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Korean Summit Uncertainty; Republican Lawmaker Refutes Trump's "Spy" Claim; "Murdered" Russian Journalist Turns Up Alive; Calm Returns to Gaza; Fears that Italy May Leave Eurozone; Parkland Parents Form PAC to Take On NRA Candidates; Top U.S. & N. Korean Officials Meet To Discuss Summit; Deportees Become Gang Prey In El Salvador; Fast Moving Lava Threatens To Trap People. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired May 31, 2018 - 02:00   ET

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


[02:00:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: -- is ahead.

And a Russian journalist reportedly killed days before he reappears to announce he's very much alive. We will have the details of the scheme he and police pulled off.

Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. Thank you for being with us. I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

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CHURCH: A high-level dinner meeting in New York Wednesday night laying the groundwork for a historic summit. Kim Yong-chol, the highest ranking North Korean official to visit the United States in almost 18 years, visiting U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo.

The diplomatic menu included talk of denuclearization and no doubt a bit of arm twisting. Pompeo making the point that a, quote, "brighter future comes from denuclearization."

But can they even agree on what that word means as they push for a summit between U.S. President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong- un?

Our Paula Hancocks join us now live from Seoul with more on this.

Paula, this is the third meeting between Kim Yong-chol and Mike Pompeo, this time in New York, discussing denuclearization.

What have you learned about what was achieved in this critical meeting?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, what we're hearing from State Department officials is that this meeting was key to really -- for these two men to get to know each other better, they're the two top aides, they're speaking effectively for their leaders.

So this is really a very high-profile and high-level discussion. The State Department official saying that what they understood from the North Korean side was that they have always wanted to keep these nuclear weapons because they thought it kept them secure.

And what the U.S. side is trying to do is to convince them that actually it makes them less secure and there is a different way to go. Also saying that half of diplomacy is to get to know who you are negotiating with and against.

So that's certainly one of the key reasons why this meeting had to take place face-to-face. Also saying that the U.S. -- sorry, the North Korean side is pointing out that security is important to them.

We've heard this recently as well from President Moon Jae-in of South Korea after he had met Kim Jong-un just last weekend, saying that Kim was asking about the security of his regime.

What kind of security guarantees could the United States give?

And the U.S. president has already said that he will guarantee his safety. He will be happy, he will be safe, his country will be rich.

So it's really hammering out these details. Although the State administration official did say that there are more broad-based strokes at this point. You're not getting really into the absolute nitty-gritty because that presumably would come after a summit -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: Of course, Paula, Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, is in North Korea, calling for sanctions to be lifted to ensure progress can be made here.

What all is he saying about this?

And what's been the reaction so far?

HANCOCKS: That's right. He's in Pyongyang. He's met with the North Korean foreign minister, Ri Yong-ho, and talking to reporters afterwards, according to Russian state media Sputnik, he has said that it is necessary to lift some of these sanctions for this to be a comprehensive deal.

Now Russia has long said that they wanted a lifting of sanctions, they wanted conversation, negotiations and engagement between the U.S. and North Korea. A very similar message to what we've heard from China.

Those two countries have always been really on the same side when it comes to pushing for more engagement with North Korea. And so what we're hearing from the Russian foreign minister is that, yes, he does want sanctions to be lifted.

But he does also welcome the fact there is this contact between the U.S. and North Korea.

CHURCH: All right, our Paula Hancocks joining us live from Seoul, South Korea, just after 3 o'clock in the afternoon there. Many thanks as always. In his daily complaints about the Russia investigation, U.S. President Trump is focusing once again focusing on his attorney general. Jim Acosta has more now on the renewed attention on Jeff Sessions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When South Carolina Republican Congressman Trey Gowdy was offering his take on President Trump's frustration with Attorney General Jeff Sessions' decision to recuse himself in the Russian investigation, a certain viewer down Pennsylvania Avenue was watching.

REP. TREY GOWDY (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I don't think so. I think what the president is doing is expressing frustration that Attorney General Sessions should have shared these reasons for recusal before he took the job.

