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Trump Asks to Investigate the Investigators; Texas Shooting Timeline Unfold; Mt. Kilauea's Anger Spread More; Maduro Won Another Term. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired May 21, 2018 - 03:00   ET

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


[03:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GEORGE HOWELL, HOST, CNN: The U.S. President is demanding his own instigation. We'll tell you what he wants his Justice Department to now look into.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, HOST, CNN: Clouds of acid steam are now spreading in Hawaii after lava hit the Pacific Ocean. Just the latest danger from Hawaii's Mt. Kilauea.

HOWELL: Harry and Meghan captivated audiences around the world with their wedding this eked. How Britain's newest royal couple is spending their first few days as husband and wife.

CHURCH: Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and of course all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Newsroom starts right now. Around the world, good day to you.

The U.S. president wants to investigate the investigators. Demanding that Justice Department review to take action after unleashing a barrage of criticisms of the FBI. This follows reports that the FBI used a confidential source to talk to Trump campaign aides about possible ties to Russia.

CHURCH: Now the president suggested the move was politically motivated.

Ryan Nobles reports on the Justice Department's response.

RYAN NOBLES, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: President Donald Trump busy on Twitter this weekend taking aim at the Department of Justice and the FBI about their conduct in the lead up to the investigation into his campaign and whether or not that campaign had any ties to Russia.

The president particularly upset about reports that there was an unknown source and tried to gain access to Trump officials and learn information about the Trump campaign.

The president topping his tweet storm off with this tweet, "I hereby demand and will do so officially tomorrow," he was talking about Monday that the Department of Justice look into whether the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump campaign for political purposes and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama administration.

But here's the thing about the president's call for an investigation. There's already one underway. The inspector general for the attorney general's office has been looking into whether or not those applications for surveillance of members of the Trump team were done so appropriately.

And they did respond to the president's tweet on Sunday saying that they're going to expand that investigation to look into whether or not there were any political motivations for asking for those wiretaps.

And the Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who was of course in charge of the Russia investigation put out the following statement, saying quote, "If anyone did infiltrate or surveilled participants in a presidential campaign for inappropriate purposes we need to know about it and take appropriate action."

So the president getting results pretty quickly. The question is, is this more about an effort to discredit Robert Mueller and his investigation? The president continues to call that a witch hunt and wants to see it come to an end.

Of course, we are now just past the one-year anniversary of the launch of that instigation, at this point there's no indication when it's going to wrap up.

Ryan Nobles, CNN, at the White House.

CHURCH: And joining us now from England is Scott Lucas. He is a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham. Thanks so much for being with us.

SCOTT LUCAS, POLITICS PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM: Thank you.

CHURCH: So what did you make of President Trump's tweet Sunday when he demanded his own Justice Department examine whether it or perhaps the FBI spied on the Trump campaign for political reasons and what will likely come of this, do you ink?

LUCAS: Let's be blunt. This was a meltdown by Donald Trump who is angry, who is frustrated, and who is very, very worried. He's worried for two reasons. One is that the FBI had what is called a counterintelligence agent, not an infiltrator, not a spy, but a counterintelligence agent who is an American academic in Britain who was in contact with three Trump campaign advisers.

One of those advisers, Carter Page, is a suspected Russian agent, suspected by the FBI. One of the others, George Papadopoulos, had been in contact with a suspected Russian link, a professor in London. So the FBI was investigating this as a security matter and as possible interference in the election.

So Trump's very worried about that investigation. We know that. But there's a second matter which most people may have missed, and that is Trump was triggered on Sunday by a report in the New York Times that his son, Donald Trump Jr. and other advisers, had met representatives of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and an Israeli social media expert about possible further intervention the election, which would be a possible violation of election laws.

[03:04:56] That was his first tweet yesterday. He was angered over that report. And then he went on to basically attack the FBI and the Justice Department throughout the day.

CHURCH: This of course now we are learning that the Justice Department asked its inspect general to expand its review to try to determine whether there was any impropriety or political motivation on the part of the FBI. Where is all this going?

LUCAS: Well, I think the Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and others in the agency already know that that counterintelligence operation operated according to guidelines. They had given statements to this effect as it were unnamed to the press throughout the weekend.

So it's an easy give to Trump to say OK, we'll check this out, because they know where this is going to wind up. They also know, by the way, the further investigation, which is the FBI obtained that warrant from a top secret government court for surveillance, not of the Trump campaign but of Russian officials who might have been in contact with Trump campaign advisers and they believe that was according to the rules as well.

