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Donald Trump Gets Pushback From Lindsey Graham; Explosion From Underground At Rhode Island Beach Sends One Woman To Hospital; Notorious Mexican Drug Lord on the Loose Again; Inside Drug Lord "El Chapo's" Safe Houses; Pope Francis Holds Mass In Paraguay Slum To Meet The "Forgotten Poor"; Trump To Skip Miss USA Pageant Tonight; Closing Arguments Set To Begin This Week In Aurora Shooting Case. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 12, 2015 - 15:00   ET

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


[15:00:04] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Wow. That was Peter Dot of CNN affiliate KCAL reporting.

All right. We've got so much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM, and it all starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, he's done it again. One of the most notorious drug kingpins in the world on the run after escaping from a Mexican prison a second time. The jaw-dropping details on how the cartel leader, known as El Chapo, got out.

Then Donald Trump triples down with another plan to tackle illegal immigration.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So I had an idea. I think it's good. Every time Mexico really intelligently sends people over, we charge Mexico $100,000 for every person they send over.

WHITFIELD: One Republican rival says it's time for the party to reject Trump, or the party's candidates will lose. We break it down with our political panel.

Plus, a car caught on camera driving in reverse on a winding L.A. road. The question, who's behind the wheel?

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Hello again, everyone. And thanks for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

One of the world's most dangerous and powerful drug kingpins the subject of a massive manhunt right now. Joaquin Guzman, better known as "El Chapo" escaped from a maximum security federal prison just west of Mexico City. During a routine check guards noticed he was missing and found a hole in his cell. The hole led to a roughly mile-long tunnel that had lights and ventilation. Guzman is the head of the Sinaloa cartel, considered one of the most powerful and violent in Mexico. It is also known for being a major heroin supplier to the U.S.

Guzman is wanted here on American soil on multiple federal drug trafficking and organized crime charges and there is a $5 million bounty on him.

CNN's Juan Carlos Lopez is following the story from Washington from us.

So what more do we know about this escape?

JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, Joaquin Guzman proved there is no prison in Mexico safe enough or tough enough to keep him behind bars.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LOPEZ (voice-over): This is how the Mexican government confirmed the escape of Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman from Altiplano federal maximum security prison. According to Month Alejandro Rubido, head of Mexico's national security commission, Guzman received his nightly medication at 8:00 p.m. local time. Prison guards noticed later through the video monitoring system that followed his every move that he wasn't in his cell. Guards then rushed to the cell and discovered a rectangular hole in the cell shower that led to a vertical tunnel with stairs and from there to the escape tunnel.

Ana Maria Salazar is an analyst based in Mexico and a former Pentagon official.

ANA MARIA SALAZAR, FORMER PENTAGON OFFICIAL: Question, apparently this particular prison is considered to be the secure -- one of the most if not the most secure prison in Mexico and it had been evaluated by international authorities and gotten a very good evaluation. It was considered to be very secure.

LOPEZ: Guzman's Sinaloa cartel is known for its expertise in tunnel building along the border for drug trafficking. The tunnel at the maximum security prison 55 miles west of Mexico City reflects that knowledge, 1500 meters or almost a mile long from point a to point b, ventilation through plastic ping, electricity and lighting and even a motorcycle-powered buggy in a very detailed work of engineering.

The tunnel ended at a construction site in a neighborhood adjacent to the prison. Eighteen guards were detained and transferred to Mexico City for interrogation. And (INAUDIBLE) international airport was shut down. It's Guzman's second escape from a maximum security prison. Facilities designed with drug loaders such as him in mind.

