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Donald Trump Headed to Mexico; ISIS Leader Killed In Syria; EU Hits Apple With $14.6 Billion Tax Bill; Accusations of Racism On Campaign Trail; Reports: N. Korean Defense Chief Executed In May; French PM Stirs Controversy With Burkini Remarks; Migrants At Risk; U. S Resumes Direct Flights To Cuba Wednesday; Chris Brown Arrested on Suspicion of Assault. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired August 31, 2016 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:10] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. The head this hour, he spent much of his campaign mocking the country. On Wednesday, Donald Trump travels to Mexico. Plus, one of the leaders of ISIS is taken out on the battlefield. The terror group vows revenge. And Europe sends Apple more than $14 billion tax bill.

Hello, and thank you for joining us. I'm Isha Sesay. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.

Well, he spent the past year slamming Mexico on the campaign trail. Now, Donald Trump will travel to Mexico City in the coming hours to meet with its president, Enrique Pena Nieto. Trump's meeting which was just announced hours ago will come before he delivers a long- awaited speech Wednesday to clarify his views on immigration.

CNN's Phil Mattingly has more.

[01:01:12] PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We knew Wednesday was going to be a big moment for Donald Trump's campaign. The highly anticipated, highly-touted immigration policy speech that has been canceled and rescheduled multiple times. That's scheduled for Arizona, and still scheduled for Arizona. What we did not know was before Donald Trump makes the trip to Arizona to make that speech, he will be stopping in Mexico for a private meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. Trump on Twitter, just 90 seconds before he walked out on stage here in Everett, Washington, confirming he will be making that trip. Tweeting out, "I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico, and I look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow."

Now, the president's office saying they extended invitations to both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. It will be a private meeting in Mexico City with Trump on Wednesday. Again, this was not expected. And this happened very, very fast inside the Trump campaign. There are really two camps here. One camp that's very worried about the idea of meeting with a foreign leader on such notice. But another one, a camp Donald Trump himself subscribes to, is the acceptance that this is a bold move, and a move designed to show that he can play at the highest heights of the world stage, Donald Trump meeting with a foreign leader in that foreign leader's country. A foreign leader whose country Donald Trump has taken no shortage of shots at over the course of his entire campaign. Not exactly what we expected, but certainly something that's going to make tomorrow already a big day because of the immigration speech even bigger.

SESAY: Our thanks to Phil Mattingly there. Definitely not what we expected. Well, let's bring in Eric Hogensen. He's a democratic campaign consultant and president of the political consulting firm, HSG Campaigns. Also joining us is Jorge Herrera, the co-founder of Latinos for Trump. Gentlemen, good to have you with us once again.

You know, Jorge, let me start with you. Political analysts, political operatives saying this is a high-stakes move, a highly risky move for Donald Trump, to take this meeting with the President of Mexico at this stage in the campaign. What's your understanding of the calculation? What is he trying to get here?

[01:03:18] JORGE HERRERA, CO-FOUNDER OF LATINOS FOR TRUMP: I think - just to be real quick, I think he's trying to convey the role of leadership that he can have on the international stage, because we have to dispel these notions that he can't be a presidential or a world leader. So, this is an excellent opportunity for him to show that to the world.

SESAY: Excellent opportunity. Eric, you see this as what? What is this opportunity in your view?

[01:03:38] ERIC HOGENSEN, DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN CONSULTANT: Yeah, I think it's another, sort of, cheap ploy to go after minority voters, frankly. The reality is that his position on immigration hasn't changed and won't change. And it's a dangerous position for him to take. I think, in terms of his campaign, there's been a lot of very troubling racial undertones from the ban on Muslims to the, you know, mass deportation that he's called for. And frankly, a number of white supremacists outwardly supporting his campaign. So, you know, although, I'm in favor of good relations between presidential candidates and world leaders, I just don't think that this amounts to very much.

SESAY: Jorge, this meeting, you made a point that it's about showing his leadership capacity, his statesman-like qualities.

HERRERA: Sure.

SESAY: He's going to have to come away with something for this to be deemed a success, isn't he?