So to keep the president from basically trying to shut the whole investigation down they'll make statements like they did yesterday, that they are considering this, while remember, the wider investigation and the big focus here is not what the FBI and Justice Department are doing but what special counsel Robert Mueller is doing because that is Trump's ultimate goal, which is to try to shut Mueller's investigation down, not to get the Justice Department to look at Hillary Clinton.

CHURCH: You mentioned Mueller, of course. President Trump's attorney, Rudy Giuliani, says special counsel Robert Mueller could end his investigation of Trump by September 1st if the president agrees to an interview, and he said that Mueller's office did share its timeline with him about a month ago. How likely is it that Mr. Trump would allow such an interview and bring this all to a close by the start of September?

LUCAS: Well, first of all, as we've seen in recent weeks, Rudy Giuliani's statements are not necessarily the benchmark of reliability. So what he was trying to do was put pressure on the Mueller investigation, look, you wrap it up by September the 1st.

There's no evidence that Mueller intends to be finished by then. Which brings us to the fact that Mueller and his team want an open-ended interview with Trump on about 50 questions.

What Trump and his lawyers want is a very tightly defined interview of only two to three hours. So Trump doesn't stray, possibly issue statements that could get him into further trouble, and that conflict over the definition of the scope of questioning is one that's going to run for the next few weeks. CHURCH: Yes. We'll see if that interview does take place. Scott

Lucas, always good to have you with us and share your analysis with our viewers. We appreciate it.

HOWELL: In the U.S. State of Texas we're learning more about the timeline of the school shooting on Friday in Santa Fe. The sheriff there says the teenage suspect opened fire for four minutes before officers arrived. A 25-minute shootout then ensued before the gunman gave himself up.

CHURCH: Eight students and two teachers died in that rampage. The sheriff adds he will have a more accurate timeline after video from inside the school is analyzed. And the lieutenant governor of Texas says the school shooting problem is not guns.

HOWELL: In an interview with CNN on Sunday, Dan Patrick blamed violent video games, the removal of religion from schools, and abortion. But the main problems, he says, are not enough armed teachers and too many entrances at school. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN PATRICK, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF TEXAS: We need our teachers to be armed. We, you know, when you have -- when you're facing someone who's an active shooter, the best way to take that shooter down is with a gun. But even better than that is four or five guns to one.

And yesterday, or Friday, because of the heroic action of our two officers on the campus who were armed and a roving officer and a state trooper that showed up very quickly, they were able to stop the shooter from killing more.

This school, Jake, was one of 186 school districts given an award for safety training in Texas out of 1,000 districts. And they reacted quickly and bravely. But had teachers been armed there, was a teacher next door, a marine who saw what was going on, slammed the door, locked his door and protected his students, some feel had he been able to carry a gun he may have been able to stop that shooter had it been his choice.

So in Texas I can tell you this law, Jake, we already allow teachers to carry but we leave it up to local control, up to the superintendent, up to the teachers, and up to the parents to make that decision.

I was in a -- I was in a hospital visiting with a student who was wounded on Friday night, and a lot of his classmates were there, and when we asked him, Governor Abbott and I were there and Senator Cruz, they all said to a person, our teachers should be armed. The parents said our teachers should be armed.

So we need armed teachers, trained of course, not just anyone who has a gun, but trained how to handle active shooters in the schools. We need to harden the target. Number two, Jake, we need to get down to one or two entrances into our schools. [03:09:58] You have the necessary exits for fire, of course. But we

have to funnel our students into our schools so we can put eyes on them. This young man showed up with a trench coat, which he wore often I've learned, and he had a gun under it. And he came through one of the entrances undetected.

You know, the Israelis have three focus on security and that is to deter, detect, and deny. And we have too my people who can go onto our school campuses with guns who are not deterred and are not detected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Needless to say, there is a lot of debate about what he has said just there, and Patrick adds gun owners have a responsibility to keep their guns safe at home.

HOWELL: The Texas governor in the meantime promises swift action including roundtable discussions to plot the next steps in protecting students and schools from gun violence.

CHURCH: Governor Greg Abbott also attended a church service for the victims of Friday's shooting. He offered hugs and support to those who lost friends and loved ones in the tragedy.

CNN's Polo Sandoval has more now from Santa Fe.

POLO SANDOVAL, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: It's a community in healing. Many of the graduates of the Santa Fe high school class of 2018 coming to a church only about a mile away from where the shooting happened to celebrate their yearly baccalaureate.

