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Hala Gorani Tonight
Searchers Race To Find Survivors After Guatemala's Fuego Volcano Eruption; Authorities: 12,000 Evacuated Around Fuego Volcano; Blaze Rips Through Newly Renovated Five-Star Hotel; Netanyahu Lobbies U.K. Prime Minister To Scrap Iran Deal; Argentina Calls Off Friendly Match With Israel; Facebook Gave User Data To Chinese Firms; Europe Asks U.S. For Iran Sanction Exemptions; Trump, Macron Friendship In Tatters? Aired 3-3:30p ET
Aired June 06, 2018 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:21]
HANNAH VAUGHAN JONES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Live from CNN London, I'm Hannah Vaughan Jones in for Hala Gorani.
Tonight, digging through ash to find survivors, a frantic search for the missing as the death toll continues to rise in Guatemala after a massive
volcanic eruption. Our live report is just ahead.
A massive fire breaks out here in London sending plumes of smoke across the city center. We'll have an update on that for you.
And U.S. first lady, Melania Trump, makes her first appearance before the media in weeks. We're live in Washington for all the details.
Guatemala's Fuego Volcano has been coming back to life periodically with more explosions. It belched more smoke and ash just a few hours ago. This
is a disruption and a danger to rescuers, of course, racing against the clock to try to find survivors.
Nearly 200 people remain unaccounted for after the volcano erupted on Sunday 75 bodies have been recovered. So, this is still very active, of
course, and very precarious. Our Patrick Oppmann went up the mountain to see the devastation firsthand.
Patrick joins me now from Guatemala. Patrick, we've seen these images. They are terrifying. They are hugely disturbing. You've obviously bee up
close and seeing what's really going on there. How widespread is the devastation? Just how bad is it?
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, this morning about two hours we spent up in one of the most devastated areas. All morning long we saw
the Fuego Volcano belching smoke. It really was of great concern for the rescue workers, who are trying to recover bodies and sees if there are any
survivors in that area.
And right now, the (inaudible) volcano are covered in this, but this morning we got to go up close and see the devastation is as close you can
get to the damage that it has brought.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPPMANN (on camera): This really gives you an idea of how quickly this volcanic eruption came in. This is a car driver who is trying to take away
his possessions. There's refrigerator and as the lava came in, as the superheated gases came down from the mountain there, it melted the tires of
his car.
He obviously was not able to get away. We don't know what happened to the driver or his family. There are some houses back over this way and one of
the rescue workers was telling me that when they got into this area that the earth was still so hot, they had to go from the roof to roof to get in
and see if there were any survivors.
We are near (inaudible) and they're still thick, thick bands of ash here, just knee-deep if it wasn't so wet. Look at this car, this car was flung
by this pyroclastic flow that came down this mix of lava and mud and ash.
And it came down, race down the volcano, which is just behind me and flung this car against the house here. So that is the force with which the
volcano struck this community and you just look over here and you know, you see a telephone booth that is still buried in the ash here.
Begun clearing some of the debris in some of the disaster areas. They are still finding bodies here. They told me the house yesterday just down the
street here what would be a street, they found a house with six children that had all died from very, very severe burns.
So, I'll talk to some of the Guatemalan rescue workers here. They're incredibly affected by this tragedy. It's the worst thing they said
they've ever seen. There was a house behind me where a family lived that had 18 family members, all are believed to have perished.
The head of the family was a head of a local church here, so it is affecting so many different people, so many different communities. This is
a roof of the house. This is a front door and it's almost completely buried in this -- it's almost like rock now and it's hot.
You can feel the heat coming off it. Right here is someone's shoe. We don't know who it belongs to and if they were able to get away in time, and
behind there in the distance, we still continue to see smoke coming out of the volcano.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OPPMANN: And Hannah, we just come from a shelter where we talked to family members, people who lived in that where we were at this morning, and one
woman said that she lost 18 family members, three of them are unaccounted for she says that her father's house was completely consumed by this ash.
So, certainly, people can replace the material things, houses, the cars, but to lose so many family members in such a small community, that's
something that can never be replaced, and you really just want to have words when you talk to people who have lost, Hannah.
[15:05:09] JONES: Yes, of course, I mean, in three days on, Patrick, is seems like if anything the situation is somehow getting worse. Is there
any sign of the authorities getting a grip and trying to stabilize this natural disaster?
OPPMANN: You know, we are seeing aid pouring in. Guatemalans are rallying behind the people, who have been affected, it's very difficult rescue
workers say to get into these communities because the ground is still hot. Their concern themselves when this volcano again starts to become active
again.
And several times they've had to rush down the mountain because they don't want to see a repeat of this disaster. So, they're trying their best they
say. They still have hope, but frankly, time is running out.
