well, coast-to-coast across the united states, good morning to you and to our viewers around the world this hour. you're watching "cnn newsroom" live from atlanta. i'm george howell. >> and i'm rosemary church. good to have you with us. let's check the headlines this hour. u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo says the u.s. goal in north korea remains denuclearization. he spoke with abc news on sunday about his recent meeting with north korean leader kim jong-un. his comments come ahead of a potential summit between president trump and mr. kim. pompeo says he believes there is a real opportunity this time

with pyongyang. >> but now the u.s. secretary of state is in jordan for the talks with the country's foreign minister and king abdullah. this marks pompeo's first tour of the middle east as secretary of state. he has been talking with u.s. allies in the region about the iran nuclear deal, the syrian war, and other key issues. u.s. defense officials say the united states and its coalition partners are not responsible for reported missile strikes in syria. state media say military bases was struck in hama in the countryside near aleppo. the reports did not specify who may have launched the strikes, and there is no confirmation of any damage or casualties. >> at least 21 people have been killed and 27 others wounded in two blasts in an area of the afghan capital where golf buildings are located. among those killed, chief photographer john morai. the news agency reports the second blast targeted a group of journalists who rushed to the

scene of the first attack. >> afghan police say the attacker was disguised as a cameraman. so far there are no claims of responsibility. security officials have warned there could be more attacks as the country prepares for parliamentary elections in october. just last week, dozens were killed at a voter registration center. we'll have more on this next hour. and the story we've been following, dozens of migrants fleeing violence and poverty in central america. they're now seeking asylum at the u.s. border. the migrants celebrated when they reached the border. they spent months trekking across mexico. but now their legal journey is just beginning. >> well, many are afraid of being deported if they're not granted asylum. and mothers fear being separated from their children. some 50 migrants have been admit into a processing center at a point of entry in san diego. dozens more are waiting outside until authorities consider their

case. leyla santiago has more. >> i've seen many people with tears, many people saying we're excited to finally be here. but we come here with excitement and a lot of anxiety. they are very anxious, very nervous, especially the mothers and the grand mothers, wondering what will happen when they cross this border. it has been weeks and weeks of walking, of riding on a train, on a train in which i watched as a pregnant mother of two sat on top of scrap metal and trash for hours in the cold and through the night. they have slept on the floors of shelters to arrive at this very moment. something that stuck with me, one woman who said i think a lot of people think we just woke up one day and said oh, i'm going to go to the u.s. but this has been a very, very tough, tough journey for them. many people sniffling, as well as coughing.

many of them are sick because of the type of environment in which they have traveled through to come here. this woman obviously in a wheelchair that quite frankly looks very sort of beat up. so i can only imagine what that wheelchair, the story that that wheelchair would tell. i want to sort of make sure you understand what's happening right now. beyond the high emotion, the migrants that are very excited but also anxious. we are right now not far, within feet of the united states of america. so many of these migrants will tell you horrific stories of what they left behind in central america. so what they see on that other side is hope. and what they're hoping for is to seek asylum. this is the legal way to do it. you federal law says if you want to seek asylum, you go to a port of entry. that is what they're doing.

>> and for more on this and other u.s. political story, i'm joined by james davis. he is the dean at the university of the school of economics in munich. thank you so much for being with us. >> thank you, rosemary. >> as we just saw, migrants from central america now at the u.s. border plan to seek asylum. but president trump says he won't let them in. this is what he had to say about that matter. >> our laws are so interrupt and so stupid. i call them the dumbest immigration laws anywhere on earth. if a person puts their foot over the line, we have to take them into our country. we have to register them. >> so, james, these migrants at the u.s. boarder are following the legal path to seek asylum, but mr. trump says no and calls u.s. laws corrupt and stupid. so what might this mean for these migrants and for immigration laws in this country? >> right. well, i think what trump is doing is he is turning an issue

of american and international law into an issue of american domestic politics. so american law is clear on this. international law is clear on this. if a person shows up at a border and asks for asylum for political asylum, they are entitled to have their situation evaluated. and if the criteria are met, to be granted asylum. trump has decided to turn an asylum issue into a regular issue of migration or illegal immigration. and that's really not what this is about. and so he is trying to i think mobilize his base. he is trying to provide some red meat to his followers. and, again, turn this legal issue into a domestic political issue. and i think he is doing this with the purpose of trying to mobilize the republican base in advance of the elections that are coming up this fall. >> and speaking of which, let's turn to trump's approval rating. he tweeted this over the weekend. "just got recent poll.

