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NEWS STREAM
Trump, Jr., informed that Russia was trying to help his father win the election; Celebrations in Mosul; Heavy rains and swelling weathers across China; China's propaganda on dissident's struggle with cancer; British Prime Minister Theresa May address Brexit issue and the quality of work; A neo-Nazi website facing a lawsuit for targeting a Jewish woman online; Amazon aims to break a sales record on Prime Day; Presidents and hats. 8:00-9a ET
Aired July 11, 2017 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNA COREN, CNN NEWS STREAM SHOW HOST: Hello. I'm Anna Coren in Hongkong. Welcome to "News Stream." Well after months of denial from the Trump
campaign that it had any connection to Russia, a new report said the president's son was told Russia was trying to help his father win the
election.
Celebrations in Mosul as three years of ISIS control over the city ends. But now the challenge of rebuilding the ruined city begins.
And weeks of heavy rain and swelling weathers across China, floods forced hundreds of thousands from their homes.
We start with the latest intrigue into the Trump campaign's alleged Russia connection. The "New York Times" reporting that Donald Trump Jr. was told
the Kremlin was trying to help his father win the election ahead of his meeting last year with a Russian lawyer. Well for months, President Trump
has been denying his campaign had any connection to Russia. But this report could change things. CNN's Jason Carroll has more.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Another potential bombshell report from the "New York Times" alleging that Donald Trump Jr. received an e-mail
informing him that the Russian government was trying to help his father's campaign. Before his June 2016 meeting with the president's son-in-law,
Jared Kushner, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and a Russian lawyer, thought to have compromising information about Hillary Clinton.
Three unnamed sources tell the "Times" that the e-mail sent by Rob Goldstone, a music publicist who coordinated the meeting indicated that the
Russian government was the source of the potentially damaging information. Six weeks later, Trump Jr. slammed the Clinton campaign for suggesting that
the Russians were involved in an effort to help then-candidate Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, JR., PRESIDENT TRUMP'S SON: It just goes to shows you their exact moral compass. I mean, they'll say anything to be able to win this. I
mean, this is time and time again, lie after lie. It's disgusting, it's so phony.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Trump Jr.'s newly hired lawyer insisting in a statement that his client did nothing wrong, noting, "Don Jr.'s takeaway from this
communication was that someone had information potentially helpful to the campaign and it was coming from someone he knew. Don Jr. had no knowledge
as to what specific information, if any, would be discussed." The White House on the defensive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLYANNE CONWAY, COUNSELOR TO U.S. PRESIDENT TRUMP: Don Jr. has very explicitly stated he didn't even know the name of the person with whom he
was meeting. There was no information given. There was no action taken. There was no follow-up.
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE SECRETARY: The president's campaign did not collude in any way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Congressional investigators probing potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia already expressing interest in speaking with
Trump Jr., who tweeted Monday that, "he would be happy to pass on what I know."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARK WARNER (D), VIRGINIA: This is the first time that the public has seen clear evidence of senior members of the Trump campaign meeting with
Russians to try to obtain information that might hurt the campaign of Hillary Clinton.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: President Trump's legal team choosing to reiterate an earlier statement when asked about the new report noting, "The president was not
aware of and did not attend the meeting."
COREN: Jason Carroll reporting there. Well, as Jason described the various ways the White House is denying this report. Earlier, CNN's Jake Tapper
offered this rebuttal to President Trump's denial that anyone in his campaign had any contact with Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To the best of my knowledge, no person that I deal with does.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Now, to the best of our knowledge, at least five former or current members of President Trump's team have not only had some
contact with the Russians, they have lied, changed their stories or not been forthcoming with information about those contacts with Russia.
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned after lying to the vice president about his conversations with the Russian ambassador. And
then there's Trump campaign adviser Carter Page whose stories have changed. Also, Attorney General Jeff Sessions who under oath did not disclose
meetings with Russians.
Trump senior advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner omitted at least three meetings with the Russians on his security clearance forms since amended.
And now of course Donald Trump, Jr. If these contents in conversations with Russians were so innocent as is being claimed, the obvious question, why so
many lies about them?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Well, Jake Tapper there. The Kremlin is denying the Russian lawyer
[08:05:00] coordinated her action with the government saying, "We don't know who that is." Let's get more now from our Matthew Chance in Moscow.
