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Transition Day for British Prime Minister; Obama Honors Slain Officers, Calls for Unity; Two Trains Crash in Italy; Presidential Politics 2016; China Rejects South China Sea Ruling; Mothers of Zika Babies Shunned by Society. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired July 13, 2016 - 00:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:00:11] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.

Ahead this hour, what David Cameron's last day as British prime minister looks like and analyzing the many battles that lie ahead for the next occupant of 10 Downing Street, Theresa May.

We're not as divided as we seem -- President Obama's passionate message at a memorial for fallen officers in Dallas, Texas.

And a head-on a train crash in Italy has killed at least 27; Prime Minister Matteo Renzi vowing to find out who's at fault.

Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Isha Sesay. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.

Just weeks after voting to leave the European Union, Britain is getting a new prime minister. In about seven hours David Cameron will hold his final question and answer session at parliament before handing over the reins to Theresa May. Mr. Cameron said he would resign last month after the Brexit vote. But he was expected to stay in office for another two months.

Meanwhile, the pound has been rallying against the dollar over the surprisingly speedy transition. And moving vans arrived Tuesday at 10 Downing Street ready to transfer the Camerons' possessions.

Theresa May will be the new occupant of Number 10. The conservative party named her as its leader on Monday. Mrs. May has spent the last six years as the British home secretary. She's one of the longest- serving home secretaries in British history. Wednesday evening she becomes the country's second female prime minister.

Britain's opposition agreed to schedule a new election for its leadership. On Tuesday Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn won his right to be on that ballot. Fellow members had been pressuring him to step down. The national executive committee took a secret vote.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JEREMY CORBYN, BRITISH LABOUR PARTY LEADER: Our party is determined

that the next government will meet the needs of all of the people of this country, that we'll invest in health, in housing and education, in jobs and infrastructure. The next government will be a Labour government, a Labour government committed to ending the injustice and inequality that exists in Britain today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, on Monday Angela Eagle officially launched her challenge for Corbyn's post. Eagle is a senior member of the Labour Party.

Here in the United States U.S. President Barack Obama insists America is not as divided as it seems. He spoke at a memorial service honoring the five Dallas police officers killed in Thursday's ambush. Mr. Obama praised America's police for protecting and serving the people. The Dallas officers were gunned down by a sniper during a protest against the recent police killings of two African-American men.

The President also addressed the grievances of the African-American community and called on Americans to transform their anger and sadness into more justice and peace.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When the bullets started flying, the men and women of the Dallas police, they did not flinch and they did not react recklessly. These men, this department, this is the America I know. But even those who dislike the phrase Black Lives Matter, surely we should be able to hear the pain of Alton Sterling's family, just as we should hear the students and co-workers describe their affection for Philando Castile as a gentle soul.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, we're now told the Dallas gunman purchased an assault rifle through a Facebook firearms group in 2014. The seller tells CNN he sold the gun for $600. It's not clear if this weapon was used in the attack. Police say they found bomb-making materials and a journal in the gunman's home that suggested he had been practicing to take aim at larger targets.

Authorities in Baton Rouge, Louisiana say they've arrested three people in connection to an alleged plot to kill police officers in the Louisiana capital. In custody are the two men shown here and an unnamed teenager. One of the men was detained during the burglary of a pawn shop where eight guns were stolen. The other man was arrested at his home. Authorities say this threat was why they responded aggressively to protesters over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARL DABADIE, BATON ROUGE POLICE CHIEF: We took this as a very viable threat. We have been questioned repeatedly over the last several days about our show of force and why we had the tactics that we have. [00:05:02] Well, this is the reason. Because we had credible threats against the lives of law enforcement in this city and as law enforcement officers that are charged with the protection of this community, and in that community is our law enforcement officers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Joining me now, former FBI special agent Bobby Chacon, plus social and political commentator Jasmyne Cannick. Welcome to you both -- good to have you with us.

Jasmyne, let's start with you. On the same day that these details emerge of this plot in Louisiana to kill the white police officers, we heard the President speaking at the memorial. Take a listen to a little bit more of what he had to say about the situation in the country right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Now, I'm not naive. I have spoken at too many memorials during the course of this presidency. I've hugged too many families who've lost a loved one to senseless violence. I've seen how inadequate words can be in bringing about lasting change. I've seen how inadequate my own words have been.

But Dallas, I'm here to say we must reject such despair. I'm here to insist that we are not as divided as we seem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Jasmyne -- your thoughts on what the President had to say there. Not as divided as we seem. We must reject despair.

