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U.S. Marines Face Challenges in Afghanistan; Mounting Pressure on Polish Judicial Reform Bill; Princes Open Up About Princess Diana in New Film; 7 Cyclones in Pacific at Same Time. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired July 24, 2017 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00] CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. President Donald Trump still has not made up his mind whether Russia meddled in last year's U.S. election. That's according to his new communications director. Plus, Israel decides to put up security cameras at a holy site in Jerusalem after a week of clashes in the area. And surviving human trafficking; four years on, we reunite with young girls who were once sold for sex. Thank you for joining us, everyone, I'm Cyril Vanier, live from the CNN NEWSROOM in Atlanta.
While the White House is prepare to officially kick off American Heroes Week, Donald Trump is still wrestling with the question of whether Russia interfered in the 2016 election. His new Communications Director, Anthony Scaramucci, says the President is still not convinced. And here's at least one reason why that matters: Mr. Trump will soon have to decide whether to sign a bill imposing new sanctions on Russia for the election meddling. Boris Sanchez, reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We saw an aggressive, combative, and oftentimes humorous new director of communications for the White House. And Anthony Scaramucci over the weekend, as he made the rounds on the Sunday morning talk shows, saying that he would be very aggressive when it comes to going after leaks coming out of this administration, and also on trying to keep the focus on the agenda and away from the Russia investigation. Though, one interesting exchange on "STATE OF THE UNION" with Jake Tapper, Anthony Scaramucci said that the President is still not convinced that Russia was behind the hacking of democratic computers back in the 2016 election. Listen to what he said.
ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AT THE WHITE HOUSE: Somebody said to me yesterday, I won't tell you who, that if the Russians actually hacked this situation and spilled out those e-mails, you would have never seen it. You would have never had any evidence of them. Meaning, they're super confident in their deceptions skills and hacking. My point is, all of the information isn't on the table yet. But here's what I know --
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Wait, wait, wait, Anthony --
SCARAMUCCI: Let me finish. All right, go ahead. TAPPER: You're making a lot of assertions here. I don't know who
this anonymous person is that said that if the Russians had actually done it, we wouldn't have been able to detect it. But it is --
SCARAMUCCI: How about it was the President, Jake. He called me from Air Force One and he basically said to me, hey, you know, this is -- maybe they did it, maybe they didn't do it. And I'm going to maintain for you -- hold on a second.
TAPPER: This is exactly the issue here. We have experts. The U.S. intelligence agencies -- unanimous, both Obama appointees, and Trump appointees, the Director of National Intelligence, the Head of the National Security Agency, the head of the FBI. I mean, all of these intelligence experts, saying Russia hacked the election; they tried to interfere in the election. No votes were changed, but there was disinformation and disinformation campaign. President Trump is contradicting it, and you're siding with President Trump.
SCARAMUCCI: Well, I didn't say that I was siding with President Trump. He hasn't made the decision yet to sign that bill one way or the other. And so, when he makes that decision, I will 100 percent side with him.
SANCHEZ: It's important to point out that just this last week, several key figures in the Intelligence Community reiterated the fact that there is zero doubt that Russia was behind that hacking. Also, we should mention that later today, Jared Kushner is set to meet with staff of the Senate Intelligence Committee to discuss that meeting at Trump Tower back in June 2016 between he, Donald Trump Jr., and Paul Manafort, and a Russian attorney, and other officials which they promised to provide the Trump campaign with negative information about Hillary Clinton. We should also note that the meeting between Jared Kushner and staff of the Intelligence Committee said to take place behind closed doors.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VANIER: Let's bring in our CNN Political Commentators: Dr. Marc Lamont Hill is a Professor at Temple University; John Phillips, also with us, is a Talk Radio Host and a Columnist for the Orange County Register. John, a first one to you, so Mr. Trump was elected eight months ago now, just a little over eight months, and he hadn't made up his mind apparently whether Russia meddled in the election or not, your thoughts.
JOHN PHILLIPS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND COLUMNIST FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (via Skype): Well, in my mind, there's no question the Russians were meddling, as the Russians always do. The Russians, if you go far back enough, are responsible for many of the JFK assassination conspiracy theories. They're always trying to push their interests. And I think that what we're seeing play out here is not largely in the greater body of politics, a denial that Russia tried to hack into the DNC, or hacked into the DNC, or things like that. It's that this election was not legitimate. That Donald Trump should not be the President of the United States. That if it weren't for Russia, Hillary Clinton would be President, and Donald Trump would be back at his office in New York. And I think that Trump takes umbrage to that insinuation, and that's why he pushes back. And that's why we see him get a little bit testy sometimes when this subject comes up.
