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President Joe Biden Visits Japan; Polish and Ukrainian Leaders Meet; Second Delivery of Baby Formula Announced; Monkeypox Outbreak Being Tracked; Dem. Nominee John Fetterman Out Of Hospital After Stroke; Oz Maintains Slim Lead Over McCormick In Republican Race; More Countries Threaten To Boycott Los Angeles Summit. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired May 23, 2022 - 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: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching "CNN Newsroom" and I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead, U.S. President Joe Biden in Tokyo this hour laying out a new Asia trade pact aimed at squeezing China's influence in the region.

More than 100 cases of monkeypox being monitored around the world. We will tell you how it spread and what the symptoms are and how concerned you should be.

And a big primary contest playing out in Georgia tomorrow. And if the polls are right, it could deal former President Trump his biggest political defeat so far this year.

Good to have you with us. And we begin in Japan where U.S. President Joe Biden is making a hard push for strengthening economic alliances as he tackles the second leg of a high stakes diplomatic tour in Asia. Just moments ago, Mr. Biden wrapped up a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

During their meeting, Mr. Biden endorsed Japan's plan to bolster its defense capabilities as it keeps a wary eye on China's growing military footprint. The two leaders also affirmed their commitment to the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, a plan that Mr. Biden is set to unveil in a little over an hour from now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: This framework is a commitment to working with our close friends and partners from the region on challenges that matter most to ensuring economic competitiveness in the 21st century.

[02:05:00]

By improving security and trust in the digital economy, protecting workers, strengthening supply chains, and tackling corruption that robs nations of their ability to serve their citizens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Mr. Biden will bring a similar message about economic cooperation to a meeting of the quad alliance on Tuesday where he will speak with leaders from Japan, India, and Australia. CNN is covering this story from every angle. Our Kevin Liptak and Blake Essig are standing by in Tokyo with the latest developments. Good to see you both.

Kevin, let's start with you. President Biden and Japan's Prime Minister Kishida issued a joint statement. The aim and thrust of all of this of course is to keep China's influence in the region in check. Talk to us about the highlights here.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, and I think that the president struck on a very important and a newsworthy moment in that press conference related to China, when he was asked by a reporter if the United States would intervene militarily if China were to invade Taiwan. And he answered with one word, yes.

He was followed up on that. He said that the U.S. had made commitments to do that. Now, to be clear, the U.S. has always been sort of intentionally ambiguous over whether it would come to Taiwan's support with the United States military if China were to invade. It has been sort of a policy of what they call strategic ambiguity.

And in the past, when President Biden has made statements that seem to go beyond what that ambiguous statement is, the White House has come back to walk that back a little. So, it will be interesting to see what happens. Now, those statements have a tendency to generate extreme anger in Beijing when the president makes them.

And now he went on to say that he did not believe that China would invade Taiwan because they are seeing what is happening in Ukraine. And they are seeing the global sanctions regime that's being applied on Russia. And hopefully that Beijing would see that and decide that something similar could happen if it took steps in Taiwan.

So, the president said that he didn't think that eventuality would come to pass, but that if it did, he would intervene militarily. So, it will be interesting to see how that plays out over the rest of the day. The president just made the comment in the last 10 minutes, but it is something that is not necessarily the policy of the United States.

And the U.S.-Taiwan policy is a very carefully calibrated policy. Things like the "One China Policy" and all these agreements that they've come to. The U.S. does provide Taiwan with a defensive weapons, but it does not necessarily obligated under any treaty to come to their defense in the event of an invasion.

The other interesting thing that the president said in there was about the monkeypox. And yesterday, he said that Americans should be concerned about the spread that is happening in the United States. Today, he seemed to walk that back a little. He seemed to suggest a little less concern was necessary. He said he didn't think it necessarily rose to the level of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, the president kind of easing the concerns that he is voicing on that situation in the United States, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Thanks for that. And Blake, Prime Minister Kishida said his country's alliance with the U.S. was more important than ever. What else did he say?

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Rosemary, for Japan and the United States, there is no more important friend or ally. And that close partnership was clearly on display today when President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held the first official in-person bilateral summit and that joint press conference that just took place moments ago.

