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President Donald Trump Targets CNN on Twitter; Trump and Putin Scheduled to Come Face-To-Face at G-20 Summit in Germany; Republican Lawmakers Back in Home Districts Facing Reaction to Unpopular Senate Health Care bill; Intense Battle to Free Mosul From ISIS. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired July 02, 2017 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have been doing it now for several years. And I have been studying sharks for over 30 years. But every time I go out, I'm like, you know, a kid opening my presents on Christmas morning. I love it. I love it.
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[19:00:20] BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: It is 7:00 p.m. on the east coast. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Boris Sanchez in New York in for Ana Cabrera. Thank you for joining us.
Tonight, we begin with a to-do list for President Trump. Health care, tax reform, and infrastructure plan, stopping the threat of nuclear war with North Korea, what to do in Afghanistan, where there are still many brave Americans serving to this day, and of course, the upcoming stair-down with Vladimir Putin, the man who tried to interfere in our democracy.
The President is wrestling with so many challenges both here at home and abroad. But according to twitter, he is only wrestling with CNN.
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SANCHEZ: Today, he took this WWE clip, doctored to show a Trump smackdown of CNN and share it with his 33 million followers on twitter.
In response, CNN released this statement. It is a sad day when the President of the United States encourages violence against reporters. Clearly, Sara Huckabee Sanders lied when she said the President had never done so. Instead of preparing for his overseas trip, his first meeting with Vladimir Putin, dealing with North Korea and working on his health care bill, he is instead involved in juvenile behavior, far below the dignity of his office. We will keep doing our jobs. He should start doing his.
The President posted the video hours after he defended his social media use as quote "modern day Presidential" while also take thing swing at the media during an event to honor veterans.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The fake media is trying to silence us. But we will not let them because the people know the truth. The fake media tried to stop us from going to the White House. But I'm President and they are not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: I am President, and they are not.
We have a panel of experts with us. But first, we want to start with CNN senior media correspondent, the host of "RELIABLE SOURCES" Brian Stelter.
Brian, there has been quite a bit of reaction on both sides of this. What have you seen?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Some Trump supporters saying this is funny, and everyone others taking it too seriously.
On the other end, another side, we have seen journalism advocates saying right now the target is CNN. But the President has started other media less in the past. The common thread is that he is trying to intimidate journalists. We heard, for example, from the radio/television news directors association saying journalists should not be intimidated right now. (INAUDIBLE) journalists also condemning the President's behavior here.
You know, what happened here, he apparently found this mean or one of his aides found this video on Reddit (ph), but it is a message board. You can post on it. There is some (INAUDIBLE) parts of the board. This video emerged there from a few days ago from really kind of disgusting user who posted a lot of nasty --.
SANCHEZ: A racist troll.
STELTER: He posted racism. He has posted anti-Semitic comment. Anyway, this guy, we don't know. He is anonymous. He apparently posted this video a few days ago. Then a version of the video somehow made its way to the President.
A lot of questions you might have about that. For example, is this taxpayer money being spent on the President's tweets? Is this the kind of thing that, you know, that he can face twitter issues with. Well, twitter says no. This is not a violation of terms of service even though it might come across this as harassing or hateful behavior they say that they will chat (ph).
And this is the second most popular thing the President ever posted on twitter by the way. We looked at the stats here. He has gained over 200,000 retweets of this. So it clearly taps into something among his fans. They like to see him fighting the media. And they see this is as a sign of strength. He could make the case so it is a sign of weakness. Though, the President has a lot on his plate, a lot of challenges right now, ongoing federal investigation, and yet what does he do? He bashes the media. He bashes the messenger. Today, it happens to be CNN. But it has been "The New York Times" and
"the Washington Post" and other networks. Who knows who his target will be tomorrow?
SANCHEZ: It has been almost an entire week with everyday attack on different news outlet.
Brian, please stay with us. We want to bring in the rest of our panel right from the "Washington Post" reporters David Fahrenthold and Karoun Demirjian. Also with us CNN political commentator and former Reagan White House political director Jeffrey Lord.
