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Hala Gorani Tonight
N. Kora Military Shakeup Ahead Of Trump-Kim Summit; British Teen Guilty Of Museum Terror Plot; Wedding Cake Controversy; Guatemala Volcano Kills Dozens, Forces many To Flee. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired June 04, 2018 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[15:00:34]
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Live from CNN London. I'm Hala Gorani. Tonight, is the president of the United States
above the law? It sure sounds like what Donald Trump's legal team is arguing. We'll explore.
Also, protests on the streets lead to some political change in Jordan, but will that solve the problems and quell the unrest?
Also, an almost apocalyptic theme from Guatemala as a huge volcanic eruption spews lava and ash killing dozens.
We begin with extraordinary claims of executive power that critics say belong more in a Banana Republic than in the United States of America.
Today, President Trump tweeted he has the, quote, "Absolute right to pardon himself" in the Russia investigation even though he says he has done
nothing wrong.
He also insisted that the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller is totally unconstitutional. Just minutes ago, the White House press
secretary said the special counsel is unnecessary and that a pardon would be as well.
So, let's move on now to Mr. Trump's tweets. They follow a weekend of eyebrow raising remarks from his attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who actually
suggested President Trump could shoot former FBI Director James Comey and not be held legally accountable while in office.
Let's bring in CNN legal analyst, Michael Zeldin, he once served as special assistant to Robert Mueller at the Justice Department. So, first of all,
very simple question, can a president of the United States pardon him or herself?
MICHAEL ZELDIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: The Supreme Court of the United States has never addressed that question. The Office of Legal Counsel, which is
that part of the Justice Department that offers legal advice to the White House on matters of constitutionality of actions have said in a 1974
memorandum that the president of the United States cannot pardon himself.
So, the only thing that we have that is definitive on it is the Office of Legal Counsel memorandum that says he lacks that power.
GORANI: OK, and then Rudy Giuliani, one of his attorneys saying remarkably, Trump could basically shoot James Comey, he'd be impeached the
next day then you do whatever you want with him, but, you know, it's kind of a strange thing for the attorney of the president of the United States
to try to illustrate a legal argument with that type of example, that type of hypothetical.
ZELDIN: That is exactly right. And Giuliani is hyperbolic to say the least and that was a very poorly chosen hypothetical. As to the
hypothetical itself, he is wrong, I think as a matter of law.
First, as a matter of state law, I think the president could be indicted for murder. There is no prohibition against a sitting president being
indicted under state laws. Secondly, the rationale that underlies the Office of Legal Counsel opinion that a sitting president cannot be indicted
is that which says that the president's actions as president would be encumbered.
And therefore, would be no problem for him to continue on as president. If the president of the United States murdered somebody in the Oval Office,
there would be no need for anyone to worry about his, you know, sort of being able to function as president.
I think that the OLC opinion would be overridden by the Justice Department. He would be indicted and tried and if convicted jailed.
GORANI: But all these statements are remarkable, they are unusual. Every day brings unprecedented development. What do you make of what the legal
team of Donald Trump, of the president of the United States has been saying.
This idea he himself Trump saying I can pardon myself, Giuliani with this hypothetical, what are they doing do you think?
ZELDIN: So, there are two things to keep in mind. First is, there are group of real lawyers, who are working on the president's case, Jane and
Marty Raskin, Jay Sekulow, and a few others whose names have not been surfaced publicly.
They are doing the lion share of the work in respect of the president's legal defense. Then you have people like Rudy Giuliani and the president
himself, who are engaged in a public relations campaign.
I think the purpose of which is to try to sway American public opinion against Robert Mueller in the event that he issues a report that is in the
worst legal interests of the president --
GORANI: But to what end? To what end so that in the -- because the court of public opinion is not a court of law. So, to what end and what way do
they think it is in their best interest to do this type of thing?
[15:05:13] ZELDIN: So, the way the analysis goes is, if a president of United States cannot be indicted for obstruction of justice, but he
obstructs justice, then what happens is it gets passed over to the House of Representatives for consideration of whether the president should be
impeached.
That is a political process and you need members of Congress to vote articles of impeachment and members of Senate to convict him. It is that -
- is the public opinion that they are trying to sway that if it ever got to that point, the American people would be telling their legislators do not
vote for impeachment and let this thing die --
GORANI: That's a very long game and it is also not likely considering that the Republicans hold a majority in both houses of Congress even if one of
the houses flips this year after the midterm elections.
ZELDIN: That's right.
HOWELL: You mentioned Jay Sekulow, a Trump lawyer admitting now that he dictated a statement in June -- about a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting, and
this very much contradicts earlier statements from the Trump administration.
Let's listen to what has been said in the past versus what Jay Sekulow said just a few days ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY SEKULOW, ATTORNEY FOR DONALD TRUMP: That was written by Donald Trump Jr. and I am sure with consultation with his lawyer so that wasn't written
by the president.
