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Thailand Cave Rescue; U.S.-North Korea Relations; Michael Cohen Breaks His Silence. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired July 03, 2018 - 02:00   ET

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


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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Cheers and joy in Thailand after rescue divers find all of the boys' football team went missing. But getting them out of the cave might be tougher than anyone expected.

Questioning North Korea's motives, despite White House assurances, U.S. intelligence believes Pyongyang won't really get rid of their nuclear arsenal.

After an entire month part, a 12-year-old child finally reunited with her mother. But she is one of the lucky few as almost 2,000 children wait to see their parents again because of President Trump's zero tolerance immigration policy.

Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all-around the world. I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

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CHURCH (voice-over): And we begin in Thailand, where joy and celebration are slowly giving way to tense realities. Rescue divers have found the 12 young boys and their football coach trapped in a flooded cave for nine days. The challenge now becomes how to get them out.

Families were overcome with relief when they heard rescuers had found the group. But authorities say it could take some time to bring them out of that cave. The Thai navy is sending in four months' worth of food and a medical team to evaluate the boys' health.

Anna Coren joins us now from Northern Thailand with more on this.

Anna, it is exactly the happy ending we were all hoping for but it's not over yet. Rescuers have to extract these boys and their coach from the cave. That will be a challenge.

What are authorities saying about that?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This rescue has only just begun but incredible news really. When we spoke this time yesterday, we thought the very worst. And to think hours later they found these boys all alive.

I just want to give you a sense of where we are. This is obviously the staging location and also where the entrance to the cave is. We used to be able to access the cave but that is no longer the case. Up here is the pathway, where the officials and the divers and the cavers, they all make their way through this gate and down that muddy path to the entrance of the cave.

There is a lot of mud. Everywhere is working in a lot of mud. Over here is the medical center. Behind us is the media center. There are hundreds and hundreds of journalists. This is a hive of activity as people are so excited at the facts that these 13 people, 12 children and their coach, have been found alive.

Let's first recap on those amazing moments when they were discovered last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many of you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 13?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brilliant.

COREN (voice-over): The moment divers find 12 boys and their football coach after nearly 10 days of searching. All that time without food and without word from the outside world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are very strong. Very strong.

COREN (voice-over): Outside the cave, the sound of joy after days of agony. Families of the local football team known as the Wild Boars hear the news that their loved ones had been found alive.

On the 23rd of June after football practice, the team entered the cave, leaving their bikes and backpacks near the entrance. The monsoon season had just begun and Thai officials believe heavy rain caused flash flooding inside the cave.

After the team had entered, the 10-kilometer long complex trapped them inside. A massive search effort was mobilized involving the army, navy and volunteers with up to 1,000 personnel enduring challenging weather conditions and mountainous terrain.

Throughout the week a contingent of international specialists from the U.S., U.K., Australia, China and others joined the massive operation that had an entire nation praying for its success. From above the cave system, teams clambered through chimney holes, looking for new ways to locate the missing boys.

The pumps were able to drain up to 150,000 liters of water every hour. And in the bowels of the cave, Thai Navy SEALs set up a mini command center just over a kilometer of --

[02:05:00] COREN (voice-over): -- where the boys were thought to have taken refuge.

Finally late on Monday, divers reached the boys, telling them they couldn't leave the cave just yet. First, they will get some food and medical attention and then equipment to help get them out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many people are coming. Many, many people. We are the first. Many people come.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: And there are people there with those 12 boys and that 25- year-old coach. We know that there are Navy SEAL divers, possibly four if not more. And they have provided supplies and provided food in the form of energy gels and water. There has been a doctor and a nurse who have assessed their health and their overall condition.

They have only found light injuries. They said these boys are exceptionally strong and also very clever, Rosemary. These boys were collecting rain water that was dripping through the ceiling of the cave, like a natural filtration, rather than resorting to the dirty, polluted water which was really lapping at their feet.

The boys are some 4.5 kilometers from where we are through that labyrinth of a cave system. Now we spoke about getting them out, possibly using scuba equipment. That means they will have to learn to dive, go through a crash course on diving.

We know that it's been a huge challenge for the professional divers, who you might be able to see behind me, are set up. There are tanks and equipment and they use this place as a staging equipment, joining the Navy SEALs, who set up a mini command center inside.

But that's what they are looking at. The Navy SEALs have said give us 48 hours to assess the situation. We need to get these boys back up to strength. Just to finish, one of the boys said to the Navy SEALs can, we get out today. That is enthusiasm and the positivity that these boys have. They just want to be reunited with their loved ones.

