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May to Replace Cameron as British PM; More U.S. Protests against Police Violence; Trump Calls for End to Hostilities against Police; More U.S. Troops to Aid in Battle for Mosul; South China Sea Ruling Expected Soon; South Sudan President Demands End to Deadly Fighting; Zika Virus Causing Anxiety for Pregnant Women. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired July 12, 2016 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:00:25] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.
Ahead this hour: big change is coming to the U.K. and some of it is coming right away. David Cameron has two more days as prime minister and successor Theresa May vows to build a better Britain outside the EU.
Plus, more tensions over police shootings as protesters take to the streets again in cities across the U.S.
And then after five days of bloodshed South Sudan's president orders a cease fire but fears of another civil war are growing.
Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Isha Sesay. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.
The woman who will become Britain's next prime minister is promising that the country will make its exit from the European Union a success. Theresa May will succeed David Cameron upon his resignation which he says will happen on Wednesday.
Max Foster has more now on May's path to 10 Downing Street.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: A triumphant welcome for Britain's next prime minister. Theresa May is now heir apparent to the highest political office in the land.
THERESA MAY, INCOMING BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I am honored and humbled to have been chosen by the Conservative Party to become its leader.
FOSTER: Her victory speech coming earlier than expected after her rival suddenly threw in the towel, Andrea Leadsom telling journalists in a statement that the leadership battle was over.
ANDREA LEADSOM, BRITISH MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: I have, however, concluded that the interests of our country are best served by the immediate appointment of a strong and well-supported prime minister. I am therefore withdrawing from the leadership election and I wish Theresa May the very greatest success. I assure her of my full support.
FOSTER: The change of heart coming amid increased scrutiny over Leadsom's campaign. She was widely criticized following concerns that she may have inflated her CV and comments to a British newspaper suggesting being a mother gave her an edge over May. She told "The Times of London" newspaper that Theresa May, who has said that she and her husband are unable to have children "possibly has niece, nephews, lots of people but I have children who are going to have children who will be directly part of what happens next. Genuinely I feel that being a mom means you have a very real stake in the future of our country, a tangible stake."
Monday morning, Theresa May meanwhile set out her vision to leave the E.U. at a speech in Birmingham. She apparently didn't know her plan was about to be put on the fast track.
MAY: Brexit means Brexit and we're going to make a success of it. There will be no attempts to remain inside the E.U.
There will be no attempts to rejoin by the backdoor, no second referendum. The country voted to leave the European Union and as prime minister I will make sure that we leave the European Union.
FOSTER: The announcement on the detail of another departure on Monday as David Cameron gave the time frame for his final days.
DAVID CAMERON, OUTGOING BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: On Wednesday I will attend the House of Commons for the Prime Minister's questions. And then after that, I expect to go to the palace and offer my resignation. So we'll have a new prime minister in that building behind me by Wednesday evening.
FOSTER: On Wednesday the door closes on one political career at Number 10 Downing Street as the famous black door opens for another.
Max Foster -- CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Momentous times for the U.K.
Well, another U.S. community is coping with a tragic shooting, this time inside a courthouse. Authorities in Michigan say an inmate grabbed an officer's gun outside a holding cell then shot and killed two court bailiffs and wounded two other people Monday. The inmate got into the courtroom area where officers opened fire and killed him. Authorities say he was being held on several felony charges. The two injured people are expected to be ok.
U.S. President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush will speak in Dallas Tuesday at a memorial service for the officers killed there by sniper fire last week. [00:05:09] In Atlanta, Georgia -- take a look at these live pictures with us. These are people gathered for a fifth night of protests against the police shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. A group of young protesters in Chicago staged a sit in that later turned into a march with about a thousand people.
In Dallas, police held a vigil for the five slain officers. Early in the day Police Chief David Brown encouraged protesters to do more to change their communities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID BROWN, DALLAS POLICE CHIEF: Become a part of the solution. Serve your community. Don't be a part of the problem.
We're hiring. We're hiring. Get out of that protest line and put an application in. We'll put you in your neighborhood and we will help you resolve some of the problems you're protesting about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Well, joining me now are civil rights attorney Brian Claypool and retired LAPD police sergeant Cheryl Dorsey. Welcome to you both. Good to have you with us.
