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Hala Gorani Tonight
Europe, Japan Swelter In Record Heat Waves; Theresa May Survives Summer Of Upheaval; Documents Reveal FBI Suspicions About Former Trump Aide; Trump Accuses FBI Of Illegally Spying On His Campaign; Acid Attack: The Specter That Haunts Britain. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired July 23, 2018 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:19]
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, live from CNN London. I'm Hala Gorani. Tonight, Trump issues a warning in all caps,
telling Iran to never, ever threaten the United States again.
Also, ahead, the U.K. home secretary is accused of ditching his nation's longstanding opposition to the death penalty in order to punish two
notorious ISIS fighters.
And deadly heat grips Japan and Europe is grappling with similar temperatures. We'll look at what is causing such a scorching summer for
everybody.
Even before you read the message, there's no mistaking the dramatic aggression of Donald Trump's all caps Twitter tirade. The U.S. president
is threatening Iran with a warning directed at President Hassan Rouhani.
He wrote, "Never, ever threaten the United States again or you will suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered
before. We are no longer a country that will stand for your demented words of violence and death. Be cautious."
That tweet was apparently a response to earlier remarks by Iran's president who warned the U.S. that war with Iran would be, quote, "the mother of all
wars." So, what's behind all this hostile rhetoric? Can we expect it all to cool off?
We're joined now by White House reporter, Stephen Collinson, and Reza Marashi, research director at the National Iranian American Council.
Stephen, first of all, all caps diplomacy, what's going on here?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: There are a number of things going on, Hala, it's clear that there is within this administration
a core of advisers like John Bolton, the national security advisor, Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, who ideologically revile Iran and the
Iranian government and that has long been the policy of this administration.
At the same time, this is a very political time in Washington. The president is under pressure on numerous fronts. So, I think there's also a
good argument that by indulging in this war of words with Rouhani, the president is trying to distract from some of his other political problems.
Just look at the context of this, in the last two weeks, the president has been exposed as weak and deferential to President Putin in their summit in
Helsinki. It's becoming clear that the summit with Kim Jong-un was a complete bust from the U.S. point of view.
And he's becoming frustrated against that. There's also legal questions that are becoming more and more serious with the Russia probe. So, while
it is the policy of this administration to be very hostile towards Iran, I don't think we can take this out of the political context of the moment as
well.
GORANI: And look, this plays well with his base, A and B, we are covering it. I mean, this all caps warning directed to Hassan Rouhani. Reza
Marashi, what is the likely Iran reaction to all this?
REZA MARASHI, NATIONAL IRANIAN AMERICAN COUNCIL: Well, in addition to the great points that Stephen made, I would only add that President Rouhani's
remarks were actually a response to the rhetoric that we have been hearing from a variety of U.S. officials including Donald Trump.
And it was directed at Iran's domestic audience, the domestic constituency essentially preparing themselves for the very real threats of war, both
economic and military. That a variety of U.S. officials have been making. So, there's a tinge of irony here that President Trump's response to Hassan
Rouhani's response.
GORANI: Sarah Sanders just gave a press briefing, one of the few ones that the White House has held this month. She did make some news that the
president is considering removing the security clearance for former FBI Director John Brennan and James Comey as well. What do you make of that,
Stephen? Let's listen to Sarah Sanders first.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Not only is the president looking to take away Brennan's security clearance, he's also
looking into the clearances of Comey, Clapper, Hayden, Rice and McCabe.
The president is exploring the mechanisms to remove security clearance because they have politicized, and in some cases monetized their public
service and security clearances.
Making baseless accusations of improper contact with Russia or being influenced by Russia against the president is extremely inappropriate and
the fact that people with security clearances are making these baseless charges provides inappropriate legitimacy to accusations with zero
evidence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So, against the backdrop of Iran threat, we are hearing this, Stephen.
COLLINSON: Right. This is another sign of how concerned I think the White House is becoming about the corrosive impact of this Russia investigation
on this administration. I don't think there's any other way to look at this than to argue that these revocations, if they take place, are
politically motivated.
Former CIA Director John Brennan, former CIA Director Michael Hayden, James Clapper, the former director of National Intelligence, these are prominent
members of the National Security Community, who have served that community for decades who have broken cover, if you like.
And behaved in a way that's very unusual for former spy chiefs and openly criticized the president. They're raising questions about the motivation
of the president for being so deferential to Vladimir Putin in that summit.
And the argument that they have monetized their government service and as Sarah Sanders said in another clip have attacked government institutions.
That seems very ironic because many people have made exactly the same charges against President Trump himself.
GORANI: And Reza, back to Iran, I wonder, we remember this war of words over Twitter between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. Is this likely? I
mean, could it be seen within Iran as sort of an opening move in a negotiation?