These students coming together, many of them for the first time since the shots rang out in the morning hours of Friday. One student admitting describing for us what it's been like the last few days. Now they're hoping to honor some of their fellow classmates that died on Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD PENICK, STUDENT, SANTE FE HIGH SCHOOL: I can speak for all of us. It's kind of difficult to -- it's kind of difficult to celebrate a graduation when so many people's lives were lost. It kind of makes what we're going through, like -- these families, they lost family. I was lucky enough, I didn't lose family that day. But there were people who lost family. And thinking about my circumstances it's so small compared to what these people actually lost.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And on Sunday, a service held for one of the victims, Sabika Sheikh (Ph), the 17-year-old foreign exchange student from Pakistan who was shot and killed inside the high school on Friday. Her friends here in the United States saying good-bye on Sunday before her casket and her body was sent to Pakistan where her family will eventually lay her to rest. We did hear from several officials several speakers at that ceremony,

one of them asking for the youth of Texas to walk into the footsteps of those Parkland, Florida students. Of course, as you recall, they have been through a very similar incident of their own.

As this investigation presses forward. Many of the people in this small Texas community are now turning to the power of prayer, hoping for some healing.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, Santa Fe, Texas.

CHURCH: And we'll take a short break here. But still to come, new dangers from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano. Why geologists in Hawaii are urging people to stay away from parts of the ocean now.

HOWELL: Plus, people are hungry. The economy is in collapse. But the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro just secured another turn in power. How did he manage to get re-elected? We'll explain.

CHURCH: And controversial buses are not the only way Republicans here in Georgia aim to win primaries. How immigration has become a key local issue. We'll have that and more when we come back.

[03:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Welcome back to Newsroom. in the U.S. State of Hawaii, the Kilauea volcano is opening up more rifts along the East Coast of the Big Island there, spewing lava bombs into the air, destroying homes in its past. But there's more to it.

CHURCH: Yes. Take a look at this. Rivers of molten lava dumping into the Pacific Ocean. And of course it is spectacular to look at but authorities are urging people to stay away from it and that is because the steam clouds that are released into the air are filled with extremely dangerous acidic gas and debris.

Our Stephanie Elam explains.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Two heads of lava that were flowing to the ocean came together as one and then broke apart and they did enter to the ocean, but the U.S. coast guard is asking people to stay away by about 1,000 feet in a 360 degree radius.

And the reason why is because of something called laze, and that is when that lava hits the ocean it creates hydrochloric acid and also little small particles of glass that can cause irritation to the eyes, to the lungs, to the skin. And so they're asking people to stay away.

But I want to show people what that lava looks like here on land. Take a look at this lava fountain that has been bubbling nonstop here. And we can see that from there it oozes down into this black sea of lava that goes down towards the ocean. We know that there were a couple of structures that were taken out by this flow as well as this has been bubbling up, it's been raining here all day, and that has no effect whatsoever on the lava that is flowing here. And beyond that, on the other side of me, there is a fissure which

sometimes you may be able to hear in the background from where I am. It's about a mile away, and from fissure, when the volcanic gases come erupting out of there sometimes it feels like it is a jet engine right next to you, or a plane taking off. Other times it sounds like a cannon.

One was so loud, and I happened to be standing there where I could see it. It shot up rock and debris several hundred feet into the air. That is another concern as we know one man was hit by a lava bomb as he was on his balcony. We understand that his leg is shattered.

So they're asking residents here to be very vigilant as this is a very active eruption and it doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon.

Back to you.

HOWELL: Stephanie Elam, thank you. Let's get the latest now from our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri. Pedram, just looking at the images, the power of the earth at work doing its thing, you just don't know what to say. I mean, there's no way to stop this.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, METEOROLOGIST, CNN: There's no way to stop it, yes. You know, and just looking at the past history of this particular volcano we know three, four, five months is a very realistic estimate of how long this could last.

Of course we've seen eruptions last much, much longer than that. And this particular one already going on about several weeks now, four weeks I believe when we begin to see some of the initial tremors leading up to the initial eruption that all taking place.

[03:19:59] But the sulfur dioxide level is just another element of this multi dimensional dynamic setup across this region added to the mix. That has tripled in the last couple of days across this region.

So of course you have the vog, you have the laze and now you have the sulfur dioxides levels really significant across this region. You kind of see the plumes as they're pushing south based on the prevailing winds at this point. But of course if the winds shift, they often do, you direct this towards other islands and then you have this be other people's problems across this region as well.