[01:05:12] VANIER: Marc, it seems that Mr. Trump is going back and forth on this. When he was in Poland, he was pressed on this matter of whether or not Russia did indeed interfere in the U.S. election? He seemed to have crossed that line. And he seemed to be positive that it had. Now, apparently, it's not clear anymore.
DR. MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND PROFESSOR AT TEMPLE UNIVERSITY (via Skype): For him, I think it's very much an ego play; it's very much an attempt to protect his mandate, and also to not send up a message to voters as somehow he is not as worthy president as his predecessor. The answer were not just for Trump's, although I do think that's the big issue here. I think it's also important that he's trying to hold on to some level of support from his voting base. He's one of the lowest, if not the lowest, approval ratings in American story at this stage of a presidency; one of the highest disapproval ratings. That's a key issue for him.
But then, the piece of this, which also I think needs to be part of the conversation, is that Trump doesn't want to continue to create connections between himself and his administration and Russia. Because of the various times that we had in the hacking and meddling conversation, we're also having a conversation about back channels, we have a conversation about Jared Kushner, and the conversation about Donald Trump Jr. We're having a conversation about attempting to leverage secrets on Hillary Clinton in exchange for some sort of favor. All of these things are ranged from urban legends and conspiracy theories to legitimate smoke and fire. And so, Donald Trump doesn't want any Russia talk, because Russia talk is not good for his presidency, it's not good for his leadership, and it's not good for his future of re-election plans.
VANIER: Yes. And look, Anthony Scaramucci, the incoming White House Communications Director, says all the information isn't out there yet. But I do want to show our viewers what the intelligence community believes. That this is what two prominent members said just 48 hours ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Or can you just tell us, is there any dissent within the intelligence committee you oversee on the question of whether the Russians interfered with the American election?
DAN COATS, DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: There is no dissent and I have stated that publicly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone's onboard?
COATS: And I stated that to the President.
MIKE POMPEO, DIRECTOR, CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY: I am confident that the Russians meddled in this election as is the entire intelligence community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VANIER: All right. So, that was Dan Coats, Director of National Intelligence; and Mike Pompeo, as well, a head of the CIA. Those are two Trump appointees. So, John, back to your point earlier, it seems the President is viewing what should be a National Security concern for the U.S. and an important one through the lens of a politics and how it reflects on him.
PHILLIPS: Well, Donald Trump is a guy who cut his teeth in the media and the New York tabloids. And he knows that perception is reality. And if Democrats continue to push the perception that he's an illegitimate president, then that is going to hurt his standing when we look back at him in the history books. So, he's providing some pushback there. He's not trying to get in the way of either one of Congress' investigations here; he's not trying to stop the FBI from doing this. Even the previous FBI director admitted that much when he was testifying.
VANIER: Whom he fired by the way. You say he's not stopping the FBI director from looking -- for the FBI from looking into this. He fired the previous FBI director.
PHILLIPS: Right. But I'm talking about the investigation into Russia. He never -- he was asked point blank that question: did Donald Trump ever do anything to try to impede or stop this investigation. So, we're going to figure out in just exactly what happened. But again, you know, the optics of Donald Trump being an illegitimate President will cause him to continue to provide pushback in the media. He's always operating that way; he'll always continue to operate that way.
VANIER: Marc, what do you make of the fact that congress overwhelmingly wants to tie the President's hands when it comes to Russia? Not only do they want to impose more sanctions on Russia for what they see as election meddling, but also they want to limit the President's ability to undo them.
HILL: Yes. I mean, it's incredibly important. One, because there's just been an era of siding statements and Executive Orders from Bush, to Obama, to Trump. There's just not enough check -- not enough check for executive power. But it's also a concern about Trump's relationship to Russia, because it's so confusing, because at best it's blurry, and at worst it's incredibly honest. We don't want a situation where congress imposes sanctions for election meddling, and then Trump comes in easy to sanction. Because there's a belief that Trump has a back door, behind the scenes relationship with Russia that he would simply do that.