MARASHI: That's a great question, Hala. I mean, I think that the door for business is always open when it comes to Iran's leadership and Hassan
Rouhani's expressed preference, his demonstrated preference for diplomacy, but I think there are a variety of examples that demonstrate why the North
Korea example is different from the Iran example.
Most notably there's an entire industry in Washington, D.C. that is ideologically and politically opposed to any kind of diplomacy with Iran.
You don't really have that with North Korea.
And we don't have allies here in the United States that are in favor of an Iran gamut like we have with regards to North Korea. The South Koreans,
the Chinese, and others, they were all in favor of it.
The Israelis, the Saudis, and the Emirates have been once pushing Trump in this direction with regards to his Iran policy.
GORANI: And Reza, why is there such a powerful -- why are there such powerful forces in Washington opposed to any kind of agreement with Iran?
And very ideologically driven about it as well.
MARASHI: Sure, it's a great question. Often times people will tell you that it has do with human rights abuses and other transgressions that are
fully legitimate on the part of Iran's government.
But I would offer to Saudi Arabia as an example of why that's not the case. Really, it's a matter of Iran rejecting American (inaudible) in the Middle
East. America's rules of the game that they have set up, whereas the Saudis, the Israelis, Emiratis accept it and want more America in the
region.
Iran says get out, this is our part of the world. We really haven't had any diplomacy to see if it's possible to bridge that gap.
GORANI: Last one to you, Stephen, of course, we just heard from Sarah Sanders, the breaking news this hour that the president is considering
removing the security clearance for Brennan, Comey, Clapper and others.
You wrote a piece on cnn.com that the president is lashing out all over the place. He tweeted also about the Russia investigation calling it once
again a hoax, this goes against what he said publicly that he believed the intelligence community's conclusion that Russia had interfered with the
2016 election. What's going on at this stage with the president?
COLLINSON: I think what you have is a president who has a White House staff that is so winnowed down and is weaker than it used to be, and he is
basically saying what he wants and what he wants to believe at any moment.
Over the last weekend that just past, we had an astonishing sort of battery of tweets from the president, on everything from the Russia summit,
investigation, North Korea, lashing out at the media.
And we have had reporting from some of our colleagues inside the White House, for example that the president is very frustrated, the lack of
progress on the North Korea issue especially after the summit.
So, I think there is rising frustration and it's difficult not to conclude that the president is getting quite worried at some of these legal
developments that appear to be giving him more and more exposure in the Russia investigation.
At the same time where there is now an open public debate for the first time about just why the president is so subservient to President Vladimir
Putin, and if he indeed can be compromised. There's no evidence to suggest that yet.
But this is now an open public conversation in Washington and that's quite a surreal thing to happen if you think about it when we're talking about
the president of the United States.
GORANI: Right. A lot swirling around that White House. Stephen Collinson, thanks very much. Reza Marashi, thanks so much for joining us.
Appreciate it.
[15:10:04] The situation with Iran could disrupt oil supplies. Oil prices rose this morning. Richard Quest, the host of "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" joins
me now from New York. What are oil prices doing and what are we looking at in terms of how they might, if this is not resolved, if it appears as if
the U.S.-Iran tension ratchets up even further, where might they go?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": Well, the reaction we have seen on the market is extremely limited, less than half a percent or
so, despite the very strong rhetoric that you've been talking about on the program, the mother of all wars, the mother of all peace, if you threaten
me, I'll answer with consequences you have never seen before.
You may be right, you would think that's enough to send oil prices through the roof. The reason it hasn't at this moment, A, the market doesn't think
anything is going to come of it, B, there's an oversupply of oil in the market at the moment.
And C, there has always been the promise of Saudi Arabia saying that they would pump more oil as a result of the last OPEC meeting. So, people don't
believe this is going to happen and therefore the market hasn't reacted.
But I promise you this, Hala, if there was ever a moment where it looked like it, there might be a serious disruption, you're looking at $300 a
barrel.
GORANI: But if Saudi can make up any short fall, then even if there is more geopolitical tension in the region, why would it have a dramatic
impact in prices?
QUEST: There's a difference in making a bit of short fall for Iranian production or individual production and Saudi and others do have a certain
amount of capacity. But if wholesale disruption from oil supplies through the Straits of Hormuz became questionable, then we're into a completely
different -- I was going to say game, but it's not funny in that sense, but it's a completely different situation.
But Hala, the market does not believe that's going to happen, that's the only sensible rational explanation that oil prices haven't arisen today,
the market doesn't think it's going to happen.
GORANI: And nothing seems to rattling stock markets either. This is happening right now. Excitingly we're down 0.01 percent.
