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World Leaders "Rattled" by Trump; Clinton & Sanders Neck-and- Neck in California; Protestors Disagree with Plants to Change Labor Laws; Reports: Bolivia Police Clash with Disabled Protestors; Obama to Visit Hiroshima Memorial; Youssef's Story, Nine Years Later; Dating App Aims to Connect Fitness Buffs; Two Boys Co-Champions of Scripps National Spelling Bee. Aired Midnight-1a ET
Aired May 27, 2016 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour...
ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: It's official. Donald Trump has the numbers to win the Republican nomination for U.S. President. World leaders are officially rattled.
VAUSE: Confronting the ghost of war. In the coming hours, Barack Obama will be the first sitting American president to visit Hiroshima where U.S. forces dropped the world's first atomic bomb used in battle.
SESAY: And a CNN exclusive, Youssif's story. He was a little boy in Iraq doused in gasoline and set on fire. Now, all these years later, he's a teenager living in California with hope for the future.
VAUSE: Hello, everybody. Great to have you with us. I'm John Vause.
SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.
Well, for months, people called his presidential bid a joke. But Donald Trump is having the last laugh now with more than enough delegates to clinch the Republican nomination.
VAUSE: A group of previously uncommitted delegates pledged their support to Trump on Thursday, which just edged him over the magic number, adding to the win for Trump. Democrat Hillary Clinton is still trying to clinch her party's nomination.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: But we had a big day today. Today was the day where we hit the 1,237. Right? 1,237. And, you know, you had our President saying, he will not be the nominee of his party. Oh, really? He's been right about that like he's right about everything else, which is never.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And the current U.S. president proved politics does not stop at the water's edge. He slammed Donald Trump during a news conference at an economic summit in Japan.
SESAY: Mr. Obama says Trump hasn't thought through what it would take to keep America safe and world's leaders are worried.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They're rattled by him and for good reason, because a lot of the proposals that he's made display either ignorance of world affairs or a cavalier attitude or an interest in getting tweets and headlines.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: In fact, there's concern all over the world about a possible Trump presidency.
SESAY: CNN international correspondent, Clarissa Ward, reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At first, candidate Trump was the subject of international fascination and even amusement, but it didn't take long for the maverick contender to start ruffling feathers.
TRUMP: They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists.
Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.
WARD: International condemnation came in thick and fast. Mexico's former president compared him to Hitler. A Saudi prince called him a disgrace. And China's state-run newspaper denounced him as "big- mouthed."
The list went on. International headlines warned of impending doom if Donald Trump became the Republican nominee. "Madness," blared the cover of Germany's "Der Spieghl."
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think his remarks are divisive, stupid and wrong, and I think if he came to visit our country, I think he'd unite us all against him.
WARD: Today, London's newly elected, himself a Muslim, jumped on the bandwagon, calling Trump's views on Islam ignorant.
SADIQ KHAN, LONDON MAYOR: Donald Trump and his team, their views on Islam are ignorant. He's inadvertently playing into the extremists' hands by giving the impression that Western liberal values are incompatible with mainstream Islam or that there's a clash of civilizations.
TRUMP: Thank you, everybody.
WARD: Still, he does have one fan internationally, Russian president Vladimir Putin, who has called Trump, quote, "an outstanding and talented personality."
WARD (on camera): What's interesting is that since Trump became the presumptive Republican nominee, the rhetoric from overseas has definitely softened considerably, and we're likely to see that continue as world leaders begin to grapple with the very real possibility that they will have to deal with a President Trump. Clarissa Ward, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Well, joining us now, Lanhee Chen, former policy director for Mitt Romney and now a research fellow at Stanford University.
VAUSE: And Wendy Greuel, former L.A. city councilwoman who supports Hillary Clinton.
OK, any other candidate running for the U.S. presidency might be worried if other world leaders from major powers, I don't know, the G7, for instance, came out and said they're rattled by the prospect of that presidency. Not Donald Trump.
Just a few hours ago on the campaign trail, bringing it up again. This is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: That's good if they're nervous. That's good. That's good. Right? That's good. Let them be a little bit nervous.
By the way, I'll have a better relationship with other countries than he has, except we'll do much better and they won't be taking advantage of us anymore. And they won't be calling us the stupid people anymore.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Yes, Lanhee, I'm just wondering, in a primary campaign, having world leaders say nasty things about you might actually work to your advantage. But it seems that it's different in the general election, though. Isn't it?
LANHEE CHEN, RESEARCH FELLOW, STANFORD UNIVERSITY: Oh, it's certainly different in a general election. But I think what Donald Trump has concluded is that it really doesn't matter. He's speaking to the same audience, whether it's a primary or general election, and he's decided, look, you know, to heck with the world leaders. I am going to focus on American people who feel disaffected by last eight years of President Obama's leadership.
