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36 Dead in Philippines Casino Robbery; Global Condemnation Erupts as Trump Quits Paris Accord; Group of U.S. Governors Vow to Support Paris Agreement; Putin: Patriots May Have Hacked U.S. Campaign. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired June 02, 2017 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[02:00:21] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead this hour --
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SESAY: Hello, and welcome to our viewers from all around the world. I'm Sesay.
VAUSE: I'm John Vause. Thanks for staying with us. We're in the third hour of NEWSROOM L.A.
At least 36 people have been killed after masked gunman attacked a casino in the Philippines. We have new video of the resort that shows the damage to the building. Witnesses say the attackers stormed into the casino, setting tables on fire and shooting at gambling machines.
SESAY: Police initially thought this was a terror attack, but they now say it was a robbery. Most of the victims died of suffocation from the fire. The gunman eventually killed himself.
CNN's Alexandra Field is following developments from Hong Kong.
Alexandra, up to 34 people dead -- 36 people dead, rather. What more can you tell us about what happened here?
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For hour, Isha, police were operating under the possible assumption there was a terror attempt going on inside the busy casino around midnight in the Manilla, Philippines. They've been quick to reject that idea, now pointing to the possible motivation of a robbery. Saying the gunman, who walked into the casino and opened fire and lit gaming tables on table on fire, was also found with a bag with about $2 million worth of casino chips. Possibly leads them to believe it is a robbery. From all indications, it was every bit of chaos unfolding inside the casino after the gunman came. We understand that he was armed, according to police, with both a machine gun and a pistol, as well as carrying gasoline. Witnesses were scrambling to get out of the building, hundreds of them who were inside the casino at the time. Police say the windows were locked. No windows were open. Those who were killed likely died of suffocation, not gunshot wounds, except for the gunman himself. They say he was later found in a hotel room with that bag of casino chips. They say he had lit himself on fire and then shot himself. The images you're seeing on the screen speaks to the chaos that was unfolding. It was really a number hours before police could get a handle on the situation inside the building. And frankly, it was hours before we learned the death toll. They say that the smoke was so heavy they had to wait for it clear before they found the bodies scattered around the casino -- Isha?
SESAY: So why did it take hours before the police could get a handle on the situation.
FIELD: They sent watchers very quickly. Certainly, you saw that there was a chaotic situation that was unfolding and a scramble for hundreds of people to get out. So we were following and there were reports on the ground observing SWAT teams were surrounding the area trying to get a handle on the situation. Unclear exactly what was going on. In these situations, there are varying reports of what activities are operating inside. In the early initial hours, there were questions about whether or not there could be more than a single actor. Police now are saying there was just one gunman. This raises the question about how a gunman could get into a busy casino resort like this, filled not only with locals enjoying themselves, and other international travelers visiting or staying there. We have learned, according to police, the gunman was able to casually walk into the building, that there was a security guard in place at the entrance, but that security guard was apparently, according to investigators, scared off by the image of this gunman carrying both a machine gun and a pistol. Police are now reviewing security procedures. Certainly, it's common and routine in Manila for there to be security checkpoints at hotels, casinos, shopping malls and other large gathering areas. So police are looking into the procedures that are in place right now. We also know the scrambled to set up checkpoints around the city. They say that was an effort to increase police visibility during these very tense overnight hours -- Isha?
SESAY: CNN's Alexandra Field joining us from Hong Kong. Alexandria, appreciate it the reporting. Thank you.
VAUSE: U.S. President Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to reinstate his travel ban, which other courts have ruled unconstitutional. The controversial executive order is mean to stop refugees and immigrants from six Muslim-majority countries entering the U.S. without so-called extreme vetting, which Mr. Trump promised during the campaign.
[02:05:16] SESAY: Lower courts have repeatedly blocked the order, calling it discriminatory. Now the Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow the ban to go into effect until the court decides whether to review the case later on this year.
Global leaders have been quick to condemn U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to quit the Paris Climate Accord.