But look at this shot here. Folks in their porch kind of looking at what is happening in the not too distant future, distant location there, and of course we've had earthquakes in this region as well. Sometimes 50 to 100 per day.

And satellite imagery really does a brilliant job putting everything into perspective as far as what it looked like here, just about a year ago. Notice the homes, the communities scattered about this region. And then you have the lava flows that come through and decimate just about everything in their immediate path.

So, this of course, when you look at how long this has played out and the distance it has encompassed some three miles or five kilometers of land have been consumed from a lava flow that comes out of fissure number 20. That is the lava flow that has reached the Pacific Ocean and created that laze, or the lava haze that we're seeing set up across this region.

Of course with that the biggest concern is that hydrochloric acid that sets up across this region. A very sharp irritating sort of odor associated with this and it's highly corrosive as well. So unlike acid rain that is destructive to the environment and of course the soil and the marine life, this particular sort of acid would cause significant damage upon contact to anything in its path. So that becomes another element to add to the mix of what is happening here on the Big Island, guys.

CHURCH: Extraordinary. All right. Thank you so much, Pedram. I appreciate that.

JAVAHERI: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: Well the Venezuelan economy has collapsed on his watch and yet, President Nicolas Maduro has just secured re-election. Officials say Maduro won 68 percent of the vote in Sunday's election.

HOWELL: The main opposition boycotted the vote. They're calling it illegitimate. The voter turnout was only at 46 percent, but President Maduro says it was a popular victory. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Today I am a president with more experience. I am a human being more prepared. I swear to you, I will fulfill my promise and will dedicate myself entirely to recover the economic growth, to heal our economy, to prosecute criminal mafias. You will see me throughout the country in the streets to activate the motors of the economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: The most popular opposition leaders have been jailed or banned from running. This man, Maduro's main opponent, Henri Falcon is calling for a new election.

CHURCH: The political battle over immigration in the United States is taking center stage in state election primaries.

HOWELL: Here in the U.S. State of Georgia candidates are even using their vehicles in a way that some might find controversial but others may see as a way to energize around immigration.

Our Gary Tuchman takes a look at the choices facing Republicans one day before the vote.

GARY TUCHMAN, NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Spotted on interstate 85 in Georgia a vehicle governor calls his deportation bus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MICHAEL WILLIAMS, (R) UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE: We're not just going to track them, we're watch them roam around our state. We're going to put them on this bus and send them home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: Republican State Senator Michael Williams trailing in GOP primary polling with a bus that says danger, murderers, rapists, kidnappers, child molesters and other criminals on board echoing these words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some I assume are good people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: Are you putting people on the deportation bus?

WILLIAMS: No.

TUCHMAN: Are you trying to find people to deport?

WILLIAMS: No.

TUCHMAN: So why are you doing it?

WILLIAMS: Again, this is to bring awareness to the issue of illegal immigration in our state and our country.

TUCHMAN: But is it a mean-spirited gimmick to have a bus that says deportation--

(CROSSTALK)

WILLIAMS: No, what is--

TUCHMAN: -- and murderers and rapists are on this bus?

WILLIAMS: What is mean about holding people accountable for breaking the law? When did that become a mean--

(CROSSTALK)

TUCHMAN: Are all immigrants murderers and rapists?

WILLIAMS: That's not what we're saying. That's not what the bus says.

TUCHMAN: What does the bus say?

WILLIAMS: The bus says that it has kidnappers, illegal aliens on there. And that's who we're going to go after. And those that are in our country illegally and breaking yet another law.

TUCHMAN: So is this a gimmick?

WILLIAMS: Absolutely not.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: The candidate and his staff take the bus and an RV to Georgia cities that have many immigrants.

(CROWD CHANTING)

TUCHMAN: And get a mostly negative reaction from people who have gathered waiting for the bus. But Michael Williams isn't the only candidate running for Georgia governor who is going to extremes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN KEMP, SECRETARY OF STATE OF GEORGIA: And two things. If you're going to date one of my daughters, respect and--

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A healthy appreciation for the Second Amendment, sir.

[03:25:01] KEMP: We're going to get along just fine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp is also running and also talks about hauling away immigrants.

KEMP: I've got a big truck. Just in case I need to round up criminal illegals and take them home, myself. Yes. I just said that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEMP: One has a big truck, another a big bus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: You're a Sunday school teacher?