SALAZAR: One would have assumed that he would have been the most watched-over criminal in the world. And apparently that just didn't happen. This is a huge embarrassment for the Mexican government, obviously, and of course it's going to raise a lot of questions as to what's happening with the Mexican criminal justice system. LOPEZ: On January 19th, 2001, Chapo Guzman escaped from the maximum

security prison in Puente Grande Jalisco in western Mexico. Back then his plan was simpler. He escaped in a laundry cart and remained on the lam for 13 years until February 2nd, 2014, when he was captured in Sinaloa apparently with intelligence provided by the DEA and the U.S. marshal service.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LOPEZ: And now attorney general Loretta Lynch released a statement expressing her concern over the escape of "Chapo" Guzman and adding, I quote, "the U.S. government stands ready to work with our Mexican partners to provide any assistance that may help support his swift recapture." Mexican president. Enrique Pena Nieto is also calling for an investigation to see if any public officials have been part of "El Chapo's" escape plan, Fredricka.

[15:05:00] WHITFIELD: All right. Juan Carlos Lopez, thank you so much.

Alright, let's bring in Sylvia Longmire, she is a Mexico drug war analyst and also the author of "Cartel, the coming invasion of Mexico's drug wars."

Good to see you, Sylvia.

SYLVIA LONGMIRE, FORMER SPECIAL AGENT: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, "El Chapo," his engineering firm has been known for building tunnels. So then you hear of this nearly mile-long tunnel that he used to escape. Wouldn't it have been presumed perhaps by this maximum security facility that a tunnel or, you know, his network of people would be able to commandeer an escape for him? It seems like this was made too easy for him.

LONGMIRE: Absolutely. And you take a look at what happened when he escaped earlier, you know, for the first escape, and there have to be people that are getting paid very, very good money in order to make these things happen. I guarantee you that as soon as he entered that prison, already people were going to work at finding a way to get him out of there.

WHITFIELD: Really. So apparently the U.S. did try to have him extradited. There was a feeling that perhaps he might be more secure in a U.S. jail. What would have been the argument for Mexico to say, no, we want to keep him here? Our maximum security facility, you know, is impenetrable.

LONGMIRE: Well, obviously that argument doesn't hold much water. It was, I believe, a source of national pride for Pena Nieto to say we've got this, this is our situation and we can handle it. And Pena Nieto, over the past, you know, pretty much during his entire administration has really kind of refused all the assistance that the United States has offered in the drug war compared to his predecessors, Felipe Calderon.

WHITFIELD: Why would that be?

LONGMIRE: I believe he wanted to take control of the drug war back. Felipe Calderon was seen, I think, by many people in Mexico as weak for relying so heavily on the United States government to kind of handle their drug war problems for them. So I think this was just a measure of control to kind of take the reins back from the United States and say we can handle this Chapo thing, but obviously that hasn't been the case.

WHITFIELD: So a big blow for the president now who had been able to say that he had made a real dent in some of the drug cartel business, but now this completely undermines that. So then I'm wondering your point of view, does "El Chapo," is he more dangerous now? Has he just won even more influence through his escape?

LONGMIRE: That's really the big question. What is he going to do? Is he going to lay low and just kind of wait for everything to blow over before rejoining the Sinaloa cartel and taking control again or does he get right back into the fold?

I mean, look how long he had out in the mountains, in the Sierra Madre without anybody finding him for just a very long time. Or has he been out of the game long enough that he needs some time to catch up? Is he going to join former Guadalajara drug cartel kingpin (INAUDIBLE) who was released under very suspicious circumstances not that long ago. So this is going to be just another wait-and-see game in Mexico's drug war to see what his next move is going to be.

WHITFIELD: All right. Sylvia Longmire, thanks so much. Good to see you.

LONGMIRE: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:12:07] WHITFIELD: Alright, Donald Trump refusing to tone down his rhetoric and back down from his comments on immigration. Before a crowd of 5,000 there in Arizona last night. The Republican presidential candidate said the United States should charge Mexico $100,000 for every, quote, "illegal immigrant they send across the border," end quote. Well, this morning one of Trump's Republican rivals issued a stern warning to the GOP about Trump.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty is live at the White House - Sunlen.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, this is a very defiant Donald Trump yesterday making clear that he's really not backing down from his controversial comments and really he seemed to relish in the size of the crowd last night in Phoenix. As you said, over 5,000 people coming out for the event which really does show that somewhat of his message, somewhat of his approach seems to be tapping in a little bit to some voters' frustration about illegal immigration.

