♪ u.s. president donald trump comes to his attorney's defense, how experts and activists are coming together on earth day. these stories and much more ahead. welcome to our viewers around the world. news room starts right now.

it has been two weeks since a suspected chemical attack killed dozens of people. after days of being held up an ber national monitoring group is able to investigate. they stay fact finding team collected samples on saturday. they included chlorine and sarin which they believe the syrian government cruiused to bomb the town. activists approved footage. others showing dead children and wounded civilians. the dead foaming at the mouth. syria and its powerful ally russia denieded there was a chemical attack at all. we are following all of this from moscow. russia is trying to convince the

world when there was no kem chel attack. it is a an odd dance. they have to shift the samples back to europe and distri wut them to lob aboratories. what they will not do is describe blame to anybody. what it will only do is say what if any chemical weapons were used in these attacks.

this area is under the control of the russian military employees that have been able to escort journalists. this is an indebpendent organization. the russians have been calling for some time for this whole process to be questioned really because in their view there either wasn't an attack or there was one staged by the syrian rebels. that allegation actually goes back to the beginning of the year almost when the general, the head of the russian armed forms when they said they had intelligence that the rebels were planning what they call a false flag attack. it is a question of muddying the

water. it has had some resonance. a lot of it. that rejected by the governments of those three countries. >> and as far as the reaction from the world on this, the u.s. has kind of waffled this week. what's the view from moscow on that? >> well, again, i think that the hush sh russians have been rattled by the targeted sanctions the united states imposed some weeks

ago. we had the business announcing that more sanctions were coming down the tracks toward it is russians that was stopped the following day by president donald trump. there were some talks on last friday wheen his russian counter park on the issue of sanctions. it is a suspicion that donald trump is back peddling with the russians. the russians are very very

seriously effected by sanctions, whatever they may say their economy is being stifled to the illegal annexation in ukraine some years back now. those are the areas where the russians are most sense tiitive most vulnerable. it is allegations within syria and so on. they are very good and questioning the veracity of the sorts of reports coming out of the west. >> and yes. the relationship between donald trump and putin would be one also. thanks so much. in other news involving president donald trump he is harshly pushing back against peculati peculation his personal attorney could turn on him.

we have more. >> the president lashing out on twitter saturday attacking monoothers the new york times and one of its reports. the president taking exception to an article published friday.

she sites six different sources that indicates his treated his personal attorney like an animal. listen to this. >> michael cohen has down all kinds of things at the president's urging because the president wanted him to do, because he came to what the president wanted. it didn't always work out. some times they came back to bite the president later but cohen was basically trying to do right by his boss and was seeking his boss's approval. trump treated him -- you know, trump is fond of using the phrase, like a dog. >> former fbi director james comey, who continued his media tour promoting a book.

he called james comey a leaker who revealed classified information. he also went further after news friday that the dnc filed a lawsuit that named the trump campaign and asange. the president mocking that lawsuit on saturday. cnn in west palm beach, florida. mitt romney is not committing to supporting president trump for reelection. romney was a force critic of trump during the primaries in 2016. two months ago. trump fully endorsed romney to run for the u.s. senate and romney accepted the president's endorsement. on saturday the former massachusetts governor did not

win his nomination for that senate seat. that means he will have to compete against the state lawmaker in a republican primary vote in june. >> let's talk politics and trump white house nice to see you. he has allegedly done trump's dirty work involving payoffs to porn actresses. how damaging could this be for the president? >> i think it could be very damaging. michael cohen knows a lot of the secrets. james comey talks about president trump acting like a mafia boss and maybe that's a bit harsh. trump has had a private business. he trusts very few people. he trusts his family, which we

know, his daughter, his son-in-law most of the time. he probably trusts his accountant. michael cohen has been one of his important lawyers. he has handled a lot of nasty stuff and probably a lot of comp complicated stuff. there is still the report out there which mr. cohen has denied but others suggest might be true. he traveled during the campaign to meet with a russian. again, he denies it. there's no question he's in some trouble when the fbi raids a lawyer's home and office it's usually because there's a big issue there and mr. trump is clearly very upset that the fbi would be looking into his