The president didn't sign off on anything. The president was not involved in the drafting of the statement. It came from Donald Trump Jr.
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He certainly did not dictate, but you know, he -- like I said he weighed in, offered suggestion,
like any father would do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So, why would a lawyer today admit to something that directly contradicts something he said just a few months ago.
ZELDIN: So, the admission that the president dictated that note that they are talking about was made in a June -- in a January 29th letter from
outside counsel, John Dowd and Jay Sekulow to the special counsel.
So, it was not -- it was revealed recently but the statement, the admission was made back in January. What it seems clear is that Jay Sekulow and
probably Sarah Sanders were not told the whole truth and they went out probably in good faith on the TV networks to tell the American people what
they were told.
That turns out not to be truthful and so, I think it in some sense gives further ammunition to Robert Mueller, the special counsel's desire to speak
to the president in a live interview, to understand how did that happen and was there an intention to interfere with his investigation by putting out
these false narratives through his outside counsel and through his official spokesman so some sense of it?
So, in some sense, I think he has hurt himself legally in respect of his desire not to be interviewed.
GORANI: Michael Zeldin, as always, thanks very much for joining us on our top story.
It's a question that began as a whisper, but now is being openly debated across America and online where is First Lady Melania Trump and why have
not we seen her in weeks? She's expected to host an event at the White House later today honoring military families.
But none of us will see her because the meeting is behind closed doors. You may remember Melania had surgery for what the White House called a
benign kidney procedure earlier this month.
The lack of public sightings has been given rise to a lot of speculation and yes, even some conspiracy theories, just you could tweet the
#whereismelania on Twitter and you will see how many different theories there are trying to explain where the first lady of the United States has
been. She has not been seen since about May 10th.
Let's bring in M.J. Lee live in Washington. First of all, talk to us about this event, this event at the White House. Why won't we be able to see the
first lady especially since the White House must know that people are wondering where she is.
M.J. LEE, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: Yes, I mean, the reason that there has been so much speculation about the first lady is because it is
very unusual the fact that we have not seen her at a public event, at an official White House event in a number of weeks.
The last time that she participated in anything official at the White House remember was on May 10th. She stood by President Trump when you can see
there in the picture, American prisoners were released from North Korea and then remember it was a few days after that we were surprised to learn that
she had been admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center for this procedure related to her kidney.
She actually stayed at the hospital for a couple of nights, five nights before being released back to the White House, and since then there has
been no public events. So, you are absolutely right that a lot of questions are being asked about what actually might be wrong with her.
We do not know that there is anything wrong with her and in fact, she has insisted on Twitter and sort of rare statement saying I get that there is a
lot of speculation, but there is nothing going on.
[15:10:12] And I am working hard here on behalf of the American people. But this event --
GORANI: M.J., we are putting up the tweet and it's dated May 30th, "I see the media is working overtime speculating where I am and what I am doing.
Rest assured I am here at the White House with my family feeling great and working hard on behalf of children and the American people!" exclamation
mark. So, there is so much conspiracy theory online that some people are speculating did she even write this.
LEE: That's right. And of course, the White House would want to and first those people would want to make sure that they are putting out their
version of the story, which is that it had always been consistent with what they have said weeks ago, which is that she simply went through a procedure
at Walter Reed.
And that he has been recuperating and she is doing just fine. But one thing to point out, in addition to the fact that this event tonight at the
White House is going to be close to the press, we also got news over the weekend that she is not going to be perfect participating in a couple of
other important White House events that are coming up that President Trump will be a part of.
Namely she is not going to be attending the G7 Summit in Quebec and she is also not going to be participating in this historic summit with North
Korean Leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore. Those are obviously going to be a very big international appearances and event for the president.
And we now know the First Lady will not be there with her husband, with the president at either of those events. So, those things have not really
helped clear up any questions that people have about what is going on with the First Lady and why have not we seen her very much.
GORANI: Yes. It's unusual for the G7, usually spouses attend so that is perhaps why people have questions there about that particular absence.
M.J. Lee, thanks very much. Appreciate it.
Turning our attention to the Middle East, new protests are expected tonight in Jordan, following days of political upheaval. There is some anger,
fury, you could even say, over tax hikes and rising prices that have forced the Prime Minister from power.
State media say the education minister will be his interim replacement. Thousands of people have been out on the streets for the better part of the
week. You can see the images there, big security presence as well.
The government introduced a major next tax bill that was extremely unpopular especially considering that people's purchasing power in this
country has really gone down in the last few years.
Let's speak to Jomana Karadsheh in Istanbul. She's lived and worked in Jordan for many years. So, Jomana, we have a new government potentially
the education minister will become the new prime minister. Will this satisfy the protesters?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's the big question, Hala, and everyone is waiting to see what happened this evening in the next couple of
hours. Over the past five days, we have seen protesters taking to the streets around the country and especially the main focus demonstration has
been -- outside the government headquarters.