So, it's very important to make sure it doesn't happen. And to the previous point, that I think is incredibly important, Trump wants to limit the scope of the investigation because, you're right, it can become a fishing expedition. But it's a hard sell to congress, and it's a hard sell to the American people to say, hey, I'm going to limit what the investigators can do because they may find something that I did that's illegal, just not related to Russia. I mean, an illegitimate part with regard to scope, but it's a hard argument for the American people to accept.
VANIER: All right. Gentlemen, great talking to you today, thank you very much. CNN Political Commentators: Marc Lemont Hill and John Phillips, thank you.
HILL: Thank you.
[01:10:05] VANIER: President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser is due on Capitol Hill on Monday. Jared Kushner will meet with senate investigators to answer questions about alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Kushner will then meet on Tuesday with the house intelligence panel.
CNN tracked down the Russian pop singer who helped arrange Kushner and Donald Trump Jr.'s controversial meeting with the Russian lawyer. Mathew Chance, caught up with him in Latvia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The man on the right is Emin Agalarov. He's the Russian pop star at the center of the latest allegations about collusion between the Trump administration and the Russian government. He's very difficult to catch up, and he wrote an official statement of this. But I did manage to speak to him earlier before this concert in Jurmala. Why did you arrange that meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and the Russian lawyer?
EMIN AGALAROV, AZERBAIJANI SINGER: Come join me for the show tonight.
CHANCE: Yes, we will definitely. Any comment?
AGALAROV: Excellent. Excellent, thanks.
CHANCE: It's an important question. You know, the American public want to know that whether the Trump administration --
AGALAROV: Can I have a drink here without your presence? Thank you very much. Now, thank you.
CHANCE: Did the Russian authorities give your family information to pass on to Trump administration?
AGALAROV: Talk to my lawyer.
CHANCE: I already talked to him, and he said you wouldn't comment.
AGALAROV: So, I wouldn't comment.
CHANCE: Come on, these are questions that you're not going to be able to not comment on at some point. You're going to have to answer them.
AGALAROV: Guys, I'm here to perform. So, enjoy the show. And I'm not going to answer any questions.
CHANCE: Why did your publicist --
AGALAROV: Guys, I'm not going to answer any questions.
CHANCE: I'm trying to get a comment.
AGALAROV: You're not going to get a comment. Am I clear? You're not going to get a comment.
CHANCE: That was Amin Agalarov making it very clear, indeed, that he did not want to speak to us about that issue. But the fact is: the allegation of collusion surrounding the Trump administration and Trump campaign, and his role in that alleged collusion is probably not going to go away. Matthew Chance, CNN, in Jurmala, Latvia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VANIER: I want to bring you some breaking news that's coming into us here at CNN, about at least 24 people have been killed by a suicide car bombing in the Afghan capital, Kabul. Officials say 42 others have been wounded. The blast happened on Monday morning when a Toyota Corolla exploded in the western part of the city. The target of the attack is still unclear for the moment. We're going to continue to monitor this story and bring you any updates. Just a reminder, in May, was one of the most deadly attacks ever to hit the Afghan capital; more than 150 people killed in that one.
In addition to his congressional interviews, Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is trying to help defuse Israeli-Palestinian tensions. A top administration official tells CNN that Kushner is leading American efforts in the region. He has reportedly already spoken to Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and to the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas. The U.N. Security Council is also said to meet on Monday to address the tensions.
Scuffles broke again in Jerusalem on Sunday, and Israel has now put up security cameras at an entrance to a key holy site, known as the Temple mount to Jews, and the noble sanctuary to Muslims. This is just a few days after setting up several metal detectors that has sparked anger among Palestinians in Jerusalem and in the West Bank. Four Palestinians were killed in clashes on Friday and Saturday, and three Israelis died during a stabling attack in the West Bank.
Let's talk to David Rohde now, CNN Global Affairs Analyst. David, in the last week, Israel has installed new metal detectors around a holy site in Jerusalem's old city, and now, security cameras. The argument that we're hearing from the Palestinian side is that the Israel government is using security concerns really as a pretext to expand their control over the site. Is that what's going on?
DAVID ROHDE, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST (via Skype): Well, look, to be fair to the Israeli government, there was a deadly attack that had sparked all this, that sparked putting in this equipment. But you know this is a reflection of the simmering tensions that have existed there. You know, there have been small-scale attacks, there's a series of knife attacks, and other things have happened. So, yes, the immediate results, you know, was an attack that killed Israeli police officers that resulted in these cameras and metal detectors. But, you know, this unresolved conflict that goes on for decades, you know, is the long-term issue, you know. Palestinians remain deeply frustrated.
