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Mexico-U.S. Negotiation To Continue Friday; Report: Conditions In Detention Centers Egregious; China's Huawei To Build Russia's First 5G Network; Theresa May To Officially Resign As Party Leader; U.S. President To Depart After Controversy-Filled Trip. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired June 07, 2019 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00] JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: To yield to President Trump's plan to do more to stop the flow of migrants crossing into the U.S. illegally. In the coming hours, Theresa May will make it official resigning as leader of the Conservative Party and starting the race to replace her as Prime Minister and sending it into high gear.
Plus, a brave new Broadway, finding success and record audiences by reflecting the real world on stage. Hello and welcome to all of our viewers joining us from around the world. I'm John Vause, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Mexico appears ready to make concessions to President Trump and his demand for a crackdown on migrants illegally entering the U.S. on the southern border. Faced with a threat of a blanket 5 percent tariffs on all its exports to the U.S., Mexico says it's ready to deploy thousands of National Guard troops, 6,000 and all to its border in Guatemala to reduce the number of Central American migrants heading north.
While there have been other signs of progress from these talks at Washington it's still unclear if enough has been done to satisfy the U.S. president who has imposed a Friday deadline. Publicly at least, Mexico's foreign minister continues to say he is optimistic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCELO EBRARD, FOREIGN MINISTER, MEXICO: We don't have yet an agreement but we are advancing in order to reach an agreement that we want. So tomorrow morning we are going to work in the maybe one of the last sessions in order to make an effort to have an agreement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Ryan Patel is a Senior Fellow at the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. We are lucky to have him joining us from Los Angeles. Ryan, thanks for being with us.
RYAN PATEL, SENIOR FELLOW, DRUCKER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, CLAREMONT GRADUATE UNIVERSITY: Of course, always great to be on.
VAUSE: OK, mate, there are deadlines and then there are deadlines. It looks almost the first round of tariffs you know, likely to go effect beginning Monday, but there will be a time lag before their impact is felt on the economy. So how much time are we talking here? How much time of these sites really have to reach an agreement? Are we talking days, weeks, or months?
PATEL: Well, this is not like your library book expiration date. You know, this is going to be I think thirty -- you've got about 30 days. I think what's going to happen is you know, if they can't agree -- like -- it's looking like they're not going to be able to get to an agreement today.
Again, I think the next 30 days, the way that they are actually moving toward an agreement in Mexico again and continues to be showing a positive reinforcement that they are trying to do, a solution to the border actually, to me thinks that it's going to be 30 days.
I think what happens to the next month when it gets to ten percent, then to -- you know, you start to think about is this going to be a longer play. The short term effect here, they -- both sides can actually handle.
VAUSE: OK, there are those who argue that these tariffs will have little impact on U.S. consumers. Here's part of an opinion piece from MarketWatch. The U.S. imports from Mexico came to $373 billion last year according to the federal government. So sliding a five percent tariff on them amounts to a federal tax like over $19 billion. Total federal taxes last year, $3.3 trillion. So we're talking about a 0.6 percent tax hike.
You know, that seems kind of simplistic because if this concern is overblown, then why did a delegation from the auto industry appeal to the White House not to move forward with this plan. And given the complexity of trade on the southern border, it seems like this is a compounded effect, not just simply a you know, five percent one-off.
PATEL: Stop it. This is not just the numbers thing. Look, just listen to the consumers. Look at what Toyota has come out and said and told internally about to their employees, they're going to be $1 billion potentially losses. GM is hurting at the same time.
These companies, these executives don't want to show this memos internally. This is the last thing they want to do. If this was -- if it was that simple, nobody would be saying or doing anything. Again, the auto industry if you look at what Toyota has come out and said, this is not just a Toyota problem.
This is a problem for the entire industry and that they're going to have -- and they've even mentioned it in their reports in their 10k to Wall Street, I mean this is not something that they're taking lightly or either the rest of the auto industry.
And the consumer's perspective, yes, I mean this five percent in the first 30 days mean very much, can you feel it? No, but we're talking -- I'm talking about permanent change at 25 percent, changes behaviors of how people buy certain products, what are the useful alternatives and where do they go and obviously loss of jobs. VAUSE: Yes. A few hours ago, Tariff Man, also known as the President
of the United States was explaining why Republicans should fall in line and back his plan. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When you're the piggy bank that everybody steals and robs from and they deceive you and they've -- like they've been doing for 25 years, tariffs are a beautiful thing. It's a beautiful word if you know how to use them properly. Republicans should love what I'm doing because I view tariffs in two phases.