much higher than president o.." being president obama of course. "at the same time much more accomplished." so is he right or is he wrong on the approval rating for starters and the accomplishments? >> right. the poll numbers have been a bit better for president trump in the last couple of weeks. there is a gallup poll that for 50% approval rate. these are single data points future. you take a poll of polls, if you try to average him across all poll, each poll a little different and picking up different parts of what the electorate is thinking. if you take a poll of polls, he still polls roughly 8 percentage points below where president obama was at this time. i think his numbers are still stuck somewhere in the high 30s or low 40s, which does not portend well for the republicans

in the upcoming midterm elections. has he accomplished more? one could argue he has accomplished a few things more than his predecessor did. but let's face it. he's got control of both houses of congress and the presidency. the republicans control it across the board. so they're able to pass legislation in a way that was very difficult for president obama when we had mixed control of the government. >> right. and of course i can't let you go without getting your reaction to the white house correspondent's dinner. let's just listen to a part of what median michelle wolf said about white house press secretary sarah sanders. >> i actually really like sarah. i think she is very resourceful. like she burns facts, and then she uses that ash to create perfect smoky eye. like maybe she is born with it. maybe it's lies. it's probably lies. >> and of course she says a whole lot more.

and many think wolf cross adeline. president trump wasn't there, but this is what he tweeted about the event. the white house correspondents' dinner was a failure last year, but this year was an embarrassment to everyone associated with it. the filthy comedian totally bombed. couldn't even deliver her lines, much like seth meyers' weak performance. put the dinner to rest or start over. and of course, james, this is how white house correspondents association president margaret taleb responded to the criticism. she said this. last night's program was meant to offer a unifying message about our common commitment to a vigorous and free press while honoring civility, great reporting and scholarship winners, not to divide people. unfortunately, the entertainer's monologue was not in the spirit of that mission. so, james, it has to be said, though, that some people did support wolf. they said she got it right, and it was right for free speech.

it's very much a divided approach here. what was your reaction? did wolf go too far here, do you think? >> well, i think wolf's monologue was characteristic of the times. we're in a period in which political discourse has become very charged, very heated. with the president at the head of the pack. i mean, the president has lowered the level of political discourse to a standard which is new in my lifetime. so i don't think it should surprise anybody. that said, i do think at times michelle wolf crossed the line. hard-hitting political satire is i think perfectly legitimate. personal attacks on the president's staff i think could be left aside. i have no problem attacking or making fun of the press secretary for her performance. but her personal characteristics, i think it does

represent a new low. but, hey, we're in a period of lows. and so i'm not surprised. >> oh, we most certainly are. james davis, thank you so much for your responses. appreciated. >> thanks, rosemary. well, it seems the mystery over a missing tree at the white house has been solved. when the french president emmanuel macron visited president trump in washington last week, they planted a young oak tree which came from are the site of world war i battle in france. but soon after that tree disappeared. >> and that's when the mystery ensued. but french official now tells reuters not to worry. the tree was simply quarantined to make sure no parasites would spread, and the oak will return to the white house gardens very soon. well, one of the best known television news anchors in the u.s. is fighting back against allegations that he sexually harass adecco worker. >> tom brokaw is not mincing words against the woman who is