The leaders confirmed close cooperation in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. They also discussed ways to strengthen ties both militarily and economically, to ensure a similar situation does not play out in this part of the world. And with that in mind, countering China both economically and militarily was a primary focus of the meeting and the press conference that just took place that ended with Prime Minister Kishida saying that Japan would be joining the Indo- Pacific Economic Framework that was announced by President Biden last October.

Although still in its infancy, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework is meant to boost economic growth in this region by securing strong and fair economies. But at this point, the jury is still out if this economic plan is going to become a long lasting pillar. Some experts tell us that it lacks clarity, substance, and the U.S. recent unimpressive commitment of only $150 million to Southeast Asian countries compared to the billions that China has invested makes it a tough sell.

Now on the security front, the two leaders discussed the importance of peace and stability on the Taiwan Strait saying each country remains committed to making sure China doesn't change the status quo by force.

[02:10:01]

And President Biden made it clear that the United States is fully committed once again to protecting Japan if it's attacked. Now, it's worth noting that a big part of that pledge to deter and respond to China falls on Japan. And we heard that from Prime Minister Kishida as a result of the rise of China, territorial dispute with both China and Russia. potential war in Taiwan and a nuclear armed North Korea.

Members of Japan's ruling party realized that they must do more to protect themselves. And domestically here in Japan, there has been a push to increase defense spending from one to 2 percent of its GDP, improve defensive capabilities within the framework of the country's pacifist constitution by developing counterstrike capability as opposed to waiting for a fight to come to them.

And Prime Minister Kishida today made it clear during that press conference moments ago that Japan is committed to reinforcing its defensive capabilities and increasing its defense budget, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Alright, Kevin Liptak and Blake Essig, many thanks, joining us live from Tokyo and very handily summing up what was said. Appreciate it.

Well, in the coming hours, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to address at the world economic forum in Davos virtually from Ukraine. Also, in the hours ahead, the war crimes trial of a 21-year- old Russian soldier is set to resume.

Last week, he pled guilty to shooting an unarmed 62-year-old civilian in Ukraine's Sumy region on the fourth day of the war. And Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to hold talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. That is expected to happen in the Russian city of Sochi.

And Polish President Andrzej Duda told his Ukrainian counterpart, quote, "Nothing can break our unity" during a trip to Kyiv. Mr. Duda sat down with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and became the first foreign leader to address Ukraine's parliament in person since Russia's invasion began. After that visit, Mr. Zelenskyy announced a major deal with Poland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAIEN (through translation): A decision has been reached that is revolutionizing the order on our border. We are introducing joint customs control with Poland. This will significantly speed up our border procedures. It will remove most of the corruption risk, but it is also the beginning of our integration into the common customs base of the European Union. This is a truly historical process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meantime inside ukraine, the war rages on as senior Ukrainian military officials says at least one person was killed in a Russian missile attack in the Zhytomyr region to the west of Kyiv. In the eastern part of the country, Russians attacked the city of Severodonetsk from multiple directions.

But Ukraine says its troops were able to push back the Russian forces. Still, more than two dozen houses in and around the city were damaged. And an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol says Russian forces are now requiring permits for cars entering or exiting the occupied city. Mariupol fell under complete Russian control last week after the surrender of the Azovstal steel plant.

One woman whose husband had been among the last defenders at the steel plant is now waiting for word on his whereabouts. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Russia pummeled the Mariupol steel plant with overwhelming firepower, Natalia Zarytska could only watch and pray for her husband, Bodan (ph), inside. But Bodan (ph), a Ukrainian soldier was able to update Natalia almost daily, she says, chronicling the worsening conditions.

NATALIA ZARYTSKA, WIFE OF AZOVSTAL FIGHTER: He described the situation are like the real hell because people had no legs, no hands, and no medicine.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Weeks in, photos revealed Bodan (ph) was jaundiced and had dropped weight.

ZARYTSKA: He was very thin, but he has a very strong spirit.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): He had seen many of his friends killed and feared he was next. Following his commanders order, Thursday, Bodan (ph) surrendered telling Natalia he would lose all ability to communicate.

Now with his fellow soldiers in Russian custody, Natalia can only assume he is at their nearby detention center. Her greatest fear now is that he is being tortured or worse.

ZARYTSKA: We write each message as the last one.

MALVEAUX (on camera): What is the last message that he typed to you?

[02:15:00]

ZARYTSKA: I love you. He was worried about his mom. He asked me to let her know that he is alive and to wait for him.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Natalia believes Bodan (ph) will give everything to stay alive. Motivated by their shared desire to someday create a family.