And that's what he's decided to do. It's unfortunate, because in the process, he's made a bunch of statements that call into question the last 40 years of U.S. foreign policy. But the reality is, Donald Trump is speaking to a very different audience and he's marching to a very different tune from any other Republican nominee.
SESAY: Yes, so Wendy, obviously, Donald Trump clearly shrugging off the global concern. The Democrats will want to play up Hillary Clinton's experience, her reliability, her judgement. But given the findings of this recent inspector general report, which calls into question her judgement fundamentally, does that weaken her ability to make that as a general election argument?
WENDY GREUEL, FORMER L.A. CITY COUNCILWOMAN: No, I think two things. One, the polls have all shown that people don't trust Donald Trump's ability to be the leader of the free world and foreign policy issues. And he kind of relishes in this juvenile behavior and calling out foreign leaders by suggesting we should not allow any Muslims so that -- and that he would not have a very good relationship with the U.K. So he is clearly gone in a direction that would make him difficult -- make it difficult for him to be that kind of leader that we want.
Secondly, Hillary Clinton has said over and over again that the e-mail issue was one that was from previous Republican secretary of state individuals who also used private e-mail and that as times change, things should be able to update and be able to look at that policy and be able to have a better policy within the State Department.
She's apologized for that. She's given out 55,000 pages of e-mails, more than anybody else. She has been transparent about all of that and apologized and said, probably wasn't such a good idea, but I'm not the only one. And the IG report showed the same thing.
VAUSE: OK. OK, the Democrats, they saw their primary going on. Donald Trump very happy about that. Next week, the state to vote is California. Let's look at the polling numbers in this state.
Clinton and Sanders pretty much on a dead heat within the -- you know, the margin of error. So Wendy, if you look at these numbers and if it sort of continues, Bernie has momentum here.
Because of proportional voting here, Hillary Clinton is likely wrap up the nomination June 7, the night of the California primary. But she could never -- warp up this nomination whilst losing the biggest state in the country. She is going to win by losing.
GREUEL: Well, number one, I'm confident that she is going to win the state of California. We always knew it would be close. That's why nine offices --
VAUSE: She was up 20 points about a month ago.
GREUEL: -- well, nine offices in the state of California. I mean, you look back at 2008 when Obama and Hillary were running in the state and McCain was, you know, the presumptive nominee obviously for Republican Party. This is what happens near the end.
She's won 7 of the last 11 elections in the different voting that's happened in the last couple of weeks. So she's running hard. She is saying, I'm going to do everything I possibly can to win the state of California. She has spent a lot of time here in southern California and I believe is going to win the state here in a couple of weeks.
(CROSSTALK) CHEN: Yes, I mean, look, here is the problem. People think Hillary Clinton is a liar. All right? And the inspector general report did nothing to dissuade them of that reality. Because what the IG report basically said, this is an Obama appointee, mind you. He's an appointee of President Obama saying that some of his Hillary Clinton's practices were unprecedented, that her use of a private e-mail server was something she should have sought approval for but did not. And furthermore, a lot of what she did, a lot of what she said she did, she didn't actually do. She didn't turn over all of her e-mails it turns out. So there are things about here -- there's this -- there's always something with the Clintons.
VAUSE: Yes. OK, the other big story --
CHEN: Always something with the Clintons.
VAUSE: -- the other big story today, of course, is this possible debate between Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. Bernie Sanders is actually pushing this idea of debating Trump. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump has agreed to debate me, and I look forward to that, because I think -- Hillary Clinton has not agreed to debate me here in California, so I look forward to debating Mr. Trump on that. Because I think it's important that somebody hold him to task.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: OK, and Donald Trump, he says he's up for it but with conditions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: I said I'd love to debate him, but I want a lot of money to be put up for charity. So what we'll do is if we can raise for maybe women's health issues or something, if we can raise 10 or $15 million for charity, which would be a very appropriate amount -- I understand the television business very well.
I think it would get very high ratings. It should be in a big arena somewhere, and we could have fun with it. I'd love to debate Bernie actually.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
I mean, the problem with debating Bernie, he's going to lose.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: OK, finally, Hillary Clinton's response to all this has been like no, no, no, no, pretty much trying to laugh it off. Here's what she said to CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (via telephone): Oh,
Wolf, this doesn't sound like a serious discussion. I'm looking forward to debating Donald Trump in the general election. I really can't wait to get on the stage with him.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, WOLF: And what's your reaction to a possible debate between Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump?
CLINTON: I just said, I don't think it's serious. I think that -- you know, that it's not going to happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: I want both of you guys to you weigh in on this. First of all, Wendy, I mean, as a Clinton supporters, how do you feel about the fact that this idea is coming from the Sanders camp and effectively shutting your candidate out of the conversation?