Jeffrey, let's start with you. There are Republicans that are raising serious concerns about this. Here is Congressman Lee Zeldin of New York.
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REP. LEE ZELDIN (R), NEW YORK: When I was my daughter's age, when I was ten years old, we looked up to the President of the United States. We are trying to understand the difference of right from wrong or trying to set our own moral compass to be future leaders. So you know, being Presidential is being that role model. And I don't believe that some of what he is doing on twitter is setting if right example for my kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:05:15] SANCHEZ: Jeffrey, is the President setting the right example for America's kids?
JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Look, I know Lee Zeldin and I have a lot of respect for him, I just disagree with him. And I just want to say that the logic here that this could result in violence against journalists, let's just flip this. Let's just wonder -- I mean, CNN, and I don't want to pick on CNN. CNN, "the Washington Post," "The New York Times," liberal media in general, gives air times to Democrats who say that the Republican health care plan is going to kill millions of people.
As a result, if you are going to follow this locket (ph), Congressman Steve Scalise has been shot and almost killed. Is that CNN's fault? No, of course not. That is ridiculous. Is that the fault of "the Washington Post" or "The New York Times"? By their logic, yes. But I would suggest no. And I think they need to stop this and understand that the first amendment gives everybody the right to say their piece, including Presidential spokes people, the President of the United States himself, period.
SANCHEZ: Karoun, I want to go to you because you had a bit of a physical response to something that Jeffrey said.
KAROUN DEMIRJIAN, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, WASHINGTON POST: Only because, you know, when you talk about criticizing a policy and what that policy might do, it is a little different than actually throwing a punch or any sort of a direct incitement or using any sort of instrument that can harm people whether it's your fist or something worse. And I think that the shocking value of what we saw today in the President's tweet is that it was actually throwing punches, which is not what words are. There's a difference between freedom of speech and freedom of swinging your fists when they hit somebody else's face. And that's what the difference here.
Even if it's a joke, it is something that is a much more serious thing. And what we would actually caution, you know, even kids on a playground not to engage in, and yet it is all over the President's twitter account right now, which is why people are saying this is a little different than what Jeffrey was just describing.
SANCHEZ: David, some are arguing as Jeffrey did that this is a joke. You can't take everything that the President tweets literally. White House press secretary Sean Spicer has been asked about that issue and here was his response.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So every tweet you are telling us from now on with U.S. press secretary that we are to be able to take those words hit rally?
SEAN SPICER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Of course you can. If they are from him - I mean, I don't know what else you would take them as.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are President Trump's tweets considered official White House statements?
SPICER: Well, the President is the President of the United States. So they are considered official statements by the President of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: David, I also remember President-elect Trump saying that he was going to limit his use of twitter once he got into office. He said yes, if I even get on twitter, it will be restrained. Does all of this surprise you?
DAVID FAHRENTHOLD, REPORTER, WASHINGTON POST: No, not at all. Look, this is dumb. It's a dumb thing of tweeted. It is not very Presidential thing to tweet. But listen. Everybody else in the world has learned from this that foreign leaders that Trump insults on twitter, the companies that he goes out for in twitter, they have all realized that it is mostly just talk. He is just a guy talking. He is yelling at the screen, expressing this anger. And they began basically to ignore him.
If you look at Merkel, the leaders of China, companies like carrier that Trump was harassing earlier on, they have all managed to sort of put it aside and focus on whatever they were going to doing any way.
I think, we in the media, get too wrapped up in this. We are still talking about it, eight to 12 hours later. We need to just cover the stories we want to cover, figuring out what's really going on with the government and focusing on that rather than focusing on this which we have seen again and again. This is just rhetoric and it's not going to change.
STELTER: But he is delegitimizing the American media, David. He wants your newspaper to stop publishing.
FAHRENTHOLD: He hasn't said that. Look, he said that we are --.