ZARYTSKA: And this idea helps me to be strong.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): But the pain of not knowing is excruciating. The weight heavy as Russia's attacks carry on. Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Lviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The U.S. is ramping up Operation Fly Formula to combat its critical shortage of baby formula. Coming up, the White House announces new steps to address the crisis.

Plus, officials are tracking an outbreak of monkeypox spreading around the world. I will speak with a health expert about what you need to know about the virus, that's next.

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CHURCH: Well, relief for some American families is on the way.

[02:19:58] The White House says a second flight of baby formula will be delivered in the coming days. The first flight landed on Sunday from Germany as the U.S. grapples with a nationwide shortage. CNN's Polo Sandoval was there for its arrival in Indianapolis.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This was the first flight of President Biden's effort to try to provide some kind of relief to parents in the United States that have been desperate to stock up on that baby formula as we are months into this shortage here.

We are looking at 35 tons of prescription baby formula that was manufactured in Zurich, driven into Germany over the weekend, and then flown here to the United States where they hope that it will address the needs of some of the most vulnerable babies.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was on the tarmac on Sunday as this payload was being unloaded. He was basically describing what will be next for this particular load, and as he hopes it will be the first of many.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM VILSACK, U.S. AGRICULTURE SECRETARY: Now, this shipment is going to essentially get off this cargo plane, then the Federal Express folks are going to take it from there. They are going to deliver it to a distribution center that the Nestle Gerber folks have here in Indiana. And then it's going to go on trucks and it's going to be delivered in hospitals and home health care clinics all across the country providing support and help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Important to point out that this is hypoallergenic product for babies that are intolerant to protein and cow's milk. So, it is meant to address a very specific need. There are still a majority of parents in the United States that are hoping to be able to stock up and to see that positive impact in their grocery store shelves because this latest load will not be going to those locations.

I did have an opportunity to speak to officials with FedEx who is a big partner in these deliveries. They say that they are already scheduling a flight from Europe, here to the United States, possibly later this week, and they hope that that will at least help, but begin to address some of the broader needs as manufacturing continues to ramp up in the United States of this essential item. Polo Sandoval, CNN, Indianapolis.

CHURCH: Health officials are tracking a growing outbreak of monkeypox with a possible new case reported in the U.S. state of Florida. The World Health Organization says there are more than 90 confirmed cases around the world. The illness is mostly found in west and central Africa, but the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention says it's concerned by the rising number of cases being reported outside those regions.

The White House COVID-19 response coordinator tells ABC News, unlike the coronavirus, monkeypox is not a mystery illness.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASHISH JHA, WHITE HOUSE COVIDE-19 RESPONSE COORDINATOR: I would not be surprised, Martha if we see a few more cases in the upcoming days. And I think the president is right, anytime we have an infectious disease outbreak like this, we should be paying attention. But I feel like this is a virus we understand. We have vaccines against it. We have treatments against it. And it spread very differently than SARS- CoV2.

It's not as contagious as COVID. So, I am confident we are going to be able to keep our arms around it, but we're going to track it very closely and use the tools we have to make sure that we continue to, you know, prevent further spread and take care of the people who get infected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And Dr. Scott Miscovich is the president and CEO of Premier Medical Group and a national consultant for COVID-19 testing. Thank you so much doctor for being with us.

SCOT MISCOVICH, PRESIDENT & CEO, PREMIER MEDICAL GROUP USA: Hi Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, we just heard Dr. Ashish Jha saying we'll see more cases of monkeypox in the coming days, but he points out, we already know a lot about this virus. We have vaccines and treatments for it. It's not as contagious as COVID. So, he thinks we can control this. Do you agree with that assessment?

MISCOVICH: One hundred percent agree. And, yes, I very much concur with what he was saying. You know, we do know a lot about this. This has been around since I think late 1950 and you know it's been a scourge in different regions in Africa. And, you know, we did get ahead of this when we had so much emphasis put on studying smallpox. Unfortunately, some of the vaccines for smallpox and some of the treatments we have can cross over. And so there has been enough research to keep us up to date on this for sure.

CHURCH: Right. You mentioned that because monkeypox actually does come from the same family as virus as a smallpox, doesn't it, with similar symptoms. And for those of us who remember lining up at school to get our smallpox shots, anything with the word pox at the end tends to be a little unnerving. So, how different is monkeypox to smallpox and how does it actually spread?