JONES: Patrick, thanks so much. We appreciate it. Patrick Oppmann live for us there in Guatemala.
Well, as Patrick was just saying there, there are so many people now in shelters in Guatemala. Authorities saying 12,000 people out of their homes
and with the scale of this devastation, there is, of course, tremendous need.
With that, I want to bring in Alejandra Blanco of the Red Cross joining us from the region in Guatemala via Skype. Alejandra, thanks so much for
talking to us. We've been hearing of dangerous terrain, of very, very high temperatures, of precarious unpredictable movements. What is the biggest
challenge currently facing rescue workers?
ALEJANDRA BLANCO, GUATEMALAN RED CROSS: Their biggest challenge right now is that the lahar is very hot and people -- rescue teams can't get inside
of it because it's very dangerous for them. So, that's the biggest -- the most difficult thing to get inside it.
JONES: And what about the most common injuries from those people who had to flee their homes and who have managed to escape with their lives, what
are the most common injuries that people at the Red Cross are dealing with?
BLANCO: They are burnt. A lot of people have burns and they have injuries like broken arms and stuff like that.
GORANI: Our correspondence also in Guatemala was talking about the shelters that there are thousands of people, an estimated 12,000 people now
out of their homes and living in shelters. Can you tell us a little bit about the shelter where I believe you are at the moment? What the people
there are saying about their experiences and their needs right now?
BLANCO: People are very frightened. They are scared of the volcano. What they are needing the most -- (inaudible), there are a lot of people inside
these shelters. We need food. We need cleaning stuff. We need medicine.
JONES: And is that what the Red Cross is asking for then from the international community? Does the Red Cross want the rest of the world to
get more involved in trying to bring about some sort of relief for the people in Guatemala?
BLANCO: Yes, actually, we have two accounts where people can donate, make money donations because (inaudible) to get the money and buy the supplies
here than to get the supplies from overseas.
JONES: All right. We will leave it there. But Alejandra, we thank you very much indeed for joining us and apologize for our viewers for the
slightly crackly line, but you got your point across there. But the Red Cross that definitely needs financial aids in order to help the people who
are in the most need. Alejandra there in Guatemala.
Now we are learning more about a dramatic fire just hours ago, which erupted right here in the base capital. Huge plumes of smoke could be seen
billowing into the London sky as dozens of firefighters were called to battle the blaze in the central part of the city.
A fire tore through the roof of a luxury hotel in the affluent Knightsbridge area just days after that hotel announced the completion of a
multi-million-dollar renovation project. Those images of smoke, of course, particularly poignant almost a year to the day since the (inaudible) fire
in West London.
Our own Erin McLaughlin is standing by the Luxury Mandarin Oriental Hotel for us now. Erin, geography aside that's probably the only similarity, of
course, with the Grenfell fire, but it perhaps highlights Londoner's sensitivity when it comes to these sorts of blazes. And to the fire that
took place today, what is the probable cause of it?
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's being investigated as we speak, Hannah. Let me just give you a sense of where I am in the middle at
this point. I am in the middle of Knightsbridge not far from the hotel in question.
[15:10:06] Normally at this time of night in this neighborhood of London, it would be absolutely cram full of traffic. It's the height of the
tourist season. It's a warm summer evening. Tourists would be here going out to dinner.
Hyde Park is not far away from the best shopping in London, also in this neighborhood, but it's eerily quiet here tonight. In place is this police
cordon, they are not letting traffic through this area surrounding buildings including the hotel itself remains evacuated.
The fire unfolded at around 4 p.m. this afternoon local time. A thick plume of smoke could be seen emanating from the roof of the hotel, and you
can see fire trucks remain in place, some 20 fire trucks responded to the fire over 120 firefighters.
But thankfully authorities are saying no indication at this point of any casualties as a result of that fire. What we saw was an orderly evacuation
at least was been characterize an orderly evacuation by some of the patrons inside that hotel itself.
We also saw the hotel employees being evacuated again in an orderly fashion in groups away from this area and now what authorities are doing is going
floor by floor, room by room to make sure that this hotel is secure. And again, the exact cause of the fire, though, remains under investigation.
JONES: Yes, taking as a precaution, of course. Erin McLaughlin live for us there at an eerily quiet Knightsbridge this evening, this central state,
which would normally be packed. Erin, thanks so much.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in London today, the latest stop on his European tour. He is trying to convince Britain and other
signatories to the Iran nuclear deal to abandon efforts to save it, but of course, close United States pulled out.
Prime Minister Theresa May made it clear she also wants to discuss other matters including Israel's killing of Palestinian protesters in Gaza in
recent weeks. So, I'm joined now by Nina dos Santos for more on this.
