STUART VAIR
STUART VARR
STUART VARNEY WILL JOIN US THIS
MORNING.
WE KICK IT OFTEN WITH THIS TOP
STORY, TRACKING TRUMP'S AGENDA.
PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL DISCUSS THE
AGENDA OVER LUNCH WITH GOP
SENATORS LATER TODAY, ALONG WITH
TRADE AND THE ECONOMY.
THE PRESIDENT'S JUNE 12th
MEETING WITH KIM JONG UN IN
SINGAPORE WILL TOP THE TO DO
LIST AS WELL.
THE HER MITT
THE HERMIITT
THE HERMITTT
THE HERMIT KINGDOM OUTLINED
STEPS TO CLOSE THE NUCLEAR
TESTING SITE.
NORTH KOREA AND SOUTH KOREA
AGREED TO MEET TOMORROW TO
DISCUSS A PLAN OF ACTION IN THAT
REGARD.
JOINING ME RIGHT NOW IS GENERAL
JACK KEANE.
ALWAYS A PLEASURE MANY THANK YOU
FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING.
>> GOOD TO HE SEE
>> GOOD TO SE SEE
>> GOOD TO SEESEE
>> GOOD TO SEE YE
>> GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> MARIA: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE
SATELLITE IMAGES, SHOWING US
THAT NORTH KOREA HAS BEGUN TO
DISMANTLE THE NUCLEAR TESTING
SITE.
>> THAT'S A GREAT SIGN,
CERTAINLY.
THEY SAID THEY WERE GOING TO DO
IT N. WERE GOING TO INVITE
PEOPLE TO IN TO TAKE A LOOK AT
IT AS WELL.
THEY'RE MAKE PROGRESS TOWARDS
WHAT WE THINK IS LIKELY GOING TO
BE A BREAKTHROUGH HERE AND THAT
NORTH KOREA IS GIVING EVERY
INDICATION THAT THEY HAVE
ACTUALLY CHANGED THEIR STRATEGIC
POLICY TOWARDS DENUCLEARIZATION.
AND THAT IS A POSITIVE THING.
I WAS IN JAPAN LAST WEEK AND
I'LL TELL YOU, THE FOREIGN
MINISTRY THERE IS OPTIMISTIC AND
THEY'RE A LOT CLOSER TO THIS
THING THEMSELVES.
THEY FEEL PRETTY GOOD.
THEIR CONCERN IS IF WE GET RID
OF THE BALLISTIC MISSILES, THEY
WANT TO GET RID OF ALL BALLISTIC
MISSILES BECAUSE MEDIUM RANGE
MISSILES CAN OVERFLY JAPAN.
>> MARIA: HOW IMPORTANT HAS
CHINA BEEN IN THIS?
I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE
PRESIDENT'S TWEET ABOUT ZTE,
BASICALLY SAYING WE WANT TO HELP
ZT GET BACK IN BUSINESS, WHEN WE
KNOW ZTE WAS DOING BUSINESS WITH
CUBA, WITH IRAN, WITH NORTH
KOREA, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE
REASONS THAT THE U.S. PUT
SANCTIONS ON THE COMPANY AND
MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR U.S.
COMPANIES TO DO BUSINESS WITH
ZTE.
SEEMS LIKE HE'S CHANGING THIS.
IS THIS PAYBACK FOR WHAT CHINA
HAS DONE IN REGARDS TO NORTH
KOREA?
>> IT MAY VERY WELL BE.
I WAS STUNNED BY THAT.
>> MARIA: SO I WAS I.
>> TO BE FRANK.
THAT'S A MAJOR NATIONAL
SECURITY ISSUE.
WE'RE MOVING IN THE RIGHT
DIRECTION BY SANCTIONING ZTE.
THEY WERE SELLING THEIR WARES
CERTAINLY TO IRAN AND ALSO TO
NORTH KOREA WHEN WE HAD
SANCTIONS IMPOSED ON THEM.
THEY LIED THROUGH THEIR TEETH
ABOUT IT.
LISTEN, WE'RE NOT MAKING THE
PROGRESS THAT WE ARE MAKING WITH
NORTH KOREA IF CHINA WAS NOT
VERY MUCH INVOLVED.
THEY ARE PIVOTAL TO THIS
HAPPENING.
IF THERE'S GOING TO BE
DENUCLEARIZATION OF THE
PENINSULA, AS THE NORTH KOREAN
LEADER IS INDICATING, THAT IS
ONLY WITH THE PERMISSION OF
CHINA.
I ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE THAT CHINA
IS PUSHING NORTH KOREA IN THAT
DIRECTION BECAUSE CHINA HAS HUGE
REGIONAL AND GLOBAL AMBITIONS
AND THE PROBLEMS THAT NORTH
KOREA IS PRESENTING ON THE
PENINSULA AND IN THE REGION JUST
GET IN THE WAY OF THOSE
AMBITIONS.
>> MARIA: YOU KNOW, THERE'S A
GOOD OP ED IN THE JOURNAL TODAY
SAYING TRUMP LETS ZTE OFF THE
HOOK.
IT GOES ON TO SAY HUGH
IT GOES ON TO SAY HAUH
IT GOES ON TO SAY HAUWAEI AND
ZTE ARE COMPETING WITH U.S.
COMPANIES.
WE KNOW CHINA TRANSFERS
TECHNOLOGY TO CHINESE COMPANIES
AND THEY'RE TRYING TO BEAT US AS
OUR OWN GAME IN SOME OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT INDUSTRIES GOING
FORWARD, LIKE A.I. AND 5G.
DOES THE PRESIDENT WALK THE LINE
OF BLOWING IT IN TERMS OF GIVING
UP OUR LEVERAGE WITH THE CHINESE
OVER NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES?
>> WELL, I'M NOT GOING TO
FORECLOSE ON THE WHOLE THING YET
BECAUSE THIS COULD BE JUST AN
OPENING ROUND WITH THE
PRESIDENT.
>> MARIA: AND IT PROBABLY IS.
>> AND JUST HAVING SEEN HOW HE'S
WORKED THESE LAST 15 MONTHS,
WHERE HE STARTS IS USUALLY NOT
WHERE HE FINISHES.
>> MARIA: YEAH.
>> THAT'S THE REALITY OF IT.
I DO SAY, THAT DECISION
CERTAINLY SHOCKED EVERYONE
BECAUSE OF ITS NATIONAL SECURITY
IMPLICATIONS.
WATCH THIS.
WE'RE GOING TO TRUST THE
PRESIDENT HAS THIS GAME IN PLACE
THAT MAYBE THIS IS JUST PLAYING
POKER BECAUSE I AGREE, I WAS
STUNNED AS WELL.