GREUEL: Well, I think, you know, when you get close to, you know, 10 days away from election, you throw everything you possibly can up on the wall to see what sticks. And, you know, I think that actually Donald Trump is kind of teasing Bernie Sanders. I don't think he's ever going to do that.
I mean, look, Hillary Clinton has over three million more votes across this country. She has the delegates necessary to get over the line. Bernie Sanders would have to win 32 percent, you know, above Hillary Clinton in all of these other states. It's just not going to happen.
(CROSSTALK)
CHEN: Well, look, this will be must-see TV. I mean, I would pay for this. Honestly, I would pay to watch this.
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: -- 10 million bucks.
(CROSSTALK)
CHEN: But, you know, Donald Trump's got another thing coming.
But, look, I think that this is horrible news for the Clinton campaign. If there actually were to be a debate between Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, think about how that marginalizes her, and it serves is the Sanders campaign and the Trump campaign.
So I actually think it very well could happen. The question is going to be how is Hillary Clinton going to respond. My guess is she'll want to participate in that debate if they do end up going at it.
VAUSE: I think it just makes Bernie Sanders look good.
SESAY: Yes, it's driving the conversation.
VAUSE: It's a win, win, win for Donald Trump if that debate goes ahead.
Wendy and Lanhee, thanks for --
(CROSSTALK)
SESAY: Thanks so much.
VAUSE: Well, Barack Obama heads to Hiroshima, Japan in the coming hours, more than 70 years after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on city during World War II. He's wrapping up meetings right now at the G7 summit in Itoshima. Mr. Obama will be the first sitting U.S. President ever to visit Hiroshima.
SESAY: G7 leaders are discussing the international trade and the global economy as well as climate change and the refugee crisis. Well, joining us now, CNN correspondent Will Ripley, is in Hiroshima.
Will, thanks for joining us. The President's trip to Hiroshima is expected to last less than three hours. At this stage, what do we know about the site he will visit and who he will interact with?
Clearly, we're having some problems there. Will Ripley not hearing us there. We'll work to establish contact with him and get him back and get a preview of the President's trip.
VAUSE: Yes, it's going to be a very big visit there for the U.S. President. And he's made it clear that this is not an apology tour. This is not looking back and second guessing the decision to drop the atomic bomb 71 years ago, but it's about looking forward and about nuclear weapons and a world free of nuclear weapons.
SESAY: Indeed, but there are those who say his presence there lends credibility to question --
VAUSE: To an apology, yes.
SESAY: Exactly.
VAUSE: OK, we'll try and get back to Will Ripley. Also, Andrew Stevens is covering the G7 as well. But in the meantime, we'll take a short break here.
Angry demonstrators have clashed with riot police in Paris. We'll look at what's been sparking those protests when we come back.
SESAY: Plus, we have video of a deadly shooting at a T.I. concert. Police say the gunman was a fellow rapper who opened the show.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Police and protesters clashed in Paris during labor reform rallies on Thursday. SESAY: Demonstrators threw rocks and bottles at officers. They fired
back with tear gas. Police told CNN more than 18,000 demonstrators were at the rally.
Well, the protesters are angry at a reform bill that gives employers more flexibility to hire and fire and weakens the power of unions. CNN's Kelly Morgan has more details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLY MORGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Scenes that are becoming all too familiar in Paris, angry demonstrators clashing with riot police. Tear gas fills the air. So, too, projectiles.
The violence comes after a second day of nationwide strikes and protests. But this is just the latest wave of anger. French demonstrators have been up in arms for months now over proposed reforms to labor laws which will make it easier for employers to hire and fire staff.
The government says the plans are vital in tackling the country's 10- percent unemployment rate. Unions and workers, though, describe it as an attack on democracy. This anger is largely over the prime minister's decision to invoke a rarely-used constitutional clause to bypass Parliament, forcing the bill through.
Demonstrators have mobilized around the country with transport strikes and blockades at oil refineries and nuclear power stations, triggering fuel shortages and bringing much of France to a standstill.
ANTHONY LE BERRE, UNION REPRESENTATIVE (through translation): We do not want to paralyze France. That's not the primary objective. We have demands, and we want to be heard. There is a government who wants to pass a law by force, giving an impression that this is no longer a democracy.
MORGAN: Neither side is budging in what has become a standoff.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): The bill is still going ahead. They haven't changed their minds, and neither have we.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): I know that if everyone goes home, it means we will have lost, so we just have to hold out.
MORGAN: "Endless general strike," it reads, not a good sign as France prepares to host the European championships in just two weeks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, thousands of university students marched through the streets of Caracas, Venezuela on Thursday. They're demanding increased government funding for struggling schools. That's just one item on a long list of the country's problems.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MOISES MEDINA, STUDENT (through translation): All the universities
like the Central University of Venezuela are always on strike, because the employees are not getting paid.
DELIA ROJAS, STUDENT (through translation): This is a peaceful march. We just want to pass and continue our protest so that the government realizes what they are doing to us with these long lines, no food and insecurity in Venezuela.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Well, people are fed up with the President Nicolas Maduro, and they want him out. Venezuela now has the world's highest inflation rate, expected to hit 481 percent this year. Protests are happening every day as the government rations food and other basic necessities.
Well, some terrifying moments elsewhere in South America. A Bolivian media report that police fired water cannon on Wednesday at disabled demonstrators and their supporters in La Paz. Some of the protesters in wheelchairs were apparently held to the ground, but the government says people in the crowd were armed with knives.
VAUSE: Disabled activists have gathered for weeks in La Paz pleading for an increase in their monthly benefits. The government is reportedly opposed to that but might be interested in at least talking about it.
SESAY: All right, well, Barack Obama heads to Hiroshima, Japan in the coming hours more than 70 years after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the city during World War II.
Joining us now, CNN correspondent, Will Ripley, who is there in Hiroshima. Will, the President's trip to Hiroshima expected to last less than three hours. What do we know about the site he will visit and who he will interact with?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Isha. Well, in about 30 minutes, the President is expected to land at the Marine Corps base in Iwakuni, which is about 25 miles, 40 kilometers or so, from here. And he'll stay there for almost two hours, counting that in the travel time here to the actual site of the Hiroshima peace memorial.
At this location where I am now, the President's actually expected to spend really less than an hour or so. He'll lay a wreath at the cenotaph, which is the -- which is the concrete structure at the center of the Hiroshima peace memorial. It's designed to symbolize a shelter for the souls who died here in Hiroshima. 140,000 people died on the day of the A-bomb and then in the subsequent few months or so. So obviously, majority of the loss of life here in Japan was here in Hiroshima.
From a distance, the President will take in a view of the iconic A- dome, the building closest to ground zero that survived. And then he may speak very briefly with some of the Hiroshima survivors who will be in the front row. It's not expected to be a whole lot of time, just a few minutes to chat with them, and then he'll make some brief remarks before heading back for the Itoshima for the G7.
So not much time here, but certainly a very symbolic trip. The first time, as you said, a sitting president from the United States has come here. There have been 11 presidents elected since President Truman made the decision to drop the H-bomb. And Obama will be first one to come to this city.
SESAY: Will, the White House has stressed the U.S. president will not be apologizing for the U.S. decision to drop that bomb. But I'm wondering what the view is of residents there in Hiroshima. Are they holding out hope the president will in some way make some kind of acknowledgement of moral responsibility?
RIPLEY: It doesn't seem to be the case from the survivors in the former Hiroshima mayor, who I -- who I spoke with. He actually said that nobody's expecting an apology. He said that's almost a simplistic way to look at the significance of this event.
Keep in mind that officials here in Hiroshima have been trying since 1980. They've written to every president since Ronald Reagan, including Ronald Reagan, to come here and to see this site personally, not because they're expecting an apology but because they truly feel that only by visiting here, by seeing the memorial and really, most importantly, they think, speaking with the survivors will world leaders such as the U.S. president get a true sense of the horrific toll of the atomic bomb.
And as an American, this is my first visit here. And I do have to say that there is something very powerful about being in this -- in this city and seeing not only the destruction that it caused but also really the vibrant city that has sprung up over the last 70 years.
And so President Obama's remarks are really expected to focus on the horrific toll of nuclear war on the innocent civilians. 200,000 people died here in Japan as a result of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
But given the political sensitivity and, of course, all of Japan's own war crimes against China and South Korea, very carefully choreographed here not to give any even hint of an apology.
SESAY: Will Ripley, we appreciate the reporting. Will Ripley there in Hiroshima. Thank you.
VAUSE: Still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, there are new developments in the search for lost EgyptAir Flight 804. Why searchers may be closing in on plane, when we come back.
SESAY: Plus, there's Britain way (ph) of Brexit. London's mayor makes his case against leaving the E.U.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause.
SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay with the headlines this hour. Donald Trump now has more than number delegates to clinch the U.S. Republican presidential nomination. A group of previously uncommitted delegates pledged their support Thursday. Trump says he's thrilled that he clinched the nomination before Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Barack Obama heads to Hiroshima in the coming hours after he wraps up meetings at the G7 summit in Japan. Mr. Obama is the first sitting U.S. president ever to visit the city. The U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, effectively ending World War II.