STELTER: I know he hasn't said anything just that but he beats the you know what out of "the Washington Post" via twitter.
FAHRENTHOLD: Look. And I think the way people know about this is because we cover it. We write about it. We put it on television.
SANCHEZ: So we shouldn't? We shouldn't talk about the President's action, the way that he has been towards the media the past six days in a row?
FAHRENTHOLD: We have to write about it. We got to let people know about it and then we do the job of the media. We need to show people the value of the news media which I actually agree s tremendously valuable is to do our job, to report on what's happening with the health care bill, to report on foreign policy. It is a sort of repeatedly go over and over this to try to square the circle that he is the President but he is not acting Presidential. I think it is like of waste of time. Show people --.
STELTER: He is acting like a man with things to hide. By bashing the media every day, he is suggesting that he doesn't want this kind of news.
SANCHEZ: I was going to actually ask Jeffrey about this, because the President actually responded to what I'm about to mention on twitter earlier this week in a very angry way. There was a GOP senator who supports the health care bill, who told "The New York Times" after a meeting with the President that the President appeared quote "especially confused during portions of the meeting about the health care bill." A day later, the "Daily Beast" reported that six different sources, advisors and aides to the President said that the president is quote, again I'm quoting, "barely interested in the details of the health care bill."
So is it that the President just doesn't want to have a serious conversation about what he believes should be in the health care bill and it's better to just have a conversation about his war with the media?
[19:10:16] LORD: Boris, I got to tell you, this is a de javu all over again. There were books written in the 1980s that Ronald Reagan wasn't interested in the detail, was confused, had no idea what was going on, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
This is the standard response of people who are into, you know, mega details to Presidents and executives who believe in following a certain policy to get to a certain objective but don't, you know, know all the details. This is a typical Washington deal. I have seen it before. They were wrong about Ronald Reagan. He is now rated as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents. They are wrong about Donald Trump. I assure you the Trump organization, meaning his business, could have never possibly have existed if the man they are describing did what they do - what they are suggesting.
This is somebody who knows how to get things accomplished. That's what he does. And he is in the process of doing it. And that is what -- David, I mean, I'm somewhat amazed here, but I completely agree with what David has said. Sure, cover this for a little bit, but focus. Focus health care, infrastructure, tax reform.
STELTER: The President could pick up his phone right now and tweet about health care, he doesn't.
SANCHEZ: He has. He did post on Friday.
LORD: He tweeted on Friday.
STELTER: Sorry. He did once on Friday.
SANCHEZ: But there were another 14 tweets about the media.
Kaourn, back to you. Trump took swipes at CNN during a fundraiser this week. The crowd loved it. They went wild. They ended up raising $10 million for his re-election which is still several years away. His agenda aside, do these attacks on the media ultimately help him just with the base or is this some part of a greater strategy to get legislation passed while everyone is focused on his arguments on twitter?
DEMIRJIAN: I mean, I think it's a mixed bag. I mean, certainly, this kind of, you know, red meat issue to some people in his base but not everybody. I mean, as we have been reporting, when you get to the policy side of things, look at some the, you know, these particulars of the health care bill, it's actually not that favorable to some of the people who are also in his base.
So it is both, you know, it -- sometimes if you say we want to pay attention to the policy, why are you paying attention to the President's tweets? They are not the line coming from the administration too and various surrogates to the president. You know, that's one argument to make. But also the fact that the President is taking these asides on twitter is kind of in reaction to when the news is not that good about when people are focusing on the policy of what is the media of that is.
So it's both, you know, the blame game is cyclical in this strange environment that we're in. But sometimes the media is saying we should be focusing on the actual substance here, sometimes the administration. And it is different defending on the President thinks that the news about what he is doing is good or not. He asks for more coverage of the policy, but then if the coverage isn't good, it blames the media and that that cycles back and we go through this whole thing all over again.