Let's talk about the Iran deal to start off with. What will Benjamin Netanyahu have been hoping to secure from Theresa May?
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN MONEY EUROPE EDITOR: Well, he is probably hoping to secure some kind of commitment that the United Kingdom and some of the big
economies in Europe would follow America's lead and pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.
But he hasn't managed to secure that type of arrangement at all over the last three days, Hannah, after visiting Europe's three biggest economies,
three big countries that are committed to this deal.
He started out the week with Angela Merkel in Germany, didn't get any concessions on Iran from here, didn't get anything from Emmanuel Macron who
he spent yesterday with, and today, he was outside Number 10 Downing Street meeting with Theresa May.
And the key thing here is that even before he sat down with Theresa May, we already had an idea of what was to come here, Hannah, because the Treasury
secretaries, finance ministers, foreign office ministers of the U.K., Germany, and France had already decided (inaudible) to the U.S.
counterparts, asking the United States to make sure that these European companies that were planning to open up operations in Iran in light of this
deal, having been signed in 2015, they were asking them to be exempt from sanctions.
So, we already knew before Benjamin Netanyahu sat down with Theresa May probably that the U.K. was going to tow the line here with its European
counterparts on the issue of Iran.
JONES: On the issue of Gaza, which undoubtedly came up between the two as they spoke today, Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu in particular has been
very, very vocal and say in his defense abuse of live ammunition.
MCLAUGHLIN: That's right. He has. He's been very vocal especially when it comes to the use live ammunition on protesters that the Israeli-Gaza
border on May the 15th, that was the anniversary of the so-called (inaudible) when Palestinians remember the expulsion or let's talk about
the forcible removal of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians upon the creation of the fate of Israel.
And you'll remember that there was the -- they were strife at the border between Israel and Gaza and the Israeli Defense Forces did use live
ammunition. The United Kingdom was one of the countries in particular that calls for an independent transparent inquiry into why live ammunition was
used.
And this did come up, it was the big news of the day between the two, Theresa May and Benjamin. She again reiterated justice, her counter parts
in France also Germany this week have done that Israel does have the right to defend itself.
But she said, quote/unquote, "I hope that Israel can do something to alleviate the situation in Gaza." Benjamin Netanyahu apparently again
stressed the role of Hamas here in inciting some of these protests.
But the issue of Gaza and live ammunition did come up and also Iran, Benjamin Netanyahu embarked upon this two or three days ago saying that he
only wanted to talk about Iran and Iran. It doesn't seem to have gain many concessions on that first part there.
[15:15:14] JONES: Nina, thank you very much indeed.
Still to come on the program tonight, if you use Facebook, your data could be with one of four Chinese mobile companies. Find out why next.
Plus, the Middle East conflict reaches football, ahead why Argentina scrapped the game in Jerusalem. We'll have some more after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Welcome back. Argentina's Football Association now threats played a role in its decision to scrap a controversial friendly match against
Israel. The match featuring global superstar, Lionel Messi was scheduled for this weekend in Jerusalem.
Well, that location sparked all of the controversy and now Israel is furious and blaming the Palestinians. Phil Black explains why.
PHIL BLACK, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hannah, the Palestinian Football Association lobbied aggressively for this match not to
happen. Its chief called on fans around the world to burn Lionel Messi images and his national jersey. Israel officials say that was incitement
to violence.
And now Argentina's Football Association has confirmed decide will not travel to Israel because of threats. It concerns about the team's safety.
Palestinian's argued Argentina and Messi were being used by Israel to white wash what they see as the state's crimes and to legitimize its policies.
And they said holding the game in Jerusalem, a city claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians as their capital was especially provocative. So,
while Israel football fans were thrilled by the possibility of seeing Messi and his teammate play here, Palestinians many of whom also worship Messi as
a superstar of the game were distressed by the idea of their hero playing what they believe would be a one-sided role in this intractable conflict.
The Israeli government says some people took that opposition much further, directly threating violence against Messi, other players and their families
-- Hannah.
GORANI: Phil Black there in Jerusalem for us.
Now to other news, Facebook has revealed that it's given four major Chinese phone makers access to use their information including Huawei, a company
that U.S. intelligence agencies see as a security threat.
Well, the news follows a series of controversies on how Facebook handles people's personal information and protects their privacy. Let's get more
on all of this. Our Dylan Byers is standing by for us in Los Angeles.
Dylan, good to see you. So, we know now that Facebook has been sharing our data with the likes of Huawei, but what kind of information have they been
sharing and why is Facebook saying this is no big deal.