Matthew, this new bombshell from the "New York Times" certainly doesn't look good for the Trump camp. The White House obviously trying to downplay
the significance, but tell us more about what the Kremlin is saying.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're also trying to downplay the significance. They haven't commented on it this
morning but yesterday when this scandal broke, they distanced themselves as much as possible from this lawyer. They said they didn't know who she was.
They said that they can't monitor the meetings that every Russian lawyer has either in Russia or abroad.
And so from the Kremlin's point of view, this is just something that they're again categorically denying as they have from all the allegations
of collusion and meddling in the U.S. political system. The latest sort of iteration though suppose of this scandal is pretty stunning. It seems that
according to the "New York Times" there was an e-mail sent by Rob Goldstone, who is this music publicist with connections to the Trump family
through a pop star here in Russia. And saying that this information that this lawyer had had come from the Russian government who were trying to
help the Trump campaign and to hinder the Clinton campaign.
Rob Goldstone is the publicist of a Russian pop star called Emin Agalarov. He's somebody well known to Donald Trump Sr. that president. In fact, the
president, before he was president appeared in one of Emin's pop vides. But more importantly, Emin's father, Aras Agalarov is one of Russia's biggest
property developers and he owns Russia's biggest shopping mall for instance or Moscow's biggest shopping mall in the east.
And he's the businessman with whom Donald Trump partnered in order to stage the 2013 Miss Universe competition here in Moscow. So, there is a long line
of contacts directly to the Russian president. And the allegation denied by the Kremlin is that they tried to use that line of connections to influence
the Trump campaign.
COREN: Matthew, we're also learning more about this Russian lawyer. What can you tell us?
CHANCE: Yes, Natalia Veselnitskaya, she's somebody who is I suppose relatively close to the Kremlin in the sense that her husband is a Moscow
government official and she's represented two important things. First of all, a campaign to restart adoptions by the United States of Russian
children. That process of adoption was stopped following the imposition by the United States of the Magnitsky Act which is an anti-corruption act in
order to punish suspected human rights abusers here in Russia by the U.S. government.
She's been at the forefront of the Russian campaign to have that act overturned in the United States. And the suspicion is that it's on that
basis that she held this meeting with Donald Trump, Jr.
COREN: Matthew Chance joining us from Moscow and many thanks for that.
Turning to Iraq, where people are celebrating the end of three years of ISIS rule in Mosul.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: The military victory is a major blow to the terrorists, but it also marks the start of another challenge. Nine months of battle has left the
city in complete ruins. The U.N. says it will cost at least a billion dollars to rebuild. Let's get more now from Nick Payton Walsh who was on
the front lines with his team in Mosul. He is now in Ibril. Nick, this was a fierce battle lasting a lot longer than expected. American officials said
it would take two months. Nine months later they're finally declaring victory. Did the Americans and Iraqis underestimate ISIS?
NICK PAYTON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think to some degree no. Obviously, this battle was always going to be tortuous and
lengthy because of the sheer volume of civilians caught. Now the question really is how does Iraq begin to rebuild, begin to heal as a society given
the fighting is still continuing. We saw quite what that looked like yesterday morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH: It's like something super natural or other worldly has hit it. This destruction absolutely breathtaking and really a sign of the dust and bones
that ISIS have left in their wake. The old city Mosul, the damage new, the city gone, and Mosul almost free of ISIS.
[08:10:04] The group that once held wave of Iraq and Syria found here in the last fleet (ph)we are told.
There it is the river that runs through the heart of Mosul that marks the end of ISIS territory in Iraq really. But between these Iraqi Special
Forces and that body of water that marks victory are still just dozens of ISIS fighters still holding out.
American air strikes hammer them. That's the intensity and proximity of the fighting here, that air strikes are called in right next to Iraqi forces.
They even feel the rubble landing in their faces.
Perhaps because this really is the end, some of them appear to give themselves up. A sniper still there -- they're welcomed. "Carry him, carry
him," the commander shouts.
After the mosques, the manicured (ph) propaganda, now we finally see what the Iraqi soldier says is the true human and defeated face of ISIS.