QUEST: The fact is, it's late July, there was almost nobody on the floor of the exchange. Volume is pityingly low. The reality of this is that
people are away, there's not a lot of trade taking place, it will get worse as we go into August. The first real whip of Syria's problems and this
market, the crack would be like a crack in ice.
GORANI: So why are you still at work?
QUEST: I'm asking myself the same question on an hourly basis. But I will be here in 48 minutes time with "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" when you're off for
dinner.
GORANI: I sure hope so. It would be strange for you to head off to vacation after this live report. Richard, we'll see you top of the hour.
QUEST: Look at the exciting Dow, look at it's actually 0.01.
GORANI: Down 3.63. We'll see you next hour.
And then there's North Korea, after his meeting with Kim Jong-un nearly six weeks ago, President said Pyongyang wasn't a nuclear threat anymore. So,
how is that going? One official says Trump is frustrated that efforts to get rid of North Korea's nuclear weapon are not moving fast enough.
But the president says he's happy with the progress. In fact, he tweets that Japan is happy, all of Asia is happy and he is very happy. What's the
bottom line here? Is North Korea taking real steps toward denuclearization?
CNN's Barbara Starr is with us from the Pentagon. So, even if North Korea were taking real steps, it would still take years for the country to fully
denuclearize. But it doesn't appear as, though, they're in any kind of hurry.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly not yet, Hala, you know, we have had several weeks now since the Singapore summit.
Discussions continue, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo making clearly at the United Nations late last week that Kim has made a promise.
He expects Kim to live up to it that he expects denuclearization, giving up their long range ballistic missiles, their warheads, their nuclear fuel
production program, but there's one tiny little problem, none of that has actually happened yet.
U.S. intelligence agencies are watching all the sites related to all of this. They are looking for any activity that points them towards
denuclearization. I mean, look, the president had certainly hoped that it would happen more quickly.
[15:15:06] He is expressing frustration, we are told privately to his aides. But they want to keep the dialogue going with North Korea and
they're still holding out with the promise of sanctions relief if in fact the North Koreans give up their nuclear program, but they have made no real
fundamental progress at this point by all accounts getting the North Koreans to do that -- Hala.
GORANI: Also, even if they promise to denuclearize and take initial steps to denuclearize, it isn't that easy. You need to verify all of this. Is
any of that process, that mechanism in place on the international community and the U.S. side?
STARR: We know that the U.S. had, and the international community have some notion of how to conduct inspections and verification of nuclear
sites, but will North Korea let inspectors in?
Will they have what is called no notice inspections, you know, you don't give the government time to hide something away, you just show up and
inspect a site. There's no indication that the North Koreans are that far along in their thinking or commitment to any of this.
And that is why the president is learning what his military commanders and his intelligence community have long known, with the North Koreans, things
move slowly, and Kim Jong-un remains unpredictable -- Hala.
GORANI: Because the president basically at the summit, sold it as a done deal, that's it, they're ready to denuclearize, I made the world safer.
STARR: He did, remember the nuclear threat is over? There's no indication that Kim is going to start launching warheads, attack the United States, no
indication of that at all. The president is correct, of course, that there's been no launches since late last year.
So, he's optimistic about that, but the question on table is, if they vice president been launching, what have they exactly been doing, if there's no
denuclearization and they haven't been launching, are they continuing to produce missiles and warheads and stashing them away hoping the United
States never finds them? That's a big question for the intelligence community.
GORANI: And there's no way to know after that summit as well. Thanks very much, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.
Still to come tonight, these two men were nicely dubbed "The Beetles." Now Britain says it won't oppose the death penalty if they're tried in the
United States, according to our report.
And stranded in Syria, an overnight rescue to Jordan leaves hundreds of White Helmet volunteers are trapped as the regime tightens its grip. We'll
be right back.
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[15:20:00] GORANI: They were given a nickname that evokes fun and joy, but there's nothing fun or joyous about what the ISIS cell dubbed "The Beetles
is accused of doing, capturing, torturing and beheading victims in Syria.
Now the U.K. government reportedly says it would not be opposed to two of these surviving members being executed in the United States. And that has
prompted allegations that has undermined its longstanding opposition to the death penalty abroad.
Let's bring in Nick Paton Walsh. He interviewed the two ISIS fighters inside Syria and he joins me now. So, this is a twist, isn't it? Were
they stripped of their citizenship? In which case, why would the U.K. be asked at all?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is an extraordinary legal monstrosity of this case. It's incredibly hard,
totally unprecedented. Yes, they were stripped of citizenship and we got that first confirmation of that when it was Ben Wallace, the security
minister, said that they were no longer British citizens.