MISCOVICH: Well, the good news about the spread is that it's not like COVID where you have just miniature respiratory droplets and you can be within 6 to 10 feet to get it.

[02:25:05]

You need very large respiratory droplets to get it from that standpoint, but that's not really where it is spread. It's mostly spread by direct contact. So, it's fluid contact. It's contact from sheets. It's contact from hands. If someone has those big bumps, and those big vesicles, and that fluid is seeping, that is where you get it from there.

Now, very important to highlight, it is sexually transmitted. We are seeing contact tracing showing this being sexually transmitted. And one of the reasons we may be seeing the spread, we have had a significant increase in sexually transmitted diseases over covid. And the public health resources have been shifted away from that to fight COVID. So, you know, that might be a little reason we are seeing an increase push in this right now.

CHURCH: And what symptoms should people look out for if they think they possibly or fear they may have had contact with someone with monkeypox?

MISCOVICH: You're going to get first of all, just feeling lousy. You're usually going to get fever, you're going to get achiness. And you're going to get fatigue. Now, those symptoms will occur two days before you start breaking up with those vesicles. The vesicles will usually on the face and they will travel down. Up in the neck and the upper body.

And they are pretty big, you know, blistery lesions that you'll get quite a bit of. You also get big swollen lymph glands. So, notice I'm not saying you're going to get a lot of coughing or congestion. And so those are the symptoms.

Now the good news about monkeypox is that it's not quite as fatal, 3.6 percent fatality, but once again, focuses on immunosuppressed, very young, and people that are a little bit older. But, you know, you just have to -- main thing with this is you're going to be looking for those vesicles and those bumps.

CHURCH: And you mentioned that the origin is west and central Africa, but why do you think we are appearing to be seeing more viruses jump from animals to humans? Is that just optics? Does that always happen or is that something that is increasingly happening, do you think?

MISCOVICH: No, it's always happened, but you know we are just now aware of it, and the world is well-aware of this. Now, you know, we had a major, what I would call a major monkeypox spread when there were illegal animals that were transported into the United States, and I think it was in 2002 or so.

And there was like 47 individuals that came down with this. So, this has been spreading, as have other things, but we are just learning more. We're on top of this now.

CHURCH: Yes, very aware, almost too aware, right? Dr. Scott Miscovich, thank you so much for joining us. As always, we appreciate it.

MISCOVICH: Nice talking to you Rosemary.

CHURCH: You too. In China, seven Beijing districts were put under partial COVID lockdown on Saturday. This means that nearly 14 million people will be required to work from home according to the municipal government. People who have to go to the office for work will be required to show a negative PCR test within 48 hours or nonessential businesses in the affected districts like shopping malls and gyms will be closed.

Well, another high stakes primary election is coming up on Tuesday, this time here in Georgia. And it could be another indicator of how much power Donald Trump still has in the Republican Party. That's ahead.

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[02:32:20]

CHURCH: Primary elections and five U.S. states are just over a day away but a high stakes contest in Georgia has captured the spotlight. State Governor Brian Kemp faces former Senator David Perdue and the Republican primary. Purdue is the handpicked candidate of former President Donald Trump. But recent polling shows Kemp with a massive lead and he seems poised to deal Trump his biggest political defeat this year.

Meantime, the winner of Pennsylvania's Democratic Senate primary is out of the hospital after suffering a stroke. Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman will now recuperate at home, but he doesn't know who his opponent will be. And that is because ballots are still being counted in the Republican primary. Trump endorsed candidate Mehmet Oz leads businessman David McCormick by less than 1100 votes and automatic recount is likely there.

Well, for more on all this, let's bring in Ron Brownstein. He is CNN senior political analyst and a senior editor for The Atlantic. Joining us now from Los Angeles. Always great to have you with us.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. So Donald Trump wanted to punish Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp for his refusal to overturn the election results. But now it appears Trump's pick David Perdue is heading for defeat. His own supporters calling him lackluster and distracted and Trump appears to have abandoned him at this stage. So, how much damage could this have on Trump's kingmaker power do you think?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, this will be the biggest disappointment of the primary season, in all likelihood for Donald Trump. I mean, there was no one as you noted that he wants to be more than the Republican governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp. We felt, you know, acted inappropriately by upholding the law and certifying Joe Biden's victory in that swing state in 2020. But the candidate that he chose to run against that he basically handpicked to run against Kemp, the former Senator David Perdue has been totally lackluster.

