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Protesters Shot As Sudan Military Tries To Clear Khartoum Sit- In; Rescuers Hopeful Of Finding Eight Climbers Missing In Himalayas; Official: Helicopter Crew Spots Backpack On Mountain; Children Born To Biracial Parents Scarred By Racism; Trump White House; Koreas Tensions; A Dangerous Precedent; Concerns on Repatriation; Myanmar Violence; Rohingya Crisis Plan. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired June 03, 2019 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: In just a couple of hours, President Trump will arrive in London for his first state visit to the U.K. where we expect plenty of pomp and protests.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: More trouble for Boeing. The aircraft maker finds yet another problem on some planes that are already grounded, plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was absolutely no sign. Even when I talked to him just before it happened, there was no sign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Co-workers of the Virginia Beach gunman remain in shock. They say the shooter was not someone they would ever expect to be violent. Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and, of course, from all around the world. I am Rosemary Church.

HOWELL: And I am George Howell from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Newsroom starts right now. And in just a couple of hour's time, the U.S. president will arrive in the United Kingdom for a state visit with the prime minister who has tried to arrange that for two years now. Before leaving, President Trump offered his take on British politics.

In newspaper interviews, he advocated that Britain take a tougher stand on Brexit and praised some possible successors to be prime minister. He said the former London Mayor, Boris Johnson, is an excellent contender.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, 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. He will meet with Mrs. May and business leaders Tuesday.

HOWELL: That's right. And as with his last visit, not everyone will welcome the president with open arms. Large protests are expected. And London's current mayor, a frequent critic of President Trump, calls him one of the most egregious examples of a global growing threat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SADIQ KHAN, LONDON MAYOR: 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 at times of adversity, but you've got to call them out when you think they're 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: And let's go live to London. Our International Diplomatic Editor, Nic Robertson, is live at Buckingham Palace. Good to have you with us, Nic. Mr. Trump, again, arrives to a city whose mayor has roundly denounced him, Sadiq Khan, just one of many who oppose Mr. Trump's visit. But there are also those who support him and his views on Brexit like Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson, who Mr. Trump says would be a good replacement for prime minister.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah. President Trump has sort of reprised comments that he made when he came here last year, saying that Boris Johnson would be a good prime minister and that Theresa May wasn't doing a good job of handling the Brexit negotiations with the European Union, that she should have been tougher. He's saying all of that again this time.

Last time, he kind of made up with Theresa May the following day after those newspaper comments appeared in print. And when he meets her here Tuesday, I think we can probably expect the same thing. He does seem to have been a little bit kinder to Theresa May. This time, he's dealt with the Mayor of London here, Sadiq Khan, like, calling him a little Bill De Blasio, reference to the New York Mayor there (Inaudible) of him.

He is no friend also of President Trump. He has been -- he will not expect to meet either, the leader of the party that Sadiq Khan is a member of, the Labour Party. The opposition party with Jeremy Corbyn will not be attending that state dinner. But President Trump hopes to be among friends. He has indicated there, as we just heard, that he may meet with Boris Johnson, the former foreign secretary, former mayor of London, who is the bookies' favorite at the moment to become the next prime minister.

But it's still a long way before he pulls that off. And I think one of the things that surprised a lot of people here, if you will, in the comments made by President Trump over the last couple of days that Nigel Farage, the leader of the Brexit Party, is on a political resurgence at the moment, should be brought into the negotiations with the European Union.

[02:04:55] All of these types of comments creating waves. We've seen it here before. And the president will find people here applauding him, and he will find many who are doing quite the opposite.

HOWELL: It is interesting, Nic. Just very quickly for our viewers in the U.S. and around the world, to make the distinction here. So President Trump has been there before in London, in the United Kingdom, but this is a state visit. Explain the difference here.

ROBERTSON: Well, Theresa May was the first foreign leader to go to Washington right after President Trump was inaugurated. And when she did that, she made the offer of a state visit. It was expected to happen last year. A state visit implies the full pomp and circumstance that I think everyone is pretty much aware that President Trump wants. Last year, the visit was a visit, a working visit.

He met with the prime minister, of course. And he did meet with The Queen. But it wasn't the full state banquet. So this really bequeaths to the president of the United States the full honors and respect from the United Kingdom. And it is really, you know, something that speaks to the special relationship. It speaks to Britain's desire, at least under this current government, to have a better trading relationship with the United States once it leaves the European Union.

So when he meets with The Queen, he will have that tea with her today. And she will get shown around parts of Buckingham Palace. See some of the gifts that The Queen's been given over her many years as queen. And then he will go to Clarence House and meet with Prince Charles and Camilla. And this will be, again, before the state dinner, but a real indication that the red carpet slowly being thoroughly rolled out. And he didn't get this last time. This is a much bigger, grander affair.

HOWELL: All right. And, again, the president due to arrive shortly, we'll, of course, continue to monitor and bring it to you live here on CNN. Our International Diplomatic Editor, Nic Robertson, on the story in London, the best person to have on it, Nic, thanks. We'll stay in touch.

CHURCH: Well, CNN Political Analyst, Toluse Olorunnipa, joins us now from London. Thank you so much for talking with us. So in less than two hours from now, President Trump arrives in the U.K. And apart from meeting with The Queen and Prince Charles, Mr. Trump will also meet with outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May. But how is that likely to go, given Mr. Trump has already weighed into British politics, supporting her likely successor, Boris Johnson, something he has done before?

TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah. Typically in a meeting like this, you would expect there to be a lot of policy discussion between the head of the United States and the head of the U.K. But the president is really much more focused on the politics, the internal politics in the U.K. to try to figure out who is going to succeed Theresa May, who is going to be his counterpart in future negotiations.

So we've already seen the president insulting the mayor of London, insulting a member of the royal family in Meghan Markle. And you have seen the president make comments about Theresa May in the past in saying that she bungled the entire Brexit negotiation. So I wouldn't expect this meeting to go all that smoothly, in part because President Trump is so much focused on the politics that are roiling the country right now and not necessarily focused on the types of policy discussions that you would normally expect on things like cyber security, with Huawei, or the Iran situation with the break between the U.S. and the U.K. on how to deal with Iran and trade.

A lot of those discussions are going to be postponed until the U.K. decides who will be the next prime minister. And President Trump wants to have a say in that process.

CHURCH: Right. He's already said how Britain should deal with Brexit as well, hasn't he? So what's Mr. Trump expecting to achieve on this state visit, given Mrs. May is on her way out? And how significant is this trip for him and for the U.K.?

OLORUNNIPA: This is a trip that President Trump is going on, in part because it has all of the pomp and circumstance of a state visit. The president has long wanted to engage in a lot of that pomp and circumstance, meeting The Queen. He's bringing a lot of his own personal family members here. So I would not expect a lot of policy discussions.

But I do think the president wants to show where his support is in this ongoing political fight here in the U.K. He wants to show that he supports Boris Johnson, that he has a lot of support for Nigel Farage, and that he is broadly in support of the type of populist figures that we've seen on the rise in Europe. And President Trump wants to show very clearly that he is on their side.

He backs his America first policy. And he backs those in Europe that are pursuing similar policies across the region. I think he's looking past Theresa May, not really looking for any type of negotiation that he can do with her. He's trying to find out how he can influence the politics here internally and figure out whether or not he can be part of a global movement of populism spreading not only in the U.S. but also across Europe.

[02:09:52] CHURCH: Right. And you mentioned London's Mayor Sadiq Khan, who will not be meeting with the U.S. president. He had some harsh words for Mr. Trump ahead of his state visit, calling him a global threat in an explosive newspaper article that also said Mr. Trump's behavior flies in the face of the ideals America was founded upon, equality, liberty, and religious freedom. How are those comments playing out in Britain right now?

OLORUNNIPA: Yeah. Those comments were pretty harsh towards the president. And President Trump is not known as someone to take comments like that lying down. He hit back already. And you might expect him to continue to do so during press conferences and when he lands here and has many opportunities to speak to the press. But I think there are a number of people who agree.

And that's part of the reason why you're seeing protests form against President Trump's visit. There are a lot of people here in London, a lot of people across the U.K. who believe that President Trump is supporting the type of politics that leads to more division and leads to more dissension within the country. And they're looking to protest that and looking to make sure they know that President Trump is not popular here in the U.K.

He's not popular in many parts of Europe. And they're not going to allow him to have sort of a smooth rolling out of the red carpet without letting their feelings be known. And I think the mayor of London is leading that charge in showing that even though President Trump is coming for a state visit, he's not going to have all the bells and whistles and support from the people of London and from a lot of people within the U.K.

CHURCH: Yeah. And we'll be watching to see how big those protests are. Toluse Olorunnipa, thank you so much for chatting with us. Appreciate it.

HOWELL: A violent crackdown that's playing out in the capital city of Khartoum. Security forces have reportedly used live ammunition to break up a sit-in outside the defense ministry. The video you see here, it appears to show people running away as though shots ring out. A group of opposition doctors say at least two protesters have been killed. Several others wounded.

CHURCH: Video also has emerged of protesters burning tires. A witness tells CNN paramilitaries and secret police laid siege to the protest using whips, teargas, and live ammunition. The witness is calling it a massacre.

HOWELL: The issue of trade and tariffs. It's not an understatement to say that the U.S. and Mexican presidents have very different approaches to diplomacy.

CHURCH: Yeah. U.S. President Donald Trump says punishing tariffs will go into effect next week if Mexico does not stop the flow of immigrants into the United States. In a tweet, he called Mexico an abuser that's always taking but never giving. On Sunday, he was asked what Mexico must do to avoid those tariffs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Mr. Trump's acting chief of staff says even if those tariffs are implemented, they won't affect U.S. consumers. That's what he says. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICK MULVANEY, ACTING WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: He's absolutely deadly serious. In fact, I fully expect these tariffs to go on to at least the 5 percent level on June 10th. The president is deadly serious about fixing the situation at the southern border. That's the economic orthodoxy that when tariffs go up, consumer prices go up. But the proof is in the pudding.

There is no inflation. Prices have not gone up. We put tariffs on China. We're putting tariffs on Mexico. And inflation is still under control. That's because of that old fashioned economic orthodoxy doesn't work when it's relatively easy to substitute other goods.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: All right. A different perspective, different view from a top business group, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, they disagree, saying imposing tariffs on goods from Mexico is exactly the wrong move. These tariffs will be paid by American families and businesses without doing a thing to solve the very real problem at the border.

CHURCH: Well, Mexico's president is taking a more diplomatic tone.

HOWELL: He's sending Mexico's secretary of the economy and secretary of foreign affairs to Washington, D.C. to meet with their counterparts this week.

CHURCH: Patrick Oppmann has the details from Mexico City.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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. [02:15:04] 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Patrick, thank you. Now to the war of words between the U.S. and Iran, Iran's foreign ministry is accusing the U.S. of playing with words and says it must change its approach before Iran will consider a meeting with the United States.

CHURCH: On Sunday, the top U.S. diplomat offered once again to hold talks, but seemed to contradict himself about whether there would be preconditions. Here was Mike Pompeo in Switzerland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We're certainly prepared to have that conversation when the Iranians conclude that they want to behave like a normal nation. We're prepared to engage in a conversation with no preconditions. We're ready to sit down with them. But the American effort to fundamentally reverse the malign activity of this Islamic republic, this revolutionary force, is going to continue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Pompeo also said the United States was watching to see if Iran complied with the Iran nuclear deal. The U.S. has withdrawn from that deal.

CHURCH: And coming up next here on CNN Newsroom, the growing crisis for Boeing. Yet another problem is found on some of the planes that are already grounded. We'll have that when we return.

[02:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Boeing faces yet another problem as it tries to get its grounded 737 MAX fleet back into the air. The company now says some of its 737s, including many of the MAX planes, may have faulty parts on their wings that could fail prematurely or crack.

CHURCH: And here is a look at that part. It's known as a leading edge slat track. U.S. aviation officials say a plane could be damaged in flight if it failed. Airlines have been ordered to inspect and repair it within 10 days.

HOWELL: You'll remember the 737 MAX. It was grounded worldwide after two deadly crashes in less than five months time. Let's talk about all of this now with Geoffrey Thomas. Geoffrey, the Editor-In-Chief of airlinerating.com, a website that reviews airline safety, joining from Perth, Australia, good to have you.

GEOFFREY THOMAS, AIRLINERATINGS.COM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: George.

HOWELL: Geoffrey, look. Given the track record of Boeing, this plane maker lately, it's obviously disturbing news for many to hear this. How do you feel about how Boeing and how the FAA are handling this situation?

THOMAS: Look. Certainly, it's another black eye for Boeing at the moment, and it's not a good look. That's absolutely understandable from the traveling public's point of view. However, in fact, Boeing advised the FAA of the problem. It wasn't as though another airline discovered the problem or the FAA. Boeing discovered the problem.

They immediately advised the FAA and their airline customers about the issue, which was -- which is a part from one of their supply chains. And they are in the process of fixing it. Now, this has being handled by what's called a service bulletin. These service bulletins are, in fact, quite common. There is a continual process in the industry of check, crosscheck, and recheck.

And obviously as the aircraft get older, you know, there are all sorts of operational issues develop, part issues develop, possibly early fatigue on some parts. And so there is a continual check, crosscheck going on. And all manufacturers, airbus included and Boeing and (Inaudible) are continually talking with their customers, issuing service bulletins to check various things on their aircraft.

And sometimes when they're very serious, the regulators then call for an air worthiness directive. And it has to be done immediately. This particular one has to be done within 10 days. It is serious. But, you know, obviously Boeing are right on to it and their customers are on to it as well.

HOWELL: All right. For the flying public, though, you hear news like this. The question, how important is this particular part to this plane in flight?

THOMAS: Look. It's part of the flat track system for takeoff and landing. And the FAA has said that it could not cause the loss of the airplane. It certainly could cause some damage if it came away. We haven't actually had any incidents related to it. I mean, it was discovered by a production line worker who said this part doesn't seem quite right. Let's check this. And it was discovered. One of the things in the industry also that the public's probably not

aware of is that they can trace every single part on an airplane right back to the raw material from which it was made, the batch of raw material. So if there is a problem, they can quickly identify that we know that 25 or 400 ship sets of this particular part are faulty and we know exactly which airplanes they've gone on to and precisely where on that airplane they've gone on to.

So it's a very, very robust system that is giving us this wonderful safety record that we enjoy in aviation. And so the system is working.

[02:25:09] HOWELL: Keeping in mind, though, this means that airlines that use these planes that have been affected. These airlines will have to cancel thousands of flights during the summer travel season. So surely, this will come as a major disruption for air carriers.

THOMAS: Well, look. It may appear as that is the case, George. But, in fact, my understanding and in the intro the FAA said that airlines have got 10 days to rectify the issue. So this -- these sorts of changes and rectification can be done overnight. And that's typically what happens, is the regulator will give airlines a certain period of time in which to change the part out, unless it's in their view a dire emergency, in which case they'll ground the airplane, of course, as we know.

And they've done that from time to time depending on the seriousness of the issue. So my understanding is this will not be too much of a disruption, given the fact also that the MAX aircraft, a lot of them are grounded. They're all grounded anyway. And this particular part is only on a few of the 737 NGs which are still in service.

HOWELL: That's good to know. Just to get a sense of how quickly this could be repaired. Geoffrey Thomas, thank you again for taking time with us. We'll stay in touch with you.

CHURCH: Well, the U.S. State Department is requiring a new piece of information from most visa applicants, their social media accounts.

HOWELL: That's right. The order originally, rather, came from President Trump in 2017. This, as part of enhanced vetting for those coming to the United States from Muslim majority countries. Privacy advocates say the move infringes upon the rights of both immigrants and U.S. citizens. The new rule is expected to affect about 15 million people.

CHURCH: Well, he once was lost, but now apparently he is found. Details about the purported reappearance of North Korea's chief envoy, that's coming up.

HOWELL: Plus, shock and confusion at the Friday's mass shooting in Virginia, where many of the gunman's longtime colleagues say there were no signs that he would do something like this. We'll have an update ahead for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [02:30:47] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome back to viewers here in the United States and around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom live from Atlanta. I'm George Howell.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And I'm Rosemary Church want to check the headlines for you, now. U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to arrive in the United Kingdom about 90 minutes from now, for a three-day state visit. Before he left Washington, he broke with protocol by weighing in on British politics. Mr. Trump suggested outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May should refuse to pay the divorce payment to the E.U. and he said Boris Johnson would be an excellent to Mrs. May.

HOWELL: 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 saying the U.S. is ready to talk with Iran with no preconditions. However he did say. The Iranian's have to "want to behave like a normal nation".

CHURCH: The White House is losing its chief economist. President Trump says Kevin Hassett will be stepping down as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers. Hassett tell CNN he was not asked to leave. And that it's good for the council to bring in fresh people and fresh ideas.

HOWELL: In Sudan, security forces have recorded the launch of violent crackdown to break up sit-in outside the Defense Ministry in Khartoum, in the video you see here appears to show chaos, people running in the streets during gun shots. Opposition doctors say at least two protesters have been killed and several others wounded. One witness calling it, a massacre. Let's bring in now our David McKenzie. David joining by phone from Johannesburg.

And David again, we've seen protesters lock against these military, you know, military groups trying to demand that power be turned over to civilians. What we are seeing at this point?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (through telephone): Well, this is the early morning raid that appears badly, transitional military council some aspects to the security forces they have been protesters sitting in or camping out at the Ministry of Defense for quite some time now. They have been warned by the transitional military council that was a close danger to the people to be there but, though they had promise not to have this violent crackdown on the protestors that seems move in.

The British Ambassador recently tweeting that he was very extremely concerned by the heavy gunfire that he had been hearing from even in his residence. Now you saw those on social media and other media circulating of the protestors running a way in panic, appears that this stage at live ammunition could have been used two groups, mostly groups and when a group of the protestors and the doctors saying that there are deaths and severe injuries in this crackdown.

And really ask that leads to the question is will they be continuing these talks between the protest groups and the military council given the fact that there is now blood on the streets after the euphoria of getting rid of Omar al-Bashir the dictator, that they manage to unseat in April? George.

HOWELL: And again, David just to the context for our viewers around the world. These protestors are demanding that they be able to take control?

MCKENZIE: Well, that's right. The transitional military council has proposed this kind of a sovereign ruling to power sharing in the next few years. But the -- there is intense disagreement between the military rulers and the civilian protesters about how that council should be comprised. Now, they the protesters appeal (INAUDIBLE) they're in the grunt of violent force. They say they want a limited military presence.

The military council wants a lot more say in the ruling of the country of Sudan. So, this will be an extremely difficult moment for the protest movement. I am sure they will be calling for further protests because of the alleged loss of life today in Khartoum.

[02:35:06] But there is now that dangerous impasse with the military regime, eventually now, cracking down on the protestors. Perhaps there, the way that they have been tolerated (INAUDIBLE) the Ministry of Defense has now obviously run out. Where do we go from here would be difficult to say at this point. George?

HOWELL: All right. David McKenzie on the phone with us from Johannesburg. These images you see here from Khartoum, where again, people are running in the streets amid gunshots, security forces are cracking down there. And we'll continue to follow the story. Reports that North Korea's chief envoy has disappeared may have been greatly exaggerated.

CHURCH: State media report, Kim Yong-chol attended an art performance Sunday with leader Kim Jong-un and other high-ranking officials. The state newspaper even published this photograph would what appears to be the envoys sitting just a few seats away from Kim. CNN has not authenticated it and do you notice that his hands are partially covering his face while everyone else is applauding.

A South Korean newspaper reported Kim Yong-chol had been sent to a hard labor camp for his part in the failed Hanoi Summit with U.S. President Trump. So, let's turn to our Paula Hancocks. She joins us now live from Seoul with a closer looked at all of this. So Paula, what are we to make of this apparent public appearance of North Korea's chief envoy Kim Yong-chol after stories of his disappearance, particularly when you look at that photo, It's taken a long way away and his hands covering his face?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Rosemary. He is actually named in the KCNA article as well. So, North Korea state- run media has specifically named him saying that he was at that art performance alongside the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the weekend. So, what this shows us, that this is a report of a North Korean official who has alleged -- allegedly has been purged and then he shows up shortly afterwards. It's not the first time that it is happened and it's very unlikely to

be the last time that this will happen. This is Kim Yong-chol, he is mostly the right hand man of Kim Jong-un. He went to Washington, he meet with the U.S. President Donald Trump last year, he was the one that presented that rather large envelope to the U.S. president with a message from Kim Jong-un. He went again in January of this year.

He was really pivotal before the Hanoi Summit. Now, since the Hanoi Summit, it does appear, since there was no agreement between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un it does appear that he has been sidelined and those have others within the -- that negotiation team, it appears that the Foreign Ministry has now taking the lead. But, this Chosun Ilbo, the South Korean media quoting just this one unidentified source also alleges that Kim Yong-chol, another member of this team has been executed.

He hasn't been seen since the Hanoi Summit but there is no evidence at this point that that is accurate either. We know that the U.S. officials have been asked about this, including U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying that they are looking into it, but they don't have any independent or intelligence on this at this point according to a senior diplomatic official. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. We'll certainly continued to follow the story. Keep it very close eye on this. Paula Hancocks joining us there live from Seoul in South Korea, many thanks as always.

HOWELL: Now in Virginia Beach in Virginia, 12 days after people were killed in the latest work place shooting in the U.S. The gunman's colleagues they're remained in shock.

CHURCH: Yes, many of them say the shooter was not someone they would expect to be violent. They remember him as a nice person before Friday's rampage in Virginia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH SCOTT, DEWAYNE CRADDOCK'S CO-WORKER: DeWayne was a very nice person, he was quiet. He was none assuming. 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 talk to him just before it happened. There was no sign that this was going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The gunman was a 40-year-old city engineer. He targeted his longtime colleagues before being killed in the shootout with police.

HOWELL: When investigators are trying to find out all they can about the gunman. Why he did this? Our Miguel Marquez has the story.

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

[02:40:00] MARQUEZ: We know that he tendered his resignation by e- mail the morning that this terrific shooting took place. That the city manager saying that he was in 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 too, every account that I've seen from other reporters was that he was 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.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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. At Virginia Beach, Virginia now on the grim list of U.S. cities that have suffered the sort of violence.

HOWELL: Our Miguel Marquez there in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Rescuers are desperate to find signs of life on one of India's highest peaks. We have the latest on the race to save eight mountaineers a head for you, stay with us.

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[02:45:02] HOWELL: In the Indian Himalayas a helicopter searching for eight hikers, has spotted a back pack near the scene of an avalanche. An Indian officials say the bags and tents were buried in that avalanche. Meaning, the chances of hiker's survival there is, "almost zero" now. The climbers are part of the 12 person expedition on one of India's highest mountains.

CHURCH: The missing include four Britons, two Americans, and Australian and an Indian. They were reported missing after only four of their group made it back to the base camp more than a week ago. Now, those 14 members were taken off the mountain, officials say, they have been given medical exams to make sure they are healthy.

And for the very latest, we turn now to CNN's, Nikhil Kumar, who is live for us from New Delhi. And Nikhil, news of the avalanche, and now, of course, this backpack being spotted, it's devastating. What all our authorities saying about this?

NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN INTERNATIONAL NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: It's a -- that's exactly right, Rosemary. It is right, devastating news. So, this morning, Monday morning local time is when a helicopter went top and this was after two helicopters going up on Sunday, doing aerial service around the mountain.

They were trying to spot these climbers. The helicopter that went up this morning has spotted, as you said earlier, a backpack buried in the snow. An official on the ground that tells us that they believe that, that backpack, along with other equipment, and possibly these climbers were buried in this avalanche that hit the area.

He described it as "a huge avalanche". This was at an elevation of about 5,000 meters. And it was at an unnamed peak next to Nanda Devi East, the main mountain there, which is where the base camp is.

So, officials are now saying that the chances of survival are close to zero after this -- the backpack was spotted. What they're now doing is that the chopper has returned back to base, there are ground teams in the area, three went up on Saturday another one went up yesterday, but the weather currently is very, very bad.

I was just on the phone before we got on air with an official who said that it's raining, it's very windy. So, right now, they're regrouping and they're trying to work out when they can send these ground teams close to the area and up to the area where they spotted the backpack and where the avalanche is believed to have occurred.

So, right now, the news coming out is not very good but it is still unfolding. The officials are still taking stock, they're still making sense of what the choppers saw. As you said, one backpack, and now they're waiting to determine when they can send the ground teams up to find out more about what exactly happened on this unnamed peak and at this elevation of 5,000 meters. Rosemary?

CHURCH: It is certainly tragic news, Nikhil Kumar, bringing us the very latest on that search effort from New Delhi. Many thanks to you.

HOWELL: Still ahead, they have dealt with the pain of racism for decades. And now, long after the end of World War II, biracial children of African American soldiers and white British mothers, what their stories told.

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[02:51:56] HOWELL: The world marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day this coming week. And it's important to remember the toll of World War II that took on so many lives, including the lives of biracial G.I. children.

CHURCH: Yes, those children fathered by African-American servicemen and white British mothers was scarred by institutionalized racism. CNN's Isa Soares, reports even decades later, they still feel the pain.

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ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When African-American soldiers arrived in Britain in the Second World War, their bravery was instrumental in the war effort. But it was also the start of a story of love, loss, and a lifetime of searching.

DAVE GREENE, G.I. BABY: That is the first one that I can remember my mom's showing me of this handsome chap that she was so in love with.

SOARES: Around 2000 mixed-race babies were born from relationships between black G.I.s and white British women. The romance is born from wartime dances were torn apart by peace.

GREENE: She always spoke with great fondness of my father. She told me that she would have left to have gone to the states.

SOARES: The U.S. army refused black G.I.'s permission to marry their white British girlfriends or make paternity claims.

And she loved your father, you said.

GREENE: Yes, no doubt about it. No doubt about it. I don't think she ever got over him.

SOARES: After growing up in a white family more than 50 years passed before G.I. baby Dave Greene, tracked down and met his black father for the first time in Brooklyn. But many G.I. babies have never known the love of either of their parents. Hundreds of the mixed-race and so-called illegitimate babies were put into children's homes, the stigma too much for many mothers to cope in what was then, a very white Britain.

At Holnicote House in Somerset, West England, around 20 mixed-race G.I. babies were raised until they reached the age of five. At which point, they were sent to other homes or adopted. Their identity struggles began when they were sent away from other children that looked like them.

Deborah Prior and Carol Edwards were given up as babies by their mothers and lived together at Holnicote. They both remember their time there fondly.

DEBORAH PRIOR, G.I. BABY: There was a group of us that all about the same age, we were born, '44, '45, and we were -- in the cots together, we shared potties together. We played together. (INAUDIBLE). That was our family.

CAROL EDWARDS, G.I. BABY: Yes.

SOARES: But the pain of never really knowing their birth parents has defined their lives.

PRIOR: We were not allowed to be white, and yet we weren't black.

EDWARDS: As a teenager, I did question, who was I? Who am I?

PRIOR: It's like a missing piece.

SOARES: New research for the book, Britain's Brown Babies, has only found one child successfully adopted by his American father.

LEON LOMAX, G.I. BABY: Yes, this is after they picked me up from the airport and brought me home.

I felt very lucky and very fortunate. It was really hard for him to find me. So, that's another way I am fortunate.

[02:55:11] SOARES: Leon's mother gave up rights to him as a baby. But at the age of three, his father tracked him down in a children's home and flew him to the United States. He still bears the scars of his mother's choice.

LOMAX: There is always kind of like a boy. And that boy will always be there because I never got to meet her. I know, as a kid, it really hurt me when she left because I have a distant memory of standing in the corner of a crib, crying real hard. We said to my son --

SOARES: Leon's questions remain, did she want to give him up or was she forced? Many years later, he found out where his mother was. She had tragically died two years previously. Her gravestone was all he got to see.

LOMAX: There is just a lot of questions that I wanted to ask her. My sister - you know, gave me this picture and she also gave me her wedding ring, which I wear all the time. And it was one of the best gifts I have ever gotten in my life.

SOARES: For hundreds of British G.I. babies, distant memories of love offer some comfort. But they will never quench the desire for answers. Isa Soares, CNN, Somerset, England.

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HOWELL: It such an important story to tell. Isa thank you for it. Isa will join us next hour. Thank you for being with us. I'm George Howell.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. We'll be back with another hour of news in just a moment. You're watching CNN.

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