HERRERA: Well, I want to touch on this thing about, you know, minority votes. Hillary Clinton pandered to African-Americans by saying she carries hot sauce in her purse. That's pandering. We need substance. We know that the middle class has overall declined. Black wealth, African-American wealth is down. Hispanic wealth is down. Overall, the middle class is down. Democrats and Hillary Clinton have failed us. But the takeaway for Trump, I'm just going to say, it's time for him to really show leadership on the world stage. Excellent opportunity. He's going to do a great job. He's going to secure the border. We're going to get the criminals out, and we're going to - we're going to secure the border, and bring back the good ones that belong here and contribute. Like he acknowledges tons of good Latinos.

SESAY: Beyond the photo op, what makes this a successful trip?

HERRERA: To be able to have a working relationship with the President of Mexico. We cannot just have a back and forth, OK? We need to meet in person, and we need to have an established relationship. So, once he wins the presidency, they can start working on a relationship to find common solutions between our two countries.

SESAY: OK. So, here's the thing. Photo op, deliverables or not, whether or not he comes out with anything concrete -

HOGENSEN: Right. Right.

SESAY: -- what Trump is doing is he's owning the narrative. That can't be good for Hillary Clinton.

HOGENSEN: Well, again, I just - on this particular issue, I think he has, you know, a mountain to climb. You know, this is a person who has a long history of racial insensitivity. In the - in the early years of his business, he was sued by the justice department by - for not allowing African-Americans and Latinos into his buildings. So, this is a person who on the first day his campaign -

(CROSSTALK)

HERRERA: I'm sorry. That's not very accurate.

HOGENSEN: On the first day of his campaign, he started, you know, bringing out this whole notion of illegal immigrants and Mexico sending rapists to our country. So, I just think that, you know, yes, it's a fine photo op. You know, we'll see what the tangible outcomes as we're talking about are. But the reality is his stances and his position on immigrations are - is - immigration is dangerous and won't change.

HERRERA: You know what's more dangerous is the rapists and criminals that are coming over here from Mexico. Yes, we know that there's a lot of good people. But it's the bad ones that are ruining it for the ones that are looking for a better life. In all 50 states, about 30 percent of all murders are accounted to illegal immigrants. This is what Trump is talking about. Yes, the tone might be a little bit tough, but we have solutions that we have to fix.

SESAY: OK.

HERRERA: OK. This is the problem. We need to fix them.

SESAY: As you - as you talk about his tone, as you talk about his immigration stance, that has been under scrutiny in the last couple of days with people saying it is flip-flopping. He would say it's softening. I want to play for you what Donald Trump has said on the issue of immigration. Let's hear it with our own ears. And then also, I want us to listen to what his son Donald Trump Jr. said to Anderson Cooper a couple of hours ago. Let's run Donald Trump first.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They're illegal immigrants, they've got to go out. They've got to -

ANDERSON COOPER, ANDERSON COOPER 360 HOST: But how do you do it in a practical way? You really think you can round up 11 million people?

TRUMP: You know what, at some point, we're going to try getting them back, the good ones. And defensively -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are they going to get ripped out of their homes? How?

TRUMP: Can I take - they're going back where they came. If they came from a certain country, they're going to be brought back to their country. That's the way it's supposed to be. Now, they can come back, but they have to come back legally.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you going to be sending in officers -

TRUMP: We're going to be sending in people in a very nice way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- a force of people into people's homes to get them out?

TRUMP: We're going to be giving notice. We're going to be saying, "You have to go."

We have at least 11 million people in this country that came in illegally. They will go out. They will come back - some will come back, the best, through a process. They have to come back legally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, JR., DONALD TRUMP'S SON: He wasn't soft on anything. He didn't change his stance on anything. What he did was - and what he's done all along is he's speaking with the people. He's not lecturing them like most of the politicians. You see that he's actually having a conversation. He basically surveyed the room and asked, "Hey, what are your thoughts on this? I want to take that because I want to take into account what the people say." His policy has been the same for the last six, seven, eight months.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, he still - he still says deport - they've all got to go.

TRUMP, JR.: That's been - that's been the same. Correct. But again, you have to start with baby steps.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: (INAUDIBLE) Donald Trump, Jr. saying Donald Trump's position on immigration hasn't changed. He himself used the words a couple days ago that it had softened somewhat. What does he have to say in this speech in Arizona on Wednesday?