Now that some happened behind scenes quietly and it left the U.K. perhaps in something of a conundrum. It was done presumably to make it hard for
them to come back here to say if you leave the U.K., we want nothing more to do with you.
But then it led them to have this quandary where they were trying to extradite people who weren't even their citizens potentially, from a
country that even really a country. We have Northern Syria controlled by the Kurds where they've been apprehended.
(Inaudible) institution isn't actually even a recognized state by itself. And then there were thoughts that we would in fact have a long trial and
they would get off because we don't know the full extent of the evidence against them in terms of the crime they are accused of committing
potentially torture, incarceration, and accessory to murder.
So that was the major issue, and there have been a bit of a fudge by many European states, but not a single NATO member at one point willing to take
any of their own people back leading it really to the U.S. who are involved in holding them in Northern Syria, but at the same time to (inaudible) big
brother, who we saw have tried them.
GORANI: And you interviewed these two absolutely horrendous men a few months ago. You asked them specifically where they wanted to be tried,
right? And this is what they said. Let's play a clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EL SHALEE ELSHEIKH, ISIS DETAINEE: Britain said we're going to deal with you by barbaric law, or law of the medieval ages, that's not the case, I'm
just merely pointing that out. I don't believe in democracy, but I am being subjected to democratic law. So, it is only right for those who
claim to uphold this to fully uphold it because it's their mistake not me, really.
ALEXANDA KOLEY, ISIS DETAINEE: The American administration or the British government, they decided they wanted to be champions of the Sharia, Islamic
law and apply Islamic law upon us, then by all means. If not, then they should adhere to that which they claim to be champions of this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: That's, yes, so?
WALSH: That's the two men involved in the death of western journalists and aid workers appealing for their rights to be respected. Basically, it is
an enormous mess because U.S. policy and U.K. policy for years have been we must kill these people because they're a threat to us.
They come back to our country. Now they've actually been detained. They're left with legal procedures blocking that particular avenue for
them. So, bringing them to the U.S. is probably the simplest solution.
The issue has always been for those who are relatives of their victims, they don't want to see them in Guantanamo Bay, wearing the same jump suits
they had their victims wear. They just want there to be criminal justice.
GORANI: And no one is arguing that these are not horrible, evil men, who in your wild fantasies, you hope fry in hell obviously. That is not the
question. The question is philosophical.
If you impose the death penalty for ethical and philosophical reasons, you need to impose it for everybody. You don't execute nice guys, you execute
people who have committed horrendous crime. This is going to be a big issue not just for these men, but for others as well.
WALSH: But then the other moral question too is do you let these people effectively not face trial ever in a legal court at all or languish in a
Northern Syrian jail in definitely or for the number of years until they escape and get back into the system again or is there one moral hurdle of
execution, something which in this case, you could overlook it for the U.K. government.
GORANI: But this is the thing, if the U.K. government overlooks it for these two men, does it then not overlook it for an accused pedophile or an
accused mass murderer, not a terrorist associated with ISIS but other types of heinous criminals.
WALSH: Frankly, I am not qualified to have that answer. But most people I speak to say we cannot fix this because we cannot obey all the morality of
the laws we espouse and also find these people come into justice in our country.
[15:25:05] The Americans have an easier system and actually one of the things the minister said today was to try and implement legislation where
they could potentially deal with it here as well.
But you are left in these bizarre circumstances where the policy is to kill these people as quickly as possible on the battlefield, now they are in
custody. You saw them smirking there relying on the same people who accused them.
GORANI: What does it like being in that room?
WALSH: They're not particularly pleasant people and one of the difficulties of being a journalist is you have to persuade them to speak to
you so you have to get to them like you even though partially the one thing on earth you know never happens.
GORANI: Nick Paton Walsh, thanks very much. It opens up so many interesting questions. Really appreciate it.
Nearly 300 White Helmets are still stranded in Southern Syria after an incomplete rescue mission. That's according to a spokesperson for the
group. Overnight an international mission evacuated 422 civilians including some White Helmets to Jordan. The stranded volunteers were
caught up in heavy fighting between ISIS and the Syrian regime and therefore unable to reach the evacuation point.
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh in Istanbul has been following the story. She joins me now live. Talk to us about those who have been evacuated first.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, you have this unprecedented international effort, a coordinated effort between different
countries, the United Nations, to evacuate initially, the number requested according to the Jordanian government to be evacuated was about 800 they
said.
But as you mentioned earlier, 422 and that is mostly members of the White Helmets and their families, who were evacuated first by the Israeli
military that facilitated their passage out of Southwestern Syria and into the occupied Golan Heights and then into Jordan and they described this as
an exceptional humanitarian gesture.
The Jordanians also saying that they've allowed the men, but it's only on a temporary basis. They're staying there in a restricted area and that they
will be resettled in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Canada within three months -- Hala.