ACOSTA: It was the president who tweeted a quote from Gowdy's interview: "I would be frustrated too. And that's how I read. Senator Sessions, why didn't you tell me before I picked you? There are lots of really good lawyers in the country. He could have picked somebody else."

And then the --

[02:05:00]

ACOSTA (voice-over): -- president added in his own words, "And I wish I did."

The president's outside lawyer Rudy Giuliani told reporters he doesn't think Mr. Trump will fire Sessions before the special counsel's office concludes its investigation.

RUDY GIULIANI (R), FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK: There's no doubt he's complained about him. There's no doubt he has some grievances. I don't know that he had them out yet. He's not going to fire him before this is over, nor do I think he should.

ACOSTA: The president unleashes his fury on Sessions one day after "The New York Times" reported Mr. Trump asked the attorney general to reverse his refusal last year.

The president, who has mocked Sessions as the bumbling cartoon character Mr. Magoo behind the scenes, can't seem to let go of his attorney general's announcement that he's staying out of the Russia probe.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The attorney general made a terrible mistake when he did this and when he recused himself, or he should certainly let us know if he was going to recuse himself. And we would have used a -- put a different attorney general in.

So he made what I consider to be a very terrible mistake for the country. ACOSTA: Gowdy also threw cold water on the president's conspiracy

theory that the Obama administration was spying on his campaign dubbed Spygate by Mr. Trump.

Federal investigators, Gowdy argued, were just doing their jobs.

GOWDY: Based on what I have seen, I don't know what the FBI could have done or should have done, other than run out a lead that someone loosely connected with the campaign was making assertions about Russia.

ACOSTA: White House response?

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Clearly, there's still cause for concern that needs to be looked at. Let's not forget that the deputy director of the FBI was actually fired for misconduct. The president's concerned about the matter and we're going to continue to follow the issue.

ACOSTA: The president thrust himself into another controversy, tweeting his frustrations with ABC over its decision to cancel Roseanne Barr's sitcom over her racist tweet about former Obama -- Valerie Jarrett.

"Bob Iger of ABC called Valerie Jarrett to let her know that ABC does not tolerate comments like those made by Roseanne Barr. Gee, he never called President Donald J. Trump to apologize for the horrible statements made and said about me on ABC. Maybe I just didn't get the call?"

The president, notably, did not condemn Barr for her racist remarks. And neither did White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, who demanded apologies to the president.

HUCKABEE SANDERS: Where was Bob Iger's apology to the White House staff for Jemele Hill calling the president and anyone associated with him a white supremacist, to Christians around the world for Joy Behar calling Christianity a mental illness?

Where was the apology for Kathy Griffin going on a profane rant against the president on "The View" after a photo showed -- showed her holding President Trump's decapitated head?

ACOSTA: While the president did not address Roseanne during a rally in Nashville, he did make an insensitive comment, falsely stating African-American voters have been casting ballots for Democrats for a century.

African-Americans did not fully have the right to vote in the U.S. until so the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

TRUMP: African-Americans vote for Democrats for the most part, you know, vast majority. They have been doing it for over a hundred years.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: CNN's Jim Acosta reporting there from the White House.

One final thought on the Roseanne controversy, among the many tweets and re-tweets the actress sent on Wednesday was this one.

"I am not a racist. I never was and I never will be. One stupid joke in a lifetime of fighting for civil rights for all minorities, against networks, studios, at the expense of my nervous system, family, wealth will never be taken from me."

Unfortunately, that racist tweet she referred to was not the first.

Joining us now is Scott Lucas. He is a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham in England and the founder and editor of the website "EA WorldView."

Great to have you with us.

SCOTT LUCAS, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Let's start with President Trump, again railing against his own attorney general, Jeff Sessions, wishing he'd never chosen him and then tweeting this at 11:30 Wednesday night, quoting former U.S. attorney Joe diGenova.

"The recusal of Jeff Sessions was an unforced betrayal of the President of the United States."

We also learned from Mr. Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, that the president won't fire Sessions before the Russia probe is completed, suggesting Sessions' future might be in doubt after the investigation.