HERRERA: I think what we have to focus on is that, yes, we have an illegal immigration problem, but the tone of the other side, we need to stop focusing on race so much, because our -the top issues are our economy and safety. And really, the democrats and Hillary Clinton have done nothing for the middle class.

SESAY: But hasn't Donald Trump inserted the issue of race into this campaign?

HERRERA: No, no, it's actually Hillary Clinton who - if you - if you pay attention to Hillary Clinton's speeches, she never really talks about her record, because she can't. She's failed all Americans. She's always talking about divisive issues. She's the one that's really pushing the race narrative and so are the democrats. We need to stop focusing on race. We need to focus on all Americans. Donald Trump says, "Let's have everybody come here legally, live in unite under one flag, one nation." This is his message. There is nothing wrong - like I said, Mexico brings - Mexico - excuse me, Mexico deports people from Central America on a higher volume than we do. There's nothing wrong. There's no hate. There's no bigotry or xenophobia with wanting to enforce our immigration laws, and having everybody live together legally. OK? We need to stop focusing on race and bring the wealth back to the middle class, everybody. Not to focus on race.

SESAY: Eric, let me give you the final word.

HOGENSEN: Sure. Yes. So, you know, a lot of campaigns in the past have - candidates have used sort of, "dog whistles" in terms of addressing race. I think Donald Trump's using a bullhorn here, and using race as a - as a wedge issue. You know, suggesting policy of banning all Muslims into this country, suggesting policy of deporting every single person who's here undocumented. I mean, these are racially insensitive things, and they're just not good for us.

HERRERA: I have to - I have to counter that really quick. Really quick. Let's talk -

SESAY: You get 10 seconds.

HERRERA: OK. Let's talk about Saudi Arabia 2014, they banned Muslim refugees citing terrorism risk. There's no hate behind it. It's just common sense leadership, guys. That's it.

SESAY: OK. Saudi Arabia, the U.S. are built on slightly different principles.

(CROSSTALK)

HERRERA: They still banned them, guys.

SESAY: (INAUDIBLE) I would say.

HERRERA: They still banned them. Nothing wrong with that.

SESAY: It is great to have you both with us for the spirited conversation. We will be watching the speech very closely, and we'll get you back to the -

HERRERA: Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

SESAY: Thank you, Eric. Jorge, thank you.

HERRERA: Thank you. Appreciate it.

HOGENSEN: Yeah.

SESAY: All right. Away from U.S. politics now. And ISIS says one of its key leaders is dead, and it wants revenge. The terror group says Abu Mohammad al-Adnani was killed Tuesday in Syria. Jim Sciutto reports on why Adnani's death is considered a huge blow to ISIS.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sheik Abu Mohammad al-Adnani has been one of the most public and threatening leaders of ISIS. Chief spokesman and involved with its unit plotting terror attacks against the west, now reported dead by the terror group. The ISIS statement appearing online saying, Adnani "was martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo." ISIS offering no other proof and western officials have not confirmed his death. Still, a senior U.S. Defense official says a coalition air strike Tuesday targeted a senior ISIS leader near Aleppo. The U.S. has offered a $5 million reward for his death or capture.

Adnani is widely believed to be involved in inspiring and directing attacks in the west, like those that have terrorized Europe recently. Thought to be a possible successor to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi. He also brought in foreign fighters to the battles in Syria and Iraq. The top U.S. general fighting ISIS says ISIS's leadership may be losing its influence, as evidenced in a recent battle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARMY GENERAL JOSEPH VOTEL: And some of what we saw in the (INAUDIBLE) fight was direction from Baghdadi to his fighters to fight to the death. Obviously, they didn't, so they didn't follow his direction, which may be an indication of the state of (ISIS), and at least in some cases here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Adnani's official title was spokesman, and he did advertise some of ISIS's most brutal acts of violence. But he was more than that. He was a senior leader, he directed many of its operations, foreign operations, terror attacks in Europe. And to replace him effectively will be very difficult for the group. Jim Sciutto, CNN Washington.