WILLIAMS: I am.

TUCHMAN: Does this violate the tenets of your religious moral life not to be kind to your fellow human being?

WILLIAMS: Again, what I am doing is being kind to the citizens of this country, the citizens that have built this country and have something that the world covers (Ph) and wants. We have to protect that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: And before the deportation bus drives away for the day, someone places this on the front of it. Words from the poem on the pedestal on the Statue of Liberty.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Decatur, Georgia.

CHURCH: Well, President Trump has said repeatedly the Russia probe is politically motivated. Now he wants the Justice Department to take action. His new demand. That's still to come.

HOWELL: Plus, as Ireland faces an important vote on abortion access, it's also trying to deal with a problem that haunted the U.S. during its last election.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Welcome back to viewers here in the United States and all around the world. You're watching CNN Newsroom. It's good to have you with us.

I'm George Howell.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. Time to bring you up to date on the main stories we've been following at this hour.

We are learning more about the timeline of Friday's school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas that killed eight students and two teachers. The sheriff there says the gunman opened fire for four minutes before officers arrived.

[03:30:03] A 25-minute shootout between police and the teenage suspect ensued before the gunman gave himself up.

HOWELL: Just take a look at these pictures. Just so powerful there on Hawaii's big island, lava from the Kilauea Volcano. It's crossed a highway and spilled into the ocean. Officials are warning people to stay away from it because the lava, they say, create steam clouds of hydrochloric acid and particles of glass when it hits the water. They also say sulfur dioxide emissions have tripled. One man was injured when an airborne chunk of lava hit his leg.

CHURCH: With the Russia investigation now in its second year, President Trump is launching a new attack. He wants an investigation into whether the FBI spied on his presidential campaign for political purposes.

HOWELL: Let's now bring in Steve Moore. Steve is a CNN law enforcement contributor and former FBI supervisory agent. Steve, it's always a pleasure to have you here on the show.

Let's start by reminding everyone what Mr. Trump tweeted earlier, quote, I hereby demand and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump campaign for political purposes, and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama administration.

Steve, this comes after reports that the FBI sent in a confidential source to speak with some aides to the Trump campaign to find out about possible ties to Russia. What do you make of the president's latest declaration?

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Well, again, I don't think this is necessarily the place -- Twitter is the place to make those kinds of accusations and demands. If the president has a concern, I think he has the right to talk to the Department of Justice about it. And the Department of Justice's answer, I believe, was about as perfect as you can get.

Certainly they're saying that any political interference would be bad, but they're not saying that there's evidence of any. They're just saying that if we find any, certainly we'll do something about it.

HOWELL: Mr. Trump also says the FBI did this for political reasons. Does that seem likely to you?

MOORE: You know, they would have to barrel through so many safeguards that it just doesn't seem plausible to me. I mean, I will say that it's fairly aggressive for any administration's Department of Justice to direct an informant, not just question an informant but direct an informant in the opposite party's candidate political campaign.

However, those are the kind of things agents want to do all the time not because they're crooked, not because they're politically motivated, but because they see a crime or a potential crime and they want to go after it. So would this be an aggressive action by the FBI? Yes. But I see nothing that indicates on the face of it that it was political.

HOWELL: And certainly, you know, that is the implication coming from President Trump given the tweets that we're seeing. Also the Department of Justice has asked the inspector general to look into whether political motivations played into how the FBI conducted its counterintelligence investigation. Is this significant in your mind or is the DOJ following Mr. Trump's direction here?

MOORE: I think the DOJ is following down the line. There is nothing wrong with following up on his allegations. But at the same time,

there's no smoking gun here. I mean, yes, the FBI was apparently working a source inside the campaign, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily going to be political.

And the way to respond to this is certainly we wil look at it. Certainly if there is an issue, we'll do something about it. But nowhere in their response do they say that there's any evidence that this ever occurred.

HOWELL: Steve, one other question. Just the optics here. Does it look as if the president is, you know, using these institutions to go after political opponents?

MOORE: Well, isn't it ironic if that's the case that he's saying that -- his allegations are that another person used these institutions for political reasons? I am hoping that Rosenstein and the Department of Justice have a pretty good course here, that they are focused on true north and they will, while doing what a president asks, do first and foremost what the American people expect of them. HOWELL: Steve Moore, we always appreciate your time and perspective. Thank you.

[03:35:00] MOORE: Thank you.