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SESAY: There were noisy street protests like this one in New York. The president's unilateral announcement Thursday was met with loud disapproval from corporations and governments around the world.
VAUSE: Some critics says they're disappointed, others say this is the is a historic mistake, yet the president is unfazed, insisting he's done the right thing.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Paris agreement handicaps the United States economy in order to win praise from the very foreign capitals and global activists that have long sought to gain wealth at our country's expense. They don't put America first. I do. And I always will.
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VAUSE: It will take years to unwind the U.S. from the Paris Accord, a complicated process that will not be finalized until after the next U.S. presidential election in 2020.
SESAY: That's right. Still, world leaders are beginning to see the U.S. as a nation in retreat from international affairs.
CNN's Michelle Kosinski has the details.
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MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The world's reaction came fast and furious.
TRUMP: The United States will withdraw.
KOSINSKI: Paris lit up its city hall green. Canada's Justin Trudeau expressing deep disappointment, along with Brazil. Germany, France and Italy, in a joint statement, saying the Paris climate agreement cannot be renegotiated, despite President Trump saying it's a possibility.
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: It is not the future we want for our society. It is not the future we want for our children.
KOSINSKI: The president of the European Commission pulled no punches, reminding the U.S. that withdrawal from the deal is a years-long process.
JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER, PRESIDENT, EURIPEAN COMMISSION (through translation): That's not how it works. The Americans can't just leave the climate protection agreement. Mr. Trump believes that because he doesn't get close enough to the dossier to fully understand that. This notion, I am Trump, I am an American, America first, and I'm going to get out of it, that won't happen. We tried to explain that to Mr. Trump in clear German sentences.
KOSINSKI: The Vatican called the American decision a disaster for the planet. When the Pope met with Trump, he gave him his published thoughts on the environment, calling for a revolution on climate change before the earth devolved into, quote, "an immense pile of filth."
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KOSINSKI: The UN Secretary-General --
ANTONIO GUTERRES, SECRETARY-FENERAL, UITED NATIONS: Climate change is undeniable. Climate affection is unstoppable. And climate solutions provide opportunities that are unmatchable.
KOSINSKI (on camera): Some foreign policy experts, including ones who served in Republican administrations, feel this decision now could have the greatest diminishing effect on the U.S.'s influence in the world.
(voice-over): With China, India, Europe more than ready to step in and fill that void.
ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translation): Cooperation with the European Union and China in this area could play a crucial role, especially in regard to new technology.
KOSINSKI: A role China seems to relish today in an editorial in its England-language tabloid: "A reckless withdrawal from the climate deal will waste increasingly finite U.S. diplomatic resources and the U.S.'s selfishness and irresponsibility will be made clear to the world crippling the country's world leadership."
Michelle Kosinski, CNN, the State Department.
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VAUSE: Australia's prime minister is one of those left disappointed by Mr. Trump's decision to quit the accord, but Malcolm Turnbull says it will not affect Australia's commitment to the agreement.
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MALCOLM TURNBULL, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: His announcement today, from our point of view is disappointing, but not at all surprising. It's entirely expected and as predicted, and as promised by him. And in the light of that, in the light of the knowledge, we are committed to our Paris commitments, 2030 commitments, as I said, 26 to 28 percent reduction in emissions.
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SESAY: Melissa Bell is following the story for us from Paris. Melissa, Emmanuel Macron, the French president, not holding back on his criticism of Trump's decision. Macron and leaders of Germany and Italy offering out a statement saying they remain committed to the Paris Climate Accord. But how much is this deal weakened by the U.S. pulling out?