VANIER: Yes. And we're talking about the third holiest site in Islam, which helps explains some of the tensions, of course, in fact all of the tensions. Now, tell me about how Israeli domestic politics are impacting this? The Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has to hold together a very right wing government. Does that condition his response?
[01:14:52] ROHDE: It does. I mean, he's under pressure from the right -- from Defense Minister, Lieberman. He's a critical member of the Israeli government coalition. Lieberman, visited this site, you know, this attack, another attack, one of the serious attack in the last few days. And you know, in these situations, calls for more security calls for toughness tend to do well. Now whether it's, you know, an absence from the Israeli right now, Palestinians (INAUDIBLE) Amas agitating for more protests and more violence from the Palestinian side. So, I think it's a very dangerous situation. Again, these low-level tensions that existed for a long time. There was always predictions that something could spark, you know, intifada were not anywhere near that yet. But, you know, there are -- there's a deep misunderstanding, you know, in terms of the political clash between the two sides and then clearly many on Palestinians are willing to protests, some are willing to carry out these attacks.
CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR: Now CNN has reported that the White House is very active behind the scenes here. Jared Kushner, senior adviser to the president is in talks with the Israelis, the Palestinians, the Jordanians will also help administer these holy sites. The president's special representative, Jason Greenblatt is now heading to Israel. What leverage does the U.S. actually have?
ROHDE: I think they have, you know, serious leverage with the Israeli government, the Netanyahu government, you know, welcomed the election of Trump. I think they have less leverage with the Palestinians. But this is really a test. I think they have maximum leverage right now. Even the Palestinians were encouraged when President Trump talked about trying to restart talks in terms of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Can, you know, the Americans, can Greenblatt and Kushner who have absolutely no experience, you know, dealing with the Middle East conflict and very little diplomatic experience other than what they have since, you know, Trump took office. It's a big challenge for them and I think there will be a lot of focus on whether they succeed in intervening and mediating and reducing the tensions.
VANIER: And very briefly, the United Nations Security Council is scheduled to meet on Monday about this. Can it move the needle in any way? It usually doesn't when it comes to Israel.
ROHDE: It won't. I mean, the Israeli government and, you know, Netanyahu as, you know, one elections, it's yes, it's a coalesce government and he's run on a platform of reject in the U.N. and particularly that European-backed U.N. criticism of Israel. So I think the session will not have a major impact on the Israeli side but Palestinians I think are hopeful for U.N. intervention but I don't think the U.N. has the leverage to change the situation. It's really - can the Trump administration use its leverage to have a positive outcome. Okay. Thank you.
VANIER: OK. David Rohdes, CNN Global Affairs Analyst. Good talking to you. Thank you.
ROHDE: Thank you.
VANIER: There's been a deadly shooting inside the Israeli embassy compound in the Jordanian capital. Officials say one person was killed, a Jordanian national. Another Jordanian and an Israeli were also wounded. Police say the Jordanian victims had gone into the building to do carpentry work. At this stage, it's not clear who carried out the shooting nor why. The victims and the suspected human trafficking case are being remembered in San Antonio, Texas. At least nine people died inside a truck. We'll have the latest on the investigation after the break. Plus, CNN exposing human trafficking across the world. How three girls in Cambodia survived being sold for sex by their own mothers. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:20:46] KATE RILEY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kate Riley with your CNN world sport headlines. The American golfer, Jordan Spieth has won the open at Royal Birkedale in dramatic fashion. But the hole that this open will be remember for, Spieth on number 13, after a way which he shot, he later said, he was looking at a six or a seven. Miraculously came away with just a bogie fight, he go on to win his first open championship and at 23 years old, he's the second youngest to have won three of the four majors. The Tour de France wrapped up on Sunday with Britain's Chris Froome winning his fourth title and moving within in one win of the all-time record. The Kenyan born Brit crossed the finish line on the iconic Champs-Elysees in Paris on the 21st and final stage.