JASMYNE CANNICK, SOCIAL AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: We are a very divided country right now especially as it relates to police and community relations. I think that for probably the past two or three years this has been one of the main issues in America with law enforcement and the community, particularly African-Americans. And we've seen it progressively get worse and worse culminating with what happened in Dallas.

And I think now the conversation really needs to be about where do we go from here and how do we get to where we're trying to go. Both sides need to actually talk. And for a long time the only side that really has been doing most of the talking is the community. Voicing their grievances, talking about what's going on.

I appreciated in the President's speech that he talked about not being dismissive of the community and protesters' grievances and their issues that they have and that we have to pay attention and listen to what people are saying.

SESAY: Bobby, Jasmyne points out two sides here, both sides need to talk. The President there in Dallas was having to walk a very fine line in acknowledging that the police feel that in some cases they're coming in for unfair criticism and the black community feels that they are unfairly targeted. How did he do at navigating that divide?

BOBBY CHACON, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Well, I think he did the best anyone could under the circumstances. And I think you heard some genuine emotion in the President's voice while he was doing that.

And I think he's right. He's been to too many of these situations trying to comfort too many of these families who've lost loved ones. And I think that it's true that up until now both sides have been speaking but they haven't been speaking to each other. They've been speaking through media and through things like that. And I think it's time in whatever form possible that the two sides have to sit down and look each other in the eye and come to some understanding. You don't always have to agree with another person, but it's time to start understanding the positions of each person involved.

SESAY: And Jasmyne -- is the country ready to have a frank conversation? It's one thing to sit down, right? But it's another thing to have a frank conversation about race, racism, inequity. Is this the turning point?

CANNICK: It could be. But that conversation has to exclude what a lot of people like to refer to as black on black crime. Immediately when we talk about community relations between blacks and the police, the first thing a lot of the naysayers and people who disagree with the protesters or African-Americans is that black people kill more black people than the police kill them. Ok. That's a separate issue.

The issue that people are talking about right now is the issue of what is happening to African-Americans and other people of color as it relates to law enforcement especially the shooting and killing of unarmed African-American men and women.

Not black on black crime. That's a separate issue. Folks are working on that. But there has never been a spotlight like there is right now on that particular issue.

SESAY: And Bobby, dig a little deeper into that point. The President said today -- Tuesday -- police must also acknowledge that every institution including police departments is vulnerable to racism and bigotry. Is law enforcement ready to look within?

CHACON: Well, you know, I would hope so. But I think that the issues are much more complicated and complex than simply looking at the individual instances that are happening today with whether there are armed men being shot by police or unarmed men being shot by police.

[00:10:04] I think that, you know, we tend to group all of these incidents together. If you look at each individual instance, there are certain circumstances that are unique to each one. But I think if we're going to solve this problem as a whole we have to address how complex the issues are. And I think that sitting down and talking to each other will necessarily mean talking about the issues at large.

And I'm not talking specifically about, you know, the statistics that were mentioned but I'm talking about the underserved communities of our urban environment, be it education, be it resource that are put into job creation. I think these are complex issues and they relate in some manner to the overall environment that the police are operating in.

And I think the President said it well a few days ago where he said we're asking too much of the police. Where our other government institutions are failing them the police are the last line of defense between, you know, someone who's angry at other institutions of the government and is going to harm other citizens.

And so I think that the other government entities have to step up their game. And we have to dedicate more resources to education, to job creation and things like that in these communities. So I think that there are many complexities to this issue.

SESAY: This issue, this moment is reverberating far beyond the United States. And other parties are getting involved and taking a stand. I'm referring specifically to something that happened earlier on Tuesday in San Diego. I don't know if you've heard about this.

A Canadian classical quartet called the tenors changed the words of the Canadian National Anthem during an all-star baseball game. I want you to take a listen. They changed the words and included the phrase "all lives matter".

(CANADIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM)

SESAY: What that should have been was "with glowing hearts we see thee rise" instead you heard "we're all brothers and sisters and all lives matter". For those who aren't familiar with the expression it's the counter response that is often used when the Black Lives Matter people take to the streets and when they make their cry "black lives matter", the response often is "all lives matter".

And that was inserted there at the Major League Baseball game in San Diego. Twitter is -- as you can imagine a lot of people have some strong feelings. What do you feel?