CHURCH: Because they are athletes, they are physically strong, even though they have been there in that cave for nine days. But it will be a challenge for them to learn how to scuba dive in that short time. But they will be eager to do that presumably but there are many challenges with that as well.

COREN: Absolutely. Absolutely. We are talking about flooded cave system. We are talking about water that is up to the ceiling. It is super dangerous for the Navy SEALs, for the international contingent of experienced divers from the U.S., U.K., Australia and China.

So for these young boys age 11 to 16 to first learn to swim, some of them perhaps don't know how to swim, and to then learn to breathe through the apparatus of scuba equipment, it really is a challenge.

So we know that the governor and the Thai military have said that they are potentially looking at bringing in food and water supplies that could last months, potentially four months. Remember, we are in the midst of the monsoon season. There is a break in the weather but we are expecting heavy rain in the next few days. That's what we will experience over the next few months.

So they are going be racing against the weather. But we also know that they are pumping furiously, 24/7, trying to get the water out of the cave. They are also still looking at accessing the cave from above. So all options are being looked at, at this stage. But at the moment, the priority is the health of these 12 boys and their coach.

CHURCH: Those monsoonal rains will last until October. I don't think these boys want to wait it out until then. Anna Coren, bringing us the very latest from the scene there of the cave rescue. Many thanks to you.

Let's get more on this with Dr. Paul Auerbach, he is the Redlich Family Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University.

Thank you so much for joining us.

PAUL AUERBACH, M.D., STANFORD UNIVERSITY: My pleasure.

CHURCH: These 12 boys and their coach have been in this cave for nine days. They have been found alive but it's not over yet, of course. They need to get out of that cave and that will be challenging in itself with rising waters and mud blocking the way. Their health is a major concern of course.

What will doctors be looking out for as they ponder the possibility that these boys might have to scuba dive through those dark, deep waters?

AUERBACH: It's going to be a somewhat daunting task with the nine days of isolation. Of course, first issue that the doctors will consider is dehydration. My understanding is that the boys fortunately had access to --

[02:10:00]

AUERBACH: -- some fresh water. They will be concerned about nutrition and making sure that the boys have an energy level that will allow them to be evacuated.

Temperature is always an issue when you are isolated in a cave like that. Again, my understanding is that they were in an environment of about 26 degrees centigrade, which is about 79 degrees Fahrenheit. So that's excellent.

The other two health issues that would be of some importance but not immediately would be any hazardous animals. But that will be an issue that they can deal with afterwards. Of course there's the emotional state of the boys. They will need to be cooperative, be able to do whatever is necessary to assist in their rescues.

And the long-term effects of that, anything like post traumatic stress syndrome, PTSD, will be dealt with after they are out of the cave.

CHURCH: Then scuba diving out of the cave would be the quickest way but also the most dangerous.

How long would they need to wait to safely dive out of the area, given this is risky for even experienced divers?

They have to look at the pressure when they are underwater, the density, of course, and the depths they will be going to and whether these boys can cope with that at this time.

AUERBACH: That's a separate training issue. Most people go through diving instruction that takes at a very minimum a couple of days, sometimes longer than that. The issues that will be immediately relevant will be visibility. The water will be virtually opaque.

So if they can't see anything, they will need to be surrounded by experienced divers and essentially led out underwater. The depth shouldn't be too bad of a problem. I don't know precisely how deep the water is that they will have to traverse.

But this will be a complicated rescue. It's manageable. But they have to be sure these kids are physically capable of it and that they are emotionally capable of it as well.

CHURCH: All 12 boys and their coach are in great physical shape due their athleticism, being football players. But they still need to be monitored before the dive and after they are safely brought back home, as you pointed out earlier.

How will all that be done?

And what signs will doctors be looking for, for any trauma?

AUERBACH: They will get a complete examination for any signs of physical trauma. They will be assessed for hydration status. They will be sure that they have them with an adequate fuel supply, adequate food, so that their sugar level, their glucose level is adequate.

Then no doubt they'll do practice dives. They will have the ability to teach them how to dive, if that's the method that they choose. Then they will do a dive before they try and take them out of the cave. At least I assume that's what they are going to do. I haven't seen the dive plan. But that would make sense.

CHURCH: Yes, indeed. All very daunting. Dr. Paul Auerbach, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

AUERBACH: We are just delighted that these boys have been found and, of course, wish them the best of luck with the rescue and their recovery.