CHURCH: On Friday, Ireland will hold a referendum on repealing its abortion laws. They're some of the most restrictive in the developed world and it's an issue that provokes passion on both sides. But some online campaign ads are being funded by foreign donors and that is making transparency advocates nervous. Atika Shubert reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Knocking on doors, handing out pamphlets. Both the yes and no campaigns are out to convince voters just days before Ireland's abortion referendum. But the real battle is happening online, says tech journalist Gavin Sheridan.

GAVIN SHERIDAN, TECH JOURNALIST: If you're trying to collect audience data about this, this kind of approach is perfect because it looks relatively benign.

SHUBERT: He investigated a Facebook page for undecided voters.

SHERIDAN: You have no way of understanding that this is run by a no side group.

SHUBERT: That led him to a Catholic group lobbying out of the U.S., just one example of concerns that digital campaigns are finding funds from outside of Ireland.

SHERIDAN: The more money you have, if there's no restriction on spending from a legislative point of view, the more money you have, the more likely you are to win.

SHUBERT: Ireland is now facing the same digital dilemmas that plagued the U.S. election and the Brexit referendum. The problem is outmoded campaign law, says one lawmaker.

JAMES LAWLESS, IRISH LAWMAKER: People are being microtargeters (ph) based on preferences they selected. And in many cases, they don't actually know who's behind the ads. The legislation I published, it requires amongst other things a transparency notice. So must disclose who you are, who is running the ad, who has paid for the ads as part of the content of that ad.

SHUBERT: Facebook has responded by blocking referendum ads paid for by foreign donors, and Google has taken it a step further, banning any ads on the referendum altogether. Some no campaigners have chosen controversial method, camping outside maternity wards with anti- abortion banners, but others are focusing on other methods.

One pro-life group say the aid has launched a substantial digital campaign with the help of Kanto, a data analytics group founded by a former Cambridge Analytica employee, the same company that claims to have swung votes for Trump and Breexit. Cambridge Analytica recently shut down amid allegations of illegal manipulation of Facebook user data.

JOHN MCGUIRK, SPOKESMAN, SAVE THE 8TH: To me, when at its best, when used properly, social media is a giant focus group where you can actually engage with the electorate, you can put material out to actually see how they react to it. That's what we're using Kanto to do.

I don't think that the fundamental debate on abortion will ever significantly change. I mean, this is one of those issues where either you believe that the unborn child is a human being with rights and right to life or you do not.

SHUBERT: On the other side, "Together For Yes" is fighting to make abortion legal in Ireland and it has put more emphasis on old- fashioned door knocks rather than digital campaigning to win votes without any foreign aid, says long-time campaigner Ailbhe Smyth.

AILBHE SMYTH, CO-DIRECTOR, TOGETHER FOR YES: This is a referendum for the Irish people. It's the Irish people's vote. We do not accept funding from outside, and we're absolutely clear about that. There is huge determination that this time after 35 years really are going to remove this massive obstacle to women's safety, health, well-being and freedom. We are going to remove that from our constitution.

SHUBERT: But no matter how many posters and leaflets are handed out, digital is where the votes are won, says Sheridan.

SHERIDAN: Digital to me is the main battleground now in 2018 in any country, in any referendum or election campaign. Digital is where you're going to fight it out.

SHUBERT: Yes or no, whichever way the vote goes, the Ireland referendum has become the latest testing ground of online influence on voters unsure of who's knocking at their digital door.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Dublin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: The U.S.-China trade war is on hold for now. But who might be the winners and losers in the new deal between the world's top two economies? We'll take a look.

CHURCH: Plus, Hillary Clinton jokes about her failed 2016 presidential run. What she told graduates at Yale University. We'll have that for you and more, just ahead.

[03:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, the United States and China have agreed not to engage in a trade war, at least for now. In a joint statement, the two countries announced China would significantly increase its purchases of U.S. goods and services. HOWELL: This comes after two days of trade talks in Washington with Chinese officials. The U.S. plan to send a team to China to hammer out the details which the U.S. treasury secretary spoke about earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE MNUCHIN, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY: We are putting the trade war on hold. So right now, we have agreed to put the tariffs on hold while we try to execute the framework.

We are immediately going to follow this up with Secretary Ross going there with very hard commitments in agriculture where we expect to see a very big increase, 35 percent to 40 percent increase in agriculture this year alone.

In energy, doubling the energy purchases. I think that you can see $50, $60 billion a year of energy purchases over the next three to five years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Let's get the view from Beijing. Our correspondent Matt Rivers is following the story. And Matt, it is important to point out here that though a framework is starting to form, the devil is always in the details and the details at this point we just don't know.