But there was a moment in the middle of Trump's speech last night where he was interrupted by a group of protesters within the room. They unfurled a banner and interrupted his speech. Here's how Trump responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I wonder -- I wonder if the Mexican government sent them over here. I think so. Because I'm telling you, I tell about the bad deals that this country is making. Mexico, I respect the country, they're taking our jobs, they're taking our manufacturing, they're taking our money, they're taking everything and they're killing us on the border.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: And this sort of continued tough talk coming from Trump really in defiance of a lot of that criticism, the barrage of criticism coming from other Republican opponents. Also from many within the Republican Party, the establishment Republicans, and we heard today from one of his opponents, Senator Lindsey Graham, on "STATE OF THE UNION." Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think he's hijacked the debate. I think he's a wrecking ball for the future of the Republican Party with the Hispanic community and we need to push back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: And Graham says that this is a defining moment for the Republican Party, Fred, and he continued to call on others within the race to step up and really hit back against this rhetoric from Trump.

WHITFIELD: So Sunlen, while Donald Trump was in Arizona, how did some of the lawmakers, like senators John McCain or Jeff Blake respond to the events happening there?

SERFATY: Well, it was really interesting because this event was hosted by the local branch of the Republican Party, but the state branch was really very much in opposition to this happening. And you heard from senators McCain and Senators Blake that they believe that Trump's rhetoric is offensive. And senator flake saying after the fact that he said e wish they would have been able to move on so it's an interesting divide within the Republican Party, something, Fred, that they definitely want to continue to avoid.

[15:15:00] WHITFIELD: All right, Sunlen Serfaty. Thanks so much at the White House.

All right, still ahead, we talk to a grandmother in Paraguay who was chosen to cook a meal for Pope Francis. What she made for the pontiff, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:18:56] WHITFIELD: All right, checking our top stories.

Leaked documents show Greece needs a third bailout from the Eurozone of up to $96 billion over the next three years. European leaders in Brussels have resumed their meeting and say they will not offer a bailout unless Greece commits to deeper economic reforms. They have given Greece a deadline of July 15th.

And there are hopes the Iran nuclear negotiations might be finished by tomorrow. The latest deadline in the talks. Optimism for a deal has been quite the roller coaster ride. A source tells CNN the talks are still quote "a work in progress and that there are still some issues to be closed," end quote.

Meanwhile, an Iranian official tweeted it is, quote, "logistically impossible," end quote, to finish a deal tonight on what he says is a 100-page document.

And back in this country, Rhode Island Salty Brine Beach reopened today after being evacuated yesterday because of a possible bomb or at least explosion. A 50-year-old woman was knocked down and hurt when an apparent explosion erupted out of the sand. She is reportedly alert. Authorities say there is no evidence of an explosive device, but the incident is still under investigation.

And the Pope has dedicated his entire South American tour to talking about how the rich exploit the poor. So this morning, he began wrapping up his trip by holding a mass in a slum in Paraguay and meeting the forgotten poor.

CNN's Rosa Flores spent a day with one woman who was chosen to share a meal with the pontiffs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Asuncion Jimenez is known as grandma in the (INAUDIBLE) neighborhood of Paraguay's neighborhood. The 78-year-old welcomes just about anyone into her home, never thinking Pope Francis would come knocking on her door one day. You feel an emotion inside.

The Vatican chose three people from this humble neighborhood for a one-on-one visit with Francis, according to organizers. And she is one of them.

What are you going to ask the Pope for?