CHURCH: It is one of the best outcomes we have ever seen. Thank you so very much.

AUERBACH: Thank you.

CHURCH: Of course news that these rescue divers located the boys brought a great deal of relief and fresh hope to their families. One father shared his reaction with CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I want to hug my son. Usually our family sleeps in the same bed. We are a very close family. I was happy to hear the cheering from the rescue workers. It gave me hope that I was going to see my son alive.

CHURCH (voice-over): So many family members anxious to see their children again. The boys range in age from 11 to 16 years old. Their saga has captured the nation's attention with wall-to-wall media covering.

Another story we are following, the U.S. secretary of state will return to North Korea Thursday, looking for some details from Kim Jong-un about how he plans to denuclearize. The White House continues to put a positive spin on the North Korea talks.

But intelligence experts still say Kim cannot be trust and that his weapons program is actually growing, not shrinking.

Our Paula Hancocks joins us from Seoul, South Korea with more on this.

Mike Pompeo heading to North Korea for talks with Kim Jong-un's government Thursday.

How delicate will the discussions be in light of this U.S. intelligence, indicating Kim is --

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CHURCH: -- not fully committed to denuclearization?

And why has there been no more movement on the promised return of remains of U.S. service men?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, I should imagine that is going to be one of the key questions that the secretary of state will be going to Pyongyang with. There was a meeting on Sunday at Panmunjom in the DMZ between North and South Korea, where the U.S. officials met with North Korean officials.

And a source with knowledge of the U.S.-North Korean relationship told me that that was brought up. The reason for that meeting was to have this scheduled, the agenda for Secretary Pompeo's trip organized and also to ask why exactly there has been such a stalling when it comes to the remains being repatriated.

The U.S. military is ready. They are on the border with wooden caskets, ready. But they are really just waiting for North Korea. So it will be a key meeting. It's the first one since the summit

between the U.S. president, Donald Trump, and Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, in Singapore last month. There have been a number of reports out recently, suggesting that North Korea is increasing its abilities within its missile and nuclear program.

It is finishing construction of certain sites. It is refurbishing the Yongbyon nuclear research site, according to satellite images seen by 38 North, although they said that didn't necessarily connect it directly to denuclearization. And there are U.S. intelligence officials, saying that they believe that Kim Jong-un won't denuclearize fully.

CHURCH: Paula Hancocks, joining us live from Seoul, South Korea, where it's just after 3:15 in the afternoon. Many thanks.

A U.S. judge has put a deadline on reuniting immigrant families separated at the border.

But can it be done?

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My sense is that the president has made a colossal mistake and that he does not know how to correct his mistake because he didn't have a plan for this.

CHURCH (voice-over): Coming up, we will look at who, if anyone, is in charge of making that happen. We are back in a moment.

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CHURCH: Michael Cohen was Donald Trump's right-hand man, a fixer, who proclaimed his extreme loyalty. But now Cohen has said he is putting his family and country first.

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CHURCH: Athena Jones looks at what that could mean for the president.

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ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "I put family and country first."

President Trump's long time lawyer, Michael Cohen, in an off-camera interview with ABC News, sending the strongest signal yet that he is willing to provide information to special counsel Robert Mueller and federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.

Trump's former fixer has described himself as a loyal employee and the guy who would take a bullet for the president. MICHAEL COHEN, TRUMP PERSONAL ATTORNEY: I protect Mr. Trump.

JONES (voice-over): But he sang a different tune when pressed on those past vows of allegiance.

"To be crystal clear, my wife, my daughter and my son and this country have my first loyalty."

Cohen has been under increasing pressure since the FBI raided his home, office and hotel room in April. Part of the Southern District's criminal investigation into his business dealings, including the $130,000 payment he made to porn star Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 election to keep her quiet about an alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump that Trump denies.

In his first in-depth interview since the raid, Cohen wouldn't answer when asked if the president directed him to make that payment or promised to reimburse him. In the past, he has said he made the payment on his own initiative.

This time he said, "I want to answer. One day I will answer. But for now I can't comment further on advice of my counsel."

That counsel Cohen's new attorney, Guy Petrillo, former chief of the criminal division at the Southern District. Cohen hasn't been charged with any crime. But in recent weeks, sources say he has been feeling angry and isolated by the president's treatment of him.

And friends have encouraged him to speak to the press to help him win over the court of public opinion.

He told ABC, "I will not be a purchasing bag as part of anyone's defense strategy. I am not a villain of this story and I will not allow others to try to depict me that way."