CANNICK: I think that most black Americans already know that all lives matter and if you really listen to what blacks are talking about when they talk about this issue, they're just simply trying to say that once black lives matter then all lives will truly matter.

And again, it goes back to having that dialogue. If every time we come to the table to have a conversation the first thing that, quote/unquote, "the other side wants to do" is shut it down by just saying all lives matter, look at black on black crime, we're not going to get anywhere.

So going back to what the President was saying, like look, you know, people have to stop being so dismissive of how African-Americans and other people feel when it comes to law enforcement and their experiences. They -- police officers want the community to work with them and to listen to them and to understand what they're going through. It goes both ways.

SESAY: Well, I need to mention very quickly that the other members of the group say they were shocked, didn't know this was coming, that this lone actor, if you will, Remedio Pereira acted on his own without consulting them. He has been suspended.

We'll certainly leave the conversation there for this hour, but I know you'll be back with me next hour. So we'll continue the conversation. And Bobby, I want to get your reaction to what happened there which we'll speak in the next hour.

Thanks to you both.

CHACON: Thank you.

CANNICK: Thank you.

SESAY: Now, Italy's prime minister is promising to find out who's to blame for Tuesday's deadly train crash. At least 27 people have been killed, more than 50 injured.

More now from Barbie Nadeau.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Only this twisted wreckage remains of these carriages. The result of a head-on collision between two passenger trains in southern Italy leaving dozens injured and the death toll expected to rise.

In the searing heat, firefighters worked tirelessly to pull out whoever they could from the scene. Some of the injured able to walk away; those not so fortunate carried into waiting ambulances.

The constant din of rescue helicopters filled the surrounding olive groves as rescue workers were forced to airlift many of the injured to nearby hospitals. Doctors made an appeal for emergency blood donations as the wounded fight for their lives.

[00:15:05] The crash happened shortly after 11:00 a.m. Tuesday morning -- the trains traveling between Andria and Corato in the region of Puglia. Local officials said both were on the same line and traveling at high speed. The cause of the crash not immediately clear to investigators.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi cut short a visit in Milan to rush to the scene.

MATTEO RENZI, ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We are here to give a hug to the Puglia people, to the government of the region, and to let you know that we are together with you. We are not going to leave you now and we are together with you in this pain and despair.

NADEAU: Even in the arms of safety, little solace can now be found as the tears of this tragedy continue to fall.

Barbie Latza Nadeau -- CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Hillary Clinton finally picks up the endorsement she's been waiting for. Just ahead, what her former rival Bernie Sanders says he'll help do to help her win the presidency.

Plus Donald Trump reportedly narrows down his vice presidential options. We'll tell you who's still on his list.

Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAIN ASHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Zain Asher and these are the top business headlines.

The Dow closed at an all-time high on Tuesday. It rose 121 points to beat the previous record set in May 2015. The S&P 500 also hit a new high for a second day in a row. Energy stocks are the biggest gainers.

Online retailer Amazon held its second prime day on Tuesday to those who subscribe to a special membership. More than 100,000 products including shoes, furniture and computers were being offered with massive discounts. The 24-hour sale bonanza was held across ten countries.

Europe and Britain could be in for an economic downturn following the Brexit vote. The European Union's economic chief warns the Eurozone could see a contraction of up to one-half of 1 percent next year. Britain's economy could fall by up to 2.5 percent as well.

Still though the pound rose about 2 percent against the dollar on Tuesday. The sterling got a boost from an end to uncertainty over who will be the next U.K. prime minister. The pound had actually dropped to a 30-year low in the days following the Brexit vote.

Most European markets closed in the green on Tuesday. Investors are hopeful Japan and China will introduce new stimulus. The FTSE was an exception though. It just dipped into the red after a Brexit rally over the past few weeks.

Those are your business headlines. I'm Zain Asher at CNN Center.

[00:19:53] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: Welcome back, everyone.

With Bernie Sanders' blessing, Hillary Clinton can now focus all of her efforts on defeating Donald Trump. Sanders endorsed his Democratic presidential rival at a rally in New Hampshire Tuesday ending a long primary battle.