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it's just as important to point out what isn't in this framework so far, George, as what is. Let's start with what we know, according to U.S. and Chinese officials, we know that China has agreed to purchase a, quote, significant amount more of American goods.

We know that China apparently has agreed to different protections on technology and that they have also agreed to make structural changes in their economy and their economic system here. But what does all of that mean? Well, for starters, we have no idea how much more American goods will be purchased by China. What does that mean? Fifty billion? Hundred billion? Hundred and fifty billion?

It was just last week the U.S. officials floated (ph) to CNN that China had agreed to purchase $200 billion more in American goods. The very next day, Chinese ministry of foreign affairs came out and said that's not true, they didn't give any more details on that, but they said the $200 billion figure isn't true.

So we don't know how much is actually going to be purchased and how much it would lower the deficit. And furthermore, what does technology protection and structural changes to the economy mean? Those are the kind of promises, vague promises that China has made for years now. But in terms of seeing what exactly that means, George, we just don't have those details.

HOWELL: Whatever it means, it will be big news, of course, for companies that are keeping close watch of this, Matt.

[03:45:01] Let's kind of broaden this perspective, OK? So, the optics of cooler heads prevailing between the United States and China, how does that play into engaging North Korea? That's something that both countries are set on pushing to a positive resolution.

RIVERS: It's an interesting point to bring up, George. I think that, you know, China and the United States in years past have generally tried to separate issues of national security and trade and yet what you have seen is a very different shift in approach from the Trump administration where the president himself has repeatedly linked issues of trade and North Korea.

Now, what you've seen in the beginning of the Trump administration especially in the first year was trade was kind of put to the side in lieu of -- or because the president specifically said he wanted to be able to work with China on North Korea. Apparently he felt that he got what he needed out of China and so he pushed the envelope a little bit on trade.

That got people a little bit nervous, that there was going to be a rift in the relationship and that would spill over to North Korea. But I think what you're seeing is cooler heads prevailing on either side, at least so far, there's a general sense of optimism. And so when it comes to North Korea, it certainly can't hurt to have the United States and China at least seeming to come to some sort of framework for a potential deal when it comes to trade.

HOWELL: Cooler heads for the time being. We'll see where it goes. Matt Rivers live for us in Beijing. Thanks, Matt.

CHURCH: OK, Hillary Clinton talked about turbulent political times in the U.S. while speaking to college students on Sunday.

HOWELL: She gave a speech at Yale University's class day as part of commencement weekend, that she didn't shy away from her failed 2016 presidential run.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I still think about the 2016 election. I still regret the mistakes I made. I still think, though, that understanding what happened in such a weird and wild election in American history will help us defend our democracy in the future. Whether you're right, left, center, Republican, Democrat, independent, vegetarian, whatever.

(LAUGHTER)

CLINTON: We all have a stake in that. So today, as a person, I'm OK, but as an American, I'm concerned.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: And Clinton also took a jab at her rival then, Donald Trump, and the ongoing Russia investigation. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: Now, I see looking out at you, that you are following the tradition of over-the-top hats. So I brought a hat, too.

(CHEERING)

CLINTON: A Russian hat.

(APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: Right? I mean, if you can't beat them, join them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: She's having a bit of fun with that. OK. The British royal family turns a new page as Prince Harry and Meghan start their happily ever after. And we will tell you what's next for the newlyweds. Still to come. Stay with us.

[03:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good Monday to you. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri. CNN Weather Watch. You are watching what's happening in the gulf coast of the united states here. A lot of wet weather stretching all from, say, key west to Miami eventually toward Tallahassee.

A disturbance here that's exhibiting some tropical characteristics. Of course you check your calendar, this is the time of year you watch that region carefully, but at this point, just a wet weather maker.

Down eventually into the parts of the mid-western U.S., we're watching some stronger storms beginning to pup across Indianapolis and Chicago as well. Rainfall ranging anywhere from 50 to 150 millimeters in the highest amounts that are across parts of the mid-west.

Chicago, yes, some rain could be expected, maybe some disruptions there when it comes to the morning commute. Denver at 27 with some thunderstorms while back around the western U.S., southern portions of British Columbia, a very warm setup in store. And that is what eventually is in store for much of the Eastern U.S.