making accusations against him. brian stelter explains. >> reporter: yeah, tom brokaw is angry denying allegations of sexual harassment that have been made by a former colleague at nbc news. these allegations date back to the early 1990s from a correspondent named linda investor. she brokaw hit on her repeatedly making unwanted sexual advances on at least two occasions, groping her, trying to kiss her. these allegations were made in interviews with "the washington post." vester is no longer in the tv business, but she decided to speak out now because nbc has a systemic problem of sexual harassment that she says has not been fully addressed. the matt lauer firing in december is a part of the story because back then nbc said it would launch an internal investigation, a review into itself culture. but that review has not yet been shared publicly. and vester seems concerned that nbc is not taking it seriously enough. now brokaw is angrily denying

the claims saying he is the real victim and calling vester disgruntled. all of this came out in a remarkable open letter he wrote. he said it was an unfinished rough draft, but it was published on the web on friday. here is a part. quote, i was ambushed and perp walked as an avatar of male misogyny, taken to the guillotine and stripped of any honor and achievement i had earned in more than a half century of journalism and citizenship. brokaw saying he is angry and hurt by the allegations which he is completely denying. he is saying vester did not have a successful career. she was disgruntled, even though he helped get her a job at fox news. we've seen brokaw receive support from more 100 current and former employees apt nbc, women who have come forward to attest to his character and integrity. but vester also has her supporters. i spoke earlier today with vester's lawyer who is continuing to monitor the situation. he would not comment when i asked if he's heard from other women who may also want to speak

out against brokaw. more than six months into the me too movement, something sparked by the allegations against harvey weinstein in the pages of the "new york times," we are continuing to see sexual harassment allegations against prominent men both in the media industry and beyond. . >> brian stelter on the story, thanks. nbc news has not commented to cnn about the letter signed by more than 100 women supporting tom brokaw. once bitter rivals, now print and t-mobile are poised to be one company. >> the two u.s. mobile providers have agreed to merge in a $26 billion deal. regulators still have to approve the deal since it would leave the country with just three major carriers that was a sticking point in their previous attempts to merge. if approved, the new company would keep the t-mobile name. >> in their announcement, the ceos of the two countries touted the jobs the merger will create and the innovation of combined sources will bring to market.

another big merger to tell you about announced in the united kingdom. suds berries is joining with asda to great britain's biggest supermarket move. it will give a combined market share of over 30%. it's reportedly worst $13 billion. also, severe weather has left a mark across europe lately. but now it may be the central u.s.'s turn. and meteorologist pedram javaheri has all the details on that. so what's going on? >> this is the time of year, right? we go from march into april and eventually into may. the busiest time of the year for severe weather. it looks like a pretty serious setup too when it comes to these storms. and we'll show you how quiet it's been so far in 2018. so the red bars are indicative of the number of tornadoes we've had in the u.s. in each of the last four months. notice just about every single month has been below average. the average is coming in in the yellow bar there's with the exception of february. but we're running about 50% of

normal. and of course as we transition again into the month of may, notice, that is peak season in the united states for severe weather, for large scale tornadoes, for damaging storms. and the pattern just has not been conducive for such storms. we've had too cold of temperatures across really the eastern half of the u.s. the warmth across and the wet weather across the southern tier has suppressed the activity. and it has been far too dry across the southwestern u.s. to support the severe weather we need to see. in fact, across the heart of tornado, parts of the tornado down to oklahoma, zero tornadoes to date, that is the record for late toast have not a single tornado reported across parts of those states. but again, here we go. as we transition from the last day of april being monday into tuesday may there, the severe weather risk really begins to build. initially for monday we have a risk stretching from the dakotas down towards parts of western texas. large scale tornado possible. prominent concern is going to be damaging winds and hail. once you shift a little farther