Trump's now former personal lawyer also sought to separate himself from the president, who has slammed the FBI and repeatedly called the Mueller probe a "witch hunt," Cohen instead praising the FBI as courteous and professional when conducting the April raids.

"I don't agree with those who demonize or vilify the FBI. I respect the FBI as an institution as well as their agents."

And saying he doesn't agree with Trump on the Russia investigation.

"I don't like the term 'witch hunt.' As an American, I repudiate Russia's or any other foreign government's attempt to interfere or meddle in our democratic process. And I would call on all Americans to do the same."

Cohen also called the decision by Trump campaign officials to meet with Russians in June 2016 "a mistake" but would not say whether Trump knew about the meeting before it happened, citing his lawyer's advice -- Athena Jones, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: Let's take a closer look at all this with CNN political analyst Michael Shear in Washington. He's also the White House correspondent for "The New York Times."

Thank you so much for being with us.

MICHAEL SHEAR, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Sure. Happy to be here.

CHURCH: Michael Cohen once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump and now he said he puts family and country first, signaling he may flip and tell all he knows about the president to the Mueller investigators.

What could this mean for the president?

And what might Cohen have on him anyhow?

SHEAR: I think it's really a concern legally and politically for the president. This is not a normal lawyer. This is not somebody who just worked on a case for a client or a couple of cases for a client. This is a fellow who, for the better part of a decade or more, really was the fixer, the business associate for the president, who handled all sorts of things, both legal matters but also problems for President Trump.

The most famous one that we know about is, of course, paying $130,000 to Stormy Daniels, the porn star, to make that problem go away right at the end of the presidential campaign for Donald Trump.

And so the challenge for the president is, now that investigators are combing through every last bit of documents, phone call, emails, everything that Michael Cohen has, the real question is what you asked, which is what does Michael Cohen have that could implicate the president in some things that the Mueller investigation is looking into?

We just don't know at this point. But that's got to be what President Trump's lawyers are most concerned about.

CHURCH: That's more the legal side but what about the political impact here on the President of the United States?

Does it work against him?

Or does it play right into Mr. Trump's narrative that this probe is a witch hunt?

SHEAR: Well, it can probably be a little of both. The president has been really effective, I think, at repeatedly insisting that the prosecutors are overreaching and trying to sort of lay down the predicate --

[02:25:00]

SHEAR: -- for the public that he's the victim in all of this. And to some extent, to the extent that his supporters especially, the

people who are inclined to be behind him politically, to the extent that they think that this is evidence of an overzealous prosecution, going after lawyers, after all, something not done very often in the United States, then that could be to his benefit.

But ultimately I think it's far more likely to be politically damaging if, at the end of the day, when the investigation is really sort of unfurled for the American public to see, if there are really damaging details, things that the president has said, things that the president has done that are essentially kind of laid out in great detail from the documents that Michael Cohen had, I think that ultimately will prove to be more damaging than not.

CHURCH: Right. We will just have to see what Michael Cohen has to reveal on all of this.

I did want to turn to that other big issue, the imminent nomination of a replacement for Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. There are suggestions that the president is more inclined to choose a conservative woman.

But right now pro-choice Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski indicate they would oppose any nominee who is hostile to the Roe versus Wade decision on legalizing abortion.

How problematic could prove to this be for the president?

Will he get approved for that nominee in the time he wants?

Because he is racing this through faster than we have ever seen any president.

SHEAR: He really is, in part because I think they know that they have a razor-thin margin. The Republicans need to hold essentially every one of their Republicans. They can lose not one. And if they do, then the president will have to make another choice.

The problem for the Democrats, though, is that the Democrats also have to hold all of their folks. And there are several conservative Democrats in states where they are running for reelection and where opposing the president on a nominee like this is also likely to be difficult.

So the Republicans have, I think, the edge here because even though, as you mentioned, there are these two female senators, who are going to have some issues with a justice that's hostile to Roe versus Wade, there are a bunch of other Democrats that they could potentially pick up to replace somebody, one of those two female senators if they dropped out.

So I still think if you were a betting person, the Republicans have the edge here. It's the Democrats who really are struggling to find enough votes to stop President Trump from getting what he wants.

CHURCH: We will just have to see how fast this moves along. Michael Shear, thank you so much. We appreciate having you on the show.

SHEAR: Sure. Happy to do it.