Number one, it's great to negotiate with because people don't want to be tariffed for coming into the United States. They don't want that. And number two, frankly, if they go on, you make a fortune because all the companies are going to move back into the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: There is so much wrong with that statement. Where do you start?
[01:05:01] PATEL: Well, first I think he needs his own theme music to be Tariff Man because he's definitely played that role very strongly. But where -- I don't even know where to start actually. I mean, the second part that all the companies will come back, you don't know that 100 percent. You know, they may end up going in other countries as well, maybe still cheaper or not.
But I think for me, when we're talking about using tariffs as a tool -- he's not using it as a tool anymore, he's using it as a weapon which is becomes a threatening piece when you talk about setting precedents about how you do business going forward.
And again, this Mexico-U.S. thing this is a bigger thing macro-level. This is -- in my opinion, you're using an economic tool for immigration policy, right, that is very, very you know unique in the history of what how tariffs have been used in the past.
VAUSE: Having said that though, there does seem to be some concessions coming from Mexico in the negotiations in Washington. There's this plan to send 6,000 National Guard troops to the border of Guatemala. The Washington Post is reporting the Mexican government indicated it is willing to make Asylum changes for the sake of a coordinated regional approach to stem the flow a Central American migrants now flooding into the United States.
They say all bets are off if the tariffs go into place on Monday. But still you know, there is movement here. So as a policy tool using tariffs like this, you know, maybe using a hammer to crack a walnut but at the end of the day, the walnut is open.
PATEL: Yes. And to your point, you kind of feel like no one's even talking about the tariffs during these negotiations. Mexico has mentioned multiple times, this has become bringing everyone back to the table. Was it really the tariffs that got them to the deadline as you mention? Quite possibly but they're obviously not scared of the deadline because there's still no deal in place.
Again, when you talk about -- Mexico didn't have this kind of showing of support in these conversations, imagine where we would be right now. It'd be almost like the U.S.-China who are not even talking to each other.
So it looks like there's a solution. It looks like it's to kind of keep the panic a little bit down for not just you know, executives at auto industry, the Wall Street, it's given some hope. You know, I think that's a really, really big sign for both the Democrat Party and the Republican Party because that -- at this point, they're just waiting see.
VAUSE: Yes. I guess there's also -- you know, if it does work in this instance though, what are the long-term in play -- impacts here, also the damage to the relationship you know, forcing a country interaction because of the threat of tariffs?
PATEL: There's definitely repercussion for sure.
VAUSE OK, Ryan, thank you. I appreciate being with us.
PATEL: Thanks.
VAUSE: And we're learning more about the conditions many undocumented migrants are facing after they're detained in the U.S. An internal report from Homeland Security says at least two facilities were found to have egregious violations during an inspection last year. As CNN's Jessica Schneider reports exclusively, the Inspector General noted in his report the people being held were not prisoners and detention was not meant to be punitive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Improperly packaged raw and leaking meat, overflowing toilets, and moldy shower stalls, and braided bedsheets referred to as nooses that have sometimes been used for attempted suicides.
The Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General says that these are some of the immediate risks and egregious violations found multiple ICE detention facilities and unannounced visits over six months late last year, the worst in New Jersey and California.
The inspector general's investigation began after a tip about terrible conditions on its hotline. The I.G. made unannounced visits to four facilities in California, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Colorado. Immigration and Customs Enforcement responded to the violations and said in an addendum to the report that it has completed significant corrective actions to address identified issues.
ICE even attached pictures of improved bathroom and shower conditions at its California location. But the conditions were dangerous and unsanitary for the nearly 5,000 detainees held in total at the four facilities. The I.G. stressing all ice detainees are held in civil, not criminal custody, which is not supposed to be punitive.
Nevertheless, the Inspector General found detainees at the New Jersey and Colorado facilities essentially trapped inside. Detainees were not allowed proper access to outdoor recreation and forced to make do with the so-called recreation yard that had a partial covered roof or mesh cages on the glass enclosures.
The I.G. also found the food handling situation so bad at the New Jersey Detention Center that the kitchen manager was replaced during the inspection. They saw open packages of raw chicken leaking blood, slimy foul-smelling lunch meat, and moldy bread. But the problems could get worse given the record numbers of migrants now in government custody.
ICE's new Acting Director Mark Morgan said Monday that there are currently around 52,000 single adults at ICE custody. That's an all- time high and exceeds funding levels yet again. And the numbers across immigration facilities are expected to grow as more and more migrants cross the border.
Last month more than 144,000 migrants were apprehended or encountered at the southern border, the highest monthly total in 13 years.