SESAY: Joining me now is CNN's diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson. Nic, good to have you with us. How much of a blow to ISIS is the killing of Muhammad al-Adnani? [01:12:32] NIC ROBERTSON, CNN'S DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's significant because he is such an important figure. He has so much history with Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS. So much trust going back to - or you know, about a decade when they were fighting U.S. forces together in Iraq. But he is the mouthpiece for the organization, plus he's also believed to have been, sort of, part of the strategic planning and direction behind the attacks in Paris. And if you just listen to some of the things that he's said when he said, "If you can't kill them, talking about foreigners, if you can't kill them by shooting them or stabbing them, and this is to inspire lone wolf attacks around the world, then crush their heads with rocks. And if you can't do that, then drive vehicles over them." That resonated with the attack, for example, that we saw by that essentially ISIS-inspired attack in Nice, just about - you know, just about a month and a half ago, before Ramadan.

He was the one who said there will be more attacks during Ramadan. What happened - there was the attack on that nightclub in Orlando at the beginning of Ramadan. Inspired - there was an ISIS connection in there. So, this is a man who's been able to inspire ISIS operatives or wannabes, if you like, around the world with deadly effect.

SESAY: Yeah. I mean, the fact that he has been killed, and it comes just as ISIS continues to lose substantial territory in recent weeks, I mean, what does that tell us about where the organization is right now? Some would say it says that they're on the back foot. Is that how you see it?

ROBERTSON: They're losing territory. They know that they're going to lose more territory. It seems with his killing, that they got out, you know, ahead of the news, if you will. They were the ones - ISIS's own media arm, that he was a head of, got out and publicized his death before the Pentagon was able to say he was targeted in one of our air strikes pending in the moment they're saying that they don't know if they've actually killed him or not, they don't have confirmation with that. But at the very least, they are saying that they targeted him. So ISIS, if you will, you know, it's got a lot of bad news in - bad news in its pockets right now. So, on this one, at least, it tried to get out ahead of the news. And so, it's been praising Adnani. It's been telling its supporters to use a particular hash tag and to praise all the great things that he's done, and then to try to create terror in the enemy. So, they're trying to use it, you know, as a - as a - as a positive. And I think that does tell you that this is - that they feel bad news, particularly painfully right now on the back of everything else, you know, losing territory, et cetera.

SESAY: Yeah. They had - they also said in the announcement that they plan to revenge - or avenge his death. How seriously should those threats be taken?

ROBERTSON: Yeah, ISIS is always saying, you know, "Let's kill them wherever we can, kill the westerners," trying to inspire the lone wolves attacks with the - in the United States or in Europe. And it, you know, wants to attack if it can and kill U.S. forces that's are going after it inside Syria and inside Iraq. So, that - essentially, that is a background noise of threats. So, I think we can be pretty sure the next time that they manage to inspire or claim to inspire an attack on the - on the streets of Europe, let's say, they'll say, "Yeah, this is revenge for Adnani." The reality is they would love to be able to hit many targets many times a week in many western capitals, and they can't do that. They don't have the capability to do that. But, you know, they're going to - again, they'll use this as - to try to use it in a positive way.

So, I don't think it's going to make the situation any more dangerous. It doesn't make them more capable and more likely to attack. They want to attack, and the next time, maybe they get something significant that they will say, "Yeah, this was revenge." But I - you know, this is their propaganda. It's nothing more than that.

SESAY: Well, Nic Robertson, we appreciate the analysis. Thank you so much.

Well, South Korea says Pyongyang has executed a top education official by firing squad. Paula Hancocks joins me now with more from Seoul, South Korea. Paula, we don't yet have confirmation from the North Koreans, but at this stage, I mean, what more do we know about why this execution of a top education official happened?

[01:16:40] PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isha, this man was called Kim Yong-jin. He - according to a South Korean government official, was sharing what was described as a bad attitude during the Supreme People's Assembly in June of this year. According to this official, he was then investigated by the State Security Department, and they decide that he was an anti-party, a counterrevolutionary member. And then, they decided that he had to be executed, and he was executed by firing squad in July. This according to a government official, as you say, there has been no confirmation by North Korea.