This man appears like he has a disability and is asked how he got here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Foreign Language).
WALSH: "ISIS forced me here," he insists. They fought the world war on ISIS here in Mosul and now casually pass dead fighters. Major Salam was
with us at the start and has lost many friends.
How does it feel?
MAJOR SALAM HUSSAIN, IRAQI SOLDIER: I feel tired. I try to done the operation here after all this nine months.
WALSH: Brigadier General Asadi planted the Iraqi flag, he says, on the riverbank the day before. But this isn't a battle of flags anymore but for
ISIS, smaller cells of survival.
So, the fight went on, even as the official declaration from Iraq's prime minister announced victory. So, it will be for Iraq in the years ahead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH: Now Anna, a key thing here of course is that just because they've lost Mosul, really the jewel you might say of the caliphate as they
declared it in Iraq and that is symbolic, almost death blow for them and then projecting themselves as a state. They haven't lost every inch of
Iraq. They still have a presence in many territories here in towns. They will remain a low-level insurgency.
This is a group that found life within past disenfranchised Iraqi populations. The fight against them continues even though by the loss of
Mosul. It's very hard for them to continue to talk about having, "a territory of their own," so to speak of just contiguous inside of Iraq.
The broader challenge of, Anna, right now for Iraq is that social healing between Sunni and Shia who's distrust of each other allow extremist and the
Sunni population to give (INAUDIBLE) to ISIS and to rebuild. You saw there, that's the old city, like the surface of the moon, frankly. Very hard to
know how you would put human like back into an environment like that. Billions of dollars needed across Iraq to rebuild after this crushing
three-year 12-day long fight against ISIS, and it has to happen very fast. Anna.
COREN: Nick, victory in Mosul has come at an enormous cost. Thousands dead, hundreds of thousands displaced, a city largely in ruins as we saw
from your report. Amnesty International today released a report accusing the Iraqi and coalition forces of using unnecessary force that has led to
the death of countless civilians. From what you and your team have witnessed, is that a fair assessment?
WALSH: It's very hard to say what's fair frankly in warfare. I mean, yes, obviously everybody should do what they possibly can to stop civilians from
being killed. There has been at times particularly at the end of this, a clock ticking over the fight for the old city. There were human shields
being held in this punishing 46 degree celsius heat.
Being held with limited food and water, the starvation the coalition said was frankly a risk. They had to move fast to get people out from dying of
that. So perhaps the use of force was harder than it could have been. It's incredibly hard, frankly, to judge who should have done and what
necessarily differently.
Yes, air strikes had been used. Yes, artillery has been used, but those people being put in harm's way because of ISIS decision to use them as
human shield. It's hard to play the moral judge here. ISIS I think have created a battlefield in which is impossible for normal rules of war to be
observed and you've seen frankly ourselves, not wishing to put too fine a gloss on it, the coalition do all they can to try and preserve civilian
life. But that's frankly at times impossible in circumstances like this.
But many civilian lives lost. That simply exacerbates the rift in Iraq (INAUDIBLE) here
[08:15:00] and I think too, you know, you have to also look at quite what becomes of those ISIS fighters taken prisoner by Iraqi forces. We've had
countless reports of summary executions in those circumstances. This just adds to the loathing in society, but still too, when you're dealing with a
foe like ISIS, who courts death, who worship that idea of giving their life to this cause and perhaps bringing others, taking others with them who
don't share their belief, but it's really hard to know quite how you can fight that in the most equitable way. Anna.
COREN: As you're saying, Nick, this is the horror of warfare. Nick, many thanks to you and your team for your reporting. Nick Payton Walsh joining
us from Irbil.
Well, China is being accused of using a prominent dissident struggle with cancer as propaganda.
Up next, why Germany is so angry of a late hospital footage showing Noble laureate Liu Xiaobo fighting for his life.
Plus, heavy rains brings deadly flooding to China. We'll find out if there's any (INAUDIBLE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Welcome back. A Nobel Peace laureate's struggle with cancer is becoming the focus of a government propaganda offensive in China. Dissident
Liu Xiaobo was diagnosed with liver cancer while in prison. Well, he has been granted medical parole and is receiving treatment at a Chinese
hospital.