He spent a good deal of his speech talking about economics, social and racial justice, issues at the heart of his own campaign. Sanders says Clinton will be the best candidate to carry on the fight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: She will be the Democratic nominee for president. And I intend to do everything I can to make certain she will be the next president of the United States.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have to say, it is such a great privilege to be here with Senator Sanders. Being here with him in New Hampshire I can't help but reflect how much more enjoyable this election is going to be now that we are on the same side.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, we're hearing Republican Donald Trump will likely name his vice presidential running mate on Friday. A source tells CNN the front-runners are Indiana Governor Mike Pence and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. The source says New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is also still in the mix. Trump and Pence appeared together at a rally Tuesday with Pence attacking Hillary Clinton.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: We must come together and elect this good man as our next president. And we must select this strong leader for one more reason -- because Hillary Clinton must never become president of the United States of America.

Let us resolve here and now that from this day forward we will unite, we will stand together, we will not rest, we will not relent until we make this good man our next president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: I'm joined now by Democratic strategist Matthew Littman and CNN political commentator and Trump supporter John Phillips. Gentlemen -- good to have you with us once again.

Before we get to the VP race, we will get there, I want to start with the CNN town hall held on Tuesday night with Paul Ryan, speaker of the house, who was asked by one of the attendees, how he could morally justify his support for Donald Trump. Take a listen to his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), HOUSE SPEAKER: She represents a third Obama term. I don't think that's good for America. I think that's the wrong direction. So yes, things have been said that I too disagree with -- then I'll make that point then. But I'm going to go fight for the principles and the solutions that I believe in and the candidate that I think is so much more likely to put those into law because I know Hillary Clinton won't do that.

It's a binary choice. It is either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. You don't get a third option. It's one or the other. And I know where I want to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: It's a binary choice. He hasn't quite got his head around the whole embracing Trump thing it would seem.

JOHN PHILLIPS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Congratulations. It's a boy. Donald Trump is the Republican nominee, and Paul Ryan is accepting it. He's accepting it a little bit slower than others.

But it reminds me of a father when his daughter goes out and picks a guy that may have tattoos and long hair and earrings. And the father doesn't like him. But guess what. That's who your daughter picked. That's who your daughter's going to marry. They're now family. And he needs to become a born again supporter.

I think he'll fall in line. Look, a lot of people had a lot of hurt feelings. It was a very brutal primary where lots of shots were taken at various candidates. There is some hurt feelings.

But guess what. Donald Trump is going to walk out of the Republican convention in Cleveland as the nominee, and it benefits everyone in the party, including Paul Ryan, if Donald Trump wins the election.

MATTHEW LITTMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I don't agree. What a surprise.

SESAY: Surprising.

LITTMAN: I know. And I think Paul Ryan's making a big mistake. I don't think he should support Trump. I think they should let this go on the presidential side and fight again four years from now.

But to what John is saying, the Republican Party is completely divided. I mean it seems like no one is showing up at the Republican convention. John Kasich is the governor of Ohio. He somehow can't make it to Cleveland for the Republican convention. That's going to be a big problem.

I think this is the rare time you're going to see a presidential candidate's numbers go down after their convention.

SESAY: I mean, what about that, John? That enthusiasm deficit, if you will, ahead of this GOP convention.

PHILLIPS: Donald Trump had probably the worst three weeks of his campaign when he got into it with the Mexican judge, when he kicked out the reporter for the "Washington Post", other problems that happened during those just horrific time periods.

1Donald Trump right now is only four points behind Hillary Clinton in recent polls. In the Rasmussen poll he's actually leading.

[00:20:07] So the question I think is not why is Donald Trump doing so poorly in the polls. I think he's doing much better than should be expected. The question is why is Hillary Clinton doing so poorly in the polls? LITTMAN: Well, that's actually -- that's a fair point. I really wish

that Hillary was a few points ahead of Trump more than she is now. That's a fair point. But also keep in mind Hillary's beating Trump in 33 of the last 34 polls. The only one Trump is winning in is that Rasmussen poll.

SESAY: All right. The hope is that Donald Trump's VP pick will add a boost to the convention excitement, which many would say is lacking right now. As we've just said, it's coming down to it appears Indiana Governor Mike Pence and, of course, former speaker of the house Newt Gingrich.

Trump was toying with a crowd at a rally on Tuesday regarding Pence. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I often joke, you'll be calling up Mike Pence, I don't know whether he's going to be your governor or your vice president -- who the hell knows.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: You've got to love him, John Phillips. So Pence -- is he the man? Do you think he brings enough enthusiasm to the ticket? What does he bring to the ticket?

PHILLIPS: Well, it certainly looks like he has the inside track. I think in the grand scheme of things vice presidents really don't make or break a campaign. People vote for the top of the ticket.