towards the east, come tuesday afternoon we begin to see a better risk for severe weather across parts of lincoln and nebraska, kansas city there. could see some tornadoes as well and sex across that region. that's an area of interest we're watching as well. in fact, you take a look. across the northeastern united states, see the white indication there initially on the radar loop? the imagery there? that's a snow chance in the forecast the next couple of days. but notice how quickly conditions shift here as we transition into big-time heat. temps across the northeastern united states push up to almost 90 degrees over the next several days. new york city from 54 fahrenheit up to almost 90 degrees by thursday. even across the midwestern u.s. with the severe weather risk will be in place. you notice big-time warmth returns into the forecast. so just like that, a lot of people who are waiting for spring-like temperatures may just transition right out of what was winter-like just a few days ago to what will feel very much summer like in a few spots and with the severe weather as well. >> goodness gracious. i'm looking forward to the warmth but not the severe

weather. >> absolutely. >> pedram, thank you. >> thank you so much. some historians believe history is cyclical, doomed to repeat itself. and if you're in the united states, you might be forgiven for thinking that. >> and that is because we have seen -- we are seeing a lot of recurring characters lately from the '80s. cnn's polo sandoval explains. ♪ >> reporter: it was 1984 when america graw to love and laugh with bill cosby. >> we're here to say goodbye to lamont goldfish. >> the sitcom "the cosby show" he brought a lovable father figure to life, becoming america's dad. it was a far cry from the man who made headlines a decade later, this time as a convicted sex offender. cosby, one of several figures in events from the '80s making a reappearance in both cultural and political discourse. before becoming president,

donald trump was known as a real estate giant, riding a wave of success during the financial boom of the '80s. >> money is a scorecard as far as i'm concerned. >> reporter: even trump may not have imagined where a future ride on that trump escalate worry take him. the white house in 2017, and a diplomatic dance in 2018 that could soon end a cao cold war era conflict between north and south korea. then there are the sights and sounds of '80s pop culture. ♪ roseanne is back on tv, this time tackling political. on the runway '80s fashion lines from the primary color palettes to power shoulders and banana clips. ♪ mama mia >> and here we go again with abba. on friday, the swedish pop group announced they're getting the band back together to redees two new songs. it will be the first since 1983. ♪ take a chance on me

>> too soon to say if that chance will pay off in today's music market. polo sandoval, cnn, new york. >> polo's report puts it in perspective. i've been listening to a lot more '80s music. >> there is a lot more '80s around. still ahead, most parents would give anything to keep their children happy. so why are some parents paying to have their babies cry? we'll explain as the news continues.

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a movie ten years in the making, and fans came out in droves for it. marvel's "avengers: infinity war" made an estimated $630 million around the world on its opening weekend. >> now that crushes the previous record of $541 million held by "the fate of the furious." it edges out "star wars the force aweakens. disney studio holds nine of the

ten biggest movie openings in american market history. that's pretty perspective. with that, we close this hour with a story about crying babies. >> cnn's anna stewart tells us about a centuries old tradition in japan that will supposedly bring good luck. >> reporter: they're not lean, but these assume moses definitely look like mean fighting machines. today they're facing off with babies. [ crying ] every year parents bring babies to tokyo's temple which hosts the crying babies festival. a centuries old tradition. some believes it wards off demons. >> in japan we have a saying. a crying baby grows well. so we make babies cry. the louder they cry, the better they grow. >> reporter: each baby enters the ring with a sumo. the first to cry wins. for some just entering the ring is enough to blub. others need a little jostling.

or just being told to knock it. when all else fails, there is backup with terrifying masks. it's nerve-racking for the families who paid $140 a baby to take part. and it doesn't always work. some babies really will sleep through anything. but many return home victorious. >> translator: this is such a good japanese tradition. i'm so pleased i could take part. >> time to get some tips. you seem like a really nice guy. i don't think you're scary at all. i think i'll take the mask to really get me. despite the lesson, i'll happily say i made no babies cry in the filming of this story. anna stewart, cnn, tokyo. >> cute little babies. well, today's top stories are just ahead. >> the news continues after we reset. more news after the break.

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waiting for evidence. the united states reacts to kim jong-un's promise to shut down north korea's nuclear testing facilities. plus this. the caravan of asylum seekers from central ameri