private businesses. >> right. we'll talk about that. >> yeah. the question of cohen flipping has the president flipping out. he is fur use especially at new york times. if big story from comey is whether trump wanted his loyalty. one can understand it would make this president quite angry. well, it does clearly. the thing that was almost amusing is that he almost never talks to her. he talks to her a lot. there is a wonderful picture of them together in the oval office. >> right. >> trump feels this investigation coming closer to him. there is no question. it is distracting from the other

things he is trying to do as president. >> he can feel it moving in on him from many directions. which might be the bigger threat, russian collusion or cohen? >> it is hard to know. frankly i'm not inside mueller's head or his office. i think it would be very hard to prove that donald trump himself was aware and involved in any collusion with the russians. people who work for him may have been or maybe they didn't see it as collusion or maybe they just were looking for help where ever they could get it. it looked very dark from them particularly from the beginning. i really very much doubt trump

himself will be personally grabbed by that. if he turns out to have broken the law before he became president or in his private business there is always the question of whether he can be indicted whether or not he is in office. again, i don't believe unless the democrats win resoundingly in the midterm elections he will be impeached. it will be hanging over his head throughout his entire presidency. it is really going to get in his head. this is a man who is very impulsive, who believes that a good offense is the best defense, who will almost tweet anything as he feels his supporters will be moved by this. and is feeling cornered.

this is not a happy place for president trump to be. >> so maybe he can cling to north korea and the hopeful door opening there as a bright spot. we'll have plenty of opportunities do that. thank you, as always. >> thanks. coming up after the break north korea, as we just mentioned, suspending its nuclear test. we'll have a live report on what this could mean for the people there. plus former president and more than 1,000 mourners gathered the life of former u.s. first lady barbara bush.

north korea says it will no longer test ballistic missiles. it is a hopeful sign. paula hancock joins us live. what will relearn about what kim

jong un wants in this upcoming summit? >> that's the key question no one has the actual question to. the only person is kim jong un himself. he was saying it was to test nuclear missile program. what we heard was kim jong un. he's gone one step further. he had already said he believed he had completed his nuclear program.

there are positive feelings about him saying this and question of will it mean that the north korean leader is willing to give up in i of these weapons. there is a resounding feeling that kim jong un is simply not going to give up in i any of hi nuclear weapons. it is written into the institution. he believes north korea is a nuclear state. sit hard to see ho you get from a positive statement to an agreement which the united states is reversible denuclearization. >> so much riding on this initial meeting. it will be interesting to see what coming out of it. thank you, paula. tough loving, compassionate and funny is how barbara bush

was described at her funeral on saturday. >> as i stand here today to share a few words about my mom i feel her looming presence behind me. i know exactly what she is thinking right now. jeb, keep it short. don't drag this out. >> she want add simple funeral service. perhaps she wanted it to run on time and it did. with 1,500 invited guests her extraordinary life and legacy was honored. >> barbara bush was the first lady of the greatest generation. she was steadfast and straightforward. what you saw was what you got. what was in here came out here. >> there was laughter. >> he may not be able to keep a job but he's certainly not boring. >> she called her style

benevolent dictator ship but it wasn't always benevolent. >> mrs. bush asked when you know of her doctors if she would like to know why george wfrmt turn. t the way he had. she said she drank and smoke while she was pregnant. >> the little things we learned became habits and lead to bigger things like be kind. always the tell. never disparage anyone. serve others. >> the service to celebrate mrs. bush, her wit, candor was also a tribute to the love she shared

with her husband. >> my dad would write mom on their wedding anniversaries which totalled an amazing 73 years. here is one of them written on january 6th, 1994. will you marry me? oops i forgot we did that 49 years ago. i was very happy thoon that dayt i'm happier. you have made our boys into men and loving them. on the way to her final resting place in college station, texas a motorcade through the city of houston gave

an student to join in the final good-bye. houston, texas. >> important to note that barbara bush was the only in the united states to be wife of a president and mer other of a president. coming up i'll ask how we can help fight plastic pollution. plus accusations against an actress and her involvement in a sex cult.

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welcome back. here are our top stories. an independent monitoring group gained access weeks of a kem l attack killed dozens of civilians. syria denied the chemical attack even happened. >> president donald trump lashing out at a new york times report suggesting michael cohen might turn against him. the report details how mr. trump treated cohen poorly for years. the new york times stands by its

reporting. more than 1 million people observe earth day. they are focus on plastic pollution. it is a global problem. it is much more than just not recycling a water bottle. they say enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the earth four times. 50% is used only once before being thrown away. it can take from 500 to a thousand years for plastic to decompose. >> happy iearth day.