And you're not going to find a person that's going to base whether or not they go see Celine Dion, based on who's the opening comic who's coming out there before her. Donald Trump will ultimately determine whether or not Donald Trump wins or loses. So as long as he doesn't pick a VP nominee that's going through electroshock therapy I think he's fine.

LITTMAN: Well, that's -- again, the Celine Dion thing, I like that. But let's keep in mind -- most of the people who Donald Trump wants as his VP nominee want nothing to do with Donald Trump. That's what's happening here. He's down to basically the only three people who could stand him.

I mean, Trump very often sounds like he's got a screw loose. He needs to have somebody whose screws are all tightened and I think he should probably pick Pence. I cannot believe for a second that Chris Christie has a shot because there are too many scandals involving Chris Christie.

SESAY: But Trump has said and he said to the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that he's also looking for an attack dog in his VP. Is Pence the guy?

LITTMAN: Well certainly Pence was trying that out today. I don't think in the past Pence has been that type of guy. This was Pence's audition for that job. We know Newt Gingrich could do it. While Chris Christie can certainly be an attack dog -- that's about all he could be. I think Trump would be crazy to pick Christie.

PHILLIPS: On that point I think he needs someone that will reinforce the product that he's selling. I think we have long moved past the time when vice presidents bring regions or states. I think because people are now watching CNN or they're reading the same Web sites online people have the same information. So the differences between the regions and the states are not as stark as they once used to be.

SESAY: All right. Matt Littman, John Phillips -- we're going to leave it here. But I know you're back next hour. We'll pick up the Celine Dion references then.

Thank you very much.

All right.

Time for a quick break now. the new ruling involving the South China Sea is already causing backlash. Why Chinese officials are saying no way. We go live to Beijing for the details -- coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:31:35] SESAY: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay. The headlines this hour.

David Cameron is in his final hours as British Prime Minister. He'll attend his last prime minister's question time in parliament in the afternoon. Theresa May will officially be the new P.M. by evening. Cameron said he'd resign last month when the UK voted to leave the European Union.

U.S. President Barack Obama hailed America's police at a memorial service honoring the five officers killed by a sniper in Dallas, Texas, Thursday. He urged Americans to transform their anger and sadness into more justice and peace, saying we're not as divided as we seem.

Doctors are calling for emergency blood donations after two trains collided head-on in Southeastern Italy. At least 27 people have been killed, more than 50 injured. It's not clear why the trains were on the track at the same time. The prime minister is promising to find out who's responsible.

South Sudan opposition vice president is telling his forces to honor president's cease-fire. Soldiers loyal to the rival leaders have been fighting each other for days, but that came to an apparent halt in the capital Tuesday. At least 150 people have been killed.

Now, China is vowing to defend its sovereignty and maritime interests after an international tribunal rejected its claims in a territorial dispute. The ruling says China does not have a legal basis to claim rights to most of the South China Sea, and that it violated the sovereignty of the Philippines. Nearly $5 trillion of trade pass through the so-called 9 dash line each year. The tribunal admitted it had no power to enforce Tuesday's ruling. China's ambassador to the U.S. says Beijing is committed to negotiations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CUI TIANKAI, CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: China firmly stands for freedom of navigation in South China Sea because these sea lanes are the economic lifelines for China and for many regional countries. We'll do everything possible to safeguard the unimpeded flow of commerce and to stop any attempt to destabilize the region.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, CNN's Matt Rivers joins us now live from Beijing.

Matt, what more can you tell us about the implications of this decision and Beijing's reaction?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Beijing has reacted furiously. Despite what you heard the ambassador just say, the large -- the large majority of the rhetoric that we've heard from the Chinese government has really lambasted this ruling, calling it invalid, calling it an affront to diplomacy.

We had heard several weeks before this ruling came down that China did not recognize the legitimacy of the court to rule on this sort of issue. And so when this ruling came down as strongly as it did against China yesterday, it was really no surprise that Beijing reacted as strongly as they did.

The latest high-level official to react here in Beijing came this morning at a press conference. Liu Zhenmin, China's vice minister of foreign affairs said at a press conference this morning that this invalid ruling will not lead to implementation, but if some insist on implementing this illegal ruling then China will deal with those actions accordingly.

Now, what that means, well, he wouldn't go on to specifically say that. But in terms of implications, it's really in China's court now in terms of how they respond.

[00:35:05] Will they continue to build artificial islands? Will they try to seize more territory? Has this really aggressive rhetoric backed them into a corner where they can do no other thing? That's one thing analysts are speculating on.