So, we're waiting to see in the next hour, so are we going to see this protest, are we going to see those same numbers that we saw last night?
Thousands on the streets of the capital and the fascinating thing about these protests is they have been spontaneous.
This is not something organized by any political party or entity. They have been popping up across the country from north to south -- Hala.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARADSHEH (voice-over): More taxes and high energy prices, that's what Jordanians are protesting. Even an order by King Abdullah to freeze the
price hikes was not enough. The demonstrations got bigger. While the latest round of protest began just days ago, they are the result of years
of anger and frustration with the economic situation.
Jordanians say they are struggling to make ends meet on meager wages. When it comes to the cost of living, Amman is the most expensive capital in the
Arab world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit.
MAJILDA YAKHLEF, UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR: For the past decade or so, we have been under so much stress, so much unjustice regarding taxes. Every time
the government got short of the money, the funds or the budget, they come to the people of Jordan.
AMANI AL-KHALEEB, ACTIVIST: Increasing the taxes, prices, with no increase in the salaries, this is not -- this is not a good country that we are
going through now.
KARADSHEH: The government says the slowing flow of foreign aid and the refugee crisis have been emptying out the state coffers. When the
government turned to the IMF to bank roll its spending, it came with strings attached.
[15:15:11] Severe austerity measures that have infuriated the population. A controversial income tax law seems to be the final straw for most
Jordanians.
KAIS ZAYADIN, JORDANIAN MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: It's not a viable option anymore that the pockets of the poor people of the modern class in Jordan
is being targeted on a regular basis every time the government needs money.
KARADSHEH: This is not just about Jordan's economic stability, this tiny desert kingdoms ruled in the Middle East outsizes its small landmass. It's
the U.S. friend in a difficult region where the U.S. has few allies.
It maybe taxes that drove Jordanians to the streets, but now protest have led to the resignation of Jordan's prime minister meeting just one of the
demonstrators demands. If protests continue, the list of grievances could grow longer and more rooted evolving into political demands that the
Jordanian leadership may not be able to meet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KARADSHEH: And Hala, this is really a difficult time for the government, for the leadership of Jordan. They find themselves in this really tough
position, really between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, they have to meet these conditions by the IMF and at the same time they are
facing this anger on the streets that we haven't seen in Jordan in years.
GORANI: And officials are saying, look, we are (inaudible) here under the weight of the Syrian refugee crisis. You know, even in Amman, people who
can afford it, are renting apartments. Those who do not live in Syria, they are driving rent prices up.
Ordinary Jordanians are having a hard time keeping up with these rising prices. How is that playing out with ordinary Jordanians? The fact that
the government is saying it is not our fault, it's circumstances around us. We are doing the best we can.
KARADSHEH: Well, you know what, Hala, the Jordanian people say that they understand that, you know, their government has been struggling at the same
time they say they can't blame all this on the refugee crisis. They can't blame this on shortages in foreign aid only.
They say that, you know, there have been issues with economic planning over the years. This has been something that has been building over the years
and from government to government, this is really not been tackled up until last year when this government of (inaudible) try to really implement these
austerity measures, tried to make changes in the country.
But people would tell you, you can't blame it all on the refugee crisis. The government needs to take some responsibility here and make serious
changes and they say it shouldn't just depend on the taxpayers, on the people to bail them out.
GORANI: But so, is it a real threat? Though we've seen after the Arab Spring, all these protests from people fed up with their leadership. Is it
similar in Jordan or is it different? Why -- I mean, what is the answer here? Is it a threat really to the power structure in Jordan, discontent?
KARADSHEH: It's very concerning, Hala, because yes, it starts with the economy, the focus has been the government, people have not really been
blaming the real authority in the country and not is the monarchy. Their anger has been focused on the government.
But this is really concerning because once you start this whole wave of protests, this could easily start changing into more demands, you know, the
Jordanians have a long and old list of grievances that could easily come up during these protests.
You know, not just the economy, they want to see political reform that they have been asking for, for years that they have been promised, they have not
seen it. They want elected government, not appointed officials that they would hold responsible.
So, it's very, very worrying time for many in Jordan. I think the ball right now is in the court of the leadership of the country and to see what
happens next in the very critical in a few hours right now, and the next 48 hours too where the general strike called for on Wednesday by the trade
union something very, very rare in that country.
GORANI: We are going to keep our eye, of course, on what is going on in Jordan with some tense times there. Thank you, Jomana Karadsheh live is
Istanbul.
Still to come tonight, chased by lava, ash, and burning rocks. We'll have more on the deadly eruption of Guatemala's volcano of fire.
And why Apple is trying to help people use their iPhones less? Stay with us.