GORANI: And they are still hundreds trapped inside Syria waiting for evacuation as we speak?
KARADSHEH: Well, you know, initially when this story broke, Hala, it did seem like this was a great success, and yes, it was a success perhaps in
saving the lives of these people, who the international community felt were in imminent danger as the regime was making all these great advances inside
the country.
But today we're finding out from several members of the group who remain in Southwestern Syria that there are about 300 volunteers and their family
members who could not make it this weekend to the assembly point where this evacuation was going to take place because of the security situation.
Because of the fighting that is ongoing and the facts that the regime has recaptured so much territory there that it was very dangerous for them to
get back to that point. And they were appealing to the countries that were involved in this evacuation to save them saying it's a matter of life or
death.
But in the past few hours we're hearing from those trapped members of the White Helmets saying that they were notified by their organization that
there will be no other evacuations to take place and they should take up the regime's offer to get on those notorious busses that evacuate people to
Idlib in the north.
But they are saying that is not a safer option and they are worried about what will happen on the road. Not just because, Hala, the regime has
accused them for years of being terrorists, but now they're also (inaudible) -- collaborators with Israel.
GORANI: And the White Helmets have no reason no trust government forces on this whatsoever. Jomana Karadsheh in Istanbul, thanks very much.
Still to come tonight, parts of the world are experiencing stifling temperatures causing wildfires and drought. We asked what is causing it.
And someone else facing the heat for months, Britain's Theresa may. We take a look at her summer of survival.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:30:56] HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: If you're watching me from anywhere in Europe, you will probably agree on one thing, it is so warm, in
fact no, let me rephrase that. It is hot. It is so hot. From the Mediterranean right up to the arctic, Europe is sweating its way through a
heat wave. And it is having consequences.
This is Sweden where there have been dozens of wildfires some even inside the Arctic Circle. Here in the U.K., an amber heat wave warning has been
issued with people being warned to stay out of the sun until Friday. In Japan, the stifling heat has turned deadly, dozens of people have died as
temperatures reach record levels so what is causing this extreme weather? Tom Sater is at the CNN weather center with more.
Tom, I got to tell you, here in London, there's been no rain in about three weeks, safe for one hour shower. All the plants are dying, the lawns are
yellow. I'm looking at the forecast. There's nothing in terms of rain for the next 10 days. This has to be extremely unusual.
TOM SATER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is unusual. Hala, good luck. I know you got a hosepipe ban in many areas too.
GORANI: Not yet. No, I've got a few more days to be able to water my plants.
SATER: Oh, OK. Other areas just north. I mean, the stretch of dry weather right now is at 29 days. The record, which goes back to 1976 is
38. Now, there were years such as 59 and 29 at 37 days, but with no rain in your forecast, this is going to be one for the books, but the heat is
another thing as well. And it isn't just here. Just got a report that the death toll in Japan, I know we talked about it a few minutes, is now up to
77.
You look at the weather maps and you'll see a cold front on the map, but it's not bringing any rain right now. And sure, everybody says, well, it's
a climate change. You can't take one particular event like the dry and warm spell here in the U.K. and just say, all right. That's it. That's
climate change. But when you start to add these together, then you start to see a pattern. And that's pretty much what we're talking about.
There's your slight chance of rain, Hala, on Friday, but you're staying above average for the next seven days.
GORANI: Unbelievable. What is it causing this? Because those who are concerned about climate change very quickly say this has to be more
evidence of it, right?
SATER: Sure. What isn't causing it? The CO2 output, almost every month last year increased in parts per million. If you look at the warmest
years, 2017 was a La Nina year, which typically is a cold year, you wouldn't find it even in the top 15 or 20, but here it is ranked number
three. So even as a cooler year for it to get in the books, I mean, that says something.
Now, you talk about Scandinavia too. This is really unusual. Back in May, the average temperature overall parts across the Scandinavia equaled that
of Madrid. We've seen temperatures get a little bit better here, even in Stockholm, but this is going to be warmer than Portugal. Temperatures even
been warmer than of course in Rome.
The fires are another thing. I mean, they're just not cut out with this kind of equipment to have to deal with this. But this gives you an idea,
Hala, of just the anomaly of the temperatures, as you see, in Scandinavia. This is just from July 1st to 15th. And this is to go back and compared to
history. This compares it from 2000 to 2015 which we already knew was quite warm. So there is a little bit of a break. And there may be a
chance for some rain moving in, which is going to be great for all the wildfires. But we're not really catching a break here as well. Here's
Stockholm for staying above average for the next seven days and they've got at least a chance for the weekend.