[15:21:06] ASUNCION JIMENEZ, COOKED MEAL FOR THE POPE: (SPEAKING SPANISH)

FLORES: She's hoping to ask the Pope for peace, for tranquility for her family.

To prepare for her special guest, she says her son gave her home a fresh coat of paint and her daughter plans to help her cook for the Pope. She has an open kitchen with a dirt floor and a corrugated metal roof. Now, this is her stove. This is where she plans to cook for Pope Francis. You can see its open flame. And this is the ding table where she hopes to share a meal with the pontiff.

On the menu, a typical Paraguayan soup and Mate a traditional tea.

We're joking about how her tea is probably really good and the Pope is going to enjoy it.

Everyone on her block has been pitching in to prepare for the Pope's visit. Dressing by now a (INAUDIBLE) with the colors of the Vatican and messages from some of its children asking Pope Francis to end corruption and bring peace.

Then a question asking him why God allows street children to suffer. The last time a child asked the Holy Father a similar question, he hugged the girl, dropped his scripted message and spoke from the heart.

Francis today Ramirez is also expecting to visit with the Pope and sing for him in her native language. She and others in the neighborhood wonder why the leader of the Catholic Church would want to visit their humble homes in the tiny chapel where they pray. But during his tour through South America, Pope Francis has made one thing very clear. The worries of the poor are a cross that everyone should bear.

Rosa Flores, CNN, Asuncion, Paraguay.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And still to come, how the ruthless drug lord "El Chapo" earned a robin hood-like reputation and what it means for his latest prison break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:26:25] WHITFIELD: All right. Hello again, everyone. And thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

So one of the world's most notorious drug kingpins is on the run after escaping from a Mexican prison. Joaquin Guzman, better known at "El Chapo" escaped from a maximum security federal prison this morning just west of Mexico City. Guards noticed he was missing after discovering a hole in his cell leading to a roughly mile-long tunnel with lighting and ventilation.

Guzman is the head of the Sinaloa cartel, considered one of the most powerful and violent in Mexico. It's also known for being a major heroin supplier to the U.S. But he is also known as being a sort of Robin Hood, having that reputation in his hometown.

CNN's Sara Ganim joins me now with more on who he is -- Sara.

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon. Good afternoon, Fred.

Yes, he is no doubt a very notorious and dangerous criminal in Mexico, known -- his cartel well known in the United States for supplying much of the heroin and cocaine that makes it here. And guess what, a lot of the way that it's transported here is through tunnels.

His cartel is known for tunneling drugs underneath the U.S./Mexican border into the United States. And now officials believe that that is the way that he escaped for the second time from a prison in Mexico.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GANIM (voice-over): They call him El Chapo, or shorty for his small 5'6" frame, but his legend is enormous. And now the world's most powerful and deadly drug trafficking kingpin has broken out of prison in Mexico, again.

Joaquin Guzman is the notorious drug boss who runs the Sinaloa cartel, widely believed to be the biggest supplier of heroin and cocaine in the United States. Authority say this time he escaped through a hole in the shower area of the Altiplano prison.

MONTE ALEJANDRO RUBIDO, NATIONAL SECURITY COMMISSION (through translator): The tunnel is a vertical pass about 10 meters deep and had a ladder and stairs. This tunnel has PVC tubing, ventilation and lighting.

GANIM: His latest escape adding to El Chapo's legend, in Mexico he's a towering figure of intrigue, the subject of books, songs and folklore. And he's wanted on both sides of the border. In the U.S. on federal trafficking and organized crime charges. His cartel notorious for tunneling drug under the U.S./Mexican.