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[15:21:57]
GORANI: Now to a surreal scene in Guatemala. At least 33 people are now confirmed dead after the Fuego Volcano, the volcano of fire, erupted
yesterday. This dramatic drone video shows the aftermath. Take a look at some of the structures there, entire villages caked with ash.
The eruption happened suddenly and sent people running for their lives. It's not over by a long shot. Searches could find more bodies sadly under
the ash and muck, and also with volcanos you never know. Things could stir up again. will find out people you there.
Patrick Oppmann is following this for us. He is in Havana. What's the situation now on the ground? I mean, rescuers must be working overtime to
try to get to people who might be trapped.
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Hala. And sometimes they just have not been able to reach because of the scope of this disaster.
The fact that rivers of lava came from nowhere according to these townspeople describe flaming rocks hitting their houses. The survivors of
the storm are dazed. They are covered in ash.
Just about everyone that we have heard who is able to walk away with their life said that they have relatives that they've not been able to account
for and while officials say at this moment the death count is at 33, everyone expect it to go up as they gain access to these small towns and
begin to go through some of the rubble, some of the ash.
There is a concern that there could be further eruptions and the scope of this disaster is really hard to overstate, over a million people will
eventually be affected. The ash as far as the Guatemala City. The airport was closed for much of the day there today.
People talking about ash clouds being visible in El Salvador across the border. Thousands of people have had to flee and are now in shelters, and
as you mentioned, Hala, it could erupt again.
So even as rescuers and searchers are going through these hilly areas trying to get to the towns that were affected, they certainly have their
eye on this volcano to make sure it doesn't all happened over again.
GORANI: And also, there was really no warning. I mean, it is usually the case with volcanoes, but what happens to people who are evacuated because
clearly for a very longtime people won't be able to get back to their homes.
OPPMANN: That's it and it's an active volcano, but the eruption in February, but really was no warning. Of course, you look at the pictures,
we are talking about a very rural -- many in these towns, very poor places.
You just wonder how they could have gotten word to them and many people just say that did not happen. It was possible they did not get word and
they ran for their lives. Many people for years now are going to be affected.
They've lost their homes, lost their relatives and where they live just does not exist anymore -- Hala.
GORANI: Patrick Oppmann, thanks very much for that update.
Now onto something completely different, we have all done it. We've checked our phones. For no apparent reason, it was not ringing. There
were no new messages, just a habit or what some would call a full-blown addiction.
Now Apple, the tech giant that arguably created the problem, at least in part, says it's got a new tool to help us all. Samuel Burke is here with
more.
[15:25:08] SAMUEL BURKE, CNN MONEY TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: It's interesting because this comes not too soon after some major shareholders
put pressure on the company, so money always seems to speak volumes. So, what you they are going to have in iOS 12, which is coming out in a few
months, though, I'll try it (inaudible) and let you guys know how it works out.
It's basically a tracker, so I'll just put up on the screen what we were expecting here. So, a tracker actually let you know how much time you
spend not only on your phone and like many addictions, when you actually see the numbers, it's usually three or four times the amount that you drink
or that you spend on the phone.
And then they also let you put limits on that. So, you'll get a notification that it will say, Hala, you have 5 minutes left on Instagram
today and you have met your limit.
GORANI: And so, who sets the limit, you do I guess?
BURKE: You set the limit.
GORANI: OK, so, you set the limit for your kids -- for your spouse --
BURKE: Or yourself.
GORANI: Yes, or yourself. But new features though that Apple has announced that could get us hooked in another way?
BURKE: Exactly, the one that break the addiction and then get you addicted again. I will put another list on the screen. The thing that caught my
attention the most was Facebook group chat up to 32 people, Hala.
GORANI: Facetime.
BURKE: Yes, Facetime, 32 people, that's a lot of people.
GORANI: Why 32?
BURKE: Do you have 33 people you want to Facetime with?
GORANI: I don't have three people -- there you go.
BURKE: My family members I could do a maximum of three. Apple Watch will have the walkie-talkie feature and in a jab at Facebook and their data
privacy scandal, Safari, their browser will now block the tracking technology that Facebook and Google both used in that web browser.
GORANI: But where is the market demand for 32 -- 32-way Facetime chat?
BURKE: But where is the demand for four?
GORANI: I don't know.
BURKE: Three I could do. There has been a lot of times about one family member. One part of the country, another and another side --
GORANI: So, you've done more than one?
BURKE: I have. There's an app that they made for WhatsApp once and I've done I think up to six people in the group chat.
GORANI: And just say I have never gone with more than one on one people on Facetime. Apple caught up, though, let's talk about this Facebook scandal,
yet again, accused of sharing data.
BURKE: Yes, I was surprised to see Apple poking fun at Facebook because they are actually caught up in this latest scandal. So, what you have here
somewhat similar to Cambridge Analytica except there is no Donald Trump connection.