He isn't allowed to leave the country, though. But under international pressure, China has been slowly releasing more information on his condition
most recently by a late footage from inside the hospital. CNN's Andrew Stevens joins us live from Beijing with more. Andrew, this leaked footage
has certainly upset the Germans who see this as a breach of doctor-patient confidentiality. What has been the fallout?
ANDREW STEVEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what the Germans said, yes, there was a breach and also that they had expressly asked the Chinese authorities
not to show anything, but this surveillance footage, about a minute's worth of surveillance, which showed Liu Xiaobo lying in his hospital bed,
surrounded by local nursing and doctor staff, plus a German and a U.S. doctor.
And the German doctor was saying that he said what he saw was the Chinese medical staff showing their full commitment to trying to save Liu Xiaobo.
He did not say that this was the best treatment he could possibly get, and this is (INAUDIBLE). Liu xiaobo wants to go overseas to get treatment. He
is terminally ill and he wants treatment. The U.S. have called for him to be allowed to leave. The U.K. and the Germans as well, Anna.
Now, the German embassy is almost unprecedented. They released a statement today saying -- just a quote of this, they say that, "it looks like -- it
seems that the security organs are now steering this process of Liu Xiaobo's treatment and where he should be treated, not the medical experts.
And Angela Merkel has chimed in
[08:20:00] as she has called on China to show some humanity. There is a growing course but at the moment Beijing is saying nothing other than he
stays where he is in this regional hospital in northeastern China.
COREN: Andrew, there's been much criticism that this is a blatant Chinese propaganda, the release of these videos, with the German doctor
complimenting Chinese colleagues of their treatment of Liu Xiaobo, but I guess we need to remember that this is a government that has refused as you
say, to allow Liu, a political prisoner terminally ill from traveling overseas to receive treatment. Does this really paint China in a positive
light?
STEVEN: Absolutely not. I mean, this growing chorus of a man's dying wish in many ways. Remember, he was jailed in 2009 for 11 years, Anna, because
he co-authored a report which called for more human rights in China, for political reform in China. In Beijing's eyes he is a criminal. They say
that he incited subversion.
Now, to many dissidents in China around the world, to many western governments in particular, he was just calling for more human rights. And
as a man, who now is in the terminal stages of liver cancer, as you say, he was paroled just a month ago from his prison cell to be allowed to go to a
local hospital. All he wants to do is to spend his last days in getting the best treatment he can get in wherever, the U.S. or Germany, most likely.
That is what he wants.
What we saw, as you suggest, what looked like a propaganda effort, was to try to show the Germans were saying that he was getting the best treatment
possible. That wasn't what they were saying. They were saying the medical staffs at this hospital were committed to helping him, but they didn't say
whether that treatment was the best there is.
Liu Xiaobo, I mean, may just have days or weeks left to live and this growing outrage around the world for his release on humanitarian grounds
just to be treated for his final days still falling very firmly on deaf ears in Beijing.
COREN: Andrew Stevens joining us from Beijing. Many thanks for that.
Well, days of heavy rain has caused devastating flooding in southern China. State media report dozens have been killed and hundreds of thousands of
people have been forced to evacuate their homes. CNN meteorologist Jennifer Gray is tracking the weather there. Jennifer, what can you tell us?
JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Anna, the scary part is it doesn't look were going to see any relief any time soon. We've had day upon day just
flooding rainfall and you can see the result, people trying to get around in flooded streets and this has been a problem.
Here's the monsoon and the timing of it. You can see southern sections of China should have been right around June 1st to June 10th. Monsoon should
be way up to the north by now but we are still getting rains, very heavy rains day after day. The problem is these storms are just training, meaning
that thunderstorms are rolling over the same place one day after day, hour after hour. Just as a train does on the tracks, that's why we call it
training. And that's what causes severe flooding in these areas.
We saw it last weekend. We've seen it again this week and now we're going to continue to see it over the next couple of days. And during the last
three days, some of these places have received several months worth of rainfall just in a couple of days. And so with events like this on a weekly
basis, you can imagine the flooding that we're seeing. And you can see the Yangtze River filling over its banks, flooding a lot of the nearby towns
and villages.