>> we do not have good news. we do what we can. >> that plastic, not only does it not degrade, but it does so slowly. the particles become slowly. 8 million metric tons. we dump it into the ocean. about a million sea birds are killed. plastic degrades. when it's so small that's when

marine life will ingest it. fish will eat it and we eat the fish. not only harming marine life but us as well. let's talk about where the garbage patches are. it's not something you can see from space. it's not like it's a giant island of trash. the boundaries aren't perfectly circular. this is the area that we know moe of the concentration is at. here is what we have here on

this earth day. 2018 we always focus on different things. there are so many things to focus on. how do you make plastic? you need oil. there's that. we have had issues, almost half of it there. the water temperature is going up. >> we are going to talk with the plastic expert about what he thinks about that. thank you. despite plastic pollution there is some hope scientists may have accidentally discovered thousand break plastic up.

pet can take hundredsover years to break down in the environment. now scientists have stumbled upon a shortcut. >> calm of years ago a japanese group made this discovery of a bacteria that can digest p.e.t. plastic. >> it works but it doesn't work fast enough no to use on an industrial scale. they found by tweaking it slightly could break it down faster. >> what we are hoping to do is the same way breaking down grass

stains. we hope it can break it down in a matter of hours. this same community must use it to find collusions to the problem the plastics have caused. >> let's talk about this issue with an expert on plastic. he is an ocean pollution expert and executive director. thanks for joining us. it's good to see you. >> sounds like a hopeful step. will it help? >> you know redemption issues

are to keep them within a circular committee. that's what we are after. one is that if you lose those into the environment we have boats and safety equipment and life jackets i don't want those getting eaten by some that we invent. >> even whales are getting stuck in fishing apparatus. we see a lot of those on you tube. you called it junk and sailed it to brink attention to the issue of plastic in our oceans. are we getting the message in a significant way in this world? i saw there wasn't a lot of

attention i'm finding impacts from plastics. we took bottles bitten by sea turtles. they have devastating impacts but not just on land. we were in the desert about two years ago with a veterinarian. he took me out and said look, you have plastics impacting camels. he showed me that inside the rib cage. i pulled out a wad of about 200,000 bags. >> that's unbelievable, by the way. >> go ahead. >> yeah. it was so shocking to me. it showed me five of these skeletons. each had a wad of plastic bags

in its gut. what wha i'm seeing is more and more that are saying the concept of using material designed to last forever to throw away is kind of nonsensical. plastic bottles with stainless steel mugs. we are seeing that shift. we are seeing the straw, the bag are becoming a bit taboo because of ability to pollute so easily. >> is there one place? what are the keywords to understand thousand pull back on their use of plastic? >> i think if they go to five

5gyres.org that's list you can do in your school to get to a zero-waste culture. >> thank you. we appreciate your help on this one. >> thank you. my pleasure. >> so happy earth day and good luck with that mission on plastic. actress allison mac is known for playing super man's friend. now she is facing charges of sex trafficking for a mysterious organization. we'll is that story ahead here. plus a regard number of women are running for office. many of them say that one person is the reason for that. helped put a roof over the heads of hundreds of families, he's most proud of the one he's kept over his own. brand vo: get paid twice as fast with quickbooks smart invoicing.

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tnchts government said no major security breach. security had been tightened as reformed by the crown prince. they have try today target with drones in the past. india's cabinet approved a measure to make child rape punishable by death. the prime minister has been under pressure particularly the rain rapd and murd rape and murder of a young girl. >> plus there was shock then outrage. another law has been made as a defenseless girl.