Why does the president fail to grasp that Sessions had a legal obligation to recuse himself and why wouldn't his lawyer explain that to him?

LUCAS: I suspect the lawyers did explain this to him. Remember, we're now in act 27 of a long-running play. And that long-running play is that, while the Trump-Russia investigation goes on, Donald Trump and those around him will try to do anything to curb or undermine the investigation.

So the immediate source for what has --

[02:10:00]

LUCAS: -- set off the latest diatribe against Sessions was the revelation yesterday that, just after Sessions recused himself in March 2017, Trump almost summoned him down to Florida and said, you can't recuse yourself, you've got to stay in place.

And Sessions said, no, I'm not going to do that, because it would have exposed him to legal trouble. Now just by making that demand, Donald Trump may have added to the possibility of obstruction of justice charges against him down the road. But it is the start of 15 months, which is not only Sessions but Rod

Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, special counsel Robert Mueller, the FBI, the Justice Department, the media, anyone becomes a target if you can do this to try to push back the investigation and try to win over the public on your side, that there's no collusion, it's all a witch hunt.

CHURCH: And I want to ask about this, too, because Senior House Republican Trey Gowdy, as we saw in Jim Acosta's report, he's rejected Mr. Trump's conspiracy theory, that a spy was inserted in his campaign by the FBI.

Instead he said he's convinced the FBI did exactly what it was supposed to do and that it had nothing to do with Donald Trump. But the White House says there's still cause for concern.

Again, the president seems unaware of what's required of the FBI.

What is going on here?

LUCAS: Again, I think Donald Trump knows by now that he's in a fight for his political life and he knows that the FBI is his opponent. So again, this is just the latest Trump attempt to sort of throw the whole investigation into disarray.

Remember, back in February, the attempt was the so-called Nunes memo from Donald Trump's ally, Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, that supposedly the FBI acted improperly last year in approaching a top secret government court.

That failed. Then after Michael Cohen, Trump's personal attorney, his offices were raided by the FBI, Trump threatened to fire the deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein.

That failed. So the latest attempt was this fictional Spygate, that the FBI had a spy inside the Trump campaign. That pretty much failed this week, at least with a congressman like Trey Gowdy.

Remember one thing that Gowdy said that is the final line, Gowdy said, at the same time of that interview, that Donald Trump is not a target of the investigation for now. When Trump becomes a target of the investigation, then we go back to this again because that will be the final stand.

Will Republicans in Congress continue to back the FBI and the Justice Department and Robert Mueller at that point?

Or will they say that Trump has to be exempt from any type of punishment?

CHURCH: Just finally, I did want to discuss the Roseanne issue before you go. Mr. Trump initially remaining silent about the cancellation of the show by the TV network ABC in response to that abhorrent, racist remark made by the star of the show.

But by Wednesday, the president tweeted and made it all about himself. We just want to listen to what Roseanne Barr's ex-husband, Tom Arnold, had to say about all of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM ARNOLD, COMEDIAN: They do it because we have a white trash, racist president. That's a fact. Donald Trump is -- Roseanne and I have both known him 30 years. That's an absolute fact.

And instead of saying, Donald Trump going, "OK, everybody, hold on together," he says, "Oh, my gosh, what about me?"

That's insane that he's like, well, what about people making fun of me?

How about stopping it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Now they are very strong words there.

Why do you think President Trump failed to seize this opportunity to discuss race relations in America and show some moral leadership?

LUCAS: Well, (INAUDIBLE) Donald Trump's battle with the media, it all has to come back to him for reasons we've just discussed.

But the background of this, remember, is that last summer, after the white supremacist rallies in Charlottesville, Donald Trump did not come out and clearly condemn that violence. He hesitated. He tried to blame all sides.

He has made remarks, such as the one you referred to in the lead-up to this, which have insensitive about African Americans. So for him to come out and take a stand on the race relations issue threatens to bring exposure to his own record and that's something he doesn't want.

So why don't we just make it about the fact that he is supposedly the victim and not possibly one of those who's involved in the controversy?

CHURCH: All right, Scott Lucas, we thank you for your analysis. Appreciate it.