And as Dave was saying earlier, it is getting a little bit predictable. And yet it is sort of thing where you have to figure out how to strike the balance and not completely discounting the fact that that is what is happening and yet not letting it take the entire news cycle or entire 24-hour period completely off the rails. I mean, or to focus and re-hash these tweets and not pay attention to these policy developments that are ongoing, are complicated and need to be vetted very intensely so that people know even what's going on behind the motivation of the tweets in the first place.
SANCHEZ: The very interesting thing that you are saying about that is that he is not just changing the conversation when the coverage doesn't favor him, he is also changing the conversation when he is actually getting things done like the Supreme Court giving him a victory on the travel ban or those two pieces of legislation that passed in the House.
Jeffrey, I'm giving you a second. But first, I want to go to David because this reinforces the idea of that the President is obsessed with how he is covered in the media. I want to show you a cartoon now from "the New Yorker." It's a spoof on the fact that we learned that he has fake covers of "Time" magazine hanging in Trump properties. You broke the story about this fake covers. Any update?
FAHRENTHOLD: Yes. Actually, "Time" magazine asked the Trump organization to take them down from as many clubs as they were hanging in. And it appears they were hanging in at least eight, maybe more. And from what I heard, they' have started to come down. If anybody has one of those, please send it to me. I want to find out what is on the back of it. And so, yes, they started to take them down.
We still don't know though. I asked the Trump organization and the Trump White House if Donald Trump knew this was a fake or if this was somebody in his organization fooling him. And he thought he has been on the cover of "Time." They haven't even answer that question. So I'm still hoping to learn more about that.
SANCHEZ: Jeffrey, you want to jump on the response?
LORD: Yes. Boris, I just want to say one thing that I think may be obvious in this (INAUDIBLE). I am on here to the point of exhaustion on CNN. CNN who puts track supports on like me, Kayleigh McEnany, Jason Miller, other on the point of exhaustion. I think CNN deserves a pat on the back. I know that will infuriate some liberals out there. But I really do want to speak --.
(CROSSTALK)
[19:15:06] LORD: Otherwise, you know, I wouldn't be here.
SANCHEZ: Well, we appreciate you saying that. And I think we would love also to have the President himself grant us an interview. Why hasn't the White House been more transparent even in daily press briefing, he is letting us just turning the cameras on?
LORD: Well, that - I mean, that's a Sean Spicer question. I don't know. I mean, one of the things that I think has been the President's strength is that when he was running, he talked to anybody and everybody. You know, if he wants to fight with CNN, I mean, I would suggest come on CNN and fight with him. Boy, Anderson Cooper would love that. Jake would love that.
FAHRENTHOLD: Wolf would love that.
LORD: I do think that perhaps they should do this. But, you know, this fight with the media goes long back before the existence of CNN. I mean, I was in college when Spiro Agnew did a speech in 1969 trashing the media. So this has been going around for decades and decades and decades. CNN only happens to be the latest player on this.
STELTER: Yes. But Ronald Reagan never posted a picture from WrestleMania. He never posted a video of the WWE. But then tried a body slammed a news on that. This has corrosive effects that are going to be with us for a long time, Jeffrey.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: All right. We have to leave it there.
Brian, Jeffrey, David, and Karoun, my thanks to all of you. Enjoy your Independence Day weekend. Thank you very much.
LORD: Thanks.
SANCHEZ: Coming up, Trump about to be tested in major ways overseas including a meeting with Vladimir Putin and a day in France with the man who called this handshake a moment of truth.
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[19:20:51] SANCHEZ: A big week on the world stage for President Trump includes this giant question. Will he rebuke Vladimir Putin and raise the issue of Russia's meddling in the election? Trump and Putin are scheduled to come face-to-face at the G-20 summit in Germany this week. It likely won't be a formal meeting, but what diplomats call a pull-aside. It comes after a number of contradictory statements from the President about their history.
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TRUMP: I never met Putin.
I don't know who Putin is.
I mean, I don't think I ever met Putin. You would know if you did.
I was in Moscow recently and I spoke indirectly and directly with President Putin, who could not have been nicer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have a relationship with Vladimir Putin? A conversational relationship or anything that you feel you have sway or influence over his government?
