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CNN 10
A Historic Meeting is Planned Between U.S. and North Korea; Florida Makes Legal Changes Following a School Shooting; A CNN Hero Expands Her Help for Others
Aired March 12, 2018 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: No sitting U.S. president has ever met with a leader of North Korea, but that could change completely just months from
now, and that`s our first story on CNN 10.
After World War II, Korea got its independence from Japan and split in half, a Democratic style government formed in South Korea, a communist
styled government formed in North Korea, and that`s where they are today, despite the war that followed North Korea`s evasion of the South in 1950.
The U.S. supported South Korea in that war and the two countries are still close allies. North Korea has been their common rival.
But this year, there have been a series of events that appear to have moved the Koreas toward a friendlier relationship. And though the leaders of
North Korea and the U.S. were exchanging threats and insults last year, they`re now planning to hold a face to face meeting. That was announced on
Thursday night.
South Korean negotiators who`d recently visited the North then traveled to the White House. Shortly after they arrived, U.S. President Donald Trump
said he`d accept the meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. President Trump has credited America`s sanctions, its penalties on North
Korea with helping bring them at this point. He says those sanctions will stay in place until North Korea agrees to get rid of its nuclear weapons.
That`s a major goal of the international community.
Critics say North Korea`s leader is a brutal dictator who increased his power through murder and the American leader shouldn`t reward him with a
presidential meeting.
And while the details of that meeting still have to be figured out, just the fact that it`s being discussed is historic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG EUI-YONG, SOUTH KOREAN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: President Trump appreciated the greeting and said he would meet Kim Jong-un.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. This would
have been unthinkable just a short ago and yet here we are. How did this happen?
Especially after much the Kim Jong-un era being defined by scores of missile launches, nuclear tests, escalating tensions, the United States
ratcheting up sanctions on North Korea.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today, we put the strongest sanctions on Korea that we have ever put on a country.
RIPLEY: The U.S. threatening military action if diplomacy doesn`t work out.
TRUMP: We will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.
RIPLEY: There were times that these two countries seem at the brink of war, and yet now, we are on the verge of what could be a political
breakthrough.
But it comes with many risks for all parties involved. You don`t get much higher than a summit between two heads of state. Normally, these things
take months if not years of preparation, if they even happen at all. Previous U.S. presidents have been asked by the North Koreans for meetings.
This is something that North Korea`s founder Kim Il-sung wanted.
The second leader in North Korea, Kim Jong-il, also tried to meet with a U.S. president, with President Clinton near the end of his second term. It
didn`t happen. President Bush, President Obama never really seriously considered a meeting with the North Koreans. But now, Kim Jong-un has
invited President Trump. President Trump said yes on the spot, and now, they have just a matter of weeks to prepare for what could be the most
consequential moments so far when it comes to foreign policy for the U.S. president.
And there are many risks involved. What if this doesn`t work out? What if they don`t hit it off? What if it goes horribly wrong? Then where do you
go from there?
Some analysts believe this could actually push the United States and North Korea closer to the brink of war if it goes badly. But if it goes well,
this could be something significant, something that no other U.S. president has ever done before, normalizing relations with North Korea, one of the
most secretive and perhaps difficult countries to deal with on earth. Could President Trump be the one to convince them that it`s worthwhile to
abandon their nuclear program, something they have insisted over and over again they would never be willing to do?
History shows that negotiations with the North Koreans have seemed promising at first, only for things to fall apart. The United States has
often accused North Korea of cheating, of reneging on deals that they agreed to. Will this time be different? We just don`t know and we`ll have
to wait and see.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: Laws are changing in the U.S. state of Florida following a deadly shooting at a highest on February 14th. Governor Rick Scott signed a $400
million bill last Friday.
The largest portion of the funding, $98 million, will go toward increasing security at Florida schools. Ninety-seven million will help pay for more
armed school resource officers. Sixty-nine million has been set aside for mental health assistance in schools. That can include screening people for
mental health issues and treating them.