LUCAS: Thank you.

CHURCH: And now we turn to the murder that wasn't. One day after a Russian journalist was thought to have been gunned down in Ukraine, he stunned reporters at a news conference, showing up alive and well, with a jaw-dropping story about why security forces staged his death. We get all the details now from CNN's Fred Pleitgen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Outrage last night in Kiev, Ukraine, officials saying prominent anti-Kremlin journalist Arkady Babchenko had been gunned down in front of his house. Ukraine's prime minister, writing in a Facebook post, quote, "I'm sure

that Russian --

[02:15:00]

PLEITGEN (voice-over): -- totalitarian machine did not forgive him his honesty and his fidelity to principle."

Hours later, the twist: it was all staged; Babchenko, alive. It was a special operation, he said, as a result of which the man was detained today. He's in custody right now.

Ukrainian security services say they discovered a plot ordered by Russia to kill Babchenko. To save him and catch the alleged assassin, they faked Babchenko's killing.

ARKADY BABCHENKO, RUSSIAN JOURNALIST (through translator): The people told me that a hit was already ordered on me and the money had already been transferred, $40,000. Well, that's not a bad price for me.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Ukraine says two suspects are in custody, the country's president calls it "a brilliant operation by the security services."

BABCHENKO (through translator): I would like to apologize to my wife for the hell she has been through in these last two days. Olechka, I'm sorry, but there were no other options.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): This was the reaction from Arkady Babchenko's colleagues after he turned up alive on TV. Babchenko was critical of Russian actions in Ukraine and Syria and left Russia in 2017 because of threats to his life.

He wrote about his experience, suffering what he called political harassment in Putin's Russia in an essay published Britain's "Guardian" newspaper in 2017. Russian officials fuming after the Ukrainians revealed the staged assassination.

"Kiev, in the situation with the alleged attempts to kill Babchenko, committed a stupid provocation against Russia and is now disgraced in the eyes of the world," a Russian lawmaker said.

While Moscow is angry, Kiev is celebrating what they believe was a successful intelligence operation and that journalist Arkady Babchenko is still alive -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And still to come, the worst military flare-up between Israel and Gaza militants in years has raised fear of yet another conflict.

Plus Italy renews its attempt to form a new government while fears that the country might leave the Eurozone are beginning to ease at least for now. We'll take a look at that.

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CHURCH: It is relatively calm in Gaza and in the nearby Israeli communities, now that one of the most intense days of fighting in years appears to be over.

Militants in Gaza and Israel's military launched dozens of strikes at one another from Tuesday into early Wednesday. A Hamas official says militant groups have agreed to a cease-fire if Israel does the same.

And our Ian Lee joins us now from Gaza with more on this.

Ian, calm has returned but there appears to be some confusion as to whether or not --

[02:20:00]

CHURCH: -- a cease-fire exists.

What are you hearing about that?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I mean, right now it is calm here in Gaza, Rosemary. So this cease-fire, whatever you want to call it, seems to be holding for the second straight day.

We heard from Gaza, Islamic Jihad as well as Hamas from one of the members of their political bureau, Khalil al-Hayya, said that, after expensive mediation, that they were able to bring about a cease-fire.

They said that -- they alluded to the fact that Egypt played a crucial role in bringing this about.

But the Israelis have been quiet on this front, not acknowledging that a cease-fire is currently taking place. But on the ground, there isn't anything happening.

Meanwhile, we're also following last night's -- the U.N. Security Council also met to discuss the situation here. The U.N. Security Council was unable to pass any sort of resolution or statement on this.

The United States and Israel wanted strong condemnation against Hamas and other militant groups. They also want the U.N. Security council to designate a Hamas terrorist organization.

Now this effort was blocked by Kuwait. But, Rosemary, this just shows how, when it comes to the U.N. Security Council, really their hands are tied when it comes to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

You may remember that last month the U.N. Security Council, there was another resolution put forward, this one condemning violence against Palestinian protesters; that was blocked by the United States. This latest one against Hamas is blocked by Kuwait.

So really there's a stalemate there. But again, the situation on the ground today has returned to what Gaza knows as normalcy.