DYLAN BYERS, CNN SENIOR REPORTER FOR MEDIA AND POLITICS: Well, it's a great question. The data that these Chinese companies have access to
include much of the data that you've shared with Facebook both knowingly and unknowingly.
[15:20:08] So, it's your religious affiliation, your political affiliation, your contact information, even your relationship status, all of that
information that Facebook has access to and that is required in order to build a sort of Facebook like experience outside of the Facebook platform,
Huawei and other Chinese companies have access to.
What Facebook says is, look, this is just business as usual. Other tech companies did this, and you know, 10 years ago, if you wanted Chinese users
to have access to something like Facebook, you have to share that data with the people, who are making the devices.
And Facebook did the same thing with Apple, with Blackberry, with Amazon. The problem here it goes back to exactly said at the top, which is that the
U.S. officials see Huawei as a security threat and as much as Facebook says, look, we've got a good sense of what Huawei does with this data,
Facebook can never fully control what third parties do with the data.
And the fact that Facebook hasn't been fully forthcoming about exactly who is sharing this data with and wasn't even forthcoming when it was under
congressional scrutiny and when Mark Zuckerberg testified in Washington, D.C. I think is reasonable lot of red flags for both citizens and
lawmakers alike.
JONES: Yes, and Dylan, there is a lot of suspicion as well about the fact that Facebook has just announced that this partnership with Huawei is now
going to come to an end. This is what one Facebook executive has said trying to explain why that partnership is ending.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IME ARCHIBONG, VICE PRESIDENT OF PRODUCT PARTNERSHIPS, FACEBOOK: We do believe that we did here is good and we haven't detected any misuse of
these experiences and ultimately, you know, we announced back in April that we are whining of these experiences because of the fact that the people
that are using make up a smaller portion of the overall Facebook community these days and it's a good time to make a healthy transition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: A healthy transition, Dylan. Is that good enough explanation for why Facebook is now ending this deal with Huawei?
BYERS: No, no, it's really not and it might have been a good explanation way back when. The problem is that Facebook never really seems to confront
its problems or do anything about them in tale there are reports in the media.
And so, you know over the course of the last six to nine months Facebook has come forward, it says, look, we recognize that things got out of
control in terms of data privacy and general problems with the platform and we are going to address that and we are going to be fully transparent with
you about what we are doing in order to address that problem.
So, every time there's a report from CNN or the "New York Times" or anyone else showing one more way in which Facebook has not been transparent, it
makes it harder and harder to trust Facebook, and it makes it appear as though that sort of public campaign is really disingenuous.
JONES: Dylan Byers live for us in Los Angeles, thank you, Dylan.
BYERS: Thank you.
JONES: Now, we turn to your tricky trade relations between two close allies, according to CNN sources, U.S. President Donald Trump invokes the
war of 1812 in a call with the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month to justify planned tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum as a
national security issue. Mr. Trump playing Canadians burnt down the White House in that conflict when in fact pushes troops set by to the
presidential palace.
Meanwhile, the E.U., France, Germany, and the U.K., have asked the U.S. not to impose sanctions on their companies over deals with Iran. In a letter
addressed to the Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, eight European officials asked for an exemption.
The United States quit, of course, Iran nuclear deal back in May and reimposing U.S. sanctions. Well, the U.S. Treasury also plans to introduce
so-called secondary sanctions on all companies dealing with Iran.
The French President Emmanuel Macron, of course, tried to convince President Trump to stick with the Iran deal on a state visit to Washington
just last month. Well, since then Mr. Trump has not ditch the deal, he has also announced those tariffs on European steel and aluminums.
So, as the two leaders prepare to meet again at G7 summit this Friday, is the Trump-Macron bromance officially dead? Melissa Bell reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From that frosty first handshake to this warm hug --
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I like him a lot.
BELL: -- over the course of the last year an unlikely friendship has blossomed between the French and American presidents as Emmanuel Macros has
sought repeatedly to get his message across.
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): The United States like France has a responsibility particularly in the moment that is today,
we are the guarantors of multilateralism.
[15:25:060] BELL: His plan was to keep his unilateralist counterpart talking multilaterally even on those subjects that divided them, which
didn't work out the way Macron had hoped when it came to Iran.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: They restarted taken up big problems, bigger than they've ever had before and you can mark it down.
BELL: Other subjects of discord, climate change and the imposition of tariffs on E.U.'s steel and aluminum export. Apparently, the final straw
from Macron who said the decision to impose them was not only illegal, but a mistake on many points.
The day before the tariffs took effect, Washington sources told CNN that the phone call between the two presidents have been not just bad but
terrible. This week, Emmanuel Macron chose to strike back, the leaks about the nature of the call after all had not come from Paris.
MACRON (through translator): Bismarck used to say, if we gave people the recipe for the sausages, it is not sure that people would eat them.
BELL: Not the first time the French president has had a dig in his American counterpart but have the divergencies simply grown too big.
PIERRE VIRMONT, FORMER FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATE: This is a gap that is going to be very difficult to bridge, and of course, the result
of this could very well be that France would look for other partners.
BELL: Emmanuel Macron has been reaching out to older friends these last few weeks convincing Angela Merkel to back at least part of his plan for
European reforms. One year on from their first meeting, there is a NATO summit in Brussels and then a G7 meeting in Sicily, another G7 summit will
reunite them and their peers.
For one new Italian leader the faces will be the same but the mood no doubt a little grimmer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: Melissa Bell reporting there for us.
Still to come tonight, a pretty standard briefing is anything but as Melania Trump appears by her husband's side in front of news cameras for
the first time in weeks.
And then what happens here behind closed doors could give new hope for peace on the Korean Peninsula. We'll take you to the hotel that will host
that summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Welcome back to the program. The venue for President Trump's long-awaited summit with Kim Jong-un of North Korea has now been unveiled.
It's saying Red Shingle Luxury Hotel just off the mainland of Singapore. And in case, you're wondering it's already fully booked for June the 12th.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONES (voice-over): It's know as Asia's favorite playground since (inaudible) island, a world traveler's paradise whose name means peace and
tranquillity in Malay.
The 500-hectare island resort is located just of Singapore's southern coast, featuring white sand beaches, several golf courses, casinos, and
theme parks, a holiday destination hosts some 20 million visitors each year.
There are more than a dozen hotels on the island one of which is the Capella hotel, which is being the chosen location for talks between North
Korean leader, Kim Jong-un and U.S. president, Donald Trump.
The hotel prophesy spreads over 30 acres of rainforest, large but secluded, making it ideal for security reasons.
The building's facade is 19th century colonial surrounded by lush greenery. The leaders, may run into a few peacocks which running freely in the hotel
grounds.
A basic room at the five-star luxury hotel starts at roughly $600 a night. It features 112 rooms, some with views of the South China Sea.
Although we don't know exactly where within the resort this historic meeting will take place, there are two presidential suites, both are
actually historic standalone houses. These colonial manners are secured and private. The perfect spot for a historic meeting between two world
leaders.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: Now, she didn't say anything, but she really didn't have to, to capture the public's attention. U.S. First Lady Melania Trump just made
her first appearance before all the cameras in a nearly a month. She joined her husband, President Donald Trump for a briefing in Washington,
only 2018 hurricane season, a short time ago. Hurricane season, of course, had begun -- beginning of this month.
For Mr. Trump said, she's been through a "rough patch, but is now doing great." Earlier on, Twitter, he accused the media of fueling conspiracy
theories after a Melania's kidney surgery a few weeks ago calling it, you guessed it, fake news.
So let's get more now from the White House and our reporter, Jeremy Diamond who's standing by. A force in Washington. Jeremy, good to see you.
Silent but seen then, as far as Melania's concern. Will this satisfy the floaters watches out there?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly, we did see the First Lady today for the first time in nearly a month. She joined the president
at FEMA for a hurricane briefing on the upcoming hurricane season. This was the first time that we've seen her in public in nearly a month. And as
far as satisfying those who have questioned where she has been and what has been going on, she certainly did appear to be in good spirits, nothing seem
to be physically wrong with her during the time that she was on camera.
But again, it does come back to the reason why there was so much speculation about her whereabouts and it is extremely unusual, of course to
not see the first lady in public for more than three weeks, all of this after the first lady's office initially said she was getting a kidney
embolization procedure. Something that requires only a couple days recovery time, instead she spent nearly a week in the hospital and then at
the White House resting and getting back her strength. So still a lot of questions about what exactly was going on and why she was away for so long,
but the president here clearly seizing on some of that speculation to go after the media, even though none of the things he alleged have been
reported by the media as fact by any stretch of the imagination.
JONES: And Jeremy, when one is then now that Melania is back in the spotlight, whether she might be accompanying the president, her husband to
Singapore for this June 12th summit with North Korea's Kim Jong-un, of course.
I want to bring in a poll, the latest stats that we have. This is a Quinnipiac Poll which shows significance, we should say support, 72 percent
of Americans approved of President Trump's plans meeting with Kim Jong-un. So it's full steam ahead for June the 12th, which is of course just next
week now.
DIAMOND: Yes, that's right. The president will be heading there. We do not expect the first lady at this point to join him, either for the G7
Summit or for the Singapore summit. But clearly, this is a summit that the president has wanted to have now for quite some time. And despite the fact
that he canceled that planned meeting with Kim Jong-un last month, he quickly put it right back on the books. And obviously part of that
reasoning is because the president believes that he can accomplish something with Kim Jong-un, but he also realizes that it's something that
could boost his popularity back home. As you mentioned that7 Quinnipiac Poll that shows nearly three-quarters of Americans supportive of his
decision to go forward with the summit. The question now is, how much will he actually accomplish while he's there and how will that affect the
support that he enjoys here in the United States? Clearly, the president, ahead of the 2018 midterms is looking for a bump in the polls, perhaps this
summit can deliver it.
[15:35:13] JONES: Yes. I mean, this is a president who's always kind of looking at the polls, I guess, and trying to boost his popularity. One
demographic he may have been struggling with for some time would perhaps the American Muslims. And yet, the president is prepares to take part in a
Ramadan festivity. Tell us more.
DIAMOND: That's right. The president is expected to host the first Iftar dinner of his presidency at the White House this evening, 30 to 40 guests
are expected to join the president for this celebration. It's unclear at this point who those individuals are. There's been some speculation that it
could be members of the diplomatic community, Muslim members of the diplomatic community here in Washington. But obviously, the president's
relationship with the Muslim community has been an extreme point of contention and controversy. Still, his words from the 2016 campaign
calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States still very much fresh on a lot of people's mind, especially given
the fact that that is carried over into the administration with the president's -- the various iterations of his travel ban looking to keep
certain individuals from Muslim majority countries from coming to the United States.
JONES: A busy schedule for the leader of the free world. Jeremy, thanks so much. Indeed, we appreciate it.
We turn our attention now to Italy and a new government has been approved by parliament after months of political uncertainty. But perhaps more
emotively, the country now has the first populist government in Western Europe. And the first Eurosceptic government in their founding EU nation.
Our Delia Gallagher has more on this now from Rome.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Italy's parliament voted to approve the new populist right-wing government of Prime Minister Giuseppe
Conte which means they can now officially begin governing some three months after they were first elected. The government is a coalition between the
anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the anti-immigrant right-wing League Party. And the League party campaign heavily on a platform of
Italian's first. Their leader Matteo Salvini who is now the interior minister has been outspoken against illegal immigrants with such recent
statements as go home and the party's over. And the government proposes to return some 500,000 illegal immigrants to their countries of origin, as
well as close camps of the itinerant Roma people.
And on that scene, during Tuesday's Senate hearing, Italian senator, Liliana Segre, an 88-year-old survivor of Auschwitz, warned the government
that Italy's 1938 racial laws against minorities had paved the way for the holocaust.
LILIANA SEGRE, ITALIAN SENATOR (through translator): Most of all, voice should be given ideally to the many who unlike me does not return from the
concentration camps, who were killed for the mere fact that they were born. Those who do not have tombs, who are ash in the wind, to save them from
oblivion means not only to honor historic death towards our fellow citizens of that time, but also to help Italians today. Repel any temptation of
inference towards the injustice and suffering which surround us.
GALLAGHER: Prime Minister Conte in his speech to the Senate, reaffirmed Italy's role in NATO and said the United States was a privileged partner.
He also said the government would seek to quote, "The proponents of an opening towards Russia." The government also sought to reassure Europe and
financial markets that they never had any intentions of leading the Euro.
Delia Gallagher, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: Delia, thank you.
Friends and fans are remembering the late fashion icon, Kate Spade. She was found dead in New York on Tuesday. She had apparently killed herself.
In addition to the Kate Spade's empire, she founded the Frances Valentine brand, named for her daughter. The company said on Tuesday that Spade will
remain in the hearts forever. The Vogue editor-in-chief and fashion grandeur, Anna Wintour said "Spade had an enviable gift for understanding
exactly what women the world over wanted to carry." Kate was just 55 years old.
Still to come on the program tonight, in the cold waters of the Antarctic lies a chilling discovery. CNN travel south to tell just how far our
impacts on the environment when we reach it. That coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:40:50] JONES: Welcome back to CNN. Our correspondents are of course, on frontlines all across the world, but then it lead to World Oceans Day
this Friday, CNN went south to the frontlines of the fight against climate change in the isolated waters of Antarctica. There are secrets about the
state of our planet just waiting to be unlocked. And now, despite its remote location, scientists there have discovered microplastics just one
troubling sign that highlights how the materials we use every day are finding their way into our environment and posing considerable risk. Well,
our Arwa Damon and her team went into the freezing waters of Antarctica to follow some of this research firsthand. Right now, she joins us from the
considerably warmer climate of Atlanta, Georgia. Oh, great to see you. An extraordinary expedition, no doubt for you and the team. Unlocking the
secrets of the Antarctic. The Antarctic really, I guess, acting as something of a microcosm for the wider world.