We just put up those live pictures from Atlanta. For a fifth night people are out on the streets protesting.
Cheryl, let me start with you. What goes through your mind as you look at these pictures with us?
CHERYL DORSEY, FORMER LAPD POLICE SERGEANT: Well, you know, when I look at the pictures I'm not surprised -- right. It was a matter of time before someone was going to be pushed to the point where they felt that they had to do something extraordinary to get the attention. And so now we're there.
And I heard the police chief say today and I'm hearing other black officers, which is more important, finally speaking out because truly change will come within.
SESAY: Brian, I think that's a really good point to pick up on. The fact that we are hearing from black police officers pointing out the issues is quite remarkable and speaks to the moment.
BRIAN CLAYPOOL, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Yes, absolutely. And I think on top of that, black folks across the United States really don't feel like they have a voice. I personally have represented a lot of -- several African-American families whose children were shot and killed by law enforcement. I will tell you that they are terrified of the police. They don't feel like they have a voice. They don't feel like they are treated the same as average white folk on the street.
This is the way they have got to now express that. They have to get out there, talk about that and create a conversation. SESAY: To me, hearing you say that, I mean, it's remarkable and I
have to turn to you, Cheryl. When you hear him say that, as a black woman, as a former police officer and you hear him say and I'm sure you have heard it yourself in your own circle that black people are terrified of the police.
DORSEY: Well listen, I don't have to hear it. I live it -- right. I'm a black woman and I'm a black mother of four young black men. And so I have those very same concerns that every mother has. I have those very same conversations that every mother has with their sons about how to comport themselves so that they will survive that police encounter should it happen.
And so now finally our complaints are being validated and corroborated in ways that they can no longer deny.
SESAY: Was it difficult for you being part of law enforcement and knowing this reality? How did you navigate that?
DORSEY: Well, for me it was quite simple because I never bled blue. It was just a job, right? And so I didn't have any problem differentiating between doing what's right and doing my job. I went out every day and treated people as I would want any police officer to treat my son if you encountered him.
I was able to do my job professionally, ethically, take someone to jail when they did wrong and leave them with their dignity along the way. That's what people want.
SESAY: Brian, what do the events in Dallas mean for protesters as they continue to demand that their voices be heard? Because there are some who are now trying to recalibrate the conversation in light of the death of the five officers.
CLAYPOOL: Well, I wanted to comment on what the chief of police said in Dallas. I would tell him that it takes two to tango. He's right that the black community needs to step up and start, you know, expressing themselves through protests. But there's another part of the puzzle, piece of the puzzle that's missing.
That is we need to invest in new training. There has to be better training of police officers, number one. And number two, there has to be some kind of accountability as well when something goes wrong with a police officer shooting an unarmed, innocent man. Absent any repercussions this continues to happen and happen over and over again.
SESAY: Is it an issue of impunity because that's the word some people would use?
DORSEY: Absolutely. You know, I like to say it's officers who are drunk with power, right; and great deference is given to the police. And so unless there is a consequence for that circumstance, unless there's accountability, personal accountability, police officers are able to hide under the shield of a police department, taxpayers pick up that $6.4 million, $2.3 million settlement. And so the officer learns nothing. And until that changes, until police chiefs admit that there is a problem there's nothing to fix.
[00:10:08] CLAYPOOL: Well, and we need transparency too. I think a good way for police departments to start engendering goodwill with the black community is to start regulating their own officers and keeping statistics of racial profiling. Keep their own statistics and make those statistics available to the community. So that the black folks across the country see that the police departments are actually trying to monitor this.
SESAY: I want you to take a look at this image, one image from the weekend that everyone is talking about. It effectively went viral and it shows this young woman, Aisha Evans standing there calmly stoically facing head on, if you will, these police officers in full riot gear. It's an image that people have said will be an enduring one from what we've seen in the last couple of days. Just your thoughts on what you're seeing there -- Cheryl?