CHURCH: Yes. Of course, the big question is how long will this last?

Ian Lee joining us there from Gaza, we will talk to you again next hour. Appreciate that.

Well, the political crisis in Italy could get a political solution. Instead of technocrats leading the country, there's now talk of a caretaker government, which could include ministers from the main anti-establishment parties until new elections are held.

Now meantime, the leader of the populist Five-Star Movement says his party has no intention of leaving the Eurozone. Investors have been spooked by that possibility, causing a major selloff in financial markets earlier in the week.

Let's turn to CNN's Barbie Nadeau. She's covering this for us from Rome.

Barbie, is this the solution Italy was looking for?

And how likely is it this will work for the country and bring it the stability is needs at this time?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think those are difficult questions to answer at this point, especially with regard to, is this going to last?

If this does work, will this bring stability?

I think really, given the situation with the president of the country wanting a very positive pro-euro government in place and you've got, as you mentioned, the Five-Star saying certainly (INAUDIBLE) leave the Eurozone, you still have euroscepticism.

I think with that dynamic in play, it's going to be very difficult to put together a government that makes everybody happy. It really is right now like a chess game. There's so much backroom dealing going on, with these parties saying, I'm going to use this minister and put that minister and then that minister up.

One of the things that made this difficult in the first place was this eurosceptic economics minister. Now the populist party say they still want him in the government, just not as economic minister. It's really going to be up to the president, Mattarella, to decide if he can accept that -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: That's the situation, isn't it, the populist Five-Star Movement, assuring the world it won't leave the Eurozone.

But will that be enough to calm investors and global markets?

Because it really had an impact right across the world.

NADEAU: Absolutely. And if you watch the social media of both of these parties and the Northern League or The League, as they call themselves now, and the Five-Star, there's a lot of sort of a different message going on.

What they may say to the president when they present their plan is quite different than what you see in terms of some of the -- I don't want to use the word propaganda but I can't thing of another way to describe it -- on the social media, the Twitter feeds and on and the Facebook pages and the Facebook Lives with these leaders are doing.

And that is, in a large part, I think to keep the support of their base. You see Matteo Salvini of The League actually going out in what look like campaign rallies, holding them across the country right now, getting people together, trying to assure them that they're not going to be a slave to Brussels.

And that seems to be the message we're hearing underneath the statement --

[02:25:00]

NADEAU: -- they're making to the government officials or to the president of the country certainly.

So everything's up in the air. And I think we're getting closer and closer to an answer. What that answer is, whether it's straight to elections, whether it's a government that's going to last through the summer, whether it's one that lasts forever, those are impossible to understand.

CHURCH: Yes, indeed. Maybe this is the solution; we shall have to wait and see, as always. CNN's Barbie Nadeau, joining us live from Rome, where it is nearly 8:30 in the morning.

The former student who gunned down 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida, recorded his plans on three cellphone videos. In one, Nikolas Cruz said he would try to kill at least 20 people. He described his plan to take Uber to the school in the afternoon, then walk up the stairs, unload his bags and pull out his gun.

In the second video, Cruz descriptions himself as being alone and his life as meaningless. He also expresses anti-government views and says he hates everyone and everything.

In the final video, he details more of his plan and location and ends the video laughing. Cruz is now in jail for the shootings in February. A judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

Now some of the parents of students from that school have formed a political action committee. Their goal is to defeat politicians who are backed by the National Rifle Association, the biggest gun rights organization in the United States. The parents say they want to elect officials who support a ban on assault weapons.

Well, the subject of school shootings came up at the White House press briefing Wednesday. It was a question from a 13-year old there with the "Time for Kids" magazine. And it elicited an emotional response from the White House press secretary. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJE CHOUCROUN, "TIME FOR KIDS": At my school, we recently had a lockdown drill. One thing that affects mine and other students' mental health is the worry about the fact that we or our friends could get shot at school.

Specifically, can you tell me what the administration has done and will do to prevent these senseless tragedies?