After we get through the first couple of days with some clouds and wet weather keeping the temps at bay, we expect it to warm up rather nicely across that region. How about Portland? Brings in May and brings it with a significant warmth here in the third week of May up to 30 degrees across at that region. That in fact will be warmer than what's happening down in the Caribbean.

Nassau looking at mostly cloudy skies at 28. Havana, Cuba getting some of those storms, again an area we watch carefully this time of year as thunderstorms begin to show some interesting features across that region. Panama (ph) around 31.

HOWELL: It is said that nothing brings people together quite like a wedding. And on Saturday, nearly 30 million people in the United States tuned in for the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan. But the public didn't get to see the receptions for the duke and duchess of Sussex, where family and friends celebrated the couple late into the evening.

CHURCH: But now that the party is over, it's back to work for the newlyweds, who will not be taking a honeymoon just yet. And joining me now with more is CNN's Anna Stewart. She is right outside Kensington Palace in London.

Anna, everyone is still smitten with the newly married royal. They can't get enough of them. What are you learning about their first day as a married couple and what are all the highlights from their receptions?

ANNA STEWART, CNN JOURNALIST: Well, Rosemary, thankfully I think for them we're finding out very little about their first Monday together. And I'm really hoping that considering they're not going on honeymoon, they're actually enjoying a day at home, you know, watching some of the highlights themselves perhaps in Kensington Palace, which of course where they live behind me.

As you said, they're not taking a honeymoon. We will see them tomorrow. They're going straight to work. They will be attending the Prince of Wales's 70th birthday commemorations in Buckingham Palace. And you know, the whole nation is now undergoing mega royal wedding blues. And probably a collective hangover as well.

Let me tell you the parties did not end on Saturday. I was at a street party in Windsor yesterday. The part kept going for some time. And really, it's just been a whole week when everyone wants to talk about all their favorite parts, all the highlights, whether that was the classic dress by Clare Waight Keller, the veil that had 53 flowers embroidered on it representing all the commonwealth nations.

The animated address by American Bishop Michael Curry has a lot of people talking. People absolutely loved that. The lack of (ph) Princess Diana. The moment with Doria Ragland, Meghan's mother, arriving by herself looking so serene and glamorous and beautiful. Of course, it was just an incredibly emotional ceremony.

CHURCH: Yes. So much serenity, too. But what about that future honeymoon? They are not going anywhere right now, but they will eventually. We don't know where they will go of course but what are the bookies saying? What are their favorites so far?

STEWART: I mean, we don't know where and we don't know when. They're going to keep this top secret. For all I know, they have multiple options on the table but we can assure (ph) that we don't get it at the last minute.

But the top favorites really are Botswana where of course they went on their third date and many people think that is where the royal couple really fell in love as they slept under the stars. Namibia is another favorite. And let me tell you, Africa is a favorite really because both of them have strong emotional and professional ties to Africa.

[03:55:00] Namibia, they could go on a fantastic safari. And then you can think about what you we've learned about the Duchess of Sussex in the past. On Instagram, on her blog, we had a lot about how she loves the Amalfi coast. That's another option. Or Hawaii where she spent much of her childhood holidays and often talked about how wonderful they were. So many options on the table but they are going to keep us guessing. We're never going to know.

(LAUGHTER)

CHURCH: No. Not until they actually go. And of course, before you go, what more are you learning about that dress? Because there's a lot of chatter, isn't there? She just looked extraordinarily glamorous when she came out. And then of course we saw the other dress that she wore when she went off to the first reception.

STEWART: Honestly, Rosemary, the big question with these types of events is always who and what is the bride going to wear? And it took us by surprise. She was not a favorite, Clare Waight Keller. She is the first female creative director of Givenchy brand. She is a British designer, though. And it was such a classic dress.

I say most people I spoke to around Windsor on the wedding day and the day after were saying that it was a real sort of fresh look, it was so classic that it was really a fresh and exciting dress. Some people thought it was erring on dull.

But the second dress, everyone has said, just was spectacular. That Stella McCartney dress was modern. It was chic. And that kind of meant the Duchess of Sussex had both looks. She did the classic bride, she also did the modern fashionista that we know she is.

CHURCH: Yeah, I thought they were both just beautiful. Anna Stewart, thank you so much. Appreciate it. We'll talk next hour. Thanks so much.

HOWELL: Thank you for being with us for "CNN Newsroom." "Early Start" is next for viewers here in the United States.

CHURCH: And to everyone else, stay tune. We'll be back with more news from all around the world. You're watching CNN.

[04:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)