[02:10:09] MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRSPONDENT: Clearly, Isha, one of the world's biggest polluters will now remain one of the world's biggest polluters. That is a blow to all of those who had believed a year and a half ago here in Paris that this historic deal was something the world would not go back on, that it should be the U.S. is particularly a blow since it had been one of the real driving forces. All of the nations, 195 of them, have gathered here and managed to come to agreement. I spoke to the woman in charge of the French negotiations here 18 months ago and asked whether she felt this was a significant blow, and she explained that not at all. In fact, what has shown, and she was surprised herself, as one of the architects of the deal, was its resilience. The fact that one of the greatest architects, one of the biggest polluters could pull out as the U.S. has, and the world in reaction, the fact that the world had come together, that so many world leaders since last night restated their commitment, announced -- and this is something you'll hear from Brussels later today --- when China and the European Union put out a joint declaration saying they intend to go faster and accelerate their cooperation. In a sense, you're likely to see the world coming together to try and make up for the shortfall of the U.S. it's looking like it will represent -- Isha?
SESAY: Melissa, when we talk about shortfalls, we're also talking about money. The U.S. had pledged billions of dollars in climate change finance. Will the European leaders, China, will the rest of the pack step up to make up for that shortfall?
BELL: I think they'll have to. One of the things on which this deal had hung at the time was the idea that the world's poorest countries would be helped to get up to speed in the fight against climate change and then that money would come from the world's wealthiest countries. The U.S. was going to be a massive contributor. Barack Obama had pledged a good chuck of the funded money. That will now have to be found elsewhere. But I wonder whether the money, in a sense, is the least of the worries for world leaders now. I think this goes deeper than that with this final nail in the coffin, really. As far as European leaders are concerned in the idea that the world could rely on the U.S., a steadfast ally, looking at global issues, that is now over and the world is going to red3efine itself according to different alliances, looking ahead to other bridges than can be built with the rest of the world to find the money you mentioned, Isha. But also to look ahead to global challenges without the U.S.
SESAY: We'll see what the ramifications are here. One can assume they will be many.
Melissa Bell joining us from Paris. Melissa, thank you, as always.
VAUSE: Just after President Trump made it official that the U.S. was pulling out of the climate accord, three governors of Democratic states pushed back, announcing a new alliance to uphold the goals of the deal, which was made in Paris. And these are the big states, California, Washington and New York, home to almost 70 million people, more than 20 percent of U.S. GDP.
Jay Inslee is the governor of Washington State. He joins us now from Olympia.
Governor, good to see you.
Your colleague, Jerry Brown, governor of California, he said it was insane and deviant for the presidency to withdraw from the Paris climate deal. I'm assuming you're on the same page with Governor Brown?
GOV. JAY INSLEE, (D), WASHINGTON: Not only I am, but over almost 100 million Americans already live in states that have constraints on carbon. It's very important for the international community to not be overly disheartened. We have a president who decided not to lead. We governors and we states are moving forward on constraining carbon pollution. Almost 100 million people already are in states that have state laws reducing carbon pollution. Almost another hundred million live in states that are racing renewable energy to clean up our electrical grid. So our states are moving forward even in the absence of national leadership. I'm proud my state is one of them. Washington State, of Microsoft and Boeing, we're moving forward against climate change even if Washington, D.C., does not. We expect this coalition to grow. We've established the United States Climate Alliance, starting today. We've already had several governors say they want to join us on this effort. So I remain a believer in the American value of leading the rest the world. Our states are going to do this. And Donald Trump cannot stop us. In our system, the states can move forward. We are going to move forward.
[02:15:03] VAUSE: The bigger picture, governor, is it possible to decarbonize the U.S. economy, move it away from fossil fuels, towards renewables, if the White House is not on board?
INSLEE: We are decarbonizing our industry very rapidly. In my state, well over half of our system is decarbonized now and we're moving very rapidly. And the reason is we are discovering that we can grow jobs by the hundreds of thousands. My state has the largest manufacture of carbon fiber. It goes into electric cars. We sell the largest flow battery that allows the integration of renewable energy into our electrical grid system. What we're discovering is that we can grow our economy and decarbonize our economy rapidly. My state, Washington State, has the largest rate of economic growth in the United States. At the same time, we're leading the world, leading in the nation with a cap on carbon to decarbonize our economy. So we believe that the combination of amazing innovation that's represented by the auto industry that is electrifying our fleet by the energy, electricity generated industry that's moving rapidly to solar and wind, to the construction industry that's going to net zero homes, you bet. We're doing this much more rapidly than anyone could've predicted several years ago. And happily, we're growing our economy at the same time. So my message to the world is we will move forward with you. Don't let Donald Trump derail this international effort. Our states are with you. We'll move forward. We'll grow out economies around the world as a result. We're committed to that success.