SARAH SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think that as a kid and certainly as a parent, there is nothing that could be more terrifying than for a kid to go to school and not feel safe, so I'm sorry that you feel that way. This administration takes it seriously.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And we will see what they do. And we will take a short break here.

And then sent home to a nightmare: deportees brought back to El Salvador after years in the United States. Brutal gangs are lying in wait to recruit them as new members.

Plus embattled Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been indicted on charges of rape and a criminal sex act. The details later this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:21] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A very warm welcome back. I'm Rosemary Church. Want to update you now on the main stories we've been following this hour. North Korea's former spy Chief Kim Yong-chol, met over dinner with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on Wednesday night in New York.

They are laying the groundwork for next month's potential summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. The U.S. State Department says North Korea must do things they haven't done before for this summit to happen.

President Trump is once again lamenting his decision to choose Jeff Sessions as attorney general. Mr. Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, says the president complains about Sessions who recused himself from the Russia investigation early on. But Giuliani says Mr. Trump will probably not fire Sessions before the Mueller report comes out.

A Russian journalist thought to have been murdered in Ukraine is actually alive. Arkady Babchenko, an outspoken critic of the Kremlin appeared on television a day after the reports of his death. Ukraine security service says his death was faked to foil a Russian assassination plot against him.

Well, now to a CNN exclusive. Inside a repatriation center in El Salvador, deportees kicked out of the United State now face a terrifying new reality, they may never see their families again. And Salvadoran gangs are ready and waiting to bring them into the fold. Here is the exclusive report from Nick Paton Walsh.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Someone is murdered here every two hours. One in ten people ensnared by gangs. Streets plagued by machete killings, rape and police abuses. Welcome to El Salvador, the cruelest of homelands, and the toughest of places to be forced back to.

This are the first moments of men deported from United States back to a land they can't really call home anymore. Blinking, sleepless, and now homeless, there are some of the 200,000 Salvadorans deported from their long-term homes in the United States under President Trump's immigration crackdown.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We cannot let people enter our country. We have no idea who they are. What they do? Where they came from? We don't know if they're murderers, if they're killers, if they're MS-13, we throwing them out by the -- of hundreds.

WALSH: Many here have had a matter of hours' notice, not chance even to call ahead as they're forced back to a country, some have not seen for years, maybe even decades. A welcome home here is about nametags, humiliating roll calls, lacing your shoes again, and realizing as a grown man, you have to start from zero again, empty-handed.

Christian Lara lived in the USA for 20 years and was deported coming out to his Florida construction job. He had only committed immigration offenses. The best choice now is a $5.00 a day found job.

CHRISTIAN LARA PINEDA, SALVADORAN DEPORTEE: I have to work a lot to earn $5.00. But how can I support my family with only $5.00?

WALSH: He doesn't know when or if he'll see his family again. I'm sorry, what are your daughters' names?

PINEDA: Jenni.

WALSH: Sorry?

PINEDA: Jennifer.

WALSH: Jennifer. How old?

PINEDA: Twelve. And another one of three years.

WALSH: Three years. Her name?

PINEDA: She's my little baby, Angela.

WALSH: I'm sorry my friend.

Oscar is more complicated. He's 20, went to America age 10 and served four months for assault and bodily harm in Houston. Yet back here, he trembles.

Are you scared of the gangs here now?

OSCAR MORALES FLORES, SALVADORAN DEPORTEE: Yes.

WALSH: Are you scared you may end up involve and caught up in that?

FLORES: When I was in the USA, I see the news and seen some people killed every day. It's scaring me, man.

WALSH: He's already counting the money in his account to see if he has enough. The $8,000 smuggling fee back to the U.S. Christian meet his mother after four years and recently deported brother, Josue. Only two weeks later, Josue messages me on his way to Guatemala to pay, to be smuggled back to the United States.

48 hours pass since we meet Cristian and Oscar, in which there are two beheadings, over 20 murders and a policeman is killed. It's now (INAUDIBLE) that this elite police come here in large number heavily arm. This is a gang-controlled area, and literally, streets away from where Oscar is beginning his new life back in El Salvador.

Oscar agrees to meet us again. He's had two nights in his new home, but it took just four hours for the gang to approach him.