SESAY: Iraqi forces and allied militaries are celebrating their first significant victory as they battle ISIS around Fallujah. They've retaken the nearby town of Karma. The victory means most of Iraq east of Fallujah is now under government control.
VAUSE: And a show of support for the Taliban's new leader with commanders pledging their allegiance to Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada in this amateur video They pledged their allegiance. A U.S. drone strike killed the previous leader, Mullah Mansour, in Pakistan on Saturday.
SESAY: Now, the G7 is warning against the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. World leaders say a so-called Brexit would be a big problem for global growth.
VAUSE: London's new mayor isn't a fan of the possible Brexit either. Sadiq Khan says the decision isn't just about the economic consequences. It's also about values. At an event in London, Khan said a vote to leave would send a message that Britain wants to stand alone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KHAN: I don't deny that we face major challenges across Europe from the long and sometimes difficult fallout from our rapid growth and globalization to climate change and the refugee crisis. Air quality terrorism, youth unemployment are all shared problems with our European neighbors.
Isolationism isn't the answer to any of the challenges we face. None of these challenges respect national borders, and they can't be solved by one country alone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Now, the referendum for this will be held next month. And right now, the polls show that many voters simply are divided on the issue.
SESAY: Yes, well, "CNN MONEY EUROPE" editor Nina dos Santos meets one family of farmers, who, despite spending half their income from the EU, are split on how they will vote.
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN MONEY EUROPE EDITOR (voice-over): After 10 years of marriage, three kids and a growing family business, Cari and Chad Cryer have started to have their differences. CARI CRYER, CO-OWNER, BRINKWORTH DAIRY: You'll be saying, I told you.
CHAD CRYER, CO-OWNER, BRINKWORTH DAIRY: Yes.
CARI CRYER: Say, we go out --
CHAD CRYER: I'm not like that --
CARI CRYER: -- and things get really --
DE SANTOS: Their beef? Not with each other but over Brussels, which Chad believes has sown the seeds of unfair competition.
CHAD CRIER: I'm going to be voting out, because I think the E.U. favors big business, and I don't think that is really the way farming in this country should be going.
DE SANTOS: Whilst Carrie credits the E.U. with access to a larger market and essential funds for upgrading their facilities.
CARI CRYER: I'm going to be voting for Britain to stay in in the referendum. I think that farming will do better if we stay in. I think that there's more support from European governments for farming than there is from the U.K. government.
DE SANTOS (on camera): Across the British Isles, agriculture is an emotive issue. About 70 percent of the country's land mass is dedicated to it. But it's a sector that only employs about 1 percent of the work force. And for that 1 percent, Brussels provides a financial life line. For farms like this, that's equivalent to almost half of their yearly income in the form of subsidies.
DE SANTOS (voice-over): The E.U. may sound like a cash cow, but such subsidies don't go far, especially in the dairy sector where a collapse in milk prices have sent more than half of the U.K.'s dairy farmers out of business since 2000. And to keep the farm going for a fourth generation, the Cryers have had to diversify into higher-margin products like cheese, yogurt and honey.
As irony would have it, it was a trip to the European Parliament to receive an award for their prized Wilkshire loaf that left Chad cheesed off.
CHAD CRYER: I went there with an open mind, but I made up my mind while I was there. Our voice in Europe is too divided. We can never vote together as a block as the French and Germans do, and it's for that reason that I think we should renegotiate somehow. And the only way to do that is to come out.
DE SANTOS: But if the U.K. decides in favor of pastures new or safer for heard, the effects of that decision will live on in the next wave of Cryers. What do they make of that?
CARI CRYER: So Thieves (ph), do you think we should stay in Europe, or do you think we should go out? Your mommy's team or daddy's team?
THIEVES CRYER (ph): I don't know. I guess it's whichever is best for farmers.
DE SANTOS: Nina De Santos, "CNN MONEY," Wilkshire, England.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: I think he just said whatever's best for farmers.
VAUSE: Wise words.
SESAY: Indeed.
VAUSE: The only thing about that is no one really knows.
SESAY: Had to kill the moment.
VAUSE: Sorry.
SESAY: Moving on.
There could be a major breakthrough in the search for EgyptAir Flight 804. Egyptian state media reports Airbus has detected signals from one of the plane's emergency locator transmitters.
VAUSE: Those devices are different from the plane's black boxes but should be able to help narrow the search area for the missing jet. Flight 804 disappeared over the Mediterranean last week with 66 people on board. They were on their way from Paris to Cairo.
There is news from another aviation mystery. CNN has obtained new images of debris believed to be from the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. It was found in Mozambique by a South African tourist.
SESAY: Well, Australia has announced a piece found in Mozambique and two from Mauritius will be taken to Australia for examination. MH370 disappeared in March 2014 with 239 people on board.