VAUSE: So when President Trumps says he based his decision to pull out of the accords because it was all about saving jobs, he said the accord was essentially a job killer. Your experience as a governor is the opposite it sounds like, which means, what, there's politics at play here for President Trump?
INSLEE: I can't speak to his motivation. I can speak to his wrongheadedness. I can speak to the fact that he's backward thinking. I can speak to the fact he is ignoring plain science. Look, this is very important for economic growth for two reasons. Number one, we know the jobs of the future lie in a de carbonized economy. We know that that is a necessity. That's the reason even today we have twice as many jobs in the United States in solar and wind power than we do in the coal industry. That is growing very rapidly. But the second reason, the economic imperative calls for a carbon cap is we have industries that are being damaged by climate change. We've had the two biggest forest fire season in my state's history in the last three years. The forest products industry is threatened by this. Our shell-fishing industry is threatened by this because carbon acidifies the oceans and reduces our ability to grow the best oysters and clams in the world. So the economic case for action against climate change is clear. And trump is simply flat wrong. We cannot allow the flat- earth society to dominate the future or the climate deniers. The people in my nation were moving forward, the Washingtons, the Californias, New Yorks, the Virginias and Oregons, the Connecticuts. We're leading the future, winning the economic future, and that's going to continue. That's why going to push our efforts in the future.
VAUSE: Governor, thank you so much. Good to speak with you.
INSLEE: Thank you.
SESAY: Mr. Trump finds himself with few allies among business leaders around the world. This letter, urging the president to stay in the agreement, appeared in "The New York Times" and the "Wall Street Journal" on Thursday. 25 of the world's most valuable companies signed it.
Other CEOs expressed their disappointment once the announcement was made. Some even decided to leave Trump's business advisory council. For instance, Tesla's CEO in London tweeting, "I'm departing presidential council. Climate change is real. Leave Paris is not good for America or the world."
Business CEO Robert Iser (ph) said this, "As a matter of principle, I resigned from the president's council over the Paris agreement withdrawal."
VAUSE: General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt tweeted, "Disappointed with today's decision on the Paris agreement. Climate change is real. Industry must now lead and not depend on government."
And from a Microsoft CEO, "We believe climate change is an urgent issue that demands global action. We remain committed to doing our part."
The front page of Friday's edition of the "New York Daily News," "We'll continue a long tradition of critical and abiding front pages with regard to the president." The headline, "Trump to World: Drop Dead."
[02:20:06]SESAY: They made their point.
VAUSE: Pretty blunt.
SESAY: We'll take a quick break. U.S. intelligence agencies agree Russia hacked the presidential campaign. Now Vladimir Putin has an opinion on who those hackers were, next on NEWSROOM L.A.
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SESAY: Hello, everyone. President Putin will give the keynote speech at an economic forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, in the coming day. On Thursday, reporters asked about his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, he replied, "How can I be friends with someone I've never met."
VAUSE: Mr. Putin is also admitting there may have been Russian meddling in the U.S. election. Not what you think though.
Here's Brian Todd.
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VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vladimir Putin tonight again demonstrates his mastery of deflection and denial when it comes to allegations of Russia's role in meddling in America's election process. Putin likens hackers to artists.
PUTIN (through translation): They may act may act on behalf of their country. They'll wake up in a good mood and paint things. Same with hackers. They woke up today, read something about the state-to-state relations. If they are patriotic, they contribute in a way they think is right to fight against those who say bad things about Russia.
TODD (on camera): Patriots doing it on their own, not backed by the government. What do you think?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The U.S. intelligence community in January concluded with high confidence that Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign to try to shape the U.S. election, and part of that campaign were hackers. This is Putin trying to obfuscate and blur what is the reality.
TODD (voice-over): U.S. intelligences says the Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU, used online personas, known as Lucifer 2.0, and DCleaks.com, to release hacked material to influence the American election. U.S. officials say Putin's fingerprints may not be on the computer keys but the operation had to have been Approved by the top levels of the Russian government.
Today, Putin said Russia could have been framed.
PUTIN (through translation): I can imagine that someone is doing this purposefully, building the chain of attacks so that the territory of the Russian Federation appears to be the source of that attack. Modern technologies allow that kind of thing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Perhaps he sees the trail of evidence is getting closer to the Kremlin.
TODD: The cybersecurity firm, CrowdStrike, which investigated the Democratic Party hacks, says they are the work of hacking teams known as Cozy Beer and Fancy Bear, tied to Russian government and intelligence agencies.
(on camera): Are these the hackers who happen to be wearing military uniforms?
UNIDENTIFIED CROWDSTRIKE INVESTIGATOR: There's people in military uniforms. There people that are -- have a more business focus. And then there's going to be a technical cadre that may be a little more informal and maybe a little bit more casual.
TODD: Experts say Putin likely has plausible deniability that Russian hackers outside the government could be targeting the West with the tacit approval and support of the Kremlin.
How sophisticated are they?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When it comes to espionage and offense, they are -- they are fantastic. They are close to the best in the world, probably right after our own here in the United States
[02:25:15] TODD (on camera): Now, analysts are focusing on the on the next possible targets of Putin's hackers. One cyber expert who investigated the Russian government hacks told us the upcoming elections in Britain and Germany could be targeted. And the U.S. congressional committees investigating Russia's influence in the U.S. election should be on guard against hacks as well.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
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VAUSE: For more, let's head to Moscow. CNN's Claire Sebastian live this hour.
Claire, are we seeing an evolution of an admission from Mr. Putin, much like the Russian military activity in Ukraine and Syria? First, there was flat- out denial, then, well, maybe.
CLAIRE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, the situation is different in Ukraine. We could see with the naked eye what was going on in the Crimea. And it was pretty clear what was happening there. I think is a little different. You can't see troops on the ground when it comes to the hacks on the U.S. elections. I think, as Brian Todd was pointing out, there's still a little deniability, the position of denial from the Kremlin. Especially here in Moscow does still seem to be in the situation. The U.S. intelligence community would disagree. I think where we are seeing evolution is in Mr. Putin's approach, how after months of saying very little about the relationship with the U.S. and the controversy swirling in Washington about Russian hacking and conclusion with the Trump campaign, he's not coming out and addressing this head one and in very elaborate, flowery terms we heard about hackers. Perhaps this is a new phase. Perhaps Russia is going to start to increase its level of commentary to really -- maybe it's emboldened or even irritated by the situation in the U.S., depending. We're see a lot more talk in the last few days from the president.
VAUSE: With that talk, it seems Mr. Putin is going a lot further about Russia involvement or potential Russian involvement in the U.S. election than the U.S. president. So the question is, why now.
SEBASTIAN: Absolutely. The two still haven't met. They are set to meet in July at the G-20 summit. But there's been a lot of news coming out of Europe, and Germany saying Europe can no longer rely on the traditional ally. There's a sense in Moscow that there's a monopoly, and the dominance of the U.S. over global affairs, it's kind of waning. We saw that sense after the U.S. pulled out of the global climate accord last night. Russia may be feeling emboldened from that and maybe stepping in to assert its views, it's dominance. President Putin also talked about how there was kind of a multi-polar world being established to replace the monopoly of the U.S. Perhaps he does feel confident about that and perhaps he's building up to that meeting in July with President Trump -- John?
VAUSE: It is a mystery.
Claire, thank you. Claire Sebastian live in Moscow.
Hackers are like artists.
SESAY: Apparently, so.
A quick break here. Coming up, it was supposed to be an easy election. We'll explain the missteps that has Theresa May sliding in the polls.