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: To a certain degree, yes. It is this absolutely spectacular breathtaking place. But there is
so much more that we all need to learn and are continuously learning about it, about the role that it can play as a buffer to climate change that
scientists are uncovering more and more about, but also some pretty ominous discoveries as well when it comes to the impact that we as humans are
having on this very remote region.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAMON: Nature sets the rules out here with its wild winds, freezing waters and freezing temperatures. We're off the coast of the western Antarctic
Peninsula on the last leg of a three-month long Greenpeace expedition, to raise awareness about the need to create ocean sanctuaries and fishing
buffer zones within these waters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Antarctic is a cooling chamber that mitigates the effect of climate change and what happens here, is having an effect on the
climate of the planet. The ocean currents are driven by the cold waters of the Antarctic.
DAMON: This entire region, from its waters to its seabed, to its wildlife, is something to the battle against our planet's dangerously changing
climate, because it's what's called a carbon sink. A place where the carbon dioxide reemit into the atmosphere is helped, making the planet
habitable. And that's more crucial now for this amazing ecosystem than ever before. Scientist say rising global temperatures are causing
Antarctica to lose about 183 billion tons of ice each year, the largest decline in sea ice in 1,500 years.
This is the awesome sight of a whale feeding friendly on krill and beneath the surface, lies so much more. Krill is a keystone species, holding the
entire Antarctic food chain together. But krill is on an all-time low, in part because of rising ocean temperatures and melting ice. If the krill
continue to decline, it could be a problem not only for the Antarctic but for the entire planet, because scientists are discovering that this shrimp-
like crustacean actually help capture carbon dioxide emissions. The main culprit behind warming waters and rising sea levels.
[15:45:17] Here's how it works. Algae absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, krill feeds on the carbon with algae, and as they fill up, they
sink to the bottom where they rain down their carbon rich fecal matter and sink icy Antarctic ocean steps. There, since cold water holds more carbon
than warm, carbon can be stored in this liquid deep freeze for millennium. And scientists have now discovered that krill swim to and deposit their
fecal palates in even deeper depths than previously anticipated which means they trap even more carbon than previously thought a lot more.
The extra depth these tiny creatures swim to in the Antarctic is believed to offset the carbon emissions of the entire United Kingdom and benefit
other parts of the ecosystem in the process.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now we know that that sinks and goes to the bottom where there is like a very, very diverse communities, so they are able to
use to capture this carbon and they use it or sometimes they make it available for other organisms.
DAMON: Well you're basically saying is that the actual organism that live on the ocean floor are in and of themselves also a carbon storage facility?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, basically. That's the way it works.
DAMON: But the sense of the Antarctic is pristine is deceptive. It's already being threatened by us.
Dr. Marcelo Gonzalez shows us what they found in some of the Antarctic clams they tested.
MARCELO GONZALEZ, INSTITUTO ANTARTICO CHILENO: You can observe this material. They're wet materials -- plastics and also we can observe fiber.
DAMON: Fiber.
GONZALEZ: Fiber.
DAMON: And so this was found in --
GONZALEZ: This was found in the intestine of the Antarctic clam.
DAMON: And if this is what scientists are finding there, imagine what there could be in oceans and seas closer to our dining tables.
The microplastics could be due to the human presence in Antarctica. But Dr. Gonzalez suspect that they originated in other oceans, other
continents. But further testing still needs to be done. Greenpeace also tested for microplastics and found elements in most samples they tested.
And that's not the only toxic material in this remote region.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just take a walk around this little bay, find us a place that is untouched for the last -- for the last week, at least.
DAMON: (INAUDIBLE) is going to take snow samples to be tested for PFAS, polyfluoroalkyl substances. PFAS are the chemicals used as stain and water
repellant coating and sinks like outboard here. They are not biodegradable, which means that once they've been released, they stay in
the environment forever. Greenpeace has been testing snow in remote areas for the last few years for traces of these toxic compounds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We already found it in snow samples of China. We found it in snow samples in Russia. The Alps in Europe. And it would be really
outrageous if it would be already here in the Antarctic.
DAMON: Sadly, it is. And some of the freshly fallen snow samples suggested the presence of these chemicals don't come from local sources,
but were carried by the atmosphere.
It's so beautiful and quiet. You almost -- speak above a whisper and there's two whales right there. This is absolutely unbelievable season.