Born into a poor family in the Sinaloa state when the drug trade was evolving, Guzman amassed a powerful empire, one that he continued running from behind bars after his first arrest in 1993. His reputation only grew as he spent 13 years on the run after escaping from prison in 2001. Sneaking out in a laundry cart, in a plot that allegedly cost him $2.5 million in bribes. He was caught and rearrested just last year at this resort in (INAUDIBLE), his home state of Sinaloa. Now a massive manhunt for the cartel leader is under way, yet again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GANIM: Now, Fred, one of the ways he was able to stay on the run for so many years the last time he broke out of jail was, again, through his network of tunnels and also just the enormous amount of staff, the people around him who protect him. Obviously the U.S. officials unofficially very upset about this. They had tried to extradite him back here for the few months that he was back in a Mexican jail -- in a Mexican prison, I'm sorry, saying, you know, essentially that they didn't believe that he couldn't break out there again. He just holds so much power in that state. Of course their fears came true again this morning, Fred.

[15:30:09] WHITFIELD: All right. Sara Ganim, thanks so much in New York.

Well, let's talk more about this. Joining me on the phone is award winning staff writer for "the New Yorker," Patrick Radden Keefe who has written extensively about "El Chapo.

So Patrick, glad you're back with us. So, you know, he escaped from prison before, as we're being reminded by Sara there. So is it your feeling that he has gone somewhere to simply blend in, someplace off the beaten path? What is his -- I guess what is to be predicted about his escape?

PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE, STAFF WRITER, THE NEW YORKER (via phone): Well, I think that the big question actually is going to hover over the next few hours and days, which is can they pick him up before he gets back to his home state of Sinaloa. If there's a big surge by the Mexican government in that area immediately around the prison and they can capture him before he flees the state, then you might actually see a situation in which he's recaptured. But I think that what history has shown us is that if he can get back to the mountains where he grew up and where he has a huge amount of local support, I think we'll never see this guy again.

WHITFIELD: My goodness. We understand that he may have still been doing business while behind bars. So that also speaks to his continued influence.

KEEFE: Yes. You know, it's funny, I spoke to a Mexican official earlier today who was really incredulous. This is a person who had told me every time I raised the idea that "Chapo" might escape again, somebody told me it's never going to happen, it's never going to happen. And this morning he sent me an email with two words which were it happened. And when I talked to him later, he says that, you know, there had been some suggestion that Chapo Guzman has become kind of symbolic figure in the cartel. You know, some people would say, he was a nonexecutive chairman, that he wasn't actually making the day- to-day decisions. And what this guy suggested to me was that the fact that they went to the trouble that they did to get him out suggested that he was indispensable, that they need him running this operation.

WHITFIELD: And so if that is the case, and this operation clearly is very influential, while he was imprisoned, was there any way of indicating whether his business was hurt by his absence?

KEEFE: I mean it would be hard to say. There have been a lot of questions in recent months about who was going to take over. He has sons who were allegedly part of the cartel. There were other people in the leadership with him. But these are people who are quite old. Guzman is I think about 60 now. Some of the people who had been major figures in the cartel are older than he is.

And so there were questions about whether there would be a leadership vacuum. But at the same time the Mexican government had kind of moved on once "El Chapo" was captured and was beginning to focus on other cartels in different parts of the country that were more of a priority. And so I don't think there had been a -- there was never a huge diminution in drugs that were coming across the border. And that is one of the paradox that you can take out the head of the organization and the organization will actually continue to function.

WHITFIELD: And you know, the president, Enrique Pena Nieto, had apparently conveyed that this escape is a real blow to that government, that administration's efforts because apparently he had taken some credit for weakening some of the cartels. Is there a feeling that Nieto had indeed helped weaken this cartel especially with the arrest of "El Chapo," because even today in Paris the Mexican president has said that this escape is, quote, "an affront to the state."

KEEFE: Yes. Look, it was a huge victory for Pena Nieto to capture "El Chapo." It was really the only thing you could compare to in terms of the magnitude of --.

And here was President Obama and the killing of Osama bin Laden. This was somebody who really appeared untouchable. And to have him get away now in a situation in which everybody has been watching and kind of wondering. Actually many, many Mexican officials said to me and said publicly that this was going to be a real test of the Mexican judicial system, could they handle a guy of this magnitude. And people said again and again, yes, we can. This is going to be a proof of concept for us.