Unlike previous years, Froome's fourth title wasn't a given from the start. The general classification going down to the wire and only being decided on the (INAUDIBLE) time trial Saturday I must say. A reports continue that Neymar is moving to PSG but on Saturday, the 25- year-old had a dominating performance against the Italian champions. (INAUDIBLE) the scoring in the 15th minute, the Brazilian playing a smart (INAUDIBLE) the goalkeeper moved far into the top right corner, the Brazilian then double (INAUDIBLE) 11 minutes later with a world- class goal slamming a right but has shot into the net. Barcelona tops U.K. 2-1. That's a look at all your sports headlines. I'm Kate Riley.
VANIER: Now to the horrible case of human trafficking in Texas. The City of San Antonio is honoring the nine people who are dead after a truck was found in a parking lot in San Antonio. It's thought that there may have been more than a hundred undocumented immigrants crammed inside the truck. The suspected driver is now in custody. He's expected to face charges. But the case highlights the dangers that immigrants face when crossing into the United States. CNN's Ed Lavandera has more from San Antonio. ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Homeland security investigators and immigration customs enforcement agents say that the driver of the truck was 60-year-old James Bradley from Clearwater, Florida. He's really the centerpiece of this investigation as investigators try to figure out what they describe as a human smuggling operation. And the key to that is to figure out who else was involved, where this truck came from and where it was going. The acting ICE director says that at some point during the journey there could have been more than a hundred people inside the back of this trailer truck. And when it was discovered here just after midnight there somebody from the truck that had approached a Wal-Mart employee asking for water. And that is what led the employee to make the discovery and called police here to the scene. Eight people were found dead inside. A ninth person died in the hospital on Sunday. The death toll numbers could change. There were nearly 20 people in critical condition throughout the day, receiving treatment in various hospitals around San Antonio. So a horrifying and gruesome discovery. The fire chief says that at some point, he believes that the temperatures inside that trailer reached more than 150 degrees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Units arrived, found the trailer stuffed with victims in the back. And, again, very hot, kind of like being in an oven if you can imagine. A lot of them have suffered the symptoms of heat stroke. And so, heat stroke a lot of times you have neurological deficits that you'll never going to be able to recover from. So again, for those people that survived, they took a beating. And with our temperatures yesterday, we had temperatures over a hundred degrees. So, you can imagine the temperature in that -- the back of that semi loaded up with people was probably 150 degrees. And so the ones that we took out, all the pulse rates were about 130, there . They were hot to the touch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VANIER: A highly dangerous volatile situation inside that truck. And of course, all eyes really kind of focused on James Bradley, the driver of this truck, who hasn't formally faced any criminal charges filed just yet. But that could change dramatically here this Monday. Bradley is expected to make a court appearance Monday morning in San Antonio. So the criminal charges could change here in the - in the coming hours. So we'll continue to monitor that. But this Wal-Mart and where this truck was discovered is just along Interstate 35 in Southwest San Antonio. It takes a direct shot about a two-hour drive to the Texas-Mexico border. And in this part of South Texas, these kinds of human - this kind of human smuggling operation is very common. Oftentimes undocumented migrants are moved in truckloads like this. So very dangerous situations like this have unfolded in the past and sadly, this is just all too common in this part of the United States. Ed Lavandera, CNN, San Antonio, Texas.
VANIER: Now for a long time, CNN has been deeply involved in the fight against human trafficking. This was the CNN freedom project.
[01:25:46] In fact, today, we're starting a special week of investigations to expose the abuse of children and workers in Cambodia. In the first installment, we have reunited with three girls that we first met four years ago after they had been sold for sex. Alexandra Field has this story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This was once the heart of a dark world, the epicenter of child sex trafficking in Cambodia. Svay Pak, a place where pedophiles came to prey. More than four years ago, while filming the CNN freedom project's 2013 documentary, Every Day in Cambodia, we met three girls sold into the system by their mothers. Their parents have since expressed remorse for their actions. (Qu's) mother had sold her virginity and then kept selling her for sex to pay her family's debt. (Sibak's) story was the same.