[02:35:51] FLORES: MS-13, they take my shirt down. And I tell him, what you doing, man? I want to check if you've got tattoos on your body. OK, I don't have any tattoos on my body, all right.

WALSH: Because he's looking to see if your body, or 18th, or another gang, right?

FLORES: Yes.

WALSH: And this is your what, your first few hours back at home, right? What are you thinking? All right.

FLORES: Man, I don't want to live here, I'll be leaving here, man.

WALSH: His dad didn't want to know him.

FLORES: He looked like I'm a shit, man. He looked like, are you coming onto my house, man.

WALSH: And this is what falling down here looks like. In the crammed prisons that are gang playgrounds where Oscar, his family, and the U.S., frankly, hope he doesn't end up. Where gang culture bruise and hardens, and tattoos, and no opportunities unavoidably lead. Petty theft in California led to deportation for Edwin, and now, jail.

EDWIN, PRISONER: Here in this country, if you have tattoos, the gangs automatically think that you are a member of some gang or you have been part of a gang. So, here it's different. I mean, a little pick could take your life away. If you don't talk to them, you're their enemy. And if you talk to them, then, they want you to be a part of them.

WALSH: Some deportees from the United States have committed crimes. Others none but being in the U.S. illegally. Or come back to a world where there desperation and vulnerability, and the risk the gangs have on their new world deepens further still El Salvador's chaos. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, San Salvador.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: In the bloodshed from El Salvador's gang violence, a crime way focus on women is collecting more victims. In Friday's report, Nick gets rare access to a women's prison where the one time targets of gangs can end up as murderers. Tune in Friday, starting at 5:00 a.m. in the London and noon in Hong Kong.

When Nicaragua's business lobby is urging President Daniel Ortega to call early elections to end weeks violent protests. Demonstrators across the country marched, Wednesday, in support of the protesters who have been killed. The organization of American states is launching an investigation into those deaths. Proposed changes to the country's social security system triggered the protests last month. But anger over the government crackdown led to demonstrator's calling for Mr. Ortega's ouster.

We'll take a short break here, but still, to come, a warning from Hawaiian officials to residents in the path of a new lava flow, get out while you can.

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[02:41:10] CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Well, more legal problems for embattled Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein. A grand jury in New York City indicted him on Wednesday on charges of rape and a criminal sex act. Weinstein, has maintained his innocence throughout, and his lawyer says, he will plead not guilty.

Weinstein was arraigned last week on the same charges and is free after posting a $1 million cash bail. More than 80 women including actresses Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie have made allegations ranging from sexual harassment to rape against the Oscar- winning producer.

Well, people on the Eastern edge of Hawaii's Big Island are quickly running out of time to escape Kilauea's expanding lava flow. Fast moving molten rock is now heading east and threatens to overrun the only remaining road out. Now, if that happens, anyone still in the area could become trapped. And we get the latest now from Scott McLean.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: People here on this part of the Big Island of Hawaii are finally starting to heed the warnings to get out. Case in point, this checkpoint has been open now for almost four weeks and even now we've seen convoys of trucks carrying furniture, appliances, personal belongings out of this area. And for good reason, there are fissures beyond this area that continue to pump massive amounts of lava onto the surface. One of them, in fact, at times will shoot 200 feet into the air.

Now, for many days, a lot of that lava was headed south toward the ocean and out of the way. That was good news. Now, though, a lot of it is headed toward the northeast and that is a big problem. And it's already cut off one roadway in that area, and it is going at a very fast rate of speed for lava standards. At times, 600 yards per hour toward another highway, the second and final escape route for people who live on this part of the island.

And so, officials are telling them the first responders will no longer go door-to-door pleading with people who refuse to evacuate and asking them to get out, they say it's simply too dangerous. And so, if you are in this area, and you get stranded, the message is you're on your own.

CHURCH: Let's hope people heed that warning. And thanks so much for watching CNN NEWSROOM this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. "WORLD SPORT" is up next, and I'll be back at the top of the hour with more world news, do stop by. You are watching CNN.

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