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[02:30:56] VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause.
SESAY: I'm Isha Sesay.
The headlines this hour --
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SESAY: Parliamentary elections are less than a week away in the U.K., and it's no longer the easy victory that some predicted for Theresa May. VAUSE: The latest polls show her lead over Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is shrinking.
Details now from Max Foster.
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MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If Donald Trump's campaign mantra was "make America great again," then Theresa May's is "strong and stable."
THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIMJE MINISTER: We've got to make sure we've got that strong and stable leadership.
A strong and stable leadership.
A strong and stable leadership and a strong and stable government.
FOSTER: The message, she alone can steer Britain through the turbulence of Brexit.
MAY: I have just chaired a meeting of the cabinet where we agreed that the government should call a general election.
FOSTER: That was April 18 when the cabinet did, indeed, agree, but it was also the first they had heard of it. May has a reputation for making big decisions on her own in the company of just a small group of advisors. Bu there was also a U-turn because she had consistently ruled out a snap election.
MAY: I'm not going to be calling a snap election.
FOSTER: She said in September. And more recently, May argued she needed an election mandate to strengthen her position in Brexit negotiations. But even that whiff of flipflopping, because she had originally campaigned to stay in the E.U.
She's also changed position on national insurance, on foreign worker quotas, and the acceptance of child refugees.
Her inconsistency is now an election issue.
JEREMY CORBYN, U.K. LABOUR PARTY LEADER: If I was sitting in Brussels and I was looking at you as the person I had to negotiate with, I think she's a blowhard who collapses at the sign of gunfire.
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FOSTER: The most damaging U-turn could be to be around social care policy. She's proposed older people pay for their care from the value in their properties. The money would come out of their wills. Those affected include many core Conservative voters.
UNIDENTIFIED: Why, Prime Minister, should we, in my generation, vote for you? FOSTER: Amid the backlash, May backtracked and said she was adding a cap on how much people were expected to pay towards their care. But we still don't know at what level.
All this backpedaling could be why May's numbers are tanking. In the weeks after she called the election, polls gave her part a lead of as much as 20 points. Later surveys show the Labour Party closing in by single digits.
The Manchester bombing caused a pause in campaigning but should have bolstered Theresa May's position as a strong and stable leader with her years of experience running the Home Office and policing. But if she's blamed for squandering a potential election landslide, there will be calls for her resignation after the election. If she goes straightaway, she'll be the shortest serving British prime minister in modern history.
Max Foster, CNN, London.
SESAY: Let's take a quick look with all of this with Quentin Peel in London. He's an associate fellow with the Europe Programme at Chatham House and a commentator with "The Financial Times."
Thank you so much for joining me, Quentin.
When Theresa May called this snap election, there was all this talk about the prime minister being a brilliant political tactician. But as we watch her once sizable lead over Labour evaporate, the question now is did she make a massive miscalculation here?
[02:35:21] QUENTIN PEEL, ASSOCIATE FELLOW, EUROPE PROGRAMME AT CHATTHAM HOUSE & COMMENTATOR, THE FINANCIAL TIMES: She made a miscalculation and, yet, when she called that election, it really did look like a no-brainer. She was 20 points in front of the polls and the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, hard-left leader of the Labour Party, looked in a total mess. So it's been really a process that she has lost rather than Labour winning.
SESAY: Yeah.
PEEL: It's not clear to me, though. But I don't know. The outcome is still much in the balance and Conservatives are still clearly in front but it's much less than the landslide that she wants.
SESAY: When it comes to the stronger showing of Jeremy Corbyn, is it a case that he's benefiting from low expectations while Theresa May actually is suffering from the opposite?
PEEL: A little bit. It's also very important for the youth vote. I think that he is an attractive candidate for young people. Normally, young people are not very good voters. And the key to this is going to be, if he's going to pick up, he's got to get young people to the polls, who rather like him. A bit of an alternative politician. He isn't always on message. The trouble with Teresa Mays is, you heard it there with strong and stable. She repeats the same things. She's actually a very dull candidate. The thing about Jeremy Corbyn is he feels a bit different. He feels a bit more cuddly, if you like.