But what you have here is basic. "The New York Times" in an investigation revealed the fact that basically Facebook has been in partnership with most
of the big telephoning tablet makers handing over data.
There was a time where people did not have a Facebook app necessarily on Androids of the other companies were making it for Facebook, but along with
that they revealed this personal information that users like you, Hala, things like your education history, relationship status, your work, your
religion, your political leanings, all were part of this information that they are handing over to companies like Apple, Microsoft and Facebook.
GORANI: What would they do with that information?
BURKE: That's the problem here is we don't know --
GORANI: Because Cambridge Analystica we knew what they were doing with it. They were honing and tailoring --
BURKE: This is the problem. We do not know that they did anything nefarious within Apple, Microsoft, and Samsung, for instance, are
commenting, but the very fact that they handed this information over, once you hand it over, you do not know if somebody's going to do with it.
I do want to put up what Facebook is saying because they are saying, well, it is not as bad as the "New York Times" makes it sound, but we are ending
the program back in April, they start winding it down, coincidentally or not, when Cambridge Analytica struck.
These partners signed agreements that prevented people's Facebook information from being used for any other purpose than to re-create
Facebook like experiences were not aware of any abuses by these companies. But, of course, the very fact that they have that line, were not aware of
any abuses means that they made it available that there could have been abused.
Paula Newton, our colleague, will be interviewing the Facebook executive in the next hour about this very subject.
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much. Samuel Burke with the very latest tech news.
Still to come tonight, Kim Jong-un axes his top three military men just days before his big summit with Donald Trump. We're live in Seoul.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:30:30] HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Kim Jung-un has reportedly ordered a major shakeup of his military staff and this of course comes just
a few short days before he's due to meet Donald Trump in Singapore. The country's top three military officials have been replaced by much younger
Kim loyalists. The move suggests another step in Kim's ongoing reorganization of the military, purging figures in the older ranks who may
hold views different from his. Alexandra Field is following the developments and joins us live from Seoul.
How significant are these changes?
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it depends on where you view this from really, Hala, nobody's more cheery optimistic perhaps about North
Korea turning over a new leaf than South Korea. So officials here sort of brushed it off saying, yes, it's unusual that North Korea would replace
three top military officials all in one fell swoop, but they say said, Pyongyang must have its reasons for it and essentially left it at that.
U.S. officials went a bit farther saying perhaps this represents concerns of the former holders of the positions, of those positions could
potentially take advantage of, potential future foreign investments into the country, which is all to say that this would really be a move by Kim
Jong-un to further consolidate his power within North Korea. Certainly, that's what analysts widely speculate, that this is yet another move to
consolidate that power. You've seen a pattern of him replacing certain personnel and officials since he came to power in 2011.
What we know about these three replacements, is that they are in fact younger, they're certainly Kim loyalists. They held high level and
sensitive positions in the pasta and they have some experience within North Korea of handling foreign affairs, which would certainly also indicate that
this is potentially part of the preparation from Kim Jong-un, not just for the inter-Korean talks which have been going but, of course, that state
meeting, President Trump just eight days away. Hala.
GORANI: I'm curious. He's going to have to fly to Singapore, right? Do we know of him -- I mean, we know he's been to China. We know he's
traveled to the DMZ. I mean, obviously, as a younger man he went to school in Europe, et cetera. But would this be his first kind of overseas leader
non-China foreign trip as leader?
FIELD: Yes, exactly. As far as we know, yes. Of course it would be. There are also plans that seems now for him to travel to Russia in
September, but certainly the Singapore trip comes before that.
Hala, we've been talking nonstop about the fact that the major issue here, the topic of denuclearization is far from being hammered out before he head
to the summit. It's now being billed as sort of a meet and greet or get to know you meeting, that's with President Trump. And also the logistical
issues as you suggest, they are still being ironed out as well. We don't know how Kim Jong-un plans to travel to Singapore. There were some
concerns about whether his aging fleet of soviet aircraft could make the trip without having to stop and refuel or if he might have to ask another
country to borrow a plane. Potentially, a somewhat embarrassing situation from the prospective of the optics from all of this and it does underscore
the fact that this is all coming together rather quickly now and who knows knowing about full going to come together.
GORANI: All right. It's all going to be fascinating to observe. Alexandra Field in Seoul, thanks very much.
President Trump heads to Quebec on Friday for the G7 Summit before the Singapore event happens where the issues of trade and tariffs will likely
take center stage. Then it'll be onto Singapore for that summit with Kim Jong-un.
CNN's Will Ripley takes a closer look at how Singapore, the city state, was picked to host the historic meeting.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[15:35:06] WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to Singapore, known for its mythical mascot, the Merlion. Half fish, half
lion. And soon, something even more surreal.