Nature here gives off a deceptive illusion of indestructability. It's not. That is why Greenpeace is fiercely advocating for action at the source, but
also for the creation of large scale marine reserves to get the ecosystem here a fighting chance. Scientists are only just beginning to understand
the scope of the Antarctic's role as the carbon sink and buffer against climate change. There is still time to protect it. Not just for the
beauty of its majestic creatures, but also because it could protect all of us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DAMON: And, Hannah, to that effect that is why Greenpeace, other conservationist and scientists are calling for the creation of the world's
largest ocean sanctuary, but you also have some pretty important meetings that are potentially coming up in the fall that will be hopefully
scientists again and conservationists think leading towards the creation of a U.N. treaty to protect the oceans. They want to see about 30 percent of
the oceans declared sanctuaries.
JONES: And you mentioned at the end of that report that there is some reasons to be optimistic, at least. Do we have time to reverse this trend
before it's too late?
[15:50:07] DAMON: That's what a lot of the Greenpeace activists and scientists and experts that we were talking to were saying, and again,
that's really why they're trying to highlight and underscore the importance of taking action now, because our footprint in so many other areas has been
so destructive. Here is the one chance to actually do something before we reach a crisis point. Before the damage that has done is actually
irreversible. But again, the first step towards doing that is going to be tackling the problem at the source, but also creating these protected zones
so that this fragile ecosystem has a chance to really fight back and conserve all of the resilience that potentially can, because at the end of
the day, this is a part of the world that is vital for all of us.
JONES: And it is World Oceans Day on Friday. What can viewers who are watching in your report, what can we do -- what can they do then? Is it
more of an awareness campaign or is it still a plea for help, a plea for action?
DAMON: It's all of that. There are things that viewers can do and all of us can do in our day to day lives to try to pay a lot of attention in terms
of what it is that we're consuming and exactly how it is that we're disposing of plastics. There's a quite a bit of a push to raise awareness
on that front. But then also Greenpeace has -- this campaign that has been ongoing. They are trying to gather signatures. They're trying to put
pressure. There is a vote coming up at the end of the year on the creation, again, of this world's largest ocean sanctuary in the sea Weddell
Sea. That's going to be -- they hope a first step towards creating these larger, broader ocean sanctuaries. And advocates will also say that
individuals can try to pressure. There are governments to sign up to these various different creeds and to pledge to do whatever is it that they can
within their own capacity to try to conserve, not just the Antarctic, but the oceans as a whole.
JONES: It was such a fantastic report. It's great to talk to you as well. We appreciate it. Arwa Damon there.
DAMON: Thank you.
JONES: More to come on the program tonight, including back in time in Budapest to find out how Hungary's capital is coming to terms with and
showcasing now its communist past.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JONES: Today, Budapest is a bustling EU city. But not so long ago, the Hungarian capital was a city under communist rule and hardly a tourist
destination. Now though, it's channeling the past so that visitors can themselves go back in time. It's the city guide who explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FANNI SARKADI, CITY GUIDE: Hi, there. My name is Fanni Sarkadi and I'm a city guide for Budapest Underguide.
Budapest is an amazing city. A very open-minded one. But as you might now, this country lives in a communist system until 1989. Now, I'm going
to take you back in time.
Welcome to Memento Park. In my back, you can see all those statues that were taking away from the center of Budapest after the 50-year long
communism we have. Most of the statues were sort of like destroyed so the ones you can see over here were like kept as a memory from back in the
communist era.
[15:55:04] Right after Memento Park, let me show you something that remains for the communist era. A little bit more (INAUDIBLE)
This is basically the (INAUDIBLE) of a very iconic shoe brands called Tisza. It was in the 70s when the shoe brand itself was worn -- was the
only one that was reachable by Hungarians because of the communist threshold. So the revival, the second revival of the brand was at the year
2003. And since we are counting with the new ownership, it became trendy because of being retro.
If you want to feel like back in the 70s, this is the place where to eat.
So as you can see we are back in the 70s. Nothing have changed since then. Not the furniture, not the looks, not the people, not the owners. We eat a
food. Let's go for it.
She says she's working here since 1981 and still loving it. The communist feast. Actually, they (INAUDIBLE) we ate. You have to save by card. No
one (INAUDIBLE) earlier, so you have to be super honest with them. A lot of people, right? (INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: There you go. Go to Budapest for a trip down communist memory lane.
And finally on the program this evening, if you've always dreamed of zooming around in your own flying car, and let's face it, you haven't.
Well, that dream could soon become reality. This is called the Kitty Hawk Flyer, and it's on its way to hit the skies near you. The company which is
backed by Google founder, Larry Page, has opened a trading facility in Las Vegas and they say people will soon be able to test the flying cars out for
themselves. Look out airways.
Thanks so much for watching tonight. Stay with CNN, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is coming up after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(CLOSING BELL RINGING)
[16:00:00] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, the reason, I think, (INAUDIBLE) go with the very healthy rally. It's Wednesday, June the 6th.
END