And the other thing is while maybe publicly criticizing what the court said, maybe will they engage a little bit more diplomatically? Now, in this press conference this morning, Liu also said that China hopes that the new Filipino government will see the Hague's ruling as a "piece of scrap paper" so that bilateral negotiations can resume.

So clearly they want to negotiate. But under what terms, Isha, we're not really sure.

SESAY: All right. And to that end, what are we hearing from the Philippines and their new president? RIVERS: Well, this was clearly a big victory for them. We heard from their foreign secretary yesterday, saying that while they really welcome what happened there, they urged all parties involved to use restraint and sobriety.

The Philippines really needs China. They're a top trading partner. But as for the new President Duterte, it's really kind of a question mark what he's going to do.

During his campaign, he said that he would be willing to negotiate with China, but then moments after he said things like that, he actually said he would jump on a jet-ski and ride to one of the disputed areas to plant the Filipino flag to assert sovereignty.

So kind of talking out of both sides of his mouth there in terms of what he's going to do moving forward, how he will direct his government. It's a big question at this point.

SESAY: It certainly is. Bringing to mind jet-skis as part of it all.

Matt Rivers joining us there from Beijing. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Now, a new video from ISIS shows a British hostage they've held for nearly four years. John Cantlie refers to Mosul University in the background. Coalition war planes bombed parts of the university in March. Cantlie also shows a neighborhood destroyed by what he says was coalition bombing. He shows people shopping for Ed, marking the end of Ramadan. The video is dated Tuesday. But CNN cannot confirm where and when it was shot.

Cantlie made it clear in a previous video that he was forced to share a message from ISIS.

A Dutch woman is safe in Northern Iraq after she and her two children escaped from ISIS. Laura Hansen says her husband told her they were going to turkey on vacation, then he tricked her into entering Syria last September to help refugees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA HANSEN, ESCAPED FROM ISIS: And then we went to Raqqah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Raqqah.

HANSEN: Yes. And they also put me in a house, and it's all guarded with men, men with beards and the guns. They all stand there. You cannot go out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, Hansen says from there she was taken to Mosul in northern Iraq. She says her father contacted Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, who rescued her and her children.

Time for a quick break now. And some new mothers in Brazil are facing an unexpected consequence of the Zika virus, being abandoned by society and even their own families. That story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:40:18] SESAY: Hello, everyone. New mothers in Brazil are being hit especially hard by the Zika virus. Not only are they worrying about their babies' health, now they say they feel abandoned and shunned by society.

CNN's Arwa Damon reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every day Maria Luisa plays her little princess this song, of God's love for his children. And every day she cries.

MARIA LUISA FERREIRA DE MACEDO, MOTHER OF BABY WITH MICROCEPHALY (through translator): I get sad because of everything that has happened. I'm not sad because of her. She makes me happy. She's wonderful.

DAMON: Maria Luisa's husband left her a month after baby Zaylah Nayara (ph) was born with microcephaly. One relative even asked why she didn't abort.

Faye Nayara's (ph) older sister, too young to really understand, sometimes calls her crazy.

FERREIRA DE MACEDO (through translator): I say your sister's not mad. She's a normal child like you.

DAMON: Largely abandoned, Maria Luisa says her neighbor is now like a second parent to the girls. Support groups like this bring mothers together. In the epicenter of brazil's Zika outbreak, the mothers of the so-called Zika babies lean on each other.

ROSICLAUDIA DE ARAGAO SOUSA, MOTHER OF BABY WITH MICROCEPHALY: When I had my child and knew she had microcephaly, I was like every other mother. I thought I was the only one going through this.

DAMON: Rosiclaudia's daughter, Clara, turned nine months today. And like most days, it's spent going from one appointment to another.

The sheer commitment of raising a child with microcephaly bonds these mothers into an extended family. Rosiclaudia says she feels her isolation most in public under the piercing stares of strangers.

DE ARAGAO SOUSA (through translator): People ask, ah, she was born with that disease. They keep looking, whispering. Look, the girl with the little head.

DAMON: She is constantly arguing back that her baby isn't diseased, she's special. Most have experienced that same stigma. Their love for their little ones is unwavering. But they can only hope and pray that society evolves to accept their children, not reject them.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Recife, Brazil.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay. "World Sport" is up next. And I'll be back with another hour of news from around the world. You're watching CNN.

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