[15:35:19] GORANI: By the way, before we get to what's going on in Japan, the Daily Mail newspaper in this country, they had this headline on their
digital edition. But we may need to remove -- we need to drop that banner. Living dangerously, the Met Office claims Britain is one step away from a
national emergency, with a bit of a typo there. But sun seekers defy their dire warnings to stay indoors on the hottest day of the year. That's how
much -- that's front Page of the news.
SATER: And that's what's happening in Japan. They're not cooling down at night, so the body is not replenishing itself. But you were talking about
Japan, the rainy season is up by Beijing. So they get the hot temperatures in the summer, but they just don't see in this side, Hala. In fact, if you
include like the humidity, we're talking 42, 43 degrees, 44 in some areas. The death toll at 77, now, 30,000 have been admitted hospital for heat
stroke and heat exhaustion. On Saturday in Tokyo. Look at the yesterday, 39, they were slipped 36. They dispatched 3,100 ambulances. That's the
greatest number ever dispatched since the beginning of the program in 1936. This 41.1, all-time record hottest temperature for all of Japan set
yesterday.
GORANI: Unbelievable. And for people who have elderly relatives, they really need to check in on them during this heat wave, no matter where they
are.
Thanks very much, Tom.
SATER: It is climate change, sure, Hala. You're right about it. Hope it gets better.
GORANI: Thanks so much.
All right. She's been on the brink more than once, but survived. Theresa May has staved off crucial votes, high profile resignations and what seems
like daily plots against her, to go into a summer break still leading Britain. But as Nina dos Santos explains, she has a whole lot of waiting
for her after the break. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN BERCOW, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS OF THE U.K.: The ayes to the right, 305. The nos to the left, 302. So the ayes have it. The ayes have
it.
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Theresa May has staved off for rebellion on crucial trade bills, survived multiple government resignations
in the past two weeks.
BORIS JOHNSON, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: It is not too late to save Brexit.
DOS SANTOS: And endured a rollercoaster visit from President Donald Trump.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I didn't criticize the prime minister. I have a lot of respect for the prime minister.
DOS SANTOS: After all that, it is thought that Britain's beleaguered leader deserves a break more than most, but can she really afford to let
her guard down this summer?
But no majority since the ill-fated 2017 general election and with dissatisfaction building on both sides of the house about how she plans to
go about Brexit. Some would argue it's a wonder Theresa May has held on this long. The prime minister even considered bringing forward parliament
summer recess so concerned she was about the prospect of the confidence voted her leadership. And with Labour now polling five points ahead, the
one thing uniting her deeply divided Conservative Party is the prospect of a government led by Jeremy Corbyn.
JEREMY CORBYN, LEADER OF LABOUR PARTY: After two years of deter and delay, the government has sunk into a mire of chaos and division. The agreement
that was supposed to unite the cabinet, led to the cabinet falling apart within 48 hours.
DOS SANTOS: With May sending parliaments her ultimate day with her cabinet in England's northeast, there's little time for those wishing to unseat
here. So that doesn't mean that M.P.'S can't spend the summer plotting from afar.
The real test for May will come in September, when the writing could be on the wall, or not, as the Conservative Party hosts its annual conference.
Despite last year's embarrassing show, she still survived.
THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Our economy is back on track for a run on the ground. Boris asked me.
DOS SANTOS: As she makes it past the domestic battles, Brussels will be the next test in an October summit seen as pivotal with a trade deal with
the E.U. and when Britain leaves the block in March of the following year. If there's no deal to rubber stamp by December, the hard Brexit could be on
the cards. So, for now, the prime minister's future looks just as uncertain as that of her country.
MAY: I would like to wish you a very good break over the summer.
DOS SANTOS: Nina dos Santos, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: With a job like that, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Theresa may has no time for downtime. She was asked about it earlier. Her answer,
well maybe it will surprise you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[15:40:02] MAY: There's lots of several things I have done like walking. So we -- my husband and I enjoyed going walking when we can take holidays.
Walking. I enjoyed cooking. Of course, it has benefit, because we get to eat it as well as make it. I have over 150 cookbooks. So I spend quite a
lot of time in the cookbooks. And I have -- I do enjoy if I get the time, but I don't know -- does anybody here know the American series NCIS? I
quite like watching NCIS? Well, not the --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: She has a 150 cookbooks. That's amazing.
Still to come tonight, we'll look at the fallout for the newly released documents. A lot of former Trump campaign aide. They show why the FBI
asked for and received poor permission to surveil Carter Page.