Two other officials as well, high officials, were sent for what they call re-education. So, clearly, their presumed crimes were not as serious, but clearly they needed to show more loyalty to Kim Jong-un, the leader. Kim Jong-chul, he was head of the department that deals with South Korea, deals with relations with the - with the South Koreans. He was believed to have had abuse of power, being overbearing, trying to strengthen his own authority. And according to the South Korean official, was sent to a farm in a rural area from mid-July, mid-August to be re-educated. Another individual as well from the propaganda department, the same thing. It is worth mentioning, though. It's not an exact science.

The South Korean government officials have been wrong in the past. For example, just earlier this year, they said a former chief of staff was executed, and then a few months later, he suddenly turned up in North Korean state media again. So, this is just what they believe at this point. But, of course, we don't know for sure as it is such a secretive country. Isha?

SESAY: Yeah. And to a point, I mean, we know that this isn't the first time a top official has been executed in North Korea. In previous - on previous occasions, have the North Koreans come out and confirmed it, said something definitive either way? HANCOCKS: Not always, no. It has quite often been the fact that the South Koreans have publicized it. Certainly in May of last year, a defense chief was executed according to the South Koreans. But back in December 2013, the first major execution that was really confirmed by the North Koreans was, of course, Kim Jong-un's uncle Jan Song- thaek. He was executed and described as being a traitor for all ages. And that was really a wake-up call for many experts, many officials around the world realizing that Kim Jong-un was far more willing than his father, the late Kim Jong-il, appeared to be to execute as opposed to punish for perceived slights from those beneath him.

And certainly, it appears to be very clear according to experts that Kim Jong-un expects a very high level of loyalty to be shown to him. It's not just having that loyalty, but also showing to have that loyalty. That appears to be key. Isha?

SESAY: Paula Hancocks joining us there from Seoul, South Korea. Thank you, Paula. Time for a quick break now. Next on NEWSROOM L.A., nobody enjoys paying taxes. But imagine, imagine being told you paid $14 billion less than you owed. We'll tell you why Apple is facing that very situation.

Plus, small controversies surrounding France's burkini ban. What the country's prime minister said that has historians crying, foul. That's next.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[01:22:0] KATE RILEY, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: I'm Kate Riley with your CNN World Sport headlines. Under 24 hours remain in this summer's European transfer window. And on Tuesday, it hit the 1 billion euro mark for the first time ever in a single transfer window.

Spain's champions Barcelona have been quite busy this summer. They signed Samuel Umtiti, (INAUDIBLE) and now, Paco Alcacer. The 23-year- old striker moves from Valencia where he spent his entire career. He's netted 15 times in all competitions last season. And the England side, Arsenal have brought in a German World Cup winner Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez. He's a forward from Deportivo La Coruna.

Meanwhile, Mustafi last played at Valencia and will fill the center back role. Manchester City did a lot of their business in advance of transfer deadline day, but the upcoming Master Derby may not feature one of city's most prolific strikers who could be facing a three-match ban. Sergio Aguero has been charged by the FA with violent conduct after elbowing West Ham's Winston Reid on Sunday. An FA panel decided that it was a deliberate attempt to hurt his opponent, and the forward has until late on Wednesday to reply to the charge.

And England's cricket team set a new bar for innings scored in a One Day International. Facing Pakistan, England racked up a remarkable 444 runs. That's one more than the record set by Sri Lanka a decade ago. And that's a look at all your sports headlines. I'm Kate Riley.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[01:23:53] SESAY: Hello, everyone. Critics are blasting France's Prime Minister for his latest remarks on the country's controversial burkini ban. Manuel Valls gave a speech Monday, hailing Marianne, a national symbol of freedom and suggesting that her naked breast represents France better than the burkini. Valls appears to be referring to this 1830 painting called Liberty Leading the People. But historians are ridiculing his comments, pointing that in most depictions rather, Marianne is fully clothed and typically has her head covered. France's highest court struck down the burkini ban last week, and it remains in effect in dozens of towns. United Nations applauded the court's decision saying it fuels religious intolerance and stigmatizes Muslim women.