To have him escape in such a bold manner in a tunnel that looks like it was an industrial project. This was not a tunnel this guy dug himself, there were lots and lots of people involved in this thing. It's a major embarrassment for Mexico. And I think it will be a real source of tension for U.S./Mexican relations.

WHITFIELD: All right, Patrick Radden Keefe, thanks so much.

All right. Also, straight ahead, closing arguments set to begin this week in the Colorado movie theater shooting. Next, our legal experts take a look at what we can expect from James Holmes' defense team.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:38:44] WHITFIELD: All right, closing arguments set to begin Tuesday in the trial of James Holmes, the man accused in the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater shootings. The defense rested its case on Friday after 256 witnesses and 47 days of courtroom proceedings. Holmes' attorneys tried to show that he was legally insane when he opened fire at a 2012 showing of "the Dark Knight Rises" where 12 people were killed and 70 others injured.

And here now to discuss the case from New York is CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Danny Cevallos. He is also joined by HLN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson. Good to see both of you.

JOEY JACKSON, HLN LEGAL ANALYST: Hello, Fredricka. Good afternoon.

WHITFIELD: OK. So Danny, you first. You know, we found out on Thursday that James Holmes would not take the stand. Was that a smart move given that the state law in Colorado puts the burden of proof on prosecutors to prove that he was really sane at the time?

DANNY CEVALLOS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: You start with the rule, and the rule is that a criminal defendant has an absolute constitutional right to testify. Well, people may be surprised that there is no right to testify in the constitution, like there is a right to a jury trial or a right to an attorney.

The Supreme Court sort of created that relatively recently. But the negative of that right is also the right not to testify. And any time -- it's always a very difficult decision. A defendant has to ask himself and his lawyers have to ask themselves what is the benefit. What can his testimony add and balance that against the massive risk, massive risk of presenting your client to the prosecution, who may completely shred them on the stand.

And, I would say statistically the result of that formula is that in the vast majority or majority of cases, especially in one like this, defendants do not testify and probably in balancing the risk in this case, there's nothing he really could have added.

[15:40:38] WHITFIELD: So then, Joey, that brings us to the closing arguments, you know, whether that decision at all influences what either side will be willing to say.

JACKSON: You know, it generally does, Fredricka, because jurors always want to hear from the defendant. Now, they're instructed as a matter of law during jury instructions that the judge will instruct them you are to have no inference, the defendant doesn't have to testify. But of course inquiring minds always want to know.

But this is a bit different. I would argue that he did testify in that courtroom. Now, it wasn't one of those official testimony, you know, official testimony where, for example, a judge swears him in, he goes up on the stand and he walks and people are riveted. But remember, he was evaluated by court-appointed psychologists. And at that time, you heard 22 hours worth of questions and answers and his responses and interrogation. And in addition to that, he was on videotape doing a number of things.

But clearly the defense has its work cut out for them here, Fredricka. Yes, the burden of course is on the prosecution to prove sanity. But boy, I think that that jury certainly has to have a connection to this case. Twelve people are dead, 70 are injured, many won't walk again, their lives are changed. So they're looking at those jurors to find some guilt. I think the prosecution through the premeditation and planning and so much else certainly gave them a basis to say guilty.

WHITFIELD: Right. So, Danny, it would seem that this insanity plea would be a tough sell given that kind of premeditation and planning and given that evidence shows that he had the wherewithal of determining whether something was a good or bad idea, trying to hide it.