Now, these violations were found over a seven month period and ICE has reported many fixes to the Inspector General. But the I.G. is still insisting on even more documentation that confirms that follow-up inspections and other corrective actions have been completed.
But since these facilities are at risk of getting overwhelmed with that recent influx of migrants. it's possible that these problems could potentially flare up again. Jessica Schneider, CNN Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:10:32] VAUSE: And President Trump insists the tariffs will continue until Mexico stops all illegal immigration into the United States over the southern border. CNN's Tom Foreman takes a closer look at the surging number of illegal crossings.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The numbers are huge 144,000 migrants arriving in the U.S. via the southern border in May alone including more than 11,000 unaccompanied children. That's more than 30 percent higher than the previous month and the highest total in 13 years.
We are in a full-blown emergency, the acting head of Customs and Border Protection says, the system is broken.
REP. WILL HURD (R-TX): U.S. All of last year, 400,000 people came in the country illegally, right. And so this is how staggering this current -- this current crisis really is.
FOREMAN: For the President, it is another reason to hammer on Mexico saying that country should stop migrants before they reach the U.S.
TRUMP: They have to stop them and they have to step up to the plate and perhaps the will. We're going to see.
FOREMAN: To be sure, many point out migrants are being driven out of their home countries south of Mexico by economic hardship and violence and the promise of a better life in the States if they can make it to the border to make an asylum claim. The White House says Congress must help fix that part too.
MERCEDES SCHLAPP, DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS, WHITE HOUSE: What we know that needs to happen is true congressional action which is out of closing the legal loopholes which would then stop the magnet of illegal immigrants coming to the United States.
FOREMAN: But some critics say the President is also to blame. They argue his singular focus on building a wall has allowed an administrative log jam to develop and many immigrant families know the rules limiting how long children can be detained mean they'll likely be released while their cases make their way through the immigration courts.
JOHN SANDBERG, FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR, ICE: Now, the administration has begun beefing up the immigration courts but it's really just far too little. We're looking at about 400 judges today, maybe next year we'll have 500 judges processing over a million cases.
HURD: They basically stay in the United States for almost five years before they go through their complete immigration court case and they're all being treated as an asylum seeker.
FOREMAN: The nature of these asylum seekers is changing as well. In decades past, it was frequently single men looking for work. Now, many times, you're looking at families with children seeking asylum and that is changing the political and the practical challenges in dealing with them. Tom Foreman, CNN Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And from Beijing to Washington, a blunt warning, you're escalating tariffs will be met with ours, the ultimate tit for tat. So the U.S. president says another $300 billion of Chinese products could be hit with tariffs if there's no breakthrough in talks with China's president at the upcoming G20 Summit. But at this point, there's been no word they'll even be a meeting at the G20. But it will be their first chance to meet since last year.
The Trump trade war is taking some manufacturing business away from China but it's going to other countries, not the United States. Commentator shows U.S. imports from Vietnam and Taiwan are up between the first four months of 2019 and U.S. imports from China are down 12 percent.
Chinese major tech company Huawei is on the front line of this escalating trade war with the U.S. It's the world's biggest supplier of telecom equipment and the world's number two smartphone brand. Well, Washington has banned Huawei from anything to do with the 5G network in the United States. The tech giant is making significant inroads in Russia. CNN's man in St. Petersburg is Fred Pleitgen. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On day one of the Economic Forum here in St. Petersburg, China one of the countries that's taking center stage. On the one hand, of course, you have that trade war that China's involved in with the United States but then you also, of course, have very much deepening relations between China and the Russians.
Now, one of the big companies that people are talking a lot about is Huawei which of course right now is feeling a lot of pressure from the U.S. but has also just landed a contract here in Russia to develop a 5G network.
Now, we were able to speak to the CEO of the Russian telecoms company that's involved and he insists that there is no political motive behind the contract.
[01:15:05] ALEXEY KORNYA, PRESIDENT AND CEO, MOBILE TELESYSTEMS PJSC: I think here is we're agnostic in terms of you know, some political agenda now thinking about 5G development. I think it's extremely important that provides additional comfort and security because we can see and we don't want to be our service and our products being hostages of any decisions or solutions. So, in the sense, we are trying to be neutral as it is possible.
PLEITGEN: Now, of course, that's the view from the company level, but on a political level, the view is very much different.
Both Moscow and Beijing had been saying that they want deeper political and economic cooperation between these two countries, Vladimir Putin, of course, having met Xi Jinping in the past couple of days, and they were saying quite frankly that they trust each other and that they are friends.