Sixty-seven million will help fund training for some teachers who want to carry guns on campus. This will have to be approved by school boards and
local sheriffs. And more than $25 million will pay for replacing a building where the shooting happened.
Other parts of the law include banning certain components that make guns fire faster and giving police officers more authority to take weapons and
ammunition from people seen as mentally unfit to have them. In addition, the new law raises the minimum age to buy a firearm in Florida. It used to
be 18. It`s now 21.
The National Rifle Association, a non-profit group that advocates for Americans` gun rights, is suing Florida, saying that raising the minimum
age to buy weapons violates the Second and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Florida`s teachers union says it doesn`t want any teachers to carry guns. It wants only police, safety and resource officers to be allowed to do
that. Florida`s governor says counties that opt out of arming teachers can use the money to hire more school officers.
The parent of a school shooting victim called the new law the beginning of efforts to prevent future acts of school violence and said more states
should follow Florida`s lead.
CNN`s 2017 Hero of the Year, Amy Wright, received the award for her work to help people with disabilities. Except for two managers, everyone at the
first coffee shop she opened in Wilmington, North Carolina, has an intellectual or developmental disability, like Down syndrome, cerebral
palsy or autism.
An inspiring follow up to Wright`s story is what`s next today on CNN 10.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Last December, 10 incredible people were honored for their work helping others at "CNN Heroes: An All Star
Tribute".
Amy Wright was recognized for her innovative, non-profit coffee shop that employs people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
And at the end of the night --
KELLY RIPA, TV HOST: The 2017 CNN Hero of the Year is -- Amy Wright.
COOPER: Amy Wright.
AMY WRIGHT, 2017 CNN HERO OF THE YEAR: Oh my gosh! I cannot believe this is happening.
COOPER: In the midst of it all, she had a special message for her two youngest children, both of whom have Down syndrome and are the inspiration
for her work.
WRIGHT: I want you to know because I know you`re watching at home tonight, Bitty and Beau, that I would not change you for the world. But I will
change the world for you.
(APPLAUSE)
COOPER: Two months later, Amy was ready to open a second coffee shop, this one in Charlestown, South Carolina, finding special ways to tell each new
staff member that they got the job.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to welcome you to the Bitty & Beau`s coffee family.
(CHEERS)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have your apron for you.
(CHEERS)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my god!
(CHEERS)
COOPER: Finally, opening day arrived.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for coming out.
(CHEERS)
COOPER: As customers poured in, some staffers got emotional.
WRIGHT: Are you excited?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
WRIGHT: You`re going to be good. You`re going to be great, honey. You`re going to be great. You got this, I`m here. We`ll do it together, OK?
COOPER: For most of these 17 new employees, this is their first job.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought that I would never, ever get a job because of my disability. We`ve been learning about how we great people, like how we
work the register.
COOPER: And for Amy, that`s what it`s all about, showing others how much her team can do.
WRIGHT: People with intellectual disabilities aren`t` valued. And so, this coffee shop has created a place where people see their value.
COOPER: Amy wants to open 10 more shops around the country within the next two years, inspiring other employers to tap into this often overlooked
workforce. It`s a mission that she hopes will change the world one cup of coffee and one smile at a time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: Six Flags Fiesta in Texas is opening what it calls the world`s first single rail rollercoaster. You`ll notice that rides are seated single file
on the Wonder Woman Golden Lasso. But one unique feature it has is that it rises, drops, twists and turns on a single rail, measuring about 15-1/2
inches wide. This is supposed to give the steel coaster a smoother ride and give riders a better view of the space around them.
If you have a hypo (ph) lot of fear of heights and speed, then you may want to already miss this ride, you may want to untie (ph) be somewhere else.
But if you wouldn`t pass it up for Diana (ph) anything else in the world, you just may find this coaster the chief among all.
That`s about all the Wonder Woman puns we could lasso.
I`m Carl Azuz for CNN 10.
END