He's been, you know, a kind of -- a kind of campaigner without much energy. He hasn't raised a lot of money and can't really -- there really isn't a case against him in Georgia, except for Trump's animus among Georgia Republican. So, it's going to be a disappointment. But it's -- I think, again, as we talked about last week, it's a mistake to read any individual race as a sign that Trump's hold on the Republican Party is loosening.

The ability of any individual to win every race they endorse has simply never existed in American politics. And to me the broader direction that is clear is that there really aren't candidates running away from Trumpism. Whatever happens to Trump's own personal win-loss last card.

[02:35:02]

CHURCH: Yes, yes. They seem to like Trump but they don't want him to tell them how to vote.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

CHURCH: Right? That seems to be how it's going. So, the other race to watch in Georgia is of course, the one for secretary of state. A true test of Trump's endorsement power. He targeted incumbent Secretary of State to Brad Raffensperger because he refused to be pressured into overturning the election. So, how will trump endorsed candidate Jody Hice likely go up against Raffensperger? And what are the ramifications for the state and indeed the nation with this particular race?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, this race I think is indicative of something big and broad. And ominous, frankly, that is steaming toward -- the country is steaming toward almost like the Titanic toward the icebergs, you know, on its -- on its maiden voyage. You have in Georgia, one of many races, in fact, in virtually every state that is likely to decide the 2024 election. You have Republicans running for positions of authority over the administration and the tabulation of that election.

Either Secretary of State or attorney general or governor who are advocates of Trump's big lie and are echoing his conspiracy theories about 2020. I mean, there's -- you already have Republicans who are election deniers, have been nominated for our attorney general and secretary of state in Michigan, in Minnesota. Obviously the gubernatorial nominee in Pennsylvania.

There are more on top in states like Colorado and Nevada, and Arizona and Wisconsin. And Georgia is really right at the front of that list. Brad Raffensperger, of course, became a nationally known figure, a conservative Republican who has defended the laws restricting access to voting in Georgia. He became nationally known because he simply would not give Donald Trump the votes he demanded to try to overturn the state.

Jody Hice has said the congressman who Trump has endorsed that he found nothing wrong with that call, where Trump asked Raffensperger to find him 10,000 plus votes. And he has said that if the election was fair, Donald Trump would have won Georgia. There's an excellent chance that Hice will force Raffensperger to a runoff because there are four candidates in the race. And you need 50 percent to get over the top in Georgia.

And if he does get to a runoff, without the top of the ticket of the visibility that Kemp has, Raffensperger could be very vulnerable. This could be one of many states, as I said, virtually every state likely to decide the 2024 presidential election. You have Republicans seeking positions of control over that election, who are advocates of Trump's big lie in Georgia's Kemp right at the front of that list.

CHURCH: It's quite terrifying really, isn't it? And then, of course, so Trump's pick Herschel Walker is looking well placed to come out on top but Tuesday in the GOP Senate primary. If he wins, how will he likely fare up against Democratic senator Raphael Warnock do you think in November?

BROWNSTEIN: Look, this is going to be one of the reasons that decide control of the senate. And I think on a -- kind of a personal comparison, Warnock is a much more effective and compelling candidate than Walker. Walker is a celebrity in the state from his days as a running back at University of Georgia in the 1980s. And of course, he played less well-known as if played for Donald Trump -- Donald Trump own team in the short-lived United -- U.S. Football League in the 1980s which no one remembers.

But Walker has all sorts of issues. I mean, he, you know, he has all sorts of purse questions about his personal life, his business career, he is not fluent on issues. He is recently, just in the last week, he said he supports no exceptions or a ban on abortion. He's questioning the teaching of evolution. But having said all that, you know, this could be a wave year. And in a wave year, there are a lot of candidates who have no business winning, who win.

I mean, we saw that very dramatically in 1980 in Ronald Reagan's victory, certainly in 2010, 1994. And so, this is going to be a test for Democrats. I mean, this could be a tough year for them in, you know, overall nationally. And Georgia is going to be an example of whether they can personalize these races, localize these races, move it out of a simple, you know, red, blue, check the box at a national level because if they can, that obviously increases Warnock's prospects of winning.

CHURCH: Right. And, of course, early voter turnout, that's been huge in Georgia on both sides of the political spectrum. And this comes as President Biden's approval has dipped to 40 percent amid this growing list of domestic challenges, including inflation, baby formula shortages, abortion concerns, and of course, the midterms are fast approaching. How bad could this be for Mr. Biden do you think?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, it could be very bad, right? I mean, historically, the midterm election, the first midterm election is tough on the president's party especially in House races. Republicans only need to win five seats to win the House. We've talked about this before.

[02:40:04]

BROWNSTEIN: There are only four midterm elections since our Civil War. 150 year ago where the party out of the White House has not won at least five seats. And when the president's approval rating is as low as Biden's is now, you know, traditionally, the numbers have been even worse. The rallying cry for the party in the White House when people are dissatisfied always is we're going to make this a choice not a referendum.

If it's up or down referendum on Biden, obviously, Democrats are going to have a very rough election. The Democratic hope is that they can either pay an individual Republicans as extremists, or get more voters to focus on the broader dimensions of what Republican governance would mean. And in that latter part of the effort, the potentially biggest club they have or the biggest asset they have going for them would be if this Republican dominated Supreme Court overturns the right to abortion that has existed for about 50 years in the U.S., that does have the potential to change the mix of who turns out in the midterm.

And who turns out in the midterm has historically the biggest problem for the president's party. The side out of the White House, not surprisingly, is usually more motivated to vote. Can the decision overturning Roe v. Wade change that dynamic? Possibly. But as you say, there are a lot of other headwinds in the -- in the way. Inflation and gas prices and kind of sagging confidence in the strength of Biden's leadership foremost among them.

CHURCH: Yes. So many challenges. Ron Brownstein joining us from Los Angeles. Many thanks as always. Appreciate it.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

CHURCH: But once the U.S. president returns from his trip to Asia, he will begin preparing for the Summit of the Americas set for next month in Los Angeles. The meeting is meant to bring together leaders across the region for constructive conversations. But with growing tensions, it's unclear which leaders if any, will actually show up. CNN's Patrick Oppmann has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN HAVANA-BASED CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It was at the Summit of the Americas in Panama in 2015 that then President Barack Obama first sat down with Cuban leader Raul Castro and seemed to close a chapter of the Cold War.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is obviously a historic meeting.

OPPMANN: The Summit has taken place every three years since 1994. An opportunity for the U.S. to shape policy and solidify partnerships in the region. Until 2015, communist-run Cuba was not invited. Obama said pressure from other countries in the region led to the change. In 2018 Cuba returned this Summit of the Americas this time in Peru. By then the warm welcome from the U.S. had evaporated as the Trump administration reversed Obama's taunt with Cuba and reimposed tough economic sanctions.

Then Vice President Mike Pence called Cuba a "tired communist regime" and walked out on the Cuban foreign ministers' rebuttal. Now there might not be an invite at all for Cuba or allies Nicaragua and Venezuela. At next month's Summit of the Americas, which the U.S. is hosting in Los Angeles. The U.S. has criticized Cuba for harsh crackdown on protesters. Nicaragua for jailing scores of opponents of President Daniel Ortega and indicted Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro on drug trafficking charges.

Mexico's president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, an admirer of the Cuban revolution set of countries are excluded. He won't attend either, instead sending other officials in his place.

Even with the differences, we must dialogue, all Americans than we are yet to resolve this issue he says. We have a very good relationship with the government of President Biden. We want everyone to be invited. That's the position of Mexico. The Biden administration is trying to get Mexico's president back on board and quickly.

ERIC FARNSWORTH, FORMER U.S. DIPLOMAT: It's complicated. And the President Mexico is a critical actor, obviously, in terms of U.S. relations, but also in terms of the issues that the administration wants to discuss at the summit in Los Angeles, namely migration.

OPPMANN: So far, there doesn't appear to be a diplomatic breakthrough on the invite impasse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the president's level of optimism that Mexico will attend the Summit of the Americas? And, well, is the -- is the -- is the guest list finalized, president decide who to invite.

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The guest list is not finalized. Hopefully, that will happen soon. And I promise once we have it, we will share it. The president is optimistic. You know, we don't have anything to share at this moment. Again, once we have it, we'll be happy to share it with all of you.

PAVLICH: Leftist governments in Bolivia and Honduras have also threatened to boycott the summit. Amidst the left-wing rebellion, archconservative President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil who has strained relations with the Biden administration reportedly might skip the summit.

And Guatemala's president also said if invited, he's not going after the U.S. play sanctions on the country's attorney general over allegations of corruption.

Behind the scenes U.S. officials are trying to smooth out the differences.

And save a summit on regional unity in a region where apparently there was little to be found.

[02:45:07]

OPPMANN: Patrick Oppmann, CNN Havana.

CHURCH: And we'll be back in just a moment.

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CHURCH: An update now on U.S. President Joe Biden's Asia trip. The White House responding just a short time ago saying U.S. policy has not changed regarding China and Taiwan after the president said the U.S. would respond militarily should China use force to take Taiwan. So let's go back now to CNN's Kevin Liptak who joins us from Tokyo. Good to see you again, Kevin. So another clarification from the White House on what President Biden had to say. And it is not the first time that he's done this.

LIPTAK: Yes. This didn't take very long. It was under an hour after President Biden said yes, the U.S. is willing to respond militarily, should China invade Taiwan. The White House is now out with a statement that says as the president said our policy has not changed. He read -- he reiterated our One China Policy. And just a reminder, that's the policies set that says Beijing is at the government of China.

And they go on to say end our commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. He also reiterated our commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to Provide Taiwan with the military means to defend itself. So very quick, clean up sort of a practice routine now at the White House. This is at least the third time that they've had to clarify what the president says on Taiwan when he seems to go past that policy of "strategic ambiguity" about what the U.S. might do, should China invade Taiwan?

And the president said yes, that is by far the strongest statement really, in decades from the United States about its position on Taiwan. It was interesting when he was talking he said that the burden to protect Taiwan was even stronger now because of the war in Ukraine.

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LIPTAK: He did say that he didn't think China would eventually evade -- invades Taiwan because they're seeing the sanctions regime that's been implemented against Moscow. But he did seem to suggest that something had changed in this atmosphere because of what is going on in Ukraine. But clearly the White House trying to reiterate, not least of which to China, to Beijing, to President Xi Jinping that the official U.S. policy remains the same.

CHURCH: All right. Kevin Liptak bringing us that update live from Tokyo. Many thanks for that. Appreciate it.

And coming up. 72 holes wasn't enough. It took a playoff to decide the winner of this year's PGA Championship. We're back with that in just a moment.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, it wasn't decided until the final minutes of the last game of the season, but reigning champions Manchester City captured the English Premier League title again. Thanks to a dramatic comeback. It's the club's fourth EPL championship in five years. CNN's Alex Thomas has more now from Manchester. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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ALEX THOMAS, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR (voice over): The rules got behind me as Manchester City show off the English Premier League trophy yet again. The sixth time since their current owners took over the club and transformed the fortunes of it. Manchester City, a decade on for winning the Premier League for the first time in their history, having another final day of the season, packed with drama and roller coaster emotions.

When I turned up here before kickoff against Aston Villa City and their fans were here to celebrate. Almost a foregone conclusion they will get over the line and finish ahead of their rivals Liverpool. But it looked like it wasn't to be after Villa went into a two nil lead. Their second goal scored by former Liverpool favorite Coutinho playing for the club now managed by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard who couldn't manage to win a Premier League title, why he'd been playing for Liverpool, could he help his former side actually Pep city?

It wasn't to be an amazing comeback with three goals in a matter of minutes later on in the second half sparked by second half sub Ilkay Gundogan who got two of them. Somehow city managing to pull themselves out of trouble win three-two and clinch this famous trophy for the fourth time in five years under manager Pep Guardiola. He's won almost everything in his career, but not a Champions League title since he came here to the Etihad Stadium. The focus will now be on that for next season yet again.

Alex Thomas, CNN, Manchester.

CHURCH: And it was a thrilling finish for golf second major of the season, the PGA Championship. Justin Thomas came roaring from behind to win his second career major after a three hole playoff. Thomas began the final round seven shots back of the leader, but thanks to a three-under-par final round. Thomas was able to force a playoff between him and Will Zalatoris. Thomas had two birdies in their playoff to seal the victory.

And thanks so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more news after this short break. You're watching CNN. Do stick around.

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