Now, all of this, of course, comes as there is a lot of pressure from Washington on China, with the Trump administration laying some pretty heavy tariffs on Beijing. I was trying to ask the current head of Huawei, whether or not that has impacted the company's business. He was reluctant to answer but he did say a little something.
So, how successful is your trip in here, so far?
SONG LIUPING, CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER, HUAWEI: It's OK, thank you.
PLEITGEN: You're feeling a lot of heat from the Trump administration right now?
SONG: Our business is as usual.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry --
PLEITGEN: Now, of course, the economic forum here in St. Petersburg remains the premier economic event here in Russia, as it is, every year. But one country that certainly seems to have a lot less representation than usual is the United States. And this year, the U.S. is very angry about the fact that American Michael Calvey, a big investor here in Russia, continues to be under house arrest, Fred Pleitgen, CNN, St. Petersburg, Russia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Pomp pageantry and insults. U.S. President will soon leave Europe and head back to the U.S. to discuss what he had left in his way.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: (INAUDIBLE) a big day ahead in British politics. Theresa May -- Prime Minister Theresa May will officially hand in her resignation as party leader, setting off the race to replace her (INAUDIBLE) into high gear, actually.
Mrs. May will remain at number 10, the ultimate lame duck leader until a new leader is chosen who will then become the next prime minister. That's expected the week of July 22nd. A closely watched election in the city -- Peterborough, which many predicted would see the new Brexit Party when its first seat in parliament has been narrowly held by the Labour Party.
And, of course, the U.S. President, after a controversy (INAUDIBLE) an insult-filled trip to Europe, he'll leave the golf course in Ireland and board Air Force One and fly home back to Washington. That will happen in the coming hours.
[01:20:08] OK, to break it all down for us, we're joined by CNN's Anna Stewart in Peterborough, and Nic Robertson in Doonbeg, Ireland. Anna, first to you, did Trump's state visit, did it impact the race for the Tory leadership in any way? It certainly didn't go as Theresa May had planned.
ANNA STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL REPORTER: Yes, I'm not sure Downing Street would've been best pleased that the President weighed in on British politics and Conservative Party politics.
Actually, before he even touched down in the U.K. for that state visit, the President did seem to endorse Boris Johnson to be the next leader of the Conservative Party. He is, of course, a staunch Brexiteer and a former foreign secretary.
And speaking to a tabloid newspaper over the weekend, the President said that, I think Boris would do a very good job, I think he would be excellent. Now, he wanted to have a one-on-one, in fact, with Boris Johnson, while he was here. It didn't happen. Johnson said he had other prior political engagements.
And what can you read into that? Number one, that that was the case. Two, maybe Boris Johnson declined the invitation out of respect deference to the Prime Minister, in her last days as the Tory Party leader, or three; perhaps, Boris Johnson doesn't want to be too closely aligned with a president who is considered very divisive in the U.K., who attracts huge (INAUDIBLE) of protests every time he visits.
However, it will be crucial that whoever takes over from Theresa May has a good working relationship with U.S. President, one of our strongest allies, and with huge potential in the futures of trading partner, once we have left the E.U. John?
VAUSE: My money is definitely on number two, deference and respect for Theresa May. Nic, if one of the main arguments for Brexit is that the U.K., you know, once emancipated from the E.U., once it's free, will be able to strike trade deals on its own around the world. Then, Donald Trump's visit was a bit like the high school football team, turning up at a house party, leaving behind a trail of destruction.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, President Trump really endorsed the position of a no-deal Brexit, and he certainly implied that, saying, that, you know, saying that Britain should leave and it should get out of the European Union.
It didn't seem to, sort of, have a lot of regard for the consequences that may happen following that, and that was a concern for the Irish here, where he is, right now, waiting to go golfing somewhere in the, sort of, heavy cloud and sand dunes behind me in the distance there.
But it does -- President Trump's intervention on this and his thoughts on this are a concern for many people in Britain, because he'd said that the National Health Service could be on the table for a future deal with Britain.
Of course, within half an hour of saying that, he recorded another interview and said, well, actually, the House Service wasn't on the table. But that really seemed to be because it had become so clearly such a big political hot potato, and of course, it is.
The National Health Service in Britain may not function the way that people in Britain like it, but it is something that's cherished. It is free at the point of service, and the U.S. health care system isn't, and everyone in Britain is fully aware of that.
So, it would be very politically toxic for any government under Theresa May, a government, potentially, under Boris Johnson, to try to enter into trade negotiations (INAUDIBLE) with the United States that could mean, somehow, that British people might have to pay directly for their health care.