TRUMP: I do have a relationship. (END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Joining me now, senior global affairs analyst and senior national security correspondent for the "Daily Beast" Kimberly Dozier.
Kimberly, thank you so much for joining us. Regardless of whether or not he has actually met Vladimir Putin or not or whether they have contacted each other directly or indirectly, what does the President need to be prepared for here?
KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, he needs to be prepared for a charm offensive. For Vladimir Putin to say exactly what he wants to hear about things like counterterrorism cooperation. And also he needs to be ready for an ask of some sort that Putin would offer something like increased cooperation in return for somewhere down the line Donald Trump's support in reducing the sanctions that have been leveled against Moscow for its military interference in Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea.
So those are the kind of things that are on the table. And I reported that European officials believe that Moscow thinks they go into this meeting with an advantage. But by now, surely President Trump has heard that, so that will affect his attitude.
You also have to remember right before this meeting at the G-20, Donald Trump is stopping in Poland. Poland is a NATO member and part of the missile defense that really has Russia concerned. So that will be a little bit of a finger in the eye towards Vladimir Putin.
SANCHEZ: Yes. And are we expecting any kind of a vocal support of Article V in the NATO agreement, the suggestion that if one NATO member is attacked, all of them go in this together. Last time, it was part of the speech the President was supposed to give and he did say that part of his speech.
DOZIER: Well, you know, when you talk to White House officials, they say look, he addressed this. We have been over this. He doesn't need to say this. They refer to part of a speech that he did give where he talked about how the only time Article V was for the United States when all NATO members came to its defense after the attacks of 9/11 and served in Afghanistan.
But European leaders want to hear it again. You can bet they will probably bring it up privately and I think the other thing you might want to be on the lookout for is now they have Donald Trump's number. They know that he will say things intended to shame them in public. There are certain European leaders who might find it useful with their popularity back home to be seen as being tough and strong on him in public. So we could be in for a little bit of rancor.
SANCHEZ: This is kind of interesting, though. The President accepted an invitation to spend Bastille Day in France with new French President Emmanuel Macron, who up to now has been very, very critical of Trump. The two had that infamous enthusiastic handshake that Macron called a moment of truth. Macron has shown this video in social media from the NATO summit where he turned away from President Trump to embrace the German chancellor Angela Merkel. What are you going to be watching for when these two get together?
DOZIER: Well, I actually spoke to someone close to Macron and said, you know, are we in for a confrontational meeting? And the person explained look, Macron needed to establish that he would not be bullied. That was part of what you saw this initial tough guy posturing. He is speaking Donald Trump's language.
He is also a former banker. He thinks he and Donald Trump can see eye to eye on business matters and the economy. And that he can actually, from this having established that they are equals, at least in Macron's eyes, they can move forward on a more fruitful relationship, especially if the U.S. isn't getting along well with Germany, France can fill that void. So this will be one to watch.
[19:25:36] SANCHEZ: All right. Thank you so much, Kimberly Dozier. We appreciate you joining us.
DOZIER: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Coming up, the health care fight has Republicans feeling the heat from voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 2020, you are going. You sit down, Senator.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have been the single greatest threat to my family in the entire world. You are the reason I stay up at night.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[19:30:16] TRUMP: Health care is working along very well. We are going to have a big surprise with a great health care package. So now they're happy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you mean by a big surprise, sir?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: President Trump teasing a great, great surprise on health care. Four days later, we are still waiting to find out what that surprise might be. We know the health care vote is now delayed in the Senate until after the July Fourth recess. And now Republican lawmakers are back in their home districts facing reaction to this unpopular Senate health care bill.
CNN's Randi Kaye reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWD: Shame on you! RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Republicans in Congress
know they need to get the health care bill right. They haven't forgotten this stinging reaction to the House bill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 2020, you are going. You sit down, Senator.
KAYE: The man yelling at Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, had to be escorted out by security. With the dismantling of Obamacare under way, the atmosphere is ripe for anger and members of Congress across the country are feeling the wrath of voters.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton's town hall in Arkansas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm an angry constituent. You work for us.
KAYE: Representative Tom McCarter's town hall in New Jersey.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wife was diagnosed with cancer when she was 40 years old. She beat it, but every day she lives with it, she thinks about it. Every pain, every new something going on somewhere, is it coming back? Is this cancer? Do I have it again? Is it going to kill me this time? Is it going to take me away from my children? You have been the single greatest threat to my family in the entire world. You are the reason I stay up at night. Sit on down! You're done.
KAYE: Republican senator Joni Ernst's town hall in Iowa.
CROWD: Shame on you! Shame on you!
KAYE: At Congressman Paul Labrador's town hall in Idaho, the more he said, the more the crowd became fired up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are mandating that people on Medicaid accept dying.
REP. PAUL LABRADOR (R), IDAHO: That lie is so indefensible. Nobody dies because they don't have access to health care.
KAYE: In some cases, members of Congress lost complete control. Unable to even make their presentation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Allowed to keep the nine slides --
CROWD: No!
KAYE: Representative Tom Reed in New York was drowned out by angry naysayers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How can you say you are representing your constituency, when only 17 percent of the U.S. population is supporting this?
KAYE: It was all just too much for this man in the crowd to take.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're Americans, then act like Americans.
KAYE: Perhaps the general feeling of hostility among voters angry about changes to Obamacare can be summed up in a tweet like this one -- Rep Tom Reed, you are done. I don't usually vote in the midterms, but I will now. Start packing your bags, you Muppet. A warning shot or sign of things to come?
Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: A lot of anger out there. Randi, thank you for that.
We do have to tell you about this. Some pretty scary moments for passengers aboard a Sky West flight. Look at these pictures. You could see flames coming out of the engine of this plane. These photos taken shortly after the plane had landed in Denver. It arrived from Aspen with about 65 people on board. Fortunately no injuries were reported. A lot of appreciation to the crew I'm sure for getting everyone off safely.
And we are also watching this incident in Washington State near Tacoma. That's where an Amtrak train fell off the rails next to the water. You can see. And here is kind of (INAUDIBLE). They don't think any of the 250 people on board are actually in the water. There are some injuries, though. Those people are being moved to a marina nearby for treatment. We are getting this information again from the Pierce County sheriff's department. There are still no word on what caused the train to derail. We are going to keep an eye on this story and give you an update once we know more.
Coming up, a CNN exclusive you will not want to miss.
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[19:35:20] SANCHEZ: Follow one photographer as he dodges bullets and bombs to document the intense battle to free Mosul from ISIS.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:39:39] SANCHEZ: Brutal street level fighting between the Iraqi army and ISIS is taking a huge toll on innocent civilians. ISIS is being forced back, but the price is high in a fight to free the old city of Mosul. The youngest victims are being hit the hardest by the constant carnage of war.
Our Nick Paton Walsh has this CNN exclusive story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[19:40:01] NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From here to the river is all that ISIS has left of Mosul. And this is the story of how it fell, on the streets, around the mosque they once held sacred but then destroyed.
Brazilian photographer Gabrielle Chain (ph) is on foot with the Iraqi Special Forces. Every foot could hit a booby trap. (INAUDIBLE) and just about everything endless hit (ph).
Streets empty and each human they meet is either desperate to escape or the enemy.
In the alleyways, two men approach them. One is carrying a bomb. They rush in to help their wounded. The second man carrying a much larger device.
Gabrielle struggles to breathe. The dust also means they can't see if there are any other bombers or where there are three dead and dozens wounded colleagues lie.
The advance continues up to and around the mosque. And civilians, human shields for weeks, stoop under gunfire or are even oblivious to it. Some never leave the underground.
Loud, constant blasts in the darkness. Unable to walk, the first man feigns ignorance. But soon amid ISIS were on the roof and of mind the entire street. The interrogator like to tell his team, the man is himself ISIS.
For the past week, the desperate rush to life had continued. The U.N. estimated 150,000 people were trapped here. But in the end, nobody had any idea. Or how many are left behind them in the rubble.
"Water, water, I'm dying" she screams (INAUDIBLE).
In crippling heat and panic, you have never known thirst like this.
Or what it is like to carry your family out lifeless on a cart.
This is his mother. "For God's sake, help me carry him." They try, running to the closest point from a narrow street, a vehicle can reach.
Stop the blood loss, they plead. It's unclear if the boy survived.
Even when this tract of dust is cleared of ISIS, the killing in Iraq trapped with (INAUDIBLE) won't stop. And the private hell of memories one suddenly be washed away.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Mosul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: In case you needed a reminder as to why we should be thankful to live where we do.
Coming up, the season finale of "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA." W. Kamau Bell visits a place he says is as American as fireworks on the Fourth of July.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
W. KAMAU BELL, CNN HOST, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Where do you live?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right in here in Chinatown. And I have not move out for the last 40 years.
BELL: Rent controlled?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Plus, Trump takes in his first Fourth of July as President and in true Trump style, the celebrations won't stop after the fireworks. It is this week's state of the Cartoonian.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:48:01] SANCHEZ: Tonight on CNN, it's the season finale of the original series "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA." W. Kamal bell heads to America's original China town where people are honoring their Chinese heritage even in the face of racial stereotypes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BELL (voice-over): If you look up yellow fever in the Miriam Webster dictionary, it will show words like acute, disease, and mosquito. But if you Google the phrase yellow fever, you will see a completely different set of words like white male, sexual preference and Asian women. That is a big difference.
I sat down with filmmaker Debbie Lowe to talk about this phenomenon.
Your documentary, Seeking Asian Female, what is it like to be in that position?
DEBBIE LOWE, FILMMAKER: I am Chinese, it's true. But like sitting here in this Chinese teahouse wasn't really my suggestion.
BELL: It wasn't mine either. I would like to apologize on behalf of "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA".
LOWE: Thank you for saying that. Because I was like, are they trying to provoke a reaction?
BELL: No. No. Don't worry, I fired everybody, everybody my contract said I was allowed to fire. That craft services got isn't coming back.
So your documentary, the look on your face is already like, yes, what do you think it is about Asian women? What do they see when they exotify Asian women?
LOWE: I wanted to know the same question when I started making my film. So I looked at all these ads of men who place personals looking exclusively for Asian women, and I ask them that question.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Now, W. Kamau Bell is here with me now.
Kamau, what did you find out?
BELL: You know, I have lived in San Francisco for a long time, so I certainly heard the phrase "yellow fever" before. But when you break it down, as much as you watch Debbie Lowe's documentary to see people - men, mostly white men, proud to talk about Chinese women being more docile or being sort of more respectful. It's pretty horrifying, because they are talking about human beings. And what I found out is that, you know, being Chinese-American in this country is kind like being black in this country. You have to work against those stereotypes on the daily basis or try to actively subvert them.
[19:50:07] SANCHEZ: Now, you wrote in an editorial and you said China town is as American as fireworks, rice krispies and apple phones. Why do you think more people don't really see it that way?
BELL: We have this thing when we think there's a part of this country that thinks that when we take things into America and we suddenly define them as American, we are cutting them off from their origins. And my point I was making there as fireworks were made in China. The iPhones are made in China. You know, like Rice Krispies are made from Rice that in the west coast who brought this country by Chinese immigrants. That we have to stop pretending that America, a ahistorical that America starts things. America borrows things. We invent things. Sometimes makes them better, sometimes makes them worst. But Chinese-American is an American identity. It is not a China identity in America.
SANCHEZ: I want to take a look at another clip from the season finale tonight. It's when you see that New Year's celebration up close.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Being Chinese is the coolest thing in the world. Our New Year's celebrations are lit.
BELL: Chinese New Year's celebrations are literally lit. Besides firecrackers, when it comes to celebrating Chinese New Year, the most recognizable part is the lion and dragon dances.
Today, I'm heading over the lion dance meek (ph) to meet Norman Lao who teaches the art to hundreds of teens every year.
BELL: How are you doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good. Good.
BELL: I figure if he can teach all these kinds over the course of years, he could probably teach me in a few minutes, right?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: We have seen you dance on other episodes before, we are going to see you dance in the lion episode?
BELL: I mean, it depends how you define the word dance. I think I do it pretty loosely when I dance to "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA." One of our popular segment of the show is Kamau does things poorly. So, they are prepared for that in the season finale of United Shades.
SANCHEZ: Now, I have to ask you this while we have you here. You heard us. Surely, you have seen us talking about the tweet from President Trump. A lot of people suggesting that it is a joke. You are a professional comedian. Is that twitter post about him WWE wrestling, a CNN logo, just a joke? Are we not getting it?
BELL: It doesn't matter if it's a joke. He is the President. The President should be held to a higher standard than comedians. Believe me as a comedian, every day I start to send out tweets, and I go, maybe I not this one because I know that just because I am comedian doesn't that give me license to say whatever I want to. And I'm just a comedian. My responsibility to the world is pretty narrow. And yet I think I take more responsibility with my tweets than the President of the United States of America takes with his tweets.
SANCHEZ: All right. W. Kamau Bell, we appreciate the time and perspective. We look forward to seeing you on the season finale tonight of "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA" at 10:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN.
How exploring about the decade that brought us Nirvana, (INAUDIBLE), the Clintons and dial-up modems? CNN's original new series, "The '90s" starts next Sunday night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of my favorite shows of all time aired in that decade.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't talk about the '90s. So many monumental bands, Nirvana gave the record industry full wake up call.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Crasher was building up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gangster rap really starts to take hold.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a hip-hop tsunami.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: While the '90s represent so much growth, so much progress, we still have so much further to go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rodney King in 1992 exposed some of that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: O.J. was a guy who felt like he was above race.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Columbine, the bombing in Oklahoma City, the Davidian compound in Waco, something dark was moving and it was exciting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something is happening outside. The skies over Baghdad have been illuminated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The promise of a new world order.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Bush took the loss to Bill Clinton very hard.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bill Clinton was a President turning the corner to a different time. There was scandal, scandal, scandal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bill Clinton is christened the "comeback kid" because he was resilient.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bill Gates' game plan was world domination.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You could see the start of this new online culture.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is the equivalent of the industrial revolution. It is the equivalent of electricity. The changes are just so profound.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:58:32] SANCHEZ: President Trump has a low-key independence day planned. He is hosting some military families for a Fourth of July picnic at the White House. But there are some fireworks in his future.
Jake Tapper brings us this week's state of the Cartoonian.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Trump will celebrate the holiday with fireworks and a salute to the old red white and blue. But I'm not talking about the Fourth of July. I'm talking about Bastille Day, of course.
President Trump said (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) to French President Macron's invitation to celebrate France's national holiday. Despite the President's Rose Garden reminder when he was withdrawing from the Paris accords that he prefers the rust belt to the (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
TRUMP: I was elected to represent the citizens Pittsburg, not Paris.
TAPPER: Not to mention Macron's snooty reply.
EMANUEL MACRON, FRANCE'S PRESIDENT: Make our planet great again.
TAPPER: The tension was thick when the two world leader practically arm wrestled during their last televised handshake. Perhaps this (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) will serve as a (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) between the two men. (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) if you will.
And if not, well after this trip, they will always have Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE) SANCHEZ: That does it for me. Don't forget to tune in to a new episode of Anthony Bourdain "PARTS UNKNOWN" starting at 9:00 p.m. tonight. He is going on a culinary tour of Portugal.
I'm Boris Sanchez. Thank you so much for joining us. One last thank you to Peter Caplan who is now leaving CNN. Thanks a lot, Pete.