DORSEY: For me when I look at it, I see officers who can't relate to this young black woman. They don't see her as somebody that could be my daughter; that could be my sister. So let me handle her accordingly.
They just see a black woman and therefore identify her as probably an angry black woman. And so I'm going to deal with her in a way that probably I would not appreciate someone dealing with my own family member.
SESAY: Brian?
CLAYPOOL: I see this as a culture of an aggressive mentality. The police officers are now arriving at scenes and instead of trying to defuse situations they are escalating violence. It's a mentality and a culture that needs to be eradicated through better leadership throughout police departments in the United States.
SESAY: Brian Claypool, Cheryl Dorsey -- sadly though we must leave it but thank you for the great conversation and frankly an honest conversation. It's much needed. Thank you.
DORSEY: Thank you.
CLAYPOOL: Thank you.
SESAY: Be sure to tune in for "BLACK, WHITE AND BLUE AMERICA 2016". CNN's Don Lemon will moderate the town hall event. It will be a two- hour even and it's all about the tension between police and minority groups. That's at 10:00 a.m. Thursday in Hong Kong right here on CNN.
SESAY: The U.S. presidential candidates have two different perspectives on the tragic week that took place in the United States. On Monday Donald Trump defended police and warned that the recent violence might be just the beginning. But Hillary Clinton's campaign is once again using Trump's own words against him.
CNN's Jason Carroll has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump tonight showing solidarity with law enforcement in the wake of last week's attack on police officers in Dallas.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's time for the hostility against our police and against all members of law enforcement to end and end immediately -- right now.
CARROLL: Trump's event today was billed as a speech focused on reforming care for veterans. The presumptive GOP nominee outlined a 10-point plan to improve the V.A. including allowing vets to seek private care and establishing a private White House hot line that will be staffed 24 hours a day.
But Trump also took the opportunity to hammer away at Hillary Clinton.
TRUMP: I am the law and order candidate. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, is weak, ineffective, pandering, and as proven by her recent e-mail scandal, she's either a liar or grossly incompetent.
CARROLL: Repeatedly blasting his Democratic rival.
TRUMP: Crooked Hillary Clinton is the secretary of the status quo and wherever Hillary Clinton goes corruption and scandal follow.
CARROLL: The Clinton campaign launching a preemptive strike today releasing a web video highlighting Trump's apparent praise for dictators.
TRUMP: Saddam Hussein was a bad guy, right. You know what he did well? He killed terrorists. He did that so good --
CARROLL: Trump getting some help in his attacks on Clinton from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: The Democratic nominee for president lied to the American people. That's not a person who will stand for the rule of law. That's a person who will stand for the rule of her.
CARROLL: Sources familiar with Trump's search for a running mate tell CNN Christie has now been fully vetted. Others on the short list include Indiana Governor Mike Pence who will be joining Trump on the trail tomorrow.
GOV. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: The country is facing challenges at home and abroad. I think we need a strong leadership supporting our troops, strong leadership to get this economy moving again and we need clear-minded leadership to make common sense and conservative appointments to the Supreme Court of the United States.
CARROLL: While former house speaker, Newt Gingrich is reportedly lobbying for the slot, another name being floated retired General Michael Flynn who might have hurt his chances in recent days by seeming to change his position on abortion rights in the course of just two days.
[00:15:08] LT. GEN MICHAEL FLYNN, RETIRED U.S. ARMY: Abortion I think it's a -- I think for women but I think women have to be able to choose what they -- you know, sort of the right of choice.
CARROLL: Then today telling Fox News that he is a pro-life Democrat adding "If people want to change the law, they should vote so that we can appoint pro-life judges. I believe the law should be changed."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Our thanks to Jason Carroll for that report.
I'm joined now by CNN senior political analyst and senior editor for "The Atlantic", Ron Brownstein. Ron -- good to have you with us.
Let's pick up where Jason left off talking about the veep sweepstakes. According to the "Washington Post" Trump will make up his mind in the next three to four days. But he said something striking in the phone- in to you with Chris Cillizza. He says history has said nobody ever helps in reference to the VP choice and goes on to say that Lyndon Johnson as John F. Kennedy's running mate was the last VP pick that truly mattered. He goes on to say "I've never seen anybody that helped."