And also, a lot of the tributaries that flow into the Yangtze are also flooded. And so all of these tributaries that are going flow right into
that river, it's just going to exacerbate the process. And so $103 million in government aid already handed out and with more rainfall expected in the
next 48 hours, you can count on more flooding.
You can see anywhere from 100 to 150 millimeters of rainfall expected in this area. So it looks like we're not going to see relief any time soon. Of
course, if those showers continue to head up to the north as they should, we could see still more flooding in some of those downstream locations,
Anna.
COREN: Jennifer Gray, appreciate that. Thank you.
Well, British Prime Minister Theresa May knows all too well that a job can change in an instant. She is marking one year since she became conservative
party leader. And following her snap election gamble, she is trying to reset her political agenda, starting with an address on the reality of
Brexit.
Well, Phil Black joins us now with details on the prime minister's address and the new study she unveiled on how to improve the quality of work in the
21st century. Phil, Theresa May is an embattled prime minister desperately holding on to dear life. Did she come across as a leader in charge?
[08:25:00] PHIL BLACK, CNN: Well, that's what she's trying to establish. This is the election that she didn't have to call and resulted in her
losing her party's majority in parliament. The most brutal expression used about her frequently is that she is a dead woman walking. A more kinder
interpretation is that she is a caretaker prime minister, someone who's been allowed to continue in the job until a time when her party determines
it is more convenient to replace her with someone else, to put someone else in there to do the job.
Today she tried to reassert her authority over her party -- over the country really by recommitting to the spirit and the ideas that she first
expressed a year ago when she became prime minister and first spoke to the country here in Downing Street. Take a listen now to the prime minister
listing some of what she describes as the defining characteristics of her leadership.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THERESA MAY, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: A clear understanding that the E.U. referendum result was not just a vote to leave the European
Union but a deeper and more profound call for change across our country. I believe that at the heart of that change must lie a commitment to greater
fairness in our country as we tackle the injustices and vested interests that threaten to hold us back and make Britain a country that works for
everyone, not just a privileged few.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACK: So the prime minister is talking about making big, decisive, difficult long-term decisions, showing bold leadership. These are not the
words of someone who sees herself as a seat warmer. This speech today won't in itself convince necessarily the British people or even her parliamentary
colleagues and party colleagues, but it is a very clear statement of intent, Anna.
COREN: Phil Black joining us from London. Good to see you. Thank you.
Well, still to come, we meet a woman who was viciously attacked by (INAUDIBLE) controls online, how she became the target of a white
supremacist group.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Welcome back. I'm Anna Coren in Hongkong. You are watching "News Stream." These are your world headlines.
The "New York Times" is reporting that Donald Trump Jr. was told the Kremlin was trying to help his father win the U.S. election. Three sources
tell the paper Trump's eldest son received an e-mail prior to his June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer saying compromising information she was about
to offer about Hillary Clinton came from the Russian government. We just heard from that Russian lawyer. She spoke to NBC.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR SIMMONS, NBC NEWS HOST: They have the impression, it appears, that they were going to be told some information that you had
[08:30:00] about the DNC. How did they get that impression?
NATALIA VESELNITSKAYA, RUSSIAN LAWYER (via translator): It's quite possible that maybe they were looking for such information. They wanted it
so badly.
SIMMONS: And this morning, she denies claims she is connected to a Russian government effort to aid Donald Trump's presidency.
SIMMONS: Have you ever worked for the Russian government? Do you have connections to the Russian government?
VESELNITSKAYA: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Iraq says Mosul is now completely free from the rule of ISIS. The city is in ruins after three years in militants (ph) hands -- the nine-
month long battle to take it back. Hundreds of thousands of people have left during the fighting. The U.N. has appealed for international funding
to rebuild the city.
CNN has obtained copies of secret agreements made between Qatar and its neighbors. Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. and Bahrain accused Qatar of violating
the deal. They were barred from supporting opposition groups in those countries as well as Egypt and Yemen. But Qatar says it was other nations
that broke the spirit of the agreement.
Well, Germany is angry over leaked hospital footage from China showing Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo fighting for his life. The footage shows
two western doctors at his bedside and a German physician saying China is very committed to treating Liu. Beijing has been under international
pressure to let Liu, who is on medical leave from prison for cancer, to leave the country.