Now, it's an amount almost equivalent to the annual GDP of Mozambique. The European Union is demanding that tech giant Apple pays $14.6 billion after accusing the firm in Ireland of having an illegal tax agreement over more than two decades. Apple has consistently paid a tax rate of one percent or less in Ireland compared with the country's usual corporate levy of 12.5 percent. Apple's European headquarters means big business for Dublin. The company's responsible for 1.5 million jobs across the continent. Well, the EU ruling has threatened a rift between Brussels and Washington, with the White House saying, it treats the U.S. company and its consumers unfairly.

Let's bring in Eric Schiffer. He is an investor and CEO of Patriarch Equity. Eric, thank you so much for being with us.

[01:25:21] ERIC SCHIFFER, CEO OF PATRIARCH EQUITY: Good to be with you.

SESAY: I think the question a lot of people are wrestling with is whether the European Commission, which is part of the European Union, actually has the ability to override a sovereign nation's tax agreement or tax plan with Apple or any other entity.

SCHIFFER: Yeah. Yeah, this is one of the big questions, because can they really do it?

SESAY: Yeah.

SCHIFFER: And frankly, I don't think anyone knows yet. I think there's some speculation, this is going to be argued in court. The big question is, you know, I think, is being part of this union, is it fair to an individual country to dictate what it is that they say that they can do? And frankly, I know Ireland's not happy about it and other countries. And this is not a good time for the EU to be doing this with England having left.

SESAY: Yeah. What are the implications as you see it for investment and job creation in Europe?

SCHIFFER: Yeah. Look, it could be a powder keg for the EU in terms of jobs, because when they start going after many different companies like this, why would companies want to invest when you begin to tax with these retroactive taxes? This is one of the biggest levies in terms of retroactive tax in world tax history. I mean, it's huge and it's gigantic.

SESAY: Yeah.

SCHIFFER: And so, I think Apple is being made a case study. It'll be interesting to see what happens. This is five years out before we're going to see anything, really.

SESAY: Yeah. And so - well, first of all, Apple can afford it. They have enough money, just to put it in context. What I'm -

SCHIFFER: One of the few. I mean, you know, this is a drop in the bucket for Apple. But many companies it's not. So, it's scaring some companies because they're thinking, "Well, if this is a precedent maybe to a lot of other companies?" And so, they're concerned, they're concerned that this could have implications to them, so they're really looking at this and saying how far is the EU going to take it?

SESAY: U.S. administration officials are saying that this is the EU targeting U.S. companies. Do you - is there validity? How credible is that statement?

SCHIFFER: It looks like this. OK? So, if it looks like a duck and it sounds like a duck, maybe it's a duck. All right? And so, I think the government is concerned for many reasons. One of the reasons is that they don't want anyone intervening in these taxes that are - that are currently being potentially owed to the United States. And so, at some point, they may repatriate these taxes.

SESAY: Uh-hmm.

SCHIFFER: And that's a concern.

SESAY: Well, Eric Schiffer, it's great to have you with us, putting it all in perspective for us. Thank you.

SCHIFFER: My pleasure. Good to be with you.

SESAY: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thanks. All right. Next on NEWSROOM L.A., agencies race to save thousands of migrants at sea. The dangerous routes they're taking, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:30:00] SESAY: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles, I'm Isha Sesay.

After lambasting Mexico for months for, in his words, sending criminals to the U.S., Donald Trump has announced he'll have a surprise meeting with Mexico's president. It's expected to happen just hours from now before trump delivers a speech on his immigration policy. President Enrique Pena Nieto also invited Hillary Clinton to a meeting, but it's not clear if that will happen. ISIS said their spokesman and one of its most senior leaders is dead. The terror group says Abu Muhammad Al Adnani was killed in Syria but not how. U.S.-led air strikes targeted Adnani but officials haven't confirmed his death. Adnani is believed to have been the driving force behind some lone wolf attacks in Europe. North Korea has executed its top education official. South Korean government official tells CNN the man had, quote, "a bad attitude" during the assembly in June. They also say he was killed by firing squad. Two other officials have been sent to reeducation programs.

Now, a migrant rescue operation is calling for safe and legal migration routes after an alarming number of people risked their lives to cross the Mediterranean. Erin McLaughlin reports a record number have been saved in the past two days, but thousands of others haven't made it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The numbers are staggering. Men, women, children. Even premature twins. More than 6,500 souls saved in just 30 hours.