And more arrests related to the weekend attack on a 3-year-old. We asked why acid is becoming the weapon of choice on Britain's streets. We'll be
right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: So Iran isn't the only focus of Donald Trump's Twitter feed today. In fact, he spent more time bashing the Russia investigation after
documents released over the weekend, gave new insight into why a Trump campaign aid was targeted for surveillance in 2016. The papers were
heavily redacted. They showed that the FBI believed Carter Page was "collaborating and conspiring" with the Russian government. Authorities
got approval to collect information on him four times, from four different judges, all of them appointed -- by the way, it should be noted by
Republican presidents. Carter Page talked to CNN's Jake Tapper confronted him with a letter he'd written in 2013, calling himself an informal advisor
to the Kremlin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Were you ever an agent of a foreign power? Did you ever advise the Kremlin or work with the kremlin on anything?
CARTER PAGE, FORMER FOREIGN POLICY ADVISER TO DONALD TRUMP: Look, Jake, I -- no, I've never been an agent of a foreign power in any -- by any stretch
of the imagination.
TAPPER: But you did advise the Kremlin? I mean, I just want to make it clear. You did advise the Kremlin back in 2013, or 2012, somewhere in
there?
PAGE: Jake, it's really spin. I mean, I sat in on some meetings, but to call me an advisor, I think is way over the top.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: President Trump says the FBI misled the courts to spy on his campaign and now he's back to blasting the entire Russian investigation as
a witch-hunt that should be shut down.
Let's bring in CNN legal analyst, Areva Martin to help us unpack this story. So Carter Page worked on president's campaign in 2016, and the FBI
had reason to believe that he was being influenced, that the Russia was trying to recruit him as an agent inside the United States. In these
documents that were released, what do we learn about why the FBI thought this was the case?
[15:45:07] AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Hala, there were two significant issues that were revealed in the documents that were unsealed.
One was that letter that Jake set up perfectly. That was a perfect cross- examination question he asked him. Were you ever an advisor to Russia, and Carter Page made that kind of grimace, he smiled, he never really denied
it? And Jake had that letter, at least a letter that's referenced in these document where he called himself an advisor to the Kremlin. So we have
those letter where he talks about being an advisor to leaders in Russia. And then we have the 2016 meeting where he goes to Russia and he meets with
two Russian officials.
So on the basis of that information, four federal court judges saw fit to issue the wiretap surveillance document that allowed the FBI to surveil
Carter Page. So it's a little disingenuous for him now to claim that he has no affiliation with Russia or that he's never been an advisor when he
himself referred to himself in that way just several years ago.
GORANI: So if four judges agreed that there was enough there to allow the FBI to surveil Carter Page who was an aid on the Trump campaign. Why has
there been to this day no indictment, no charges? Is it because there's not enough evidence there?
MARTIN: And that's a good question, Hala. Everything that Robert Mueller has done has been in complete secrecy. We never find out until an
indictment is actually issued. His office has been remarkable in terms of controlling leaks and preventing anything from coming out of that office
until they determine it's time for the public to know. We don't know what's going to happen with Carter Page and I don't think we should assume
that simply because he has not been charged that he will not be charged.
This investigation is ongoing. We know that it's a very sweeping investigation as we get ready for the Paul Manafort trial this week. So I
don't think we should read anything into Carter Page's weak denial or the fact that he has not been indicted to this date, or at this present time.
GORANI: So what could the charges be? Is meeting, going to Russia and meeting with the Kremlin officials? Is that illegal in the United States?
MARTIN: Well, not just meeting with them is not illegal. But the question becomes was he acting as a lobbyist? Was he registered as a foreign
lobbyist? We don't have all of the information. These documents were heavily redacted, so we don't know the totality of what is contained in the
documents and what additional information Robert Mueller may have. So I don't think we can make any firm conclusions about what's going to happen
to Carter Page and what the potential charges will be, until we know the totality of one, what's contained in those warrants and what additional
information Mueller and his team may have discovered as they have interviewed countless witnesses as they probed the interference in the 2016
elections.
GORANI: So the former presidential candidate and senator from Florida, Marco Rubio, was asked about this. This is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: I don't think they did anything wrong. I think they went to the court, they got the judges to approve it. They've
laid out all the information and there was a lot of reasons unrelated to the dossier for why they wanted to look at Carter Page. And Carter Page
was not a key member of the Trump campaign. But in the Trump campaign had said that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So Marco Rubio is talking about dossier. This is the Steele dossier, the opposition research that started as a project funded by
Republican opponents of Donald Trump and then later on by the Democratic Party. And the Republicans have long contended that the FBI obtained this
FISA warrant as a result of information in that dossier, now we realize that's not the case, right?
MARTIN: Absolutely, Hala. And they've made a big deal. Republicans have made a big deal, particularly Donald Trump on the dossier. And they've
tried to discredit the FBI and the Department of Justice by saying that this biased document has been the sole and only document that was used to
obtain the surveillance warrant. But we now know that that's not true, it's never been true, that there were other sources that were presented to
the four federal judges before the decision was made to allow the FBI to surveil Carter Page.