So, that is a -- that is -- I think what you're alluding to there, John, that has really raised the stakes a lot for anyone that's going to make a trade deal with the United States, and made it at the moment look -- made that party potentially look politically toxic.
VAUSE: Yes, I think, it kind of exposed the lie that Britain will be indestructible, say, striking all these deals, whatever they wanted and, you know, this brave new world that Brexit would bring maybe not so opportunist or not so (INAUDIBLE) as many had, sort of, portrayed, you know, months and months ago.
But, you know, Anna, the conservatives here, they'll decide their next party leader who'll be the next prime minister. It seems like (INAUDIBLE) this choice between who can deliver on Brexit, but also, who is the best to lead the party for the next general election? You know, these two goals are far from complimentary of each other.
STEWART: Yes. And I think you can't actually underestimate how divisive Brexit is and has been within the Conservative Party. Of course, Theresa May is not the first British Prime Minister to lose her job over Brexit. David Cameron, her predecessor, had to step down straight after the referendum result in 2016.
Now, three years on, what have we learned? Well, people on both sides of the divide, up and down the country, are hugely fatigued and frustrated with the fact that this is going on. That politicians (INAUDIBLE) can't seem together act together and come to some conclusion.
And in areas like this one (INAUDIBLE) voted overwhelmingly to leave the E.U. in 2016, a huge sense of mistrust, actually, of the politicians in Westminster, and I think we saw that in the election overnight. The Labour Party managed to just about cling on.
But an 8-week-old political party, the Brexit Party led, of course, by Nigel Farage, came to a close second and actually puts the Conservative Party into third place, so whoever takes over from Theresa May, will need the support of Brexiteers within the party, possibly it needs to be a Brexiteer themselves.
[01:25:16] The party is just going to have to unite around them, if it is to survive politically through to the next general election, of course, there could be a snap election before then, but they really need to unify the party at this stage. John?
VAUSE: Good luck on that one. Yes, best of British luck, as they say. Nic, just finish up here, reflecting some of the D-Day ceremonies, you know, there were some concerns over exactly what, you know, this American First president would say in his prepared remarks on Thursday, you know, for the 75th Anniversary. Here's part of his speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Today, America embraces the French people and thanks you for honoring our beloved dead. Thank you to all of our friends and partners, our cherished alliance was forged in the heat of battle, tested in the trials of war and proven in the blessings of peace. Our bond is unbreakable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You talk about unbreakable bonds is (INAUDIBLE) stuff for other presidents, but for Donald Trump, it seems totally disingenuous.
ROBERTSON: It does ring false. I think there will be a ripple of satisfaction, perhaps, within the British Royal Family, perhaps within the British Royal -- British political establishment in Paris and Berlin, as well. President Trump talked about -- you know, the, sort of, the -- helping keep the cherished peace, of course, that's been the message to him, all along.
That these global, political, economic institutions that grew out of World War II that were designed to give an economic base for economic growth in the United States and its allies and its enemies in World War -- in World War II, has been successful, be it in Japan, be it in Europe, keeping stability and peace.
And the concern is that the American First policies of President Trump are essentially trying to break those up, breaking up NATO, criticizing that, wants Britain out of the European Union. If that was ever a model, if you will, for a, sort of, economic cooperation designed to overcome the, sort of, populism and nationalism that is resurging now, that was there before the Second World War.
You know, this is the -- this is the fear that President Trump stokes at. And as you say, he sort of really spoke out of character, that clearly this was a scripted speech, clearly, it was delivering to the audience there. But I think the level of trust and anticipation that President Trump will hold those worlds close to his heart and close to his actions when he goes home.
I don't think anyone really has a lot of faith in that. They're looking, right now, at the tariffs that are threatening on Mexico, right now, and the way that is trying to leverage the U.S. economy against all its enemies around the world, be they economic friends, but he sees them, somehow, as enemies (INAUDIBLE) use these economic tools, whether it's China or Mexico or wherever it is. John?
VAUSE: Yes. It's -- he says one thing on Thursday, he does something else on Friday, Nic, thank you. We appreciate you being with us, also, Anna, all of you both getting early morning shifts. Great to have you with us, thank you.
Well, still to come here, the battle to control Libya reaches the outskirts of the capital. An exclusive report from the front lines as rebel forces move into the suburbs of Tripoli. Plus, he was 13-years- old when he was arrested for protesting, and after years spent behind bars without being charged, he could soon face the ultimate punishment, details in a CNN exclusive, that's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:31:25] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. Thