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EU Ministers Met Earlier Today In Berlin, To Discuss The Terms Of The So-Called Brexit; Rain Has Finally Stopped In West Virginia, But Rescues Are Still Underway At This Hour, After Record Flooding Left At Least 26 People Dead; Donald Trump, Well, He Remains In Scotland Today; At Least 15 People Are Dead And 25 Others Injured After A Car And A Suicide Bombing Take Place At A Hotel In The Capital City Of Mogadishu; Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch And Real Estate Mogul Donald Trump Now Turned Presidential Candidate Are Having Dinner Tonight, In Scotland. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired June 25, 2016 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00120] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
All right. It was the breakup heard around the world, and now less than two days after the British public voted to leave the European Union, EU leaders say they do not want to waste anytime negotiating what they call a less than amicable divorce.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER, GERMAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER (through translator): After the decision that has been made by Great Britain, there is a process to negotiate their exit from the European Union. And that is a process according to article 50. Today, we are jointly saying that this process needs to start as soon as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: EU ministers met earlier today in Berlin, to discuss the terms of the so-called Brexit.
Nima Elbagir is following the latest developments from London.
So Nima, the EU certainly wasting no time on the process. Now what?
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, now the meetings begin. The negotiations begin. On Wednesday, the EU ministers are meeting. One of those meetings, Prime Minister David Cameron and his delegation will be present for, and one he won't. Because the EU in a very difficult spot -- EU leaders are in a very difficult spot. There is, of course, a lot of pressure on David Cameron to at least, perhaps not just for the sake of his legacy, but also for the sake of his country, to negotiate some attractive terms. The question is, with both France and Germany facing elections next year and facing local far-right movements, so they are saying if Britain can do it, then why can't we? And a very unpopular European Union across much of the mainland, in many of the grassroots territories, they will not be want to be seen to concede that much. This is not going to be a particularly quote "pleasant end" to his rule as Prime Minister, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Now, the concern, also, in the European Union is whether other countries will follow suit, of what, you know, Great Britain just did. How much of a worry is that?
ELBAGIR: Well, we have seen far-right leaders, like Marie La Penn in France, who of course have their own substantial popularity, it's fair to say, among the same kind of demographic that is Euro skeptic and have voters in Holland. But what made the British experience, the British experiment so dangerous for European Union unity is that it was called by the ruling party. And that's really what differentiates these calls that we are hearing now with what happened in Britain. But, again, with those elections coming up, both leaders, both Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande, who is pretty unpopular right now, in France, are going to be dealing with the reality that this will have given weight to that European Union skepticism, a that sense that the European Union isn't good for the working classes in Europe. And Britain believe - Great Britain acted on it and why can't we - Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Nima Elbagir in very wet, rainy kind of typical of London weather, but that's the way it is. And also fits kind of the mood of lot a of people, too.
Nima, thank you so much.
ELBAGIR: Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: All right, so many people in the UK are now voicing doubts over the referendum outcome. Feelings of re-Brexit, if you will. An online petition with more than a million signatures calls for a second referendum on the EU membership.
CNN's business correspondent Samuel Burke joining me right now, live me now from New York with more many on this.
So Samuel, the petition, what's the likelihood of its potential effectiveness.
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It is so hard to keep track of all this terms. You have Brexit and then this now the read-write (ph). And now there's this petition online that in the past few minutes they take 1.9 million signatures. This is on the official UK parliament website. And it only needs 100,000 signatures to be considered for debate in that parliament. And already a conservative member of parliament saying, he is answering the hundreds of emails and that they will, in fact, on Tuesday, he says, consider a second referendum. But before people get their hopes up after they cloud a market, what they did yesterday, just know that David Cameron, the current prime minister, has said from the beginning, there will not be a second referendum. But millions of people now signing that petition.
WHITFIELD: OK, it is really nerve-racking for a lot of people there, and even abroad. In fact, you know, people were googling, you know, what is the EU? They want to know more about, you know, in the wake of Brexit, what potentially could happen. What are the dominant questions or dominant regrets that people are expressing?
BURKE: We have all had to get up to speed on our British terms and our UK terms. But what was even more alarming, Fred, was the fact that people inside the UK. If you look at this list, I thought it was hoax when I first saw it online. Turns out it is real. It's from Google. The second most Google term inside the UK is what is the European Union? OK, if you don't live in the United States and you don't know it --
[13:05:02] WHITFIELD: You get that. But you're living there and you don't you what is?
BURKE: Living inside, the EU. My only hope for humanity is that people who didn't vote were googling this after.
WHITFIELD: OK, then there's twitter. And there are people who are expressing themselves in other ways that way. How?
BURKE: Yes. This gets back to that regret that you were mentioning at the beginning. People on twitter and with inside the UK who saw what happened on the stock market, not just in the UK, in the United States, around the world, and are now expressing this regret. This woman inside England saying, I personally voted leave believing these lies and I regret it more than anything. I feel genuinely robbed of my vote.
Also, one person on Facebook saying, I made the biggest mistake in my life voting to leave. Now I regret it. He is saying that he regrets it because a lot of money that they paid to the EU was promised to go to the national health care system and already one of the leaders of the leave campaign is, there is a campaign that is saying, we can't hold that promise. It won't go there. So you are seeing anecdotally a lot of these types of comments on social media inside the UK, Fred.
WHITFIELD: So it's almost, Samuel, as if some people are expressing themselves by saying, OK, I was on the bandwagon, because I was angry or upset about it too, but then, you know, in my heart, I really didn't think it was possible. And now, it is possible. I think Nima described it earlier, some people saying it's like a very bad hangover.
BURKE: Hindsight is 20/20. I think when people woke up and saw what happened across the globe, they regretted it. Tony Blair, the former prime minister, though, had wise words, many people who voted leave for the exit saw this as a protest vote, and it wasn't, I'm afraid. It was a decision vote.
So yes, we have heard some people saying, well, I always thought that the stay campaign is going to win, so maybe I voted that way. But your vote is very powerful. And unlike the Electoral College we have here in the U.S., every vote is counted in the UK. It comes down just to the numbers, nothing else. Not districts or anything like that.
WHITFIELD: And ultimately, maybe that is the universal message. And so many people argue, whether it be this country or elsewhere, taking your vote doesn't count. Well, this exemplifies, guess what, your vote does count.
BURKE: Boy, does it. It really does.
WHITFIELD: All right. Samuel Burke. Thank you so much, in New York, appreciate it.
All right, straight ahead, Scotland overwhelmingly voted to stay with the EU and they're not happy with the Brexit results. The options that they are now weighing. Could they break away from the UK?
Plus, record-setting flooding, devastation in West Virginia. More than two dozen are dead. Trees and power lines are buckling and the streets look like that. They are swamped. Rescuers still scrambling to help many from these raging waters. That is next.
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[13:10:49] WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
So breaking news now out of West Virginia, where the rain has finally stopped, but rescues are still underway at this hour, after record flooding left at least 26 people dead. West Virginia's governor has requested a federal disaster declaration for that state.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people remain stranded. Somme forced to get on their rooftops to escape the raging waters. The flood so violent in some cases and rising so rapidly, one resident says the streets at one point actually looked more like an ocean.
Nick Valencia has more on the deadliest flash flooding in the U.S. in six years.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the last two days, West Virginia has been pounded by heavy thunderstorms and massive flooding.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Guys, watch out.
VALENCIA: This house exploded into flames and floated down the river. This family picked through the smoldering remains of what was once their home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't get the memories out of my head.
VALENCIA: Eye-popping currents ravaged the mountain state, leaving at least 26 dead on Saturday morning. A day before, 4-year-old Edward McMillian was playing behind his home when he was washed away by rapid floodwaters. His body was recovered from a nearby creek.
MELISSA SCARBERRY, EDWARD'S AUNT: This has been horrific. A nightmare. I mean, I -- there's no words can explain.
VALENCIA: It's being called a thousand-year flood. The high terrain along the rivers in the southeastern part of the state is only making problems worse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you add nine inches of rain over just short period of time, in the mountains, it causes the waters to come up very rapidly.
VALENCIA: The rising waters took out bridges and broke barges loose.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Older people that's worked all their life for what they have got and in one day, it's all gone.