And what's also interesting about what's happening, last week, Donald Trump spent a considerable amount of time trying to backtrack on his statements
about not believing his intelligence agencies about the interference in the election. But we saw over the weekend and again today, him tweeting out
witch hunt, hoax and again discrediting both the FBI and the intelligence agencies around this Carter Page, you know, information we're learning
about Carter Page. And it's quite remarkable given the chain of command and the many agencies including federal judges that were involved and who
validated this search warrant before it was ever issued.
[15:50:10] GORANI: Areva Martin, as always, thanks so much for your analysis. Appreciate it.
MARTIN: Thank you, Hala.
GORANI: Turning back to the U.K., and police have arrested three more men in connection with an acid attack, believe it or not, on a toddler in
Worcester. A 3-year-old suffered serious burns to his arms and face on Saturday. The 39-year-old man was arrested following the attack. Today's
arrests were made in London and involved a man in their 20s. Unfortunately, this weekend's incident was exceptional only for the age of
its victim. Acid is increasingly being used as the weapon of choice on the streets of the United Kingdom. Erin McLaughlin reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MUSA MIAH, ACID ATTACK VICTIM: Even until now, it's a nightmare.
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In 2016, Musa Miah's life changed forever when he was attacked with acid.
MIAH: My eyelid was burned completely so they had to use skin grafts from here for my eyelids and for my face. They had to get from my head.
MCLAUGHLIN: A year into his treatment, CNN sat down with Musa. He counted how a cocktail of acid was thrown in his face. He was just trying to stop
a fight.
MIAH: It's a feeling that you can't describe, so bad, the pain of it is really, really bad. It feels like your face is just melting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get some water.
MCLAUGHLIN: A growing problem in the last three years the number of acid attacks in the United Kingdom has tripled. The attackers, mainly teenaged
boys and men are using chemicals to carry out a range of crimes, moped robberies, gang violence, revenge and even just random attacks. The
chemicals are easy to find, cheap to buy. Corrosive substances like ammonia and bleach that are in many household cleaning products and sold in
corner shops.
But while the materials to create the acid are cheap, the aftermath is costly. Study releases month estimates acid attacks cost Britain $80
million a year. The government is moving to tighten laws. If passed, new legislation would make it a crime to carry a corrosive substance in a
public place without good cause. Musa's offenders received six and nine years respectively. But he says, no punishment compares to his life
sentence of disfigurement.
MIAH: I used to get people staring at me. It's like they're looking at a monster or something. This is something really bad, you change someone's
life. You don't feel the same.
MCLAUGHLIN: Erin McLaughlin, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: We have more to come, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Before we go, let's turn to Japan and a woman reshaping the skyline of Tokyo for the future by drawing on its past. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In ultra-modern Tokyo, it's not always easy to find signs of a bygone era. Most of the city's skyline only dates back to the
1980s, as Japan's post-war economy reached a crescendo and the megacity as we know it started taking shape.
[15:55:08] But in the Annaka district, the warmth of wood replaces the ever present cool of concrete and steel and the spirit of old Tokyo flows
through this (INAUDIBLE) like wind.
KAZUYO SEJIMA, JAPANESE ARCHITECT (through translator): I don't think I was particularly conscious of it, but I was very naturally influenced by
the Japanese way of creating a space.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The designs of Kazuyo Sejima are marked by lightness and minimalism. Opened in 2016, the Sumida Hokusai Museum is Sejima's
temple to the famed Ukiyo-e master. Angular cutouts, Sejima says, help the museum blend in with the randomness of its environment. While the facade
reflects the neighborhood that Hokusai lived and worked in.
SEJIMA (through translator): I want to create spaces that are like parks which people for various purposes can share. A place where mothers and
children play while salary men take breaks and couples enjoy time together. Each person finds their own comfortable space. But at the same time, share
a sense of community. I wish I can build architecture that realizes such a feeling.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The inspiration that contemporary Japanese architects find from nature is as old as Japanese architecture itself, and even in the
midst of urban Tokyo, a hybrid of influences from the past and from outside of Japan melding together to define the cities built future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Many little boys, especially American boys dream of catching a foul ball at a baseball game. Well, look at what happened Sunday in
Chicago. A Chicago Cubs player tossed the ball to a young fan, but whoops, the boys misses it. The ball rolls behind him and is caught by an adult
and then hands it to the woman next to him. People online were not very happy about that. So the story does have a happy ending. The boy got two
balls, one of which was signed by a player, courtesy of the Chicago Cubs.
Thanks for watching tonight, I'm Hala Gorani. Stay with CNN, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is next.
END