india's cabinet passed an executive order naming the girl punishable by the death penalty. the same government rejected calls to introduce capital punishment in cases of child rape. investigators say she brutally raped and murdered. the motive to drive a community of muslims out of their town. that's according to investigators. many are angry at the relinl gi politics. both have now stepped down from their positions in the state government. the changes to a law still need to be approved by parliment. many activists have been calling

for better enforcement of existing legislation, not new laws. they also site the pay tri -- tra pa cnn. a television actress in the u.s. incited on sex trafficking charges. it's shining a light on a mysterious company that calls itself a self-help group. they say it's a pyramid scream. >> the group claimed to be a female mentor ship group. it shows that it also had a dark side according to federal authorities. before we break down this document a quick wording,

details could be disturbing for young viewers. >> indicting allison mac. accused of recruiting women to join a sex cult. she recruited women to perform sexual acts for keith renear, the group's leader. >> she is dangerous, sick, evil, dark and done harm to many people. imagine having your initials burned into a woman's body. that's happened. >> she has been indicted on sex trafficking charges. they face charges that slaves were branded on their pelvic area. in a statement they defended their founder, we currently

working with the authorities. we strongly believe the justice system will prevail in bringing the truth to light. if convicted they both face at least 15 years in prison. federal investigators say that the women that participated in this group were made to hand over information on that you are family. it would be used against them if they did not comply with orders. >> long-time actor vern troyer has died. he was a big hit on the big screen. he appeared in more than 50. perhaps his most memorable role was mini me with mike myers.

>> like you in every way except one eight you're size. >> breathtaking. i shall call him minime. . >> myers offered his condolences. vern was a beacon of positivity for those of us that had the honor of working with him. it's a sad day but i hope he is in a better play. verne troyer was just 49.

on saturday caper nick was honored with its highest distinction, the am das bas door of conscience award. he has not played since 2016. he has full-time add grieve answer saying the owners have conspired to keep him out of the league. a record number of women

running in the midterm elections. most of them have never held any public office or even run before but say they are so frustrated with u.s. president donald trump hay have to act. cnn national correspondent spoke with two fighting for change in washington. [ crowd chanting ] >> from marching to running. >> marching is a start. >> marching is not enough. so citizens like me became activated. >> washington state pediatrician marched in 2017. by 2018 she quit her job. now she is a democrat running for congress. >> how would you describe yourself? >> i am the citizen, pediatrician activist mom with a fire in her belly. >> district 8, an open congressional seat where mountain and agriculture meet high-tech towns. >> it is a country that

innovates. >> also a type one diabetic talking health care and kitchen table concerns to constituents over coffee. >> we'll do it with the whole community. >> many said the midterms didn't matter before. >> why are women paying more attention in the midterms? >> i felt like this was the time. i can't sit back and not do anything. >> will women be the difference maker in 2018? >> i'm counting on it. really having a man who grabs womens bodies and has been d disrespectful to women drives us. >> it is driving a historic number of women to run for office, most of them democrats. many are than 450 women are running for congress this year, a record breaker. many of them like alyssa, first time candidates. michigan 8 is in the middle of the state in the middle of the country. >> this is a district that trump

won by a lot. what makes you think as a political newcomer that you can win here? >> yeah. well, first it's just the energy that's in the system. folks who voted for donald trump and for the congressmen who have just fed up. i hear from people who are sick of washington not getting anything done. >> president donald trump. >> for her it was what washington did do, the push to repeal obamacare in the house. >> i saw my representative in the group there beaming and proud and smiling from ear to ear that he had just voted to repeal health care without a replacement, without any plan. and something just broke for me. >> her mother had died of ovarian cancer, unable to afford it. >> you don't get to do this. >> no. >> we decided to try to fire them. >> what do you do?

>> she deploy today iraq and worked at the state department. susan voted for the incouple want republican in 2016. >> have you ever shown up for a political vent before? >> i have not. it's time to do something about it. >> is this the forgotten midwest? >> i certainly think everyone in this town i talked to, everyone in my district feels completely unheard, under represented and left out of the conversation in washington, absolutely. so do these two women stand a chance? they absolutely do. kim leads the democratic field when it comes to fundraising. alyssa outraised him in the first quarter. many running for the white ho-- by the end of november 2018 there will be significant gains

in female representation. cnn los angeles. >> more politics and our top stories just ahead right of this break. my name is jeff sheldon,

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a gig-speed. a gig-speed network. it's like 20 times faster than what most people have. i'd of said... i'd of said you're dreaming. dreaming! definitely dreaming. then again, dreaming is how i got this far. now more businesses in more places can afford to dream gig. comcast, building america's largest gig-speed network. investigators enter the syrian city of douma nearly two weeks after an alleged chemical weapons attack. will they find evidence of that? >> trump defends michael cohen. the pacific ocean marine life is being threatened by giant patches of man-made garbage and we focus on that story on this earth day. hello, everyone. live from cnn world headquarters in