SESAY: Who knew that would be called in this election.
So you've got Jeremy Corbyn doing his own thing and being attractive to the younger voters, and you've got Theresa May facing the challenge with all the voters, and not really picking up steam amongst the massive boost in youth registration. She is in a bit of a pickle here.
PEEL: She is, because even if she wins, not to win with a landslide will be seen as something of a defeat. I reckon people say, if she does -- at the moment, she has 60 majority. If she doesn't get a majority of somewhere between 50 and 70, that could be seen as a defeat. Then there will be -- the knives will be out. I don't know that she's going to get overturned as prime minister, but when she trots off to Brussels, actually her E.U. partners will say you didn't get the great landslide you were asking for, you're not that strong of a prime minister.
SESAY: She's made U-turns during the campaign. In that case, in that scenario, do you foresee a U-turn when it comes to the way she tries to drive that bargain in Brussels?
PEEL: It's very difficult to tell. Here is the woman who started out in the referendum campaign last year arguing to remain in the EU. She never argued for it with great conviction or passion. She joined the Brexiters with great enthusiasm and she's not trying to say Brexit is the best thing we could go for. So we don't know really what this woman wants. She has no clear plan. All the stuff about saying she is the strong and stable one is actually rather that's what has blown up in her face. They've actually put too much credence onto the personality and not enough onto the policy.
SESAY: Quentin, quickly, as we count down to the vote itself just days away, what will you be looking out for in the closing stage of the race?
PEEL: Well, I think London is going to vote for Labour. The north of England may very well swing to the Tories. Scotland will be very interesting. Scotland voted overwhelmingly last time for the Scottish nationalists. But there, the Conservative Party has been picking up. They may well hold the key to whether there's going to be a hung parliament or not.
SESAY: Fascinating.
Quentin Peel, with the "Financial Times" and Chatham House, great talking to you. Thank you.
PEEL: Thank you.
VAUSE: You can ask, did she not learn anything from David Cameron.
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: We'll see, I guess. Still ahead, there is a deep and collective grief in Kabul two days after one of the deadliest terror attacks there in years.
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[02:41:50] VAUSE: Even for a city so familiar with violence and death, this week's terror attack in Afghanistan's capital have left many shaken and in disbelief. A suicide bomber killed at least 90 people on Wednesday.
From Kabul, here's Muhammad Lila.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(CROSSTALK)
MUHAMMAD LILA, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As hard as they tried, they can bury their dead but not their country's grief.
(CROSSTALK)
LILA: The anonymous concrete blocks marking the grave will never tell this person's story or those of the many, many other victims, all killed in a split second.
Watch the top right corner of your screen. The exact moment, 8:24, the bomb explodes, shattering windows and lives equally and in an instant.
As move closer to the scene, battle scars mark nearly every building.
(CHANTING)
LILA: As we arrived, nervous riot police keep watch as protesters chant "death to the Taliban," even though the terror group has denied any involvement.
(SHOUTING)
LILA (on camera): I'm standing on the street where the explosion took place. There is a heavy security presence. If you look down the street, you can see the massive damage this explosion caused. It was so powerful that it caused concrete barriers to come completely tumbling down.
What's your message today to the rest of the world?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To the rest of the world, I would like to say please destroy all the bombs in the world. These bombs are only created to kill people.
LILA (voice-over): As if to prove his point, this man disappears, then comes back, holding this baby shoe, left on the street, he says, worn by one of the youngest victims of this attack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See this, and I want all the world to see this shoe.
LILA: And that's what it's come to, the country that has seen so much death left with nothing but hoping the world cries with them.
Muhammad Lila, CNN, Kabul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: And no end in sight.
(CROSSTALK)
SESAY: Terrible.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.
VAUSE: I'm John Vause.
"World Sport" is up next.
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[03:00:07] DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So we're getting out.