CEVALLOS: Overall insanity defenses are not usually successful but each and every one of them is a case-by-case analysis because they ultimately boil down to a battle of the experts. And those experts are giving scientific testimony about an issue of law that must ultimately be decided by a jury of laypeople and the ultimate question is often did he understand the nature and consequences of what he did or did he appreciate the wrongfulness. And wrongfulness, it's important to note, it doesn't matter that I

personally may think something I do that's criminal isn't wrong. It's whether or not he's aware that society deems his conduct to be wrong, and the typical -- the classic ways of disproving this are if somebody flees, they hide a body, they hide other evidence. That means they know, the appreciate society's view of their behavior, their conduct as wrong.

WHITFIELD: Danny Cevallos, Joey Jackson, thank you so much.

JACKSON: A pleasure. Great afternoon, Fredricka. Take care.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much.

All right. Also, coming ahead we take you inside the elaborate system of tunnels that notorious drug kingpin "El Chapo" used the first time he escaped from prison. Plus all the details on his latest breakout.

But first, a former Miss USA contestant who says Donald Trump needs to step down from the pageant. We talk to her, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:47:21] WHITFIELD: All right. Donald Trump's campaign says that he won't be attending the Miss USA pageant tonight, an event that he co-owns. Trump was expected to be in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where the contest will be held tonight.

CNN political correspondent Athena Jones is there now.

So, Athena, Trump even tweeted saying, quote, "I will not be able to attend the Miss USA pageant tomorrow night because I am campaigning in Phoenix, wishing all well." So what's going on? Where is he?

ATHENA JONES, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred.

That's the billion dollar question. We're talking about billionaire businessman who's been all over the air waves, but right now it's not entirely clear where he is. He did send that tweet last night saying that he would be campaigning in Phoenix, but I reached out to his campaign and they said there were no official events today, that he's traveling back to New York.

Separately, there is a flight tracking system called data aware, a -- flight aware, I should tell you, that shows the plane that carried Trump, Trump's plane, from Las Vegas to Phoenix Saturday left Phoenix Saturday night and landed in New York early on Sunday. Now, we don't know for a fact that Trump was on his plane back to New York, but that would throw another question into the mix if he was supposed to be campaigning in Phoenix.

So that's the question we're still waiting to hear back from his campaign about where he is. But I can tell you that as recently as the end of the month, both on the campaign trail -- the end of last month, of June, both on the campaign trail in New Hampshire and in a statement that he released on June 30th, Donald Trump said that he would be here to support these contestants here tonight, but it turns out he's had a change of heart -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: So what is the feeling there, whether he's there or not?

JONES: Well, you know, a lot of the folks, the organizer of the pageants here, the president of the Miss Universe organization tells me the focus really has been on the contestants. They learned the same day that NBC released the statement that they weren't going to be airing it, they quickly scrambled and within two days were talking to Reelz, which is the cable channel this show will now air on tonight. That's of course a much smaller audience than you would have had on NBC or Univision. It reaches about 67 million homes. But they say, look, Reelz, it's been a mixed blessing. They have been doing a lot more promoting of the show than you would have seen on NBC. And so it looks like they're trying to move beyond the hoopla and the controversy that Trump brought to this event and really focus on the women, who's going to win -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Athena Jones in Baton Rouge, thanks so much.

So the 51 women competing tonight will have a much smaller audience via television since NBC and Univision dropped the broadcast. That according to former Miss USA Colorado, a Mexico an American, is a sad consequence of Donald Trump's comments.

Marybel Gonzalez posted a public letter to Trump on her Instagram page and she writes this, quote, "your actions will deprive other girls like me the opportunity to represent a minority publicly, to give us a platform in which we can share our rich culture and background with the world. I am sad that other young Latina girls who are Univision viewers will not have the chance to see another girl on TV that looks like them, one that they can relate to and aspire to be," end quote.

So joining me live, Marybel Gonzalez. Good to see you.

[15:50:40] MARYBEL GONZALEZ, FORMER MISS USA COLORADO: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: So what is your feeling about whether Donald Trump should actually be in attendance tonight at the Miss USA pageant in Baton Rouge?

