All right. Stay with us. We'll be back with more news after this.

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VANIER: That is Mt. Etna, Europe's most active volcano, and it is erupting again. It's putting on quite a show. Experts say the explosions could go on for months. While tourists will be kept away, the eruptions are not expected to pose a danger to people who live nearby.

And the 100 Club is back. We've been profiling companies that have been in business for more than hundred years to find out how they do it, how they achieve such long-lasting success. All this week, I'm reporting on some of the most successful brands in the world. We start with Appleton Rum, one of Jamaica's most famous products. It was founded in 1749.

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VANIER (voice-over): All rum is made from sugar cane, but not all sugar cane is equal.

Here in the Nassau Valley of Jamaica, the country's oldest sugar cane farm is the source of one of the world best known rum brands, Appleton Estate.

JOY SPENCE, MASTER BLENDER, APPLETON ESTATE: We are in a unique geographical area here at Appleton. Because of these hills surrounding the valley, we have daytime heating, and every day, at about 2:33, we have daily showers of rain. And so we don't have to worry about artificial irrigation.

This is where the process all starts for rum, for the sugar cane.

It's crushed. You get juice. We boil that juice until you get crystals of sugar suspended in this dark, thick liquid, molasses. And we separate the sugar from the molasses. And the molasses is used as a starting material for making our rum.

VANIER: Rum production on the Appleton Estate began in 1749. The estate has seen several owners over the years, but the brand really took off after it was acquired by J. Wray and Nephew in 1916, a Jamaican rum company started by John Wray and his nephew, Charles Ward.

CLEMENT LAWRENCE, CHAIRMAN, J. WRAY & NEPHEW: We're the oldest continued operation estate in Jamaica as we speak. So you know, I would make us one of the oldest estates in the world.

Our brand has been very successful simply because of the taste that it delivers.

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VANIER: All this week I look at the stories behind famous brands that have survived for more than a century. Also, we'll have a special report. That's on Saturday, the times listed here. That is London 4:30 p.m., New York 11:30 am.

Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Cyril Vanier. WORLD SPORT is next.

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