VAUSE: New surveillance video of a shooting in a New York rap concert which left one person dead. A warning here. Some of these images are quite dramatic.
Police say they arrest one man -- you see him here -- for attempted murder. He could face some other charges as well.
SESAY: Well, you can see him stumble into a VIP area and then fire two shoots. The suspect goes by the stage name "Troy Av." He performed before rapper T.I. was set to play. Police say Troy Av had also been shot, but they don't know whether he shot himself or if someone else did.
All right, we're going to take a quick break now.
VAUSE: More deaths on the Mediterranean Sea as rescuers scramble to save thousands of desperate migrants.
SESAY: And the cruelty this little boy suffered in Iraq nine years ago touched the hearts of millions. Our (inaudible) report of Youssif's story then. He's going to show us how he's doing now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Italian officials say up to 30 migrants died when their boat went down in the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday.
SESAY: Well, the Italian coast guard has been working to rescue people over the past days. They saved about 4,000 migrants in 22 locations off the Libyan coast on Thursday alone.
VAUSE: That's in addition to the 560 people rescued Wednesday. A packed boat capsized just as the Italian navy approached. At least five migrants, though, drowned.
SESAY: Well, U.S.-backed Kurdish and Syrian democratic forces are reporting progress in their battle against ISIS in Syria. The coalition of militaries says it has now forced ISIS out of some 10 north of Raqqa, ISIS' self-proclaimed capital. A spokesman says 23 ISIS fighters were killed.
VAUSE: U.S. special operations forces are assisting the militias. Agence France-Presses says these photographs show them operating north of Raqqa. The Pentagon says they're there to advise only, and they are not engaged in combat.
And Iraqi forces battling ISIS around Fallujah are celebrating their first significant victory. Iraqi troops and their military allies have retaken the town of Karma. It's about 16 kilometers northeast of Fallujah. The victory means most of Iraq east of Fallujah is now under government control.
SESAY: Intense fire fights and bombardments are continuing around Fallujah itself. This map here on your screen shows how the offensive toward Fallujah is unfolding. As you can see, Iraqi forces are pushing to advance from the south, east and west.
Now, the world came to now him as Youssif, the little Iraqi boy who was horribly scarred in a senseless act of cruelty.
VAUSE: CNN's Arwa Damon reported his story then. She's followed his progress every step of the way. She has an update now on how his life has changed. Now, he's living in California.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON: Hey, look at you. You got so big.
DAMON (voice-over): Youssif has grown in numerous ways. He has been a hero for many over the years. Superman is his.
YOUSSIF: So in a project in my English class, and so each person got to choose one super hero.
DAMON (on camera): Do you identify with him?
YOUSSIF: Yes. DAMON: In what sense?
YOUSSIF: I try to fit in with everyone.
DAMON: And is that still hard for you?
YOUSSIF: Not really, because now I make friends easily.
DAMON (voice-over): Youssif was just four years old when masked men attacked him outside his Baghdad home. We reported his story. The outpouring of support came from across the globe, and Youssif and his family ended up in Los Angeles where his parents heard their son laugh and shriek for the first time in the months since the attack, where strangers gathered in prayer on the beach, moving his mother to tears.
He has since undergone multiple surgeries. The memory of Iraq and the evil he experienced all but erased.
DAMON (on camera): You were saying you don't remember anything about Baghdad.
YOUSSIF: Yes, I don't. I don't remember my family that much. Only my grandparents.
DAMON (voice-over): In many ways, he's just like any other teen. Obsessed with soccer, has loads of friends. And still wants to become a doctor to help others. But he knows he may not see his homeland in his lifetime.
DAMON (on camera): You've been following the news about what's happening in Iraq with ISIS?
YOUSSIF: Yes, I feel really bad for all the people and all those kids and stuff. It's like, those terrorists aren't Muslims. They're just extremists.
DAMON (voice-over): We can't disclose his father we found's identity for the security of the family back in Iraq.
YOUSSIF: I'm trying not to read and see what's going on, because whatever I see is sad there. Everything is just sad.
DAMON: And life as a refugee is never easy. Yousam (ph) has only been able to find a part-time job and is looking for more work.
YOUSAM (ph): At the same time, as you see, so many people looking for job. It's not only me.
DAMON: They are all profoundly aware that they are fortunate to have survived and escaped the war zone thanks to the kindness of strangers who continue to finance Youssif's medical expenses.
YOUSSIF: Every surgery that I have is like one step closer to the finish line.
DAMON: You're starting high school. YOUSSIF: Yes, I'm really excited, too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: And I'm pleased to say Arwa Damon is here with us to discuss this in more detail. Arwa, first let me say, thank you so much for your commitment to this story.