Some are calling it the meeting of the century. The first ever summit between a sitting U.S. president, Donald Trump and North Korean leader, Kim
Jong-un. Teams from Washington and Pyongyang are on the ground with only days to figure out a long list of logistical challenges. Everything from
the venue, infrastructure and security to who will cover the costs given North Korea as a cash-strapped country.
Of all the sites officials floated, Singapore is not the most adventurous like Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, northern most diplomatic like Geneva or
Stockholm. It's not even the most symbolic place considered like Panmunjom on the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
So why choose this small city state for one of the biggest geopolitical meetings of our time? For one, location. Singapore is just close enough
for North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un to fly relatively easily from Pyongyang. It's also one of Washington's closest Asian security and
trading partners, making it friendly turf for president Trump. The U.S. and North Korea both have embassies here. In fact, North Korea moved to
this new building a couple of years ago. They also both trade here although, North Korean trade is currently suspended over sanctions.
Singapore also has a growing reputation as a hub for regional diplomacy. They hosted this major security forum over the weekend.
Perhaps attractive to both Kim and Trump, Singapore does not tolerate rowdy protests that disrupt public order, rowdy press conferences don't happen
here either. Singapore is a tourism hotspot, known for chili crab and a striking skyline. But most importantly for the U.S., it's neutral ground.
All of it making Singapore perhaps the most conventional choice for two of the world's most unconventional leaders.
Will Ripley, CNN, Singapore.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Here in Britain, an 18-year-old has been convicted of plotting a terror attack as part of an all-female ISIS cell. Safaa Boular is the
youngest woman to be charged with planning an ISIS inspired attack in the United Kingdom. She tried to organize a gun and grenade rampage at the
British museum, which anyone who's visited London will know. This comes on the day the U.K. has given new details about the current threat.
Erin McLaughlin is here with all of this. So talk to us about this plot. It didn't just involve her, right?
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, it didn't. It was what authorities calling ISIS cell comprised of all females, mainly her
mother, her sister, as well as a friend. It's all began when 18-year-old Safaa Boular was just 16 years old. So two years ago she became
radicalized online. Met an ISIS fighter in Syria over the internet. Became engaged. Tried to travel to Syria to join him to commit a suicide
attack there. It's actually stopped at Stansted airport to the North of London, confessed this plot, that her intention to go to Syria to British
authorities. They took her passport. At that point, they let her go and began tracking her. She maintained contact with the ISIS fighter and then
began this plot against the British museum using -- she was talking online about using grenades, which they called pineapples. At some point began
talking to people she thought were extremists, were actually government agents. They were building this case swopped in, arrested her and at that
point, her mother, her sister and her friend decided to commit an attack in her place, traveling around central London looking at various locations.
Went so far as to buy kitchen knives before authorities arrested them as well.
So an extremely disturbing plot that British authorities managed to foil. Unusual and that it was an all-female so-called ISIS cell. Her age also
unusual. The youngest female to --
GORANI: She's 18 now.
MCLAUGHLIN: She's 18 now, but was 16 when all of this began.
GORANI: I mean, the mother and the sister decided to take over the plot or a plot when she was arrested? I mean, were they all radicalized? That
just sounds a little crazy. It certainly seems that way and they have since pled guilty to terrorist-related offenses and are currently awaiting
sentencing.
GORANI: Now, the overall threat level though, I mean, officials are saying it's still something we should be concerned with.
MCLAUGHLIN: That's right. Such a job the new British home secretary gave a speech sort of outlining a multi-pronged strategy to deal with this
persistent threat of terrorism here in the U.K. last year with the horrific year in terms of terrorism, 36 people died from terror attacks over the
weekend. Marked the one year anniversary of the London Bridge bombings. Before that, the Manchester bombing anniversary. So he laid out his
strategy. But at the beginning of his speech, really talked about the extent of the problem that authorities are dealing with. Take a listen to
what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[15:40:07] SAJID JAVID, BRITISH HOME SECRETARY: Last year, the threat to the U.K. was raised twice to the highest level critical. The threat to the
U.K. today remains at severe, meaning an attack is highly likely. Our security and intelligence services are right now handing over 500 live
operations. They have 3,000 subjects of interest. And there are further 20,000 people who have previously being investigated, so they may still
pose threat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLAUGHLIN: Now, one of the key outstanding questions that British authorities are trying to answer is, what to do about those 20,000
individuals, they're no longer investigating but could potentially pose a threat. It's not a problem that's unique to the United Kingdom. There's
some 26,000 individuals on the watch French list being monitored by French intelligence authorities. Well, how do you monitor tens of thousands of
individuals? One of the things that Javid proposed today, they're starting in pilot form, is to take classified information on a handful of those
select individuals, declassified that information and then hand that information to local authorities to try and take preventative measures,
raised some eyebrows here in the United Kingdom.