CHURCH: Let's take a short break here but a controversial mayor is shot dead in the Philippines. The shooting was caught on camera and some think the mayor's death could be connected to president Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs. We will have the details for you.

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[02:30:34] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A very warm welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church. I want to update you on the main stories we are following this hour. Authorities in Thailand are trying to figure out how to get a youth football team and their coach out of a flooded cave. Divers found the group Monday nine days after they entered the remote cave. Rescuers are sending in food and a doctor to check on the boys' health.

U.S. military intelligence believes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has no intention of fully dismantling his nuclear program. But the White House said it's continuing to make progress in talks with the North. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo returns to Pyongyang on Thursday. Australia's Archbishop of Adelaide will not face jail time despite being convicted of covering up sex abuse by a pedophile priest in the 1970s. Philip Wilson is the highest ranking church official to be convicted of a sex crime. Instead of prison, the 67-year-old received six months house arrest and six months parole due to his age and failing health.

Europe's political and economic anchor, Germany, seems to be close to resolving a political crisis over migration at least for now. For weeks, an internal standoff written to bring down the coalition government of Chancellor Angela Merkel. But now, she has reached a compromise with her interior minister. Under the deal, Germany will set up migrant transit centers along its border with Austria. From there, migrants who have already requested asylum in another E.U. member nation will be sent back to that country if that country agrees. Our Atika Shubert has more now from Berlin.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, after 48 hours of intense negotiations, compromise at last. Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel saves her coalition government. Horst Seehofer, the leader of the Christian Social Union, her sister party, and her interior minister will stay on in his position in the cabinet despite this political crisis that erupted between the two. And this dispute became increasingly personal as it were on. In fact, Deutsche Zeitungen, the German local newspaper quoted Horst Seehofer saying, "I will not be dismissed by a chancellor who is only chancellor because of me." A pretty dubious claim when you consider that the CSU only won about 6.2 percent of the vote during the last national election. Nonetheless, whatever the numbers it does go to show how deeply personal Seehofer was taking this dispute.

And consider that these two are political leaders that go way, way back. They've been working together for some 20 odd years sometimes as adversaries, sometimes as allies. And this dispute ostensibly was about the migration crisis. But there is no migration crisis right now. It's more of a political crisis. Irregular border crossings have dropped by 95 percent. There were no queues of asylum seekers trying to get into Germany to cross the border. However, that was the case in 2015 when tens of thousands of asylum seekers walked across Europe to get into countries like Germany. And ever since then, Seehofer and Merkel had been at loggerheads. It will be interesting to see what her other coalition partners, the social democrats have to say to this new compromise that has been reached. But for now, it does seem that Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel survives for another day. Atika Shubert, CNN Berlin.

CHURCH: The outrage over the U.S. president's zero-tolerance immigration policy shows no sign of slowing. Massive protest took place across the country over the weekend as the Trump administration continues to provide few details about how and when separated migrant families will be reunited. More now from CNN's Miguel Marquez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In Los Angeles, 12- year-old Jocelyn Velasquez Alengor separated a month from her parents. In Miami, a similar scene, 7-year-old Yani separated from her mother for two months. These reunifications ordered by a judge, not the Trump administration which reversed the president's so-called zero- tolerance policy. But has so far provided little direction on when and how the mass reunifications would take place.

[02:35:08] Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey and Texas Congressman Al Green toured several facilities over the last 48 hours. Is there any sense of how and when these children will be reunited?

SEN. ED MARKEY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: We asked ICE last night when are the children going to be reunited with their parents. They said, they don't have any instructions yet.

REP. AL GREEN (D), TEXAS: My sense is that the president has made a colossal mistake and that he does not know how to correct his mistake because he didn't have a plan for this.

MARQUEZ: In legal documents filed late Friday, the Justice Department indicated it would reunite families by detaining them together until their asylum claims are settled.

MARKEY: That's not a good substitute for the reunification of these families.

MARQUEZ: The senator hand delivered letters from children in his home state to immigrant children detained at a southwest key facility in Brownville, Texas.

MARKEY: Families should be together.

MARQUEZ: The Trump administration has stopped reporting the number of families reunited. The administration last week reported 2047 children were separated from their parents, but it's not clear if that number includes families separated as part of a near year-long test program before zero-tolerance was announced along the border's El Paso sector. Protests against Trump immigration policies only growing coast to coast, protests over the weekend with some continuing today. And in a sign of how desperate some separated families have become, the L.A. Times obtained messages written by detained parents. One anguished unidentified mother wrote, there are moments when I can't go on. If they are going to deport me, let them do it, but with my child. Without him, I am not going to leave here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: The clock is ticking for the Trump administration. A California judge ordering that all children under five need to be reunited by next Tuesday and all children across the board need to be reunited with their families by the 26th of July. All of this complicated by the Trump administration itself which has now separated these families and some cases hundreds and others thousands of miles apart. Miguel Marquez, CNN McAllen, Texas.