VALENCIA: Hundreds of first responders, including 200 National Guardsmen have been deployed to help families like this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And they said the last thing they knew was somebody threw her a rope and then they never heard anymore.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VALENCIA: The stories there in West Virginia, just heartbreaking. We saw some very devastating floods late last year in South Carolina. Earlier this year, it was in Louisiana and Houston. But what's happening in West Virginia right now seems to be the worst of it all.
Let's just update you on some numbers here. Nearly 20,000 people still without power. There are other local reports that put the number much higher. And we had somebody with the department of emergency management on just two hours ago, saying already, 300 water rescues, and at this hour, another 150 are still underway.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my God. That's pretty significant. So, I mean, they are certainly not out of the woods. We saw in some, you know, earlier images, a lot of the mud, receding water, but the flooding, the rushing waters is still very much a threat?
VALENCIA: The overflowing rivers, there's chances for pop-up showers, and some places, they had nine inches of rain in less than 24 hour, it is really swell these rivers, as high as 33 feet in some areas. So we have Brynn Gingras there. She has been reporting from the ground and just the images just heartbreaking. You can see the mud everywhere. This flash flood is just going in, now leaving, receding, but still a problem. Water rescues still an issue.
WHITFIELD: All right, they are very scary. I mean that flash flooding, that stuff comes in in an instant and catch you off far by surprise and that's why it becomes so potentially fatal.
All right. Thank you so much, Nick Valencia. Appreciate that.
All right. Well, next, today a lot of Scottish people are unhappy with the Brexit results because most Scotts voted to stay with the EU. So what will they do, next? We got a live report from Edinburg, next.
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[13:17:56] WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.
Even though the UK voted to leave the EU, Scotland overwhelmingly voted to stay. You can see all the blue on the map there. That indicates where the remain votes are. And now the Scottish first minister says it's likely they will seek independence from the UK. But it's not the first time that they have tried to break away. An independence referendum failed back in 2014.
Our David McKenzie joins me now from Edinburgh, Scotland.
So, boy, this is getting very confusing, isn't it, David? Because we are talking about Scotland seeking independence from the UK, but then does that mean it would remain with the EU?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, not necessarily, Fredricka, because we really are in uncharted legal and diplomatic territory, yes, it is confusing. Let me try to break it down for you. Scotland voted to stay in the EU, as you showed there. England, to the south of here, voted primarily to leave the EU. So the Scottish are angry that they say that their destiny is it's undemocratic, particularly the powerful first minister here, which is in charge of the local government in Scotland and she is saying that very much on the table is to have a referendum here in Scotland, seeking independence from a greater United Kingdom, and maybe that is a step towards remaining in the EU. But the EU might not want that, because they might want, not make it too easy for anyone to kind of breakaway and then stay. But they said that they will have meetings directly with EU diplomats in the next two weeks, to try to thrash out some of these incredibly difficult legal questions, but, you know, people I'm speaking to on the street here feel betrayed by England. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't want to split from the union. But we have no choice. Sorry, I'm not being biased here. I'm so good in English.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm worried because I just talked (INAUDIBLE) my grandson wanted to travel the world, and I just talked, travel the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[13:20:07] MCKENZIE: Well, there is certainly is that that sentiment a great deal here. This generational issue that many of the younger people in England and certainly most of the people here in Scotland wanted to stay in the EU, because of the opportunities for travel, for trade, for living and working throughout the 28-member block. And so Scotland's trying to do all it can to stay in, but it might be a very tricky and lengthy process - Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And would there be a potential timeline in their attempts?
MCKENZIE: I think politically, you've got a few months where the Scottish government can try to push through some kind of referendum, or at least announce a referendum while there's general chaos in Westminster, that houses the parliament in the UK. So there is a sense that there is this window where they can try to find a way to stay inside the EU. But as I said before, the European commission might not want to kind of make these options available because there may be other small republic can try to break away or stay. It's sort of just generally chaos right now, because this is an unprecedented situation.
WHITFIELD: It is. Bringing lots of ruffled feathers.
All right, thank you so much, David McKenzie, appreciate it. A very rainy Edinburg.
All right, straight ahead, how Donald Trump is using the Brexit results to his advantage. That's next.