GORANI: But is preventative -- what does that mean?
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, I mean, those are some of the outstanding questions. And again, this will apply according to Javid. He would ask about that
today. This will apply to a handful of cases. But again, privacy concerns. So what sort of information are you going to be disclosing to
local authorities to deal with this issue and try and prevent further radicalization?
GORANI: Interesting. Erin McLaughlin, thanks very much for joining us on this story.
Still to come, a wedding cake controversy. A same-sex couple wanted it, the baker, refused to bake it and now the U.S. Supreme Court is siding
with the baker. We'll tell you why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Now to the question of whether businesses can refuse to serve someone on religious grounds. The U.S. Supreme Court is saying that some
can. But it's siding with a baker. He would not make a wedding cake for a gay couple. He said it went against his religion and was accused of
violating discrimination laws.
Today, the court said the state of Colorado where all this happened showed hostility to him based on his beliefs. This is a big ruling but the issue
is far from settled. Let's get more now and I'll bring in Supreme Court report, Ariane De Vogue from Washington.
So, what is the Supreme Court arguing here and its ruling, siding with the baker in this case?
ARIANE DE VOGUE, CNN SUPREME COURT REPORTER: Well, Hala, this case was always a collision between religious freedom claims and LGBT rights. And
that Supreme Court today did rule in favor of the baker. It was a narrow ruling. Remember, this is the baker, he refed to make that cake for same-
sex couple. They sued, citing a state anti-discrimination law. And the lower court ruled in their favor but the Supreme Court reversed and this is
what the Court did. They said that the state violated the baker's religious freedom by showing hostility to his religion and they pointed
very specifically to one hearing in the case before the Colorado civil rights commission and this commissioner, Justice Anthony Kennedy said that
Phillips' beliefs amounted to discrimination. And Kennedy said, look, that shows that this commission wasn't showing the proper religious neutrality.
That was enough to give a narrow win for Phillips but also send a message about the importance of religious liberty.
[15:45:50] GORANI: I may -- this may be a stupid question, but if the ruling was 7-2, how was that narrow?
DE VOGUE: Well, it's narrow because what the court did is really target this particular case. This particular baker and what happened to him with
a hearing early on in the case. And they said that when this baker went to the Colorado civil rights commission and said, I have religious liberty
concerns. They did not look at that the right way and they said, oh, well, that's discrimination. And they didn't take it under consideration.
Anthony Kennedy said, those concerns are something that should be taken into consideration. So this doesn't affect other cases across the country.
And in fact, we might see other challenges coming to the Supreme Court. But this justice wanted to make clear that what happened in Colorado to
this particular baker was wrong.
GORANI: So not a narrow vote but a narrow case in terms of how it could set precedence in the future in other similar cases. But those who are
critics of, I'm sure, of this ruling would say, how can a cake maker discriminate that the person being discriminated against here is the gay
client who wanted to buy a cake for a wedding? Right?
DE VOGUE: You're exactly right. And two of the justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Sotomayor said, the only thing that matters here is
the fact that this baker didn't open up his goods to the public. But two other of the liberals did side they concurred with the majority here and
that's probably because they realized that he was really targeting the case at hand and they also probably believe that down the road, more of these
cases will come down before the court. Keep in mind, Anthony Kennedy is the one who wrote the opinion that cleared the way for same-sex marriage
nationwide. And when he wrote that opinion a couple of years ago, he said that there was plenty of respect for people who didn't believe in same-sex
marriage or had religious concerns. So here he is straddling those two opinions and saying, look, religion here was important and this cake baker
should have won here.
GORANI: Ariane De Vogue, thanks very much for joining us.
Former U.S. president Bill Clinton is back in the news. He is defending himself from renewed criticism of his affair with then White House intern,
Monica Lewinsky. Lewinsky, you'll remember added her voice to the Me Too movement recently opening up about the trauma she experienced after their
affair and the bullying she said. Bill Clinton was asked by NBC News if he owes Monica Lewinsky a personal apology. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, 42ND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I felt terrible then. And I came to grips with it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you didn't apologize to her?
CLINTON: I have not talked to her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you feel like you owe her an apology?
CLINTON: No. I did not -- I have never talked to her, but I did say publically on more than one occasion that I was sorry. That's very
different. The apology was public.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you don't think a private apology is owed?
JAMES PATTERSON, AMERICAN AUTHOR: I think this thing has been -- it's 20 years ago. Come on. Let's talk about JFK. Let's talk about, you know,
LBJ. Stopped already.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: All right. There you have it. Bill Clinton saying that he made the apology public -- a public apology, which is not the same thing as
personally apologizing to Monica Lewinsky. Still to come, a gourmet food tour will go to Hungary. CNN goes shopping and does a little sampling ahead. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:50:12] GORANI: Well, if you've ever traveled to Hungary, you'll know they're big on their food. Hungary is the most renowned food personality
offers a taste of the capital. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello. My name is Sophie. I'm a professional food writer and author of 11 cookbooks. And now, I'm going to introduce to you
to the vibrant food scene of Budapest. I think this is a perfect place to start our food tour. This is the central market, which is the biggest and
most beautiful market of Budapest.