CHURCH: The two-week government offensive in Southwestern Syria has forced more than a quarter million people from their homes. That is according to the U.N.'s Refugee Agency which adds that number is likely to grow even more as fighting continues. Those fleeing have nowhere to go. Israel and Jordan have sent aid, but neither countries is accepting more refugees. Meanwhile, Syrian government forces are focusing on Daraa Province where they are gaining ground. Jordanian officials tell CNN negotiations for a ceasefire are ongoing. Well, the hunt is on for a sniper who shot dead a controversial mayor in the Philippines. The mayor was a proud supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs and was known and criticized for implementing a walk of shame for drug suspects. Our Erin Mclaughlin has more and a word of caution, some viewers may find the images in her report disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These are Mayor Antonio Halili's last moments captured with a cell phone at a flag raising ceremony. The national anthem plays, the mayor in the dark suit hand over heart, the camera cuts away, and you hear a single gunshot. The shooting also caught on camera from behind. Halili runs to the right and drops to the ground, shot dead with a single bullet to the chest. Authorities suspect the shooter may have fired across the road from this grassy area. The killer got away, the motive a mystery. But there are plenty of people who despise the controversial Mayor of Tanauan, infamous for presiding over the city's perp walks like this one. There you see a full parade of suspected drug dealers. Halili insisted those paraded had confessed though many had not been formally charged. He claimed to have stopped what local media dubbed the walk of shame by the time CNN met him in 2016. Instead, Halili showed off the city's prison. The population was growing by the day. Part of the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's infamous war on drugs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And most of these suspects, I guess, what are the changes they are facing?

ANTONIO HALILI, MAYOR, TANAUAN CITY, PHILIPPINES: Most of them are drugs.

MCLAUGHLIN: But the mayor once known as the iron man of Tanauan for his crackdown on crimes considered a Duterte ally was most recently suspected of being involved with drugs himself. According to the Philippines news agency, the country's National Police Commission reportedly placed him on a narco list. Authorities say they have no idea why the killer apparently targeted him. They are also looking at those perp walks as a possible motive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:40:04] CHURCH: And that was Erin McLaughlin reporting. For more than a year, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has focused on an anti- corruption populous message for Mexico. Now, as he assumes his role as president-elect, he may be a sign of things to come for Latin America as a whole. CNN's Patrick Oppmann explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to the revolution. For over a decade, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, AMLO as he's known here has sought the Mexican-presidency promising to up end the balance of power in this country of nearly 130 million people.

ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR, MEXICO PRESIDENT-ELECT (via translator): We will follow three basic principles he says to not lie, to not steal, do not betray the people.

OPPMANN: The political leap that have long (INAUDIBLE) Mexico are not just corrupt on local voters. They are, "A mafia of power bleeding the country dry as everyone else foots the bill." Even though AMLO ran for president twice before, this time his anti-corruption outsider message struck a nerve with the public catapulting him to victory with over 50 percent of the vote.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OPPMANN: It's not just in Mexico where voters are challenging the status quo this year. In Columbia, Brazil, and Chile, voters will also elect new heads of state and this seeming anger that many here feel could transform the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OPPMANN: In March, a corruption scandal in Peru forced the president there to step down. An epidemic of violence and self-dealing has led many Latin Americans to break with tradition and party.

ERIC OLSON, WILSON CENTER: I think its present massive corruption scandals. These aren't just petty corruption on the street corner and the police are paying off. This is a complete collapse in confidence and the authorities.

OPPMANN: And many Latin Americans are again embracing populism both on the left and on the right. Brazilians go to the polls in October where right-wing candidate, Jair Bolsonaro, has surged despite praising the country's bloody military dictatorship. In the past, telling a female colleague in Congress that she was, "Not worth raping." He was charged and fined. A populist like Mexico's Lopez Obrador will get on with Donald Trump is now the open question. We will be respectful, but we will demand respect too. Mexico's new president-elect says, Mexico and its people won't be a pinata for any foreign government. Whatever happens next, Latin America's outsider candidate say, it will not be business as usual. Patrick Oppmann, CNN Mexico City.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, let's shift gears now to the World Cup. Belgium got a last minute goal to take out Japan. But a much tougher test lies ahead. All the highlights next on CNN NEWSROOM. Plus, how drones help commanders scope out a French prison before a notorious criminal escaped? We're back with that in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[02:46:06] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lukaku is the winner!