DAMON: It's impossible not to be committed to him. I mean, when you look at his journey and how far he's come and when you realize, you know, as journalists, you rarely get to tell this kind of story, especially out of a place like Iraq.
And he stole all of our hearts. I mean there's no way to not want to --
VAUSE: He's a sweet kid.
DAMON: -- go and see him again. He's amazing.
SESAY: And how do you feel about all the progress he's made as you've watched it over the years?
DAMON: I said at the time that the story aired some nine years that if the only thing I accomplished in my career was that story and the effect that it had on his life, I would be satisfied. And that's not just because of the impact it had on him and on his family, but because I genuinely believe that he is going to turn around and help other children like him.
VAUSE: OK. He's already gone through so many surgeries over the past few years. Let's take a look at his progress, because this is how he has progressed since 2007 and up until 2013. And we just saw him essentially today.
So, you know, there has been progress made. He's 14 now. How much more can the surgeons actually do for him?
DAMON: It's going to be tough to tell, and he was a challenge all along because of the way that his face was scarring post-surgery. He developed very thick scar tissue. And then, of course, he's a growing boy, and he's going to continue to grow and develop.
So he has another surgery actually scheduled next month, but he's kind of gotten at a stage where he doesn't fear the surgeries. And we were chatting about it. It seems like the only part that hurts is when they take the stitches out.
He knows that each surgery is a step closer to that, but he's also, all things considered, fairly well adjusted to the fact that he doesn't look like everybody else.
VAUSE: How do the other kids react to him? Because, you know, high school's tough for anybody. You know, so how is he with other kids? And how are they with him? DAMON: Well, part of the reason why the family is struggling financially is because they're staying in the neighborhood in Los Angeles that they can't necessarily afford. But they want to stay there, because it's close to the hospital and because that community knows him.
These are kids who have known him since he first arrived, so they've grown accustom to him. But he also is used to dealing with the dynamics that come with being a child who looks like that.
And oddly enough, kids -- he was saying don't ask him what happened. Some of the people who've been his friends don't necessarily find out immediately that he's this child who suffered this horrible crime in a country called Iraq.
SESAY: Do you -- as you look at the situation and as you spend time with him on this latest trip, do you detect any lingering signs of the trauma of everything he's endured, everything he's been through?
DAMON: I think they'll always be an underlying trauma of everything, because at the end of the day, he goes through a level of it every single day. Every time he looks in mirror, every time that he realizes that he looks different to his siblings.
That being said and done, I mean, this kid has a remarkable ability to just process everything around him. He's a teenager, but at the same time, he has this maturity to him. He is an old soul, and he has that kind of calming capacity to him.
When you ask him these questions, how do the other kids treat you, how are you coping with it, is it bothering you, he says no. His father will then turn around and say, look, you know, sometimes obviously, he does get bothered by it. But by and large, he's a tough boy. He really is.
VAUSE: When we were chatting, you said that the story you filed on Youssif going to the beach where the group of Christians stopped and prayed around him, you said that was probably the best day you've ever had. You know, for Youssif, he considers himself lucky, doesn't he?
DAMON: He does. And we were talking also about the refugee crisis.
VAUSE: Yes.
DAMON: I was speaking to him and his family about this. And I guess it's a bitter twist of irony in that what happened to him allowed them to eventually come to the United States. And he considers himself lucky, because he's already here.
VAUSE: He got away from ISIS.
DAMON: He got away from ISIS, and they didn't have to make that choice of getting in those boats with all of the other refugees and trying to make that treacherous journey to Europe. And he realizes he's lucky. He says, look, I had it easy. I had CNN by my side. I had the CNN support by my side. SESAY: And do they feel about the situation in Iraq now? I mean, I
know you spoke to the father and --
DAMON: It's so difficult for them, because nine years, especially for his parents. I mean, they haven't seen their parents. And, you know, his father, Yousam's (ph) sister, has cancer. She's not doing well. His mother, Zanep's (ph) father passed away two years ago. She hasn't been able to see him.
It's hard. It's always hard to be a foreigner in a strange land. And at the same time, they recognize that what they're going through, this is what a lot of these refugee families are going through when they're coming to the United States or even to other European countries.
It's not easy leaving everything behind, even if do you have that level of support that Youssif and his family had. To come somewhere where everything is foreign and strange to you and where those little things that you crave that are home, that are familiar, they're just not around anymore.
VAUSE: Yes. Arwa, thank you very much.
SESAY: Thank you so much.
VAUSE: And anybody watching at home, because we all remember at the time there was this outpouring of help for Youssif. So if would you like to help Youssif now and his family, don't forget them, because they have a GoFundMe page, and you can find the address at Arwa's Twitter page, @arwaCNN. Don't forget out this family. Don't about this little boy.