It happened to (Toha) when she was 14. The children we met then are women now. They work alongside other survivors in a factory run by anti-trafficking nonprofit Agape International Missions or AIM. The organization that rescued all three girls. They earn their own money by their own hands. Their lives are better and they're even stronger. What did you hope would happen from telling your story? At the trial, investigators said (Toha) had been raped 198 times in 22 days. A number so shocking that AIM is now using 22 to raise awareness about sex trafficking around the world. Are you worried about the young girls, the little girls who live here? Are you afraid that they could be forced to go through what you all lived through? When I asked the women how they feel about the families that betrayed them, (Toha) says she understands. Like he was still angry and you can see how much she still hurts. (Qu) is a mother herself now to a baby boy. She says she's working here to make sure his future is better than her past. Alexandra Field, CNN, Svay Pak, Cambodia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VANIER: And we will stay with this tomorrow and the Freedom Project will introduce you to an anti-trafficking group this time that works with police in Cambodia to track down criminals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the fight to rescue women and girls, children in Cambodia's capital city Phnom Penh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a brothel that processes a coffee, selling coffee, so you have customers (INAUDIBLE) upstairs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Earth Melgum) is working with AIM, an anti- human trafficking organization that works alongside police to track down criminals. He's part of the coffee shop operation. It was clear to you that there were children inside there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: YEs. We knew there were children there because this is an investigation that had been ongoing for about three months.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VANIER: So you'll see what they uncover at the coffee shop and also
what's next for the victims. That's only on CNN. Also coming up on the CNN newsroom --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The marines are leaving, but this is only supposed to be a short mission. They come, they go, they come back again. This time hoping the Afghan security forces they leave behind them will be able to do their job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VANIER: More than 15 years into the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. Marines are still facing challenges. We'll go to Helmand Province where they're struggling to bring an end to the conflict. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VANIER: And welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Cyril Vanier, with your headlines this hour.
(HEADLINES)
VANIER: The U.S. defense secretary says the Trump administration is close to finalizing a plan on Afghanistan.
To better understand the challenges that the administration is facing in that country, CNN's senior international correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh, followed U.S. Marines returning to Helmand Province, the Taliban stronghold.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[01:35:13] PATON WALSH (voice-over): Here we are again, but it's been going on so long, these guys have left. And then come back. Afghanistan's Helmand and America's Marines. When does it end?
A year ago, the Taliban were at the gates of this key city. Now it's not good, but it's better, because the Marines, even though there's only 300 of them, have brought huge firepower with them.
Afghan troops just now retook one district. The Marines, not at the front but advising on base, instead, and congratulating the Afghan soldiers.
Nothing lasts here, except maybe the war.
(SHOUTING)
PATON WALSH: A rocket has just hit, landing about 20 meters from us outside. A total of three, indiscriminate. An 8-year-old boy wounded in the attack.
President Trump is now weighing his first move in a war that, for men like Colonel Reid, whose birthday is September 11, is nothing new.
He was here seven years ago, with 7,000 Marines. Fewer now.
COL. MATTHEW REID, DEPUTY COMMANDER, TASK FORCE SOUTHWEST, U.S. MARINES: Now we have 300. Those were the troops that ran the chow hall.
PATON WALSH: Now they have to do it all over again.
REID: It's discouraging. There is a definite feeling of a sense of obligation to get this right, because of those that have gone before us, for sure.
PATON WALSH (on camera): How many friends have you lost here?
REID: I don't think I've ever bothered to count. Too many. Between here and Iraq.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): Some Marines advise near the front where you can just make out the Taliban's white flag.
UNIDENTIFIED U.S. MARINE: This is all Taliban country, all of it. So there's Taliban that come through here daily.
PATON WALSH: But the Marines respect meant to fight them. The Afghans are. And they aren't as many here as there's supposed to be.
Listen to how these 45 Marines almost double what's meant to be 500 strong Afghan unit here.
UNIDENTIFIED U.S. MARINE: There's only about 200 that are assigned right now.
PATON WALSH (on camera): By assigned, you mean that exist?
UNIDENTIFIED U.S. MARINE: That actually exist.
PATON WALSH: They're supposed to have 500, but they have 200.
UNIDENTIFIED U.S. MARINE: Of those 200, there's about 100 of them that aren't even here.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): Some on operations or patrol, some 50 to 100 Afghans actually here.
(GUNFIRE)
PATON WALSH: This Marine unit pulls back after a week.
(on camera): The Marines are leaving, but this is only supposed to be a short mission. They come, they go, they come back again. Each time, hoping the Afghan security forces they leave behind them will be able to do their job, to hold the Taliban back. The question is, with only 300 of them here, Marines this time, what has changed?
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Helmand, southern Afghanistan. (END VIDEOTAPE)
VANIER: The Turkish president heads to Qatar on Monday on his diplomatic mission to the Persian Gulf. Recep Tayyip Erdogan is trying to ease tensions between Doha and some of its gulf neighbors. He traveled to Kuwait Sunday, and before that, met with Saudi Arabia's King Salman. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt imposed sanctions on Qatar last month, accusing it of supporting terrorism, allegations which Qatar denies.