Surprisingly, Hungary is very well-known for truffle hunting. Do you have any?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we have one.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a white one.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. This is the white truffle which have been around 3,000 years old.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know lots of Michelin-star chefs around Europe, in Belgium particularly, but also in France who actually buy all the truffles
here in Budapest because it's a good quality and especially of course cheaper than in other countries.
Obviously there is one (INAUDIBLE) thing which can't be missing from a Hungarian market and Hungarian cooking and that's paprika. Actually, 1,000
tons of paprika being used in Hungary every year and obviously everyone wants Hungarian paprika, even the Spanish. The (INAUDIBLE) is made of beef
normally, cooked twice long. So it really needs to be cooked tender.
Well, let's see where we can find really nice (INAUDIBLE) so this is one of my favorite restaurants in Budapest. It's run by Thomas (INAUDIBLE) the
chef, the first Hungarian chef who ever got Michelin Star. So we have the Goulash soup which is obviously like a signature dish of Hungarian cooking.
Some meat is coming from cattle or the neck part and you have some celery and preserved lemons, which is another twist and it makes it very fresh.
And you know what? Let me show you some Hungarian seafood. OK. So this is called Langos. So it's the dirty street food of Hungary and it's
basically fried bread. And actually there are three occasions when you eat it, number one, on the beach in the summertime. Number two, Saturday
morning at the market after doing the shopping. And number three, in the morning at 3:00 when you had a few drinks too much and you walk home to the
subway.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: I want to go back to one of our stories, the volcano that has killed at least 33 people in Guatemala. The dangers are not over. A
meteorologist, Tom Sater is in Atlanta with more on what people there on the ground who have suffered a lot -- we need to remind people, of course,
that the death toll could still rise. What should they be looking out for?
TOM SATER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, first and foremost, there was almost no notice, right, Hala? And we didn't have earthquakes or tremors. But
not all volcanoes give us earthquakes and tremors before they erupt. Something to notice though, why maybe were there not any evacuations in
these areas, of these fertile fields when the system is the second eruption this year? We know it's been active since 2002. And it's been told, even
though you can see it here on the eruption on satellite, which is really something the brown plume here, that it's been continuously erupting
through all of 2017. So this really shouldn't be something new. But it' staggering to know how many people have perished in this. You can see the
pyroclastic flow. Unlike Kilauea, which pretty much has been letting its energy out lava in the fissures, the pyroclastic flow coming down at summit
sides in a quite a distance of a plume of ash and debris, 35 kilometers.
[15:55:04] So if you look on Google Earth, you'll see where the volcano is and the past flows here. This is the village where they have perished.
And even though there's a couple other volcanos, this has been active. The big problem we have, maybe sure it could erupt again. But more than that,
would be heavy rainfall. And we've got a tropical system that is developing. I know it seems quite a distance away. This could be the
first named storm of the eastern pacific. But even if it develops toward southern Mexico, it's going to drag in moisture across Central America and
that could put quite a bit of rainfall right on this summit and Guatemala City, so that's 35, 40 kilometers of debris and flow that could cause these
lahars and that could be more devastating than another eruption, believe it or not. When you look at some of the rainfall totals, sitting 150
millimeters of rain with a system that far away, thunderstorms in the forecast do not bode well for all those that are being evacuated sure may
want to return. But for the ongoing search of those that may still be missing.
So again, keep them in your thoughts and prayers obviously. But without any tremors or earthquakes, that's just staggering to know there was
absolutely no warning that preceded this event and there could still be another. But it has been active for some time. Again, going back to 2002.
Hala.
GORANI: Thanks, Tom Sater.
Finally, what do you get if you cross armed FBI agent with a backflip? The answer is a very, very bad idea. This was the off-duty officer showing off
his moves at a club in Denver. It looks impressive. Until he loses his gun, lunges for it and accidentally shoots someone in the leg. Police say
the victim is expected to survive and authorities are now investigating in the past few minutes. Denver police have said that the agent could face
charges. Although, they've not specified exactly what those charges could be. Police say that lab results will determine if alcohol was a factor.
They're asking for witnesses to come forward as well. And he moves, walk away after.
GORANI: Thanks for watching. I'm Hala Gorani. A lot more ahead on CNN after a quick break. It is "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS," next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:00:03] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was it. I wanted to call it a lukewarm rally, but you know what? It was pretty good. It is a triple
digit lead for the Dow. And guess what, there are new records on Wall Street. It's Monday, June the 4th --
END
END