The founder of a neo-Nazi website is facing a lawsuit for targeting a Jewish woman online. Andrew Anglin is accused of encouraging an army of
internet trolls to make hateful comments against the woman. Well Sara Sidner went to the town of Whitefish, Montana to find out more. And we
should warn you, the language in this report is explicit and disturbing. It illustrates the depth of hate that exists in the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They call themselves trolls. What do you call them?
TANYA GERSH, VICTIM: Terrorists.
SIDNER: In the digital era, it only takes a few key strokes for hate to suddenly consume your life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You worthless piece of shit.
SIDNER: This is what is often waiting for Tanya Gersh everyday when she goes online or picks up the phone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope you die, you worthless (BLEEP). You stipid ugly bitch, Ms. Tanya Gersh.
GERSH: I had a lot of phone calls with gunshot. That sound kind of still makes me sick.
SIDNER: The Gersh's including their 12-year-old son have received thousands of messages like this for months.
GERSH: You're a whore of a mother should watch herself. Why don't you crawl into this oven little boy, there's a free X-Box inside. They
photoshopped endless imagery of me with Nazi symbols on my forehead or on my arm and terrible imagery of me and my son on the gates to Auschwitz
concentration camp.
SIDNER: Do you think it scarred him?
GERSH: Yes.
SIDNER: It's the last thing you'd expect in the quaint resort town of Whitefish, Montana.
GERSH: We just pray that we'll be safe.
SIDNER: Gersh says it all started when she came into contact with fellow resident Sherry Spencer, who happens to be the mother of white nationalist,
Richard Spencer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD SPENCER, WHITE NATIONALIST: Hail Trump! Hail our people! Hail victory!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: He shot to fame celebrating President Trump's win with Nazi symbolism. His mom, Sherry Spencer, owns a commercial building in town.
Gersh, a realtor, says she was trying to help Spencer sell the building to calm tensions within the town over her son's beliefs. But according to a
lawsuit filed by an anti-hate group, Spencer published a blog post accusing Gersh of threatening her with protest until she complied and sold her
building. We called Spencer who said she didn't want to talk to us.
BILL DIAL, WHITEFISH POLICE CHIEF: People say who do you believe? I said, you know, I don't know.
SIDNER: But the police chief says no complaint was filed by Spencer and no charges were brought by any other agency. But after the blog post, the
lawsuit says Andrew Anglin, the founder of one of the most popular neo-Nazi websites, "The Daily Stormer" picked up the torch and un leashed what he
called his troll army on the Gersh's -- publishing their contact information on his site.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (BLEEP) off, Jew. SIDNER: The Southern Poverty Law Center is suing Andrew Anglin on Gersh's
behalf, accusing him of intentionally inflicting emotional distress, invasion of privacy and intimidation.
JOHN MORRISON, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: The purpose is to cause them fear and emotional harm, and that's illegal. It's not protected by the
First Amendment.
SIDNER: We reached out to Andrew Anglin who told us he now lives in of all places Legos, Nigeria, where he says his rights to say what he wants aren't
limited. He did not return comment about the Gersh case. But we managed to catch up with one of the writers on "The Daily Stormer" website at a rally
in Houston.
ROBERT FLAY, WRITER, THE DAILY STORMER: Andrew Anglin
[08:35:00] specifically called on the readers of "Daily Stormer" to contact Ms. Gersh and tell them what they think about it. And that's exactly what
they did. There's no evidence that anyone from -- who was influenced by "Daily Stormer" made any death threats or anything. I've watched what
little --
SIDNER: They made some threats.
FLAY: Like what? We're going to throw you in a gas chamber? That's a real incredible threat.
SIDNER: The Anti-Defamation League says Anglin has launched his army of hate many times before. Anglin initially responded to the Gersh lawsuit
with this image.
GERSH: He's on a horse with a big spear into me.
SIDNER: Asking for donations to fight the lawsuit. He has raised more than $150,000 so far. Gersh is also receiving support in the form of batches of
letters and e-mails.
GERSH: I don't think I could have survived the whole thing without this.