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[13:24:35] WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
Donald Trump, well, he remains in Scotland today. The trip was planned to promote one of his golf courses, but he landed just in time for the Brexit bombshell vote. And some political pundits are saying those results bode well for Trump in November. And the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is pouncing on that opportunity, tweeting quote "many people are equating Brexit and what's going on in Great Britain with what is happening in the U.S. People want their country back."
Joining me right now from Aberdeen, Scotland, CNN senior White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, traveling with Donald Trump.
So how is that vote dictating his activity today, while at the same time, he's also promoting the opening of Turnberry?
[13:25:25] JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fredricka. He is certainly promoting his golf courses here in Scotland, but he is taking a lot of questions. I was on the most unusual press conference you could ever think of here in Aberdeen, Scotland, today, where we basically followed Donald Trump along the way as he toured his golf course here, riding on the back of gator tractors, following him in his golf cart along the way.
And we were asking him questions about the Brexit decision here in the United Kingdom. He once again said there were parallels between what happened here and the United Kingdom and what he hopes will take place this fall in the November election.
But he took a lot of different questions, Fredricka. I asked him whether or not he was getting any other campaign work done on this trip, and I asked him whether or not he was actually working on his vice presidential selection process, and he said, actually, he is. And here's more of what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Just heard the results. I wish --
Just tell me what I'm good at. A lot of people that want it. I will tell you one thing, I'm getting calls from a lot of people and they want -- the only people that say they don't want it are the people that -- you know, I've read, every once in a while say they don't want -- but we have a lot of people that want that slot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: So there you have it. Donald Trump saying a lot of people want it, talking about that vice presidential pick, Fredricka.
You know, a lot of other things that Donald Trump talked about today that we should get into. He also talked about the financial impact of the Brexit decision here. He tried to scale back a little bit of what he said yesterday, when he sort of brushed off concerns about what is happening in the financial markets. He said today that he thinks some of that will iron itself out. It will turn around in the months to come.
And he also defended this golf trip. You now, there are a lot of Republicans back at home, as you know, Fredricka, who are sort of scratching their heads and wondering what is Donald Trump doing out here when he's behind in the polls. Trump said, I'm just here for tonight, one more night, and I'm heading back to New York later on tonight. And he is having one more key meeting, we should point out, Fredricka, before he heads off, back to the U.S. He is meeting with media mogul Rupert Murdoch. As a matter of fact, they are having dinner right now here at his resort in Scotland -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Again, very convenient.
ACOSTA: Very.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jim Acosta, thank you so much.
All right. Let's talk more about this. Ron Brownstein. He is a senior CNN political analyst and the senior editor at "the Atlantic." And good to see you. And Rebecca Berg is a national political reporter for "Real Clear Politics." Good to see you, as well.
All right. So Rebecca, you first. Donald Trump is trying to use this to his advantage. Incredible timing that he would be there, promoting his golf course at the same time, on the heels of this vote. How long can he ride this momentum to try to use it to his advantage?
REBECCA BERG, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, REAL CLEAR POLITICS: Well, certainly, we have never failed to see Donald Trump insert himself into any news cycle and he's done so again in this case. But it's unclear how long he can ride this wave, Fredricka. Because really he is been pointing out that there are some similarities and some crossover in terms of the sentiments being expressed by Britons in -- by British voters in Brexit vote, very anti-immigration sentiments especially driving these vote. And we are seeing the same sentiments here in the United States, driving support for Donald Trump.
And so the point that he is making, essentially, is that this is a precursor to his own success here in the general election in November. It's a good opportunity for him to bring the spotlight on to himself and to project confidence. But beyond that, I think the long-term consequences of this vote for Donald Trump will likely be very limited.
WHITFIELD: So, then, Ron, what do you see as the potential downside in which the way he is promoting this opportunity, particularly when you have, you know, the pound dropping to its lowest level in 30 years. You've got this, you know, people expressing their concern about the future of Great Britain.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think the first point is, if you really look at the results carefully, it shows more the limits than the potential of the kind of defensive nationalism argument that Trump is making here in the U.S.,
WHITFIELD: What do you mean?
BROWNSTEIN: You know, the strength of the leave vote was among older, whiter, non-urban, and non-college. That is a direct parallel with Donald Trump. The difference is that that is a much bigger piece of the overall pie in the UK than it is here. In particular, the key difference is that 87 percent of the UK is white, maybe 90 percent of the voters were white. Here, it will likely be more like 70 percent. And why voters voted 53-47 to leave, which meant, 53 percent of the white voters in the UK voted for the kind of defensive nationalist message that Trump is offering. If he wins 53 percent of the white voters in the U.S., he will lose in a landslide. He has to do much better than that to win here, probably closer to 63 percent.
So I think if anything, this showed the limits of this argument, particularly among college-educated whites, urban whites, all of whom very resistant to the kind of arguments that were made on behalf, which are very similar to the arguments that Donald Trump is making here in the U.S. The big difference is a much more diverse country and Democrats can win with a much smaller share of the white working class than the remain campaign needed to survive.
[13:30:37] WHITFIELD: And last night, this is how president saw all of this, reiterating his thought and even some new ones while in Seattle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And we don't have time for charlatans and we don't have time for hatred and we don't have time for bigotry and we don't have time for flimflam. We don't have the luxury of just popping off and saying whatever comes to the top of our heads.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So, is President Obama not necessarily, you know, expounding right there on Brexit, but instead, you know, talking about the presentation of a campaign, making those inferences to, you know, Donald Trump's style, his strategy here, Rebecca, this is almost like a, I guess, a reminder, you know, from the Obama White House of trying to impress how people need to be evaluating what it is they see on the campaign trail.
BERG: And certainly, this is a critique we have been hearing from President Obama at various junctures throughout this campaign. And now that the campaign is going to be in full swing and he will be out on the campaign for Hillary Clinton I'm sure we are going to be hearing a lot more of this.
One thing that the president, and I think, Democrats, will be very careful about with this particular argument is there is a risk of going overboard and sounding condescending. And of course, voters don't take well to being condescended to it. So that's sort of a risk in this argument that they are making. But certainly, the critique of Donald Trump, as someone who is spewing hate, as even bigoted, using bigoted rhetoric on the campaign trail, we have heard this a lot from Democrats. And it seems, perhaps, this is getting through to his campaign. He said, speaking with reporters in Scotland today, that he is actually walking back his Muslim ban proposal. Now the campaign says it's going to be limited to Muslims from countries where there is pervasive terrorism. That's a big departure from what he has said in the past. And we hear reaction to this.
WHITFIELD: Yes. And we are still digging into that, to see if anything new right now is being said about that.
All right. So, Ron, let me ask you this about Hillary Clinton, you know, President Obama, trying to issue those reminders now about, you know, this is the candidate, Donald Trump, that you're seeing. This is how you evaluate that. But now you've got Bernie Sanders, who is also, perhaps changing his tune, or at least saying now, there may be some port that he is willing to throw the way of Hillary Clinton., how do you see that potential trifecta making an impact?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, inevitably, inexorably, Sanders is going to have to get to the point of supporting Clinton because the entire Democratic coalition, you know, is so opposed to the idea of a Trump presidency than anybody who is not on the battlefield I think could not recover from that.
I do think the president's arguments are important, because they go to the fundamental strategic conundrum facing the Trump campaign. Because he won the nomination behind such racially polarizing arguments, he is facing historically unfavorable ratings among minorities. That requires him, if he is going to win, to push up his white vote also to historic highs. He has to win probably as much as the white vote as Ronald Reagan did in 1984. The problem he has got is that the same issues that drive away minority voter also cause him problems with white collar white voters. You know, there have been two polls out this week with Hillary Clinton
leading him among college-educated white voters. No Democrat, Fred, in the history of polling going back to 1952 has ever won most college educated white voters. And Hillary Clinton is now running ahead of Donald Trump, largely because some of those voters are recoiling from the same arguments and positions, like the Muslim ban, that have driven away so many minority voters. That is the conundrum that he faces.
WHITFIELD: All right. Ron Brownstein, Rebecca Berg, thanks. We are going to leave it right there. Appreciate it.