SESAY: Yes. Once again, Arwa, thank you for the commitment to this story.
We're going to a very quick break. Do stay with us. We'll be right back with much more of the day's top stories.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: Hello, everyone. Some people say couples who sweat together, stay together.
VAUSE: It is hot in here.
SESAY: Now one American entrepreneur is putting that manga to the test. He says he was sick of meeting dates over drinks and coffee.
VAUSE: So as "CNN MONEY'S" Samuel Burke reports, that led to a dating app for fitness buffs.
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You know that feeling when you lay eyes on someone for the very first time. But what if it's on a date where you're all sweaty and gross? That's the premise of dating app Meet Me Outside.
ROB HAND, CO-FOUNDER, MEET ME OUTSIDE: Typical dating is nerve- racking. Actually sitting down face to face interview style doesn't help alleviate any of that nervousness or anxiety.
On Meet Me Outside, we give you potential matches every 24 hours based on your active interest like running, hiking, biking, weight lifting, rock climbing. And once a couple matches, they can chat, and from there, we also show you activities that are nearby that you can suggest as date ideas.
BURKE: Co-founder Rob Hand designed the app for people who are passionate about a healthy lifestyle. So we came to the great, well, almost outdoors to meet up with Bridget and Todd on their first date.
BRIDGET FOSSEL, MEET ME OUTSIDE USER: I'm hope it'll be really fun. It'll be funny, and I hope that I'm better at rock climbing than he is.
TODD CARSON, MEET ME OUTSIDE USER: I'd really like to meet someone, you know, I have similar interests in and, you know, don't have to require alcohol to get the conversation going.
BURKE: Revenue from the mobile dating market is expected to hit $415 million in the U.S. alone by 2017, and plenty of start-ups want a piece of the action.
BURKE (on camera): How much do people have to pay to use the service?
HAND: It's completely free.
BURKE: So how are you making money then?
HAND: We hope that we'll make money off the advertisements of the businesses that we're promoting as first dates.
BURKE (voice-over): That's a very different approach from Tinder, which has ads and a premium tier with more than one million paying members. Last quarter, it helped parent company Match notch a 24- percent rise in revenue to more than $260 million.
BURKE (on camera): Who is your typical user of this app? Is it like a hard core outdoor person?
HAND: It's everyone and in between. We have some people that are very earth centric and that like to be outdoors and be into nature. Then we have some people that are really into fitness.
BURKE: So how's the date going?
FOSSEL: It's going pretty well. It's definitely a good workout.
BURKE: Who's the better climber?
CARSON: Her for sure. She's been doing it for --
FOSSEL: I can't feel my arms.
BURKE: All right, I'll let you keep climbing.
FOSSEL: OK, thanks.
BURKE: Do you worry that your competitors might just be able to copy the same exact thing you're doing and set people up on activity dates?
HAND: You know, I don't. We're getting that second generation of people who are moving past Tinder that are looking for something that really pertains to their lifestyle.
BURKE (voice-over): Tinder now ha 80 percent of the market, eating into the share of big names like OKCupid and Match.com, which once dominated.
So was it love at first climb?
FOSSEL: I thought he was a great guy. Really nice, very funny. Really good guy.
BURKE: And a second date?
CARSON: I'm pretty hungry right now. I might ask her to go get some food.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: I think Samuel Burke ruined their date. He was -- he seemed like a stalker. How's the date going?
SESAY: Who wants to be on a date and see Samuel Burke just pop up?
VAUSE: It's like what happens afterwards? Does he follow? Anyway.
SESAY: Yes.
VAUSE: (Inaudible) 11-year-old Nihar Janga in Texas and a 13-year-old Jairam Hathwar of New York are co-champions of the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee here here in the U.S.
So Jairam seen on the right correctly spelled Feldenkrais, which is a method of education. And the competition ended after Nihar nailed the German word, gesellschaft.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIHAR JANGA, SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE CO-CHAMPION: G-e-s-e-l-l- s-c-h-a-f-t, gesellschaft
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is correct.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: So Isha, what does gesellschaft mean? Oh, we don't know.
Both winners will each receive a $40,000 cash prize as well as other gifts. Nihar's dad also promised him a see the Dallas Cowboys.
SESAY: This is actually the third year in row that these kids have been co-champions. And get this. Jairam's older brother was a co- champion just two years ago.
VAUSE: That is one smart family. We're going to find out what gesellschaft means, and we'll tell you next hour.
SESAY: So you're going to stay with us.
Thank you for watching --
VAUSE: That's called a tease.
SESAY: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.
VAUSE: I'm John Vause. We'll be back with another hour of news from around the world as well as the definition of gesellschaft after a short break.
SESAY: You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