Meanwhile, Turkey is continuing its government crackdown on opposition, detaining dozens of protesters in Ankara. The demonstrators gathered in support of two teachers jailed for going on a hunger strike over the crackdown.
Let's get the latest in Poland now. We've been tracking the political crisis there for several days. The president is set to meet with the head of the country's Supreme Court Monday morning. Andrzej Duda faces growing pressure over a controversial reform bill that would put the Supreme Court under government control. Thousands of people are protesting and demanding that he veto the bill. Critics say it's the latest power grab by the president and his right-wing party.
Muhammad Lila has more from Warsaw.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MUHAMMAD LILA, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Another evening, another large protest here in Warsaw, the Polish capitol. Protests taking place not just here in the capitol but in many places across the country. As you walk through this protest, you feel a sense of hope, but also a sense of anger. You see a lot of Polish flags. The Polish flags, the large one, erected just in front of the presidential palace. You see a lot of E.U. flags as well.
The protesters say they're willing to stay here as long as it takes in order for their demand to be met. Their demand right now is very simple. They're calling on the country's president to exercise a veto over a controversial piece of legislation that would allow the country's ruling party, the Law and Justice Party, to replace all of the country's Supreme Court judges with judges that they themselves have handpicked. In fact, you see a sign over here, in Polish, calling on Andrzej Duda, the president, to exercise his veto and reclaim or restore his good name among the people.
Now, the E.U. has already expressed its concern about this legislation. The U.S. State Department has expressed its concern about the legislation, as well.
We know that the president has roughly three weeks to decide what he's going to do. Is he going to approve the legislation, or is he going to listen to the will and the show of force of people on the streets and veto that legislation? In fact, one of the loudest chants that we've heard here is a chant that's very simple, and all it says is, (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGAUGE), "We want a veto."
Muhammad Lila, CNN, Warsaw.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:40:39] VANIER: We're going to take a short break on CNN NEWSROOM. But when we come back, we'll have --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE HARRY: Our mother was a total kid through and through. When everybody says to me, you know, so she was fun? Give us an example. All I can hear is her laugh in my head. And that sort of crazy laugh of where there was just pure happiness shown on her face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VANIER: Princes William and Harry open up about their mother like we've never heard before. We'll have a look at the new documentary on the life and legacy of Princess Diana, coming up.
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VANIER: The London hospital treating baby, Charlie Gard, says it has been receiving death threats. The terminally ill infant is at the center of a legal controversy over whether the hospital should support experimental treatments to extend his life. Charlie is suffering from a rare genetic disorder. His parents want to take him to the U.S. for experimental therapy, but the hospital believes that is not in the child's best interest. A court hearing is set to begin in a few hours with a full ruling expected on Tuesday.
Nearly two decades after her death, Britain's Prince William and Harry reveal they have deep regrets over the last time they spoke with their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
Nina dos Santos has more on a new documentary about her life and legacy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[01:45:10] NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Almost 20 years since Diana, Princess of Wales, died, her sons, Princes William and Harry, have given what is probably their most candid on-camera interview yet.
Here are some highlights of this very moving interview.
PRINCE HARRY: Our mother was a total kid through and through. When everybody says to me, you know, so she was fun? Give us an example. All I can hear is her laugh in my head. And that sort of crazy laugh of where there was just pure happiness shown on her face.
Once she said to me, be as naughty as you want, just don't get caught.
She was one of the naughtiest parents. She would come and watch us play football and smuggle sweets into our socks. I remember walking back from the football match and having five packets of Star Bursts. The whole sock was just bulging with sweets. I started looking around at the top box, throw it in and lock it up.
(SINGING)
PRINCE WILLIAM: There are a couple of memories I have that are particularly funny. Just outside this room, where we are now, she organized, when I came home from school, to have Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell waiting at the top of the stairs. I was probably a 12 or 13-year-old boy. I have posters of them on my wall. And I went bright red and didn't quite know what to say. And sort of fumbled and pretty much fell down the stairs on the way out. I was awestruck. That's a very funny memory of her loving and embarrassing me and her being sort of a joker.
DOS SANTOS: The princes talk about the mischievous side of Princess Diana. That was one of the surprises she was famous for throwing for them. But aside from the heartwarming moments, there's also a very poignant moment in this film. And it is when Prince Harry, in particular, says that he doesn't really remember what the last words he said to his mother were on the night she died, only that he will regret for the rest of his life cutting the conversation short. Because it seemed as if the princes were playing with their cousins and they didn't like spending too much time on the telephone to their parents. So the conversation was briefer than they would have liked.
These are just some of the snippets that have come out as the two princes have said this is a one-off occasion where they're going to be opening up their feelings and their memories of their mother so that the rest of the country and the rest of the world can remember her, too, in August.
Nina dos Santos, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VANIER: When the U.S. president gets behind the wheel, it's supposed to be a harmless photo opportunity. But it hasn't always worked out that way. We'll tell you why.
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(WEATHER REPORT)
[01:51:46] VANIER: Seven tropical cyclones are spinning in the Pacific basin at the same time.
Let's go to the CNN International Weather Center to understand what that means. Karen Maginnis is with us.
What's going on, Karen?
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Wow, just in the past couple of days, we've seen things escalate across the Pacific basin. Here, off the coast of Mexico, three systems lined up. They are not going to be affecting any land mass, at least any time in the near future. Greg, Irwin, and Hillary. Take a look at this. One in particular is getting our attention. The other two are kind of in an unusual tropical dance, which I'll explain. But take a look. We want to focus in on what's happening right here, just to the south of Hainan Island. This is Sanka, and this could potentially be quite powerful across Vietnam. Very poorly organized, winds associated at 75 kilometers per hour and not very well defined. It's moving slowly. This is going to be a powerful rain maker and could produce mud and landslides across the region. All you have to do is go back about a week or 10 days or so, and that produced mudslides and fatalities, as well. Here is Sanka, and the expected movement through the next 48 hours. Here's the potential rainfall. Some areas could see as much as 500 millimeters. And then as I mentioned, the two systems that will have an interesting dance, Fujiwara. Typhoon Noru, not affecting land masses. Look at this route that it's taking. About 24 hours from now, expecting the winds at about 205 kilometers per hour. Here are the Philippines. We have what's called an invest. It looks like it's going to skirt by the Philippines, move to the Luzon Strait. Perhaps developing into a more organized system. We still have to wait on that.
One of the reasons why we're seeing this huge explosion of tropical cyclones, the water temperature here, conducive conditions. Some of the water temperatures, Cyril, are around 35 degrees. Amazing.
VANIER: Karen Maginnis, from the CNN International Weather Center, thank you very much.
And now President Trump, apparently, likes being in the driver's seat. But that doesn't always work out well for him.
CNN's Jeanne Moos has this story.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He did it in March, and now he's done it again.
UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: And of course, his favorite activity, fake- driving a truck.
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS: And both times he's been mocked for it. Most recently, this week, when he got into a fire truck parked at the White House --
DOANLD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Where's the fire? Put it out fast.
MOOS: -- for a "Made in America" event.
UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: First, he pretends to be a firefighter and then he dresses up as a cowboy. Is Trump trying to be all of the Village People before the end of his term?
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS: But every time the president gets in a big rig, something happens. Beware of the curse of the truck-driver-in-chief. (on camera): When the president gets behind the wheel, legislation crashes.
UNIDENTIFIED NEWS ANCHOR: The vote on health care, not happening today.
[01:55:06] MOOS (voice-over): Almost four months ago, the president got in a truck and blew the horn.
(HONKING)
MOOS: But what really got blown that day was the House health care bill.
UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now we know they are postponing the vote, the scheduled vote that didn't actually happen.
MOOS: This week, the president climbed into a fire truck. That's Sean Spicer, visible in the side-view mirror, taking the president's picture. And guess what happened to health care in the Senate that day?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This bill is dead.
MOOS: We're not saying the president's fake driving made health care road kill. We're just driving home the coincidence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I agree with that.
MOOS: Even when the president gets behind the wheel of a golf cart, driving over a putting green backfired. "Slate" called it "the most monstrous act of this or any other presidency."
Commented one golf fan, "I don't care if he's God, you don't drive golf carts within 20 yards of a green."
At least when he drove the fire truck he didn't turn on the siren, even if health care was going up in flames.
Jeanne Moos, CNN --
(HONKING)
MOOS: -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VANIER: And that does it for us at the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Cyril Vanier.
George Howell is back with more news right after this. Stay with us.
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