GONZALEZ: First, tonight is about the young ladies competing for the title of Miss USA. I think that for one it's good that he's not there because we don't need any more negative controversy surrounding the Miss USA pageant. These girls have a lot of pressure on them as is. And they don't need the cameras asking them about Donald Trump and his comments.

But on another side, I definitely think that the least he could have done is, if he truly standing by his comment, is to have been present to actually issue, maybe an off the record apology to these young ladies because they have been adversely affected by his comments. Because they are not going to be on aired on NBC or Univision. They have been negatively impacted. And I think that at the bare minimum, he should have been present. WHITFIELD: You are Mexican American, and you have said that the

comments have been offensive, but is it your feeling that the contestants in this pageant feel like the entire pageant has been, you know, soiled or that the imagery behind, your know, the incentive of why women are even entering this pageant, that it's been damaged or destroyed because of Donald Trump's comments?

GONZALEZ: I think that it definitely has been tainted. However, do I have read some of the comments that the current contestants have posted about Donald Trump and about his comments. I will say that it's good that they're focusing on the pageant and that show must go on. This is a long-standing tradition that it is a beautiful, it is a beautiful competition because these women get to represent their states and themselves. And it's something really great to aspire to be.

However, what I will caution against, is I've heard some comments saying well, Miss USA is not political and these comments are political so we shouldn't kind of sweep them under the rug. But I will say is that there is nothing political about what Donald Trump said. His discriminatory comments don't represent that of someone who is vying for presidential candidacy. I think that they are -- they do affect everybody and they do affect our community especially a lot of these young ladies who are Latinas. So I don't think that we should be quick to sweep these comments under the rug, but rather acknowledge them, challenge them, and definitely take action against them.

WHITFIELD: So he's a co-owner of the pageant. Do you believe there should be some movement that would remove him from that responsibility? I mean, do you think he should continue to be a co- owner?

GONZALEZ: I mean, honestly, I read the press release that the Miss Universe organization issued. And they said that they stand for diversity and they stand for celebrating cultures and backgrounds and these ladies that come from all different walks of life. I don't think that there's definitely a disconnect between those values and what Donald Trump is currently representing. So I would ask that there be a re-evaluation of the association that the Miss Universe organization has with Donald Trump because it is going to affect them in the future.

And I will say that a lot of the contestants have already dropped out from the Miss Universe pageant which is coming up after the Miss USA pageant. So the aftermath is still affecting these young ladies. Mexico is not going to be sending their representative to Miss Universe organization. So definitely, that's something to consider after the Miss USA pageant. I would challenge and I would hope that this re-evaluation takes place.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ms. Colorado, Marybel Gonzalez and a formerly a Miss USA pageant contestant. Thanks so much for being with us.

GONZALEZ: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead, we take you inside the elaborate and underground world of notorious drug kingpin "El Chapo" including bathtubs that are actually like trap doors.

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[15:58:14] WHITFIELD: On January 1st, 2008, two young girls were found shot to death in the pack of a taxi. The prime suspect, their father, who hasn't been seen since.

John Walsh takes a look at the case on this week's "THE HUNT."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICIA "TISSIE" OWENS, MOTHER: She was that type of person, she could make you her friend in like the first two or three minutes you meet her. Amina was more of a girly girl and Sarah was more of a tomboy. Tennis and soccer, any sport she could possibly play, Sarah was in it.

GLENNA WHITLEY, JOURNALIST: They were also just developing into beautiful young women. They had this beautiful black hair and creamy skin. Beautiful eyes. They loved taking pictures of each other.

Yasser had big plans for what he was going to do when the girls of age and were ready to marry.

In Egypt, I think there's some expectation, if you made it in America, you're really rich. And so you've got to create a certain kind of a wedding to uphold your family's name.

In Amina and Sarah, he had goal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: "THE HUNT" for Yasser Said tonight 9:00 p.m. on CNN.

And we have so much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM and it all starts right now.