BERG: Thank you.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
WHITFIELD: And now this breaking news we're following out of Somalia. At least 15 people are dead and 25 others injured after a car and a suicide bombing take place at a hotel in the capital city of Mogadishu. Police say most of those killed and injured were civilians, just passing by or customers in nearby shops and a gas station. Heavy gunfire followed as armed gunmen stormed the hotel, which is often used by Somali government officials, lawmakers, and security force officers. Al Shabaab is now claiming responsibility for those attacks today.
All right. Now, coming up, back to the Brexit vote. Causing markets to plummet, including right here in the U.S. what should you do to protect your investments? We'll talk to a financial adviser, straight ahead, next.
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[13:39:02] WHITFIELD: Overseas, markets opening tomorrow night, as investors brace for more possible shock waves after global markets plummeted. In the U.S., the Dow Jones plunged over 600 points and you're probably not alone if you have been nervously checking your 401(k).
CNN Money Europe editor Nina dos Santos joining me now from London.
So Nina, you know, the initial reaction, obviously, from a number of people, very bumpy, very nervous about their 401(k)s, but then also, advisers always say, you've got to think long-term. Don't make knee- jerk reaction kind of decisions or observations.
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN MONEY EUROPE EDITOR: Yes. Which is ironic, isn't it? Because what has caused all of this a knee-jerk reaction with the UK deciding to vote and shock fashion in favor of the so- called Brexit, Fredricka. It will take some time to recover that was trillion dollar-worth that was lost on these world markets. And yes, if you're brave enough to take a look into your 401(k), you could be nursing some losses. Because from the Dow to the S&P 500, all of these markets ended the day down about 3.6 of one percent. Even if you're invested in technology shares, on the NASDAQ where they weren't immune either. That market was also down. One of the sweet spots is probably gold. That precious medal
appreciated in excess of eight percent on Friday's session alone. As we head into Monday, people are saying, well, things may tar start to abate. It is also important to remember that the UK has voted to leave the EU, but it hasn't actually filed the paperwork for that. And that perhaps could give people a little bit of breathing room to assess where we go from here.
Bright spot, though, Fredricka, if you're holding any assets in U.S. dollars, the U.S. dollar has been increasing against other currencies, not at least the British pound, which has fallen like a stone, and that means it will be less expensive, quite a bit cheaper, to come here on holiday to the UK if anybody's planning to do that.
[13:04:49] WHITFIELD: Well, that is true. But if trade and investments do suffer, you know, that could push Britain into a recession, potentially. We are hearing that kind of language. Are there fears that other European facings, you know, and the U.S., maybe not really the U.S., but I think more people are thinking other European nations may follow suit.
DOS SANTOS: Yes, well the real fear here is that it's taken so long for the Eurozone in particular, that's the part of the EU that shares the single currency the Euro to get back on its feet. It only started really to sort of growing any meaningful passion in just the first half of this year. People are worrying that this hold decision by the UK, to leave the EU, could derail that nascent recovery.
When it comes to the United States, well, the U.S. economy is much stronger, it's further along in its cycle. You take a look at the Federal Reserve. It's the only central bank around the world that feels confident enough to raise interest rates over there. But it is significant for the United States, because the UK's the seventh largest trading partner of the U.S. and overall, the EU is the biggest trading area that the U.S. trades with. So, if the UK does decide to leave, and that destabilizes the EU, it also is a concern for America as well.
WHITFIELD: Are there positive financial ramifications?
DOS SANTOS: You know, some people, of course those who advocated voting leave in this country, in the UK, where I am today, say the pound falling is good for trade. So forget about the fact that the UK will be kissing good-bye to 34 years-worth of trading of agreements, so 27 other EU countries, if the pound falls by a lot. That means it makes the goods that this country produces far more competitive on the overseas markets. It makes it cheaper for people stateside, where you are, to buy goods. So that could, in the end, help to sort of mitigate the economy here.
WHITFIELD: All right. Nina Dos Santos, thank you so much. Appreciate that.
All right. Well, let's also talk about the potential impact here, to talk about all of this, Rob Wilson, an independent financial adviser. So, Rob, people are worried about that are 401(k)s. You can't help,
you know, but expect that people will think kind of selfishly, how does this impact me? They get a little nervous or wonder if they need to start moving things around. What's your best advice to folks who are so nervous?
ROB WILSON, INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL ADVISOR: My absolute best advice for people who are a little bit nervous about what's going on right now is to not panic. Panic is never a good investment strategy. But for people who feel like this is the second coming of the financial crisis, look, this is not Lehman brothers 2.0. We are not going to have another financial crisis because of this.
Look, back then, I had to talk to my clients about whether their bank was going to be open the next day. This is dramatically different. It's going to take a few years for all of this to play itself out. So it is not the same risk of the financial crisis in '08.
WHITFIELD: OK. And then there are interest rates. We have heard a lot about the discussions about right now interest rates are low, mortgage rat rates, you know, are historically at a low. Would news like this, this Brexit, in any way influence whether Janet Yellen decides it's time to raise interest rates?
WILSON: Of course. I absolutely think that the fed will not want to raise rates amidst all of this turmoil. So if you're a consumer and you're thinking about borrowing money, this is really, really good for you. If you're in the market for a mortgage or you're thinking about refinancing the mortgage that you already have. These interest rates are probably going to stay at historic lows. So this is actually a good thing for you. And because there's a flight to quality, the dollar is going to be strong, which could hurt our exports, but again if you're a U.S. consumer and you're going to be traveling around the world, that vacation is going to get a little bit cheaper, because the dollar will get stronger because of this. So if you're a consumer, there is some bright side to this.
WHITFIELD: And just a reminder to folks, you know, Rob, that you know, Europeans are biggest trade partner. Britain is a big part of that. So, of course, people think about jobs, the stability of their jobs. Potential losses. What do you see?
WILSON: You absolutely -- if you're a company that has very high exposure to the UK or Europe or if you're in a company that does a lot of exports because of that strong dollar, there could be some head winds that are going to affect your job. So you absolutely want to go talk to your manager, see how safe your job is, and at least have a plan in place, if you're coming to reduce force. We did see a lot of that during the financial crisis.
And you know what, Fred? This reminds me a lot of the debt ceiling debate in 2011, when the Dow dropped three percent. But, look, a lot of times, we gain back all of those points, just in three months or less. So while past history doesn't guarantee future performance, all of this suggests that there's going to be a rocky time for a few months, but we'll probably get back to normal in three to six months. WHITFIELD: All right. That's very hopeful. We like it.
Rob Wilson, good to see you. Thank you so much.
WILSON: Thanks for having me.
WHITFIELD: OK.
All right, media mogul Rupert Murdoch and real estate mogul Donald Trump now turned presidential candidate. Well, they're having dinner tonight, in Scotland. The two men have a relationship that is, shall we say, complicated. That story, next.
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[13:49:00] WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
Donald Trump making his way through Scotland. He has had a lot on his plate. Brexit, the campaign, and his golf course, of course. But before he leaves, he is actually planning to have dinner with media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Joining me right now is senior media correspondent and host of CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES" Brian Stelter.
Good to see you. So they have had an interesting relationship. Why the dinner?
[13:50:03] BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is very curious, because this time last year Rupert Murdoch was very sour on Donald Trump. At one point Murdoch last summer even said Trump was embarrassing his friends and the whole country by running for president in a very controversial way. But now here they are a year after Trump entered race hanging out on the golf course there and having dinner, probably right now.
They were spotted arriving together about an hour ago. Murdoch's wife, Jerry Hall, also with them. The reason why this is so interesting is because Rupert Murdoch is one of the most powerful media moguls in the world. You know, Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and lots of other media properties. As some people think he put his thumb on the scale, the Brexit vote, by having his tabloid in Britain (INAUDIBLE) in support the Brexit vote, then again, this other papers opposed it. So people are always curious about where Murdoch stands, whether he is throwing his weight behind Trump. A lot to talk about at dinner tonight.
WHITFIELD: Yes. And is there a feeling that, you know, television coverage is topic that they would be talking about?
STELTER: That's always the most curious question. Right?
WHITFIELD: Yes.
STELTER: What would they be discussing? They have known each other for decades. And then of course Murdoch became a vocal critic and now Murdoch is warmed up to Trump and the two men there, are gallivanting along the Scottish countryside. You never know for sure if what Murdoch thinks actually affects what his newspapers and networks say. There is never a way to really know for sure but some editors in the past has said there's been a correlation. So there is always curiosity about that. And look whereas meanwhile, there is other media moguls that support Hillary Clinton but they not typically people that own newsrooms.
For example, the head of Netflix, Reed Hastings, came out this week declared his support for Hillary Clinton. So did Barry Diller who owns IAC. But it's always different with Murdoch. Because Murdoch always seems to be pulling the strings in ways that we can't quite tell.
WHITFIELD: Right. And in the past heard Donald Trump be very critical about "Wall Street Journal," about, you know, FOX News.
STELTER: That's right.
WHITFIELD: And then now he is going to sit down and break bread and --
STELTER: It is a nice glimpse kind of behind the scenes about how it works. Right?
WHITFIELD: Right. Exactly. OK. Well, we will find out after dinner. Won't we?
STELTER: I'll try to find out.
WHITFIELD: That will be our dessert. What happened?
All right. Brian Stelter, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
STELTER: Thanks.
WHITFIELD: And of course, you can watch Brian's show "RELIABLE SOURCES" tomorrow, 11:00 a.m. eastern right here on CNN.
All right. A tribute to Orlando during a big event in London. How victims are getting love from across the pond. That story and other top headlines, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[13:56:14] DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): This is the iron horse bicycle classic, a growing 47-mile race to the mountains against the train.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To ride the iron horse, you have to have the mind- set that you are going to suffer.
It's the same for me, the same as it is for everyone else. GUPTA: But for Joe Williams it's not the same. What he faces every
day is far more challenging.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Receiving the diagnosis was shattering. The chief neurologist came out, Joe Williams, you have Parkinson's disease.
GUPTA: The left side of his body would freeze up. Soon he discovered he could reduce symptoms of Parkinson's by cycling.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today I'm 63 and I should have declined physically, but each year I believe my health is better.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, Joe, go!
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I won. I beat the mountain today. I didn't beat that train. Wheat the beat that train, but today of all days, normal.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: That was inspiring.
All right. A look at our top stories right now. In southern California, crews are trying to gain control over a fast-moving wildfire that already has killed at least two people. More than 30,000 acres northeast of Bakersfield are scorched. The fire is only five percent contained. Fifteen hundred structures are threaten. The firefighters say that strong winds are actually working in their favor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARLTON JOSEPH, CALIFORNIA FIRE DEPUTY INCIDENT COMMANDER: The stars Align, the fuels were bigger than we have seen in a long time with the rainfall that we have had over this last year has been greater than that we have had the last five years. We had a wind event that was unprecedented. We had temperatures that were extreme and then we had limited firefighters. There's only so many firefighters you can put in the area, but the fire just continued to jump and jump and jump, and we were just throwing, as many resources as we could in the areas that we could and we just had to continue to just move them forward to try to get to the head of the fire. We are doing the best we possibly can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The fire left these homes in ruins. Around 100 structures have been reduced to ashes.
And the victims of the recent Orlando massacre are being honored in London today. Tens of thousands of people are marching in the pride parade, which stop for one minute to remember those attacked in the Pulse nightclub shooting. There have been no threats at this event, but a larger police presence is there as a precaution. And a second naval officer is out of a job after an incident earlier
this year in which U.S. soldiers were detained by Iran. Back in January captain Kyle Moses helped oversee the ten sailors you see in this video. Their ship was overtaken after they ventured into Iranian waters. Moses the highest ranking officer to be fired for that incident. The U.S. Navy had lost confidence in his abilities.
We have got so much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM and it all starts right now.
Hello again, everyone. Thanks so much for join me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
All right. We begin with breaking news out of West Virginia where historic flooding left at least 26 people dead. West Virginia's governor has requested a federal disaster declaration for his state. Meanwhile, rescue crews worked all night and into today answering calls from resident stranded by the raging flood. The emergency officials say even though the high waters have begun to recede people need to be on the lookout for other dangers, like downed trees and power lines.
Nick Valencia has more on the deadliest flash flooding in the U.S. in six years.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the last two days, West Virginia has been pounded by heavy thunderstorms and massive flooding.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Guys, watch out.
VALENCIA: This house exploded into flames and floated down the river. This family picked through the smoldering remains of what was once their home.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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