CHURCH: Wow! Belgium through to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, thanks to a last-minute goal against Japan. They will face Brazil on Friday. For Japanese fans, it was a disappointing end to a surprise showing in the tournament.

WATANI EGAWA, IT ENGINEER (through translator): It was a real blast when the team scored the first goal, it was like a dream when they scored the second. At the end, we lost and the whole viewing crowd fell flat down. But I have nothing but thanks for the players who gave us a moment to dream of victory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN "WORLD SPORT" anchor Patrick Snell, joins us now in the studio. And cool, how would a last-minute comeback for Belgium, but heartbreak for Japan.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Heartbreak for the Japanese. They were -- they were so close to getting through to their first ever quarterfinal. But I do want to pay tribute to Belgium's comeback because there's only just over 20 minutes to go, they did look as though they're going to be out of the tournament.

And this tournament, the World Cup that keeps on giving because we have seen storyline after shock -- after shock. Here was another one, almost Japan scoring early in the second half through Genki Haraguchi and then, Takashi Inui with a superb shot, 2-0 up, and at that point, we thought what do Belgium have in response? Well, the answer was quite superb.

Jan Vertonghen with a looping sort of header more in hope. Actually, found the back of the net. And here's the key for me, because Roberto Martinez, the Belgian head coach made two substitutions. There's one of them, Marouane Fellaini making it 2-2. Both teams were still going for the win even in injury time.

And look, four minutes into stoppage time, this is what happens. Belgium bouncing out really devastating counter-attacks from their keeper Kevin De Bruyne watch as he takes the ball all the way through it comes into Romelu Lukaku, the Man United forward really clever dummy there. Let's it run through to Nacer Chadli, 94 minutes and Belgium staged a fantastic comeback. 3-2, heartbreak for those Japanese fans, but its Belgium who are through to the last eight of the tournament.

Remember, Belgian national team, they go through the quarterfinals of Brazil 2014. They were quarterfinalist at Euro16, this is a so-called golden generation, Rosemary. A Belgian football can they go on and finally win their first ever World Cup. We shall see.

CHURCH: Yes.

SNELL: But that's a great comeback and that was a great response to be 2-0 down to (INAUDIBLE).

CHURCH: Of course, the World Cup's about joy and heartbreak, isn't it? Brazil through to the quarterfinals but the sad, the Mexico --

SNELL: Yes, Brazil are looking more and more impressive with each passing game. There's one man largely responsible for that. He goes by the name of Neymar.

CHURCH: Oh, yes.

SNELL: They are trying to win this tournament for six-time, there he is again on target, key really to breaking the deadlock because Mexico had been stubborn up to that point early in the second half. And very nearly again, Neymar again trying to get his second but his effort falls nicely into the path via the keeper Roberto Firmino, making it 2-0 there in favor of the South Americans.

And they say they were really stung, they were really hurt because four years ago, Rosemary, they hosted the tournament and they lost 7-1 in the semi-finals to Germany. And they are really hurt by that, and they are looking to make amends and get back into it.

But, yes, Brazil are warming up very nicely indeed and they're going to take some stopping, I tell you.

CHURCH: Yes, they might take this right here. We deal with this (INAUDIBLE) from more that's too dangerous.

(CROSSTALK)

SNELL: Yes. The people have not predicted any from this particular tournament.

CHURCH: I did want to talk about the Japanese fans because they're showing everyone how to behave and cleaning up and getting accolades for that. SNELL: They really are. Yes, they won over so many people not just with their performances on the field of play from that place, but it's their fans and we've seen this right throughout the tournament from the group stages as well in the game against Colombia much early joined this World Cup.

This is not a site you see regularly when it comes to football fans. But Japan's fans giving their time staying on afterwards picking up the trash.

[02:50:06] CHURCH: Wow.

SNELL: Helping with the duty. Now, I covered the World Cup when they were they co-hosted in 2002, with South Korea. Their passion for the sport is very well documented but is the pride they taking it as well. It really is very, very noteworthy indeed. And also I just want to say -- you know, we shouldn't be too surprised

because they got through to the round of 16 on the fair play, on the yellow card system, as well. So, really nice. Just disappointing for them they couldn't get through to the quarterfinals.

CHURCH: Yes.

SNELL: Let's very quickly look ahead to what we have in store for later on today, Tuesday at the FIFA World Cup. Can we take any more excitement? I tell you what, this is just going to complete the picture as far as the round of 16 is concerned.

We have the 1966 winners, England taking on Colombia who were called a finalist four years ago in Brazil. And then, Sweden and Switzerland going head to head in the days of the game. It is still all to play for at this thrilling World Cup.

CHURCH: Wow! Isn't it? I just -- it's just from game to game, unbelievable. We'll see what happens going ahead. Patrick Snell.

SNELL: Yes. There's too much more as well, next hour.

CHURCH: Yes, that's good. OK, thanks so much, Patrick. Appreciate it.

All right, let's take a quick break. Still, to come, we are learning more about the dramatic prison break in France. And how drones played a role in a notorious gangster's escape.

And a mystery million dollar gift of toys has everyone wondering who is behind it? But a lot of lady children will be happy with whoever decided to be Santa Claus in July. That story still to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: When new details now on the dramatic jailbreak by one of France's most notorious gangsters. Armed commandos, apparently, used drones to scope out the prison before hijacking a helicopter for the escape. CNN's Melissa Bell has the very latest. MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Apparently, filmed from behind bars, CNN cannot independently verify this video but these shaky images appear to show the moment stung and arrived to free this man, Redoine Faid, France's most notorious gangster.

France's justice minister says that drones were likely used for reconnaissance, by what she describes as an extremely well-prepared commando group.

On Sunday, the group hijacked a helicopter and forced the pilot to fly to a prison near Paris. There, they staged a diversion then, smuggled the 46-year-old out of a visiting room before fleeing by air.

Police later found the burnt-out chopper in an area northwest of Paris. The pilot was released unharmed but in shock. The fugitive and his men were nowhere to be found.

Sunday's spectacular escape is shockingly not the first for this criminal mastermind. In 2013, Faid held four guards at gunpoint at a detention center in the Northern City of Lille. He then, burst his way to freedom detonating explosives to destroy five fortified doors. A witness describes the dramatic scene.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I first saw prison guard walked by, followed by someone in dressed in civilian clothes. He was holding his gun to the guard's head.

BELL: At the time, Faid lawyer's said he was not surprised that his clients had broken out.

JEAN-LOUIS PELLETIER, LAWYER FOR REDOUINE FAID (through translator): It is also a young man remarkably intelligent and he is using his intellect to serve his ambitions. And I think, he has so many years in prison behind him that he thought it was one too many

[02:55:02] BELL: The French man is a self-styled modern-day gangster. Often taking inspiration, he says, from Hollywood movies. He once wore a hockey mask during a heist, like Robert De Niro's character in Heat. Then, blazingly attacked armored trucks and other targets.

But for those who suffered his bravado, he is a real-life villain. The parents of a French policewoman who was killed in one of Faid's robbery attempts say they're devastated by the news, according to CNN affiliate, BFM.

Now, that Redouine Faid is free and once again, the subject of an international manhunt, his victims will have to wait for justice. Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well a million dollars' worth of toys is getting lots of attention. A mystery donor brought up that much inventory from Toys 'R' Us. Right before the bankrupt retailers last their business. The purchaser claimed everything at one store in Raleigh, North Carolina.

And in some others, all of the merchandise will be going to children in need. People are speculating about who the secret buyer is but that hasn't been revealed just yet. Someone just decided to make it Christmas in July for real.

Well, basketball turned into basketbrawl in a World Cup qualifier between Australia and the Philippines.

This huge fight broke out with four minutes left in the third-quarter of Monday's contest. There were bodies flying everywhere, kicks, and punches. One Aussie player even got hit with a chair. A whopping 13 players were ejected from the game. It was eventually, called off when the Philippine team was down to one eligible player. And if you're keeping score, Australia won 89-53. Men behaving badly there.

Thanks for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. Do remember to connect with me anytime on Twitter, love to hear from you. And I'll be back with another hour of CNN NEWSROOM next. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: In Thailand, all the missing boys found safe and sound. The desperate search is over but the rescue has a very long way to go.

Thousands of Syrians are fleeing the violence in Daraa, but with Jordan and Israel closing their borders, they have nowhere to go.

And one of President Donald Trump's longtime allies is speaking out jesting he could turn on his former boss.

Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church, and this is CNN NEWSROOM.