SIDNER: While it was the hatred spewed by strangers that has terrified her family, it is also the kindness of strangers that is saving them from utter
despair. Sara Sidner, CNN, Whitefish, Montana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, "The Daily Stormer's" Andrew Anglin told his troll army to stop contacting Gersh after the lawsuit was filed. For the most part, they
did.
Well, coming up, an exclusive and rare sit down with J.K. Rowling. The Harry Potter author speaks with CNN's Chritiane Amanpour about her latest
work. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Well, Amazon aims to break a sales record on its third annual Prime Day. The online retailer is promising more discounts on more items. We have
new details coming every five minutes during a 30-hour cycle. This year the sales are open to Prime members in more than a dozen countries, including
Mexico and China.
While Amazon may be targeting Chinese shoppers but Prime Day sales pale in comparison to Alibaba's Singles Day. The Chinese company said it made a 120
billion in sales during last year's event. Well that's almost $18 billion and more than Black Friday plus Cyber Monday sales in the U.S. combined.
Alibaba said it received over 650 million delivery orders while by estimates Amazon sold some 55 million items during last year's Prime Day,
just a fraction of Alibaba's sales.
Well, it's been two decades since J.K. Rowling first introduced us to the magical world of "Harry Potter." The author is now focused on her charity,
Lumos, dedicated to ending children being placed in institutions. CNN's Christiane Amanpour sat down for an exclusive interview with Rowling, who
also had a surprise for her fans. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: I read that you were considering writing a political book for children, young people?
J.K. ROWLING, AUTHOR, HARRY POTTER: That was a fairy tale. Yes, and I ended up -- I don't know whether I'll ever publish that, but I will tell
you this. On my 50th -- the theme of my 50th birthday, which I held at Halloween evening (ph) -- that's not really my birthday, was come as your
own private nightmare, and I went as a lost manuscript and I wrote over a dress most of that book. So that book, I don't know whether it will ever be
published but it's actually hanging in a wardrobe currently.
[08:40:00] AMANPOUR: This is a J.K. Rowling scoop, I'm sorry. There's a hidden book somewhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Well, don't miss the full version of Christiane Amanpour exclusive interview with J.K. Rowling. That's coming up on "Amanpour." It can be seen
here in Hongkong at 10:00 p.m. only on CNN.
Now, a look at hats and U.S. presidents. As a rule, they shy away from unusual head gear. Just too much can go wrong. As Jeanne Moos reports, both
President Trump and former President Obama have had some memorable moments with hats on and off.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOSS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not since a 3-year-old stole the Pope's skull cap has there been such a high-profile hat snatch and return. The
latest case, a Marine's hat known as a cover got blown off and was retrieved by President Trump, though even he couldn't keep it from flying
off again. The Marine kept his poker face while conservatives cracked a smile, drawing comparisons.
It's quite a contrast to "President Latte," a reference to the time President Obama saluted a Marine while holding a coffee. But when it comes
to a hat-winning hearts, that happened when President Obama ran into 6- month-old Gisele (ph) at the airport in Anchorage, Alaska.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I saw him and I said that guy looks a lot like Obama. He said "who is this pretty girl?"
MOOS: Gisele's (ph) mother tells us they bought the hat for $5 at a second hand clothing store. Mom's favorite tweet so far, "always keep a spare
church hat in case you meet Obama." Except for baseball style caps, politicians tend to go out of their way to avoid all contact with hats.
Notice how President Obama admired the football helmet the Navy gave him.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Pretty sharp.
MOOS: But declined to put it on.
OBAMA: Here's the general rule. You don't put stuff on your head if you're president.
MOOS: Except that one time at a summit with tribal leaders. The hat lasted a mere 10 seconds before Obama tipped it off. And who can say no to girl
scouts? The president ended up wearing a tiara. And there was that poncho former President Bush got tangled up in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELLEN DEGENERES, TV HOST: Is that the first? First time putting a poncho on?
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes, it looks like it.
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS: So Ellen got him a new one with a presidential seal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEGENERES: This end up.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Sometimes a president just can't pass the hat. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Jeanne Moos, always makes us smile. That is "News Stream." Thanks so much for your company. I'm Anna Coren. Don't go anywhere. The latest at
Wimbledon is next on "World Sport" with Alex Thomas.
[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)
END