GERARD CANALS: It's amazing. Amazing. I still remember the children.

MCLAUGHLIN: Gerard Canals was part of that rescue effort. Teams of coast guards and volunteers working from sun up to well past sundown. Scouring waters for those trying to make their way from Libya to Italy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wait, my friend. Wait.

CANALS: There are people like you and me, children and women, lots of children.

MCLAUGHLIN: We simply don't know exactly how many have died. The international organization for migration estimates over 3,100 killed trying to cross the Mediterranean just this year. A grim toll on track to far exceed the numbers from 2015. Rickety, overcrowded boats often cited as the main cause of death.

CANALS: They cannot launch boats with that weather. So, the problem is not the weather. It's the boats. The boats are so weak and so overload that it's impossible they can cross the Mediterranean river.

MCLAUGHLIN: Many are from Sub-Saharan Africa. Canals says they see Libya as their gateway to a better life.

CANALS: They are escaping off the hunger, the poverty, and the wars. They found a gate in Libya. Because now it's a country without control.

MCLAUGHLIN: And until the situation is controlled and life improves back home, rescues like this one will continue. Erin McLaughlin, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Joining us now from Geneva, Switzerland is Leonard Doyle. He's a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration. Leonard, thank you so much for being with us. So almost 7,000 migrants and refugees rescued in a 30-hour period. What does this say about the European Union's response to this current crisis?

LEONARD DOYLE, INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR IMMIGRATION, SPOKESMAN: Well, I think it's telling us that the European Union and associated countries are doing an extraordinary job in saving lives. We had one death over the last couple of days, which is really extraordinary to think of the numbers, they plucked out of the waters. And if you think of the appallingly shoddy vessels that these people came on to sea. And the issue here is the callous nature of the smugglers and the forces that are driving these migrants and refugees to leave their countries and leave their families.

SESAY: There are (INAUDIBLE) also the absence of safe and legal avenues to access Europe.

DOYLE: Well, indeed we advocate strongly for safe and legal avenues for particular -- in particular for those with a well-founded fear of persecution or those who are seeking to escape poverty or indeed the onset of climate change, which the earlier piece referred to. But that will always only be a small part of the problem. I mean, what is it that drives people to pack up and leave their family and friends and put themselves at enormous risk and put themselves into the hands of really unscrupulous criminals? So, it's surely got to be a combination of things. It can't simply be the fault of the receiving countries.

SESAY: All right. So, we are still at this place where we see in effect a lack of cohesion in the European response. There are deals in place, but we still see the numbers coming. There were efforts to reign in smugglers who are -- who are basically profiting on the misery of people and putting them on these wooden rickety boats, but that hasn't stopped the flow. So, what needs to happen? what needs to happen next, Leonard?

DOYLE: I think it would be helpful to look at the origins of the problem and where people are leaving from.the appalling local, quite often local corruption that they live under. The absolute inability to improve the lives of themselves and their children. The poor economy, the lack of transparency. Fundamentally, the absolute absence of development and opportunity for many hard-working families right across Sub-Saharan Africa. What would you do in those circumstances faced with, you know, a terrible school, no public health, and no opportunity for people to work and be properly rewarded for it, for their labors.

So, i think what we're seeing is the fruits of decades of misgovernance, decades of corruption, and it's no surprise to us that people vote with their feet. They've done it for generations. United States was populated by people who left countries that were poorly governed and they had no opportunity to survive in in order to improve their lives. So, let's not blame the United States because people came there, let's more look at the origins of the problem and the drivers and try and see if we can sort out and create a more constructive economy and a more inclusive economy and political space in these countries.

SESAY: Yes. There's no doubt that these people are fleeing horrific conditions and "they're voting with their feet," to use your expression. But anti-immigrant parties and nativist politics has taken hold in several European countries. And what we're seeing is a hardening of feelings towards refugees and migrants. Can that be reversed?

DOYLE: Well, you know, to some extent it can by having managed migration, which is what you alluded to, having -- giving people the opportunity for certain migrations. For example, when we work with migrants from Central America who go to Canada, spend six months or a year working there, and go home. They're happy to go home because they have some money in their pocket and they can help put a new roof on their house or pay for their children's education. So those sorts of policies I think give confidence in the host countries that they're not simply going to be, to use the words of the populace, they're not going to be invaded. I think we just need -- everything needs to calm down a little bit and we need to get into a place where we can manage it well. At the moment, such is the hysteria about migration that we cannot even get some relocation going within Europe because countries which have no migrants speak up, become absolutely hysterical about it as if it's -- the deluge is about to happen whereas countries that have large numbers of migrants like Germany and Sweden, for example, seem on the hold to handle it in a very balanced and well-mannered -- well -ordered way.

SESAY: Leonard Doyle, it's great to have you with us. Thank you so much.

DOYLE: Thank You. Thanks. Anytime.

SESAY: Time for a quick break now. The U.S. and Cuba are officially resuming direct flight services after more than 50 years. But the island nation is already struggling with the boom of visitors. That story next on NEWSROOM L.A.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: Hello, everyone. In just a few hours a Jetblue flight will take off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Destination? Cuba. It will be the first commercial flight between the U.S. and Cuba in more than half a century. CNN'S Patrick Oppmann reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is colonial (old town is,) full of music. And increasingly, visitors from United States.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) this is official newspaper of the Cuban Communist Party. OPPMANN: Just two years ago, Americans visiting Cuba without special permission from the U.S. government face the prospect of (hefty fines,) even prosecution. But the thaw in U.S.-Cuban relations and loosening of restrictions on travel to the communist-run island has led to a surge in u.s. visitors. Up 93% from last year, according to Cuban government figures. Many Americans say they want to see Cuba while the island remains stuck in a cold war time warp.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our friends have been here, and so they said "Let's go -- why don't you go to Cuba before it becomes too westernized?"

OPPMANN: Too westernized?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Before you see McDonald's and Walmart and all of the other U.S. companies here in cuba.

OPPMANN: Cuba's largely state-run tourism industry is already buckling under the increased demand.

(TOM PEPPER): The hotels are full. The infrastructure wasn't ready for the avalanche of interest. Whether it's American travelers, Chinese travelers, Canadians travelers, Cuba is building their infrastructure up. They have plans over the next four or five years to add many additional hotels. So we just advise people to plan ahead.

OPPMANN: Tourism will likely continue to boom. Soon it will be much easier for Americans to fly to the island. Up until now, the only way that Americans could come to Cuba was via third countries or on expensive inefficiently run charter services. But that's all changing now that direct flight service is being restored between the U.S. and Cuba after more than 50 years.

The first direct flight will land here in Santa Clara, Cuba where revolutionary icon Che Guevara is buried. Even though he was tracked down and killed with help from the CIA, Cuban officials say Guevara would have agreed with the opening to the U.S.

JOSEFINA VIDAL: So, I would say that he was not different from us thinking that even with the kind of differences that we have it's beneficial for Cuba and the United States to have normal relations.

OPPMANN: Benefits that can be seen on Havana Streets already packed with U.S. visitors. As Cuba's economy continues to struggle, the boom in U.S. visitors is a rare bright spot that's only expected to grow. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana, Cuba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: But keep in mind, American tourism to Cuba is still illegal on the U.S. law. Some in the tourism industry believe that up to a million visitors from the U.S. could eventual -- eventually rather, travel to Cuba each year.

Earlier, John Vause spoke to John Kavulich, President of the U.S.-Cuba trade and economic council.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: John, you're among those who floated that number of a million visitors. But you i think are among the first to admit there is still a long way to go before that happens. And also how did you get to that 1 million number?

JOHN KAVULICH, PRESIDENT, U.S.-CUBA TRADE AND ECONOMIC COUNCIL: The U.S. Airlines that applied for routes to Cuba, specifically Havana, there were going to be 20 routes that the U.S. and Cuba agreed to. The U.S. carriers asked for 70. And in terms of actual seats, the number of seats that were going to be available were 1.2 million. And the airlines asked for 3.4 million. So that gives you some idea in terms of what the airlines feel the demand is. But they are constricted by the realities of Cuba's infrastructure.