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Interesting. It's a plausible argument. I mean Johnson clearly is the last one who unequivocally mattered. I think the other one that people would say was Al Gore with Bill Clinton and there, more in changing Clinton's image. I mean we forget Clinton came out of that '92 primary battered and bruised. And when he picked Al Gore, doubling down on the generational change it had a very positive impact caused people to take another look at Clinton.
But by and large, I think Donald Trump is right and this year may be especially right because Trump and Hillary Clinton are such sharply defined figures in the eyes of the public, it's hard to imagine the number two choice really affecting very much the way people look at them.
SESAY: Interesting that you say that because the counter argument to that is having two candidates with such high unfavorables means that the person they pick on the ticket as the undercard is more important to kind of soften that up.
BROWNSTEIN: I think they're too big. They're too big. They're too sharply defined there. You know, people really have strong opinions about Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. And it's hard for me to imagine that either of them could pick someone who would radically change the way people look at them.
What they can do though is they can pick someone who can send a signal to key constituencies in the electorate, can send a signal to a state and perhaps most important of all, to help them govern.
SESAY: One thing Trump did say was that while he doesn't think it matters in the general, the VP pick, he is looking -- this is in the "Washington Post" interview -- he is looking to get someone that would unite the GOP. Who are we looking at?
(CROSSTALK)
BROWNSTEIN: That is an interesting signal. I mean look -- I think Donald Trump as we said before needs someone -- he needs a contemporary elected official, a current elected official, I think, to run with him because there are a lot of leading Republicans who are not going to the convention. Almost all of the Republicans in competitive senate races are not going.
He needs -- Paul Ryan has criticized him, Mitch McConnell as well. He needs someone who says the party views as him as a plausible president. So I think that kind of narrows it down. I think it makes Gingrich a difficult pick who was last in office 18 years ago.
And if you are looking for someone to unite the party, I think Mike Pence of Indiana is probably a better pick than Chris Christie because if you look at Chris Christie, he's someone that social conservatives have a lot of questions about. They still have a lot of questions about Donald Trump.
Pence is someone who has experience on Capitol Hill. He has been a governor. He's close to social conservatives, close to conservatives on the Hill. If he is looking for a unity pick that language may be a signal that he is leaning toward Pence.
SESAY: Before I let you go, I have to ask you about the Trump we saw in display today as he talked at Veterans Affairs -- tough guy Trump talking about being the law and order candidate. Let's just remind our viewers very quickly of what he said on that front.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We must maintain law and order at the highest level or we will cease to have a country -- 100 percent. We will cease to have a country. I am the law and order candidate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: There's a new sheriff in town. But tell me what experience has he got?
BROWNSTEIN: No, no. Well, it's more meet the new boss same as the old boss. Second time he has consciously echoed Richard Nixon in 1968. Of course, Nixon coining the silent majority after '68 but kind of employing proto-versions of it in that campaign, also running as a law and order candidate at a time of great social tumult and disruption.
The difference -- and I think that is a signal to his particularly white working class base that he is a candidate who's going to kind of stand with the police, stand for order against all these forces that they see kind of threatening them both economically and in terms of security. The problem is, it's a very different country than it was in 1968. It's a much more diverse country. It's a much more socially inclusive country. And there are many Americans who hear that kind of language like the silent majority as an effort to go back to an earlier time in which many Americans felt that they were excluded from the main stream of American life.
It is a clear signal but it is one with much greater risk than it had 48 years ago when Richard Nixon first used it.
SESAY: Ron Brownstein -- always a pleasure. Always great context -- thank you so much.
BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.
[00:20:02] SESAY: All right. Time for a quick break now.
More U.S. troops are headed to Iraq. Just ahead why critics say it proves Iraq doesn't have the fire power to defeat ISIS on its own.
Plus a decision about these disputed waters that may not sit well with Beijing. We'll preview the landmark ruling from The Hague.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: Hello, everyone.
More U.S. troops are headed to Iraq. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced Monday in Baghdad that Washington will send 560 more troops. Most will stationed at an airfield south of Mosul. Iraqi forces backed by U.S. air power recaptured the base from ISIS last week. It will be used as a staging ground for the assault on ISIS in Mosul. Iraqi state media reports commanders will use new strategies in that fight -- by surprise.
CNN military analyst Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona joins us now live from (inaudible) Oregon. Colonel Francona -- always good to have you with us.
An additional 560 troops deployed to Iraq, the stated mission to assist in the campaign to retake Mosul. But do we know the specifics of what they'll be doing there on the ground?
LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, the Secretary said that he's going to bring these unique American capabilities. Normally that means logistics, intelligence, communications, command and control. But he also said that we will be putting advisers down to the Iraqi battalion level.
Prior to this we have been keeping it at the brigade level only rarely down at the battalion level. So what this tells me is that he is still not satisfied with the progress that the Iraqi army has been making. Yes, they've taken Fallujah and Ramadi and recently the (inaudible) airfield but they just don't have the wherewithal yet to take on ISIS in their stronghold of Mosul. That's going to require a lot more firepower, a lot more effort and the Iraqis are not there yet -- Isha.
SESAY: All right. So as you laid out the situation with retaking Mosul, one that is expected to be slow and challenging, clearly the U.S. involvement will be key in this fight. Does that throw up concerns for you?
FRANCONA: Absolutely. You know, we started off with a real small advisory mission. It was in the hundreds. Now we're up to about 6,000. And is that going to end as we get closer to the battle for Mosul which I know the Iraqis think they're going to be able to do this by the end of the year but I think that is a very, very optimistic timetable.
And as they get closer, as they push further up the Tigris Valley and they start running into resistance and they run into more difficulty they're going to need more help. Are we going to provide that help and where does that help end?
You know, right now we keep pushing more people out there, we're pushing advisers out into the field with the Iraqis. Are we going to see the introduction of American boots on the ground?
[00:25:09] I know the President has said we don't want to do that. But at some point the Iraqis are going to run into resistance that they can't overcome. What do we do then? I'm just concerned that we're slowly sliding down this slippery slope to more involvement on the ground.
SESAY: Yes, indeed. That is the concern many have. Colonel Francona, we must leave it. Thank you so much for your analysis tonight. Thank you.
FRANCONA: Good to be with you.
Now, we are expecting a ruling within hours from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on territorial claims in the South China Sea. The Philippines is asking the court to settle a dispute with China over rights to some waterways. Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam has similar claims but China says it has rights to nearly all of the region. And China already told the court it does not accept arbitration initiated by the Philippines.
CNN's Matt Rivers joins us now live from Beijing. And Matt -- we understand that this ruling may not be in China's favor which begs the question how will China respond?
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fundamentally here, this case is about rights and specifically economic rights if you talk to the Philippines and you look at their brief.
Historically China has claimed sovereignty rights over basically the entirety of the South China Sea and the economic rights that go with that. What the Philippines has argued is that what China has done over the past several years -- building artificial islands, claiming reefs and shoals that are perhaps weren't -- that the Philippines argue would be theirs that is illegal under international law therefore sort of negates China's claim to economic rights in all this.
That's really what this case is about. But it's important to note that China did not participate in this case. It says the case itself is actually illegal because what the court is really ruling on is sovereignty and not economic rights and that it doesn't have the jurisdiction to do so.
The Philippines obviously would argue counter to that saying that it is only about economic rights but there are certainly some issues with sovereignty here at play.
Now I think if you're talking about China's response there's a couple of different ways that this could go. China has already said it is not going to abide by the ruling and that it does not recognize the legitimacy of the court in this case. Given that, in the short term, I think you can kind of see a status quo. China keeps on doing what it's been doing. The Philippines does what it does and we just kind of move forward at least in the short term.
I think a second option would be that perhaps publicly they criticize the ruling but privately China engages with a little more diplomacy with perhaps the new president of the Philippines who has signaled a little bit more willingness to work with Beijing.
And I think perhaps thirdly, and maybe the most alarming situation here, is that China actually doubles down. It ramps up its presence. It builds more islands. It seizes more territory and maybe even establishes an air defense zone over the South China Sea which would require and planes and boats coming into that area to register with China. So there is certainly a lot of implications here.
We'll find out within the next couple hours, at least get some indications of where China is going to go -- Isha.
SESAY: We shall be watching very closely.
Matt Rivers there in Beijing -- appreciate this. Thank you.
Time for a quick break.
South Sudan's president orders a cease fire after five days of unrest and bloodshed. But fears of a return to civil war are growing in the world's youngest nation. Details -- ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:30:55] SESAY: Hello, everyone. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay. The headlines this hour.
Britain will have a new leader on Wednesday after Prime Minister David Cameron steps down and Theresa May takes over his job. May's sole remaining challenger bowed out of the race on Monday. She is promising to make a success of Britain's exit from the European Union and unite the country.
U.S. President Barack Obama will be in Dallas, Texas on Tuesday to speak at a memorial service for the five police officers killed in an ambush last week. Former President George W. Bush will also deliver remarks. Bush will meet with the fallen officers' families.
Now the embattled president of South Sudan is calling for an immediate end to fighting between his soldiers and forces loyal to his rival South Sudan's vice president.
And now the vice president is also ordering his forces to respect that cease fire.
David McKenzie has more now on the unrest that has killed more than 150 people in the nation's capital just since Thursday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): The president of South Sudan has ordered a unilateral cease fire after days of violent clashes in the capital, Juba.
SALVA KIIR, PRESIDENT, SOUTH SUDAN: Issued a republican order for the cessation of hostilities with immediate effect.
MCKENZIE: But it's unclear whether the president has full command and control. On the fifth day of fighting in Juba, heavy weapons and attack helicopters were used in intense factional clashes. The U.N. says more than 7,000 civilians have sheltered in their compounds, scores have been killed including two Chinese peacekeepers.
Government forces announced that they will arrest or shoot any loitering soldiers and have told them to return to base. The U.S. embassy is evacuating non-emergency personnel and called for citizens to shelter in place. The violence is a dramatic unravelling of a brittle peace deal between President Salva Kiir and rival vice president Riek Machar.
RIEK MACHAR, VICE PRESIDENT, SOUTH SUDAN: The renewed fighting is outrageous, and yet another grievous setback. It deepens the country's suffering and makes a mockery of commitments to peace.
MCKENZIE: All flights to and from Juba Airport have now been suspended and the land border is closed, leaving very few options for those desperately wanting to get out.
David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg, South Africa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Joining me now is Garang Diing Akuong. He is South Sudan's ambassador to the United States.
Mr. Ambassador, welcome. Thank you for joining us.
Where do things stand with the unilateral cease fire announced by the South Sudanese president and accepted by Riek Machar? Has the fight stopped? GARANG DIING AKUONG, SOUTH SUDANESE AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: Yes. Thank you for having me on your show. Let me assure you that the cease fire is holding and the government led by President Salva Kiir is committed to a cease fire and to the overall agreement.
SESAY: All right. And you say the president is committed to the cease-fire and the overall agreement, but that still leaves in question his vice president Riek Machar and of course the bigger issue of troops.
Does President Kiir and his rival for want of a better word, do they have full control over the troops to ensure that the fighting stops permanently?
AKUONG: Yes. What happened was unfortunate. But let me assure you that from my perspective, the president is having control of his troops and (INAUDIBLE) is under his control and the situation is under control.
It is unfortunate that this thing happened. But it is the thing of the past. We have to put it behind and need to reengage the two leaders and the two sides to the agreement so that the agreement moves forward with the help of international community and other partners.
SESAY: Mr. Ambassador, you talk about putting it behind you and the violence of the last couple of days. But many in the international community feel that that is part of the problem with South Sudan that no one is held responsible for the attacks on civilians and forces operate with impunity.
[00:35:15] Will that change? Will anyone be held responsible for the some, 200 plus people who lost their lives in the last couple of days?
AKUONG: You know, when I said that (INAUDIBLE), I didn't mean that the accountability should not be credit out. The president immediately after the clashes around the palace, which were orchestrated by the vice president. He formed a committee headed by one of the leaders of the rebellion. And the committee is task to come up with the report within 10 days.
And in this report, there must be finger pointing to whoever that -- started the escalation. So we are not running away from accountability. That's why the president formed the committee.
SESAY: All right. And final question to you, Mr. Ambassador, what comes next? There's a cease-fire that is holding. But what comes next in the immediate days to come?
AKUONG: Yes. What comes next is that, first of all, let me say that the agreement has not collapsed. The former rebel is still the first vice president. His ministers are still holding their posts and they are still in Juba.
We appreciate they just said that he did -- to relay what the president said that the cease-fire should be cemented. That's a good thing. And the second thing that we need to reengage the two leaders to come together and try to implement the peace agreement, because the government alone cannot implement the peace agreement before that is two parties or three parties, or four parties agreement. So we need reengagement.
And then also try to help the worker relationship between the government and the rebels. So this is what we need to do. We need to go back, reengage the two leaders, reengage the two parties so that they continue to implement the peace agreement.
The international community should not step aside and say that how they are going to implement this agreement? Intensive engagement is still needed. Intensive support is still needed. And we should not jam conclusion that the peace agreement has failed or has not failed.
SESAY: Mr. Ambassador, as you all know, there are many in the international community who feel that President Kiir is as much to blame for the cycle of violence at play in South Sudan as is Riek Machar. But we must leave it. And I want to thank you for joining us this evening and giving us some insight into the situation on the ground and the road ahead. Thank you so much.
AKUONG: Thank you. Nice talking to you.
SESAY: Time for a quick break.
Some mothers-to-be are asking doctors a whole new set of questions. Why they are turning to ultrasounds to calm their nerves about the Zika virus.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:40:10] SESAY: Pregnant women in Brazil say they are worried about the Zika virus and possible birth defects. The uncertainty also has women facing a new dilemma.
CNN senior international correspondent Arwa Damon explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a fear shared by all who wait in this crowded public hospital, the knowledge that they are unable to protect their child even in the womb.
Elisa Silva (ph) had Zika when she was just a few months pregnant. She already lost one baby in childbirth years ago. She rarely sleeps, haunted by the future that may await this one.
This ultrasound will determine if her baby's brain development shows any signs of microcephaly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
DAMON: Even as the number of Zika infections decrease here in what was once the epicenter, the fears remain. In a private clinic, Racquel Gomez' wait is just as agonizing.
RACQUEL GOMEZ, MOTHER (through translator): I'm still afraid. I never imagined my first son would arrive like this, during this epidemic of microcephaly.
DAMON: The baby's father is not in the picture. She is on her own. Racquel has always wanted children, but she has been left contemplating a question she doesn't want to answer. If her child is born with special needs, will she care for it or give it up for adoption?
In this predominantly Catholic country, women do not have other options but to carry a child to term. Abortion other in rare cases is illegal. The Zika outbreak and its links to debilitating birth defects has refocused the debate around a woman's right to choose.
Dr. Olimpio Moraes, an obstetrician is among the few abortion rights advocates, a position that has seen him excommunicated twice.
DR. OLIMPIO MORAES, OBSTETRICIAN (through translator): Abortion is a social issue which discriminates between the poor in Brazil and the rich.
DAMON: Wealthier Brazilians can travel overseas or have access to expensive black market drugs that terminate pregnancies. The nation's poor, who make up most of the Zika cases, don't.
MORAES: This poor woman has to quit her job because a child with microcephaly needs full-time assistance 24 hours a day.
DAMON: And that is what Racquel is afraid of.
Her baby is doing great, the doctor says. There was only a small risk now.
Like the public hospital, Dr. Suza (ph) measures Elis' (ph) baby's head is 33 centimeters, well within the normal range at this stage in her pregnancy. She sees his little face for the first time.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Recife, Brazil.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: So much anxiety.
Well, the Zika virus is scaring pro-golfers away from the Olympics. Another top golfer says he won't go to Brazil. That's story and much more coming up next on "World Sport."
Thank you for joining us at CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay. I'll be back in 15 minutes with more news from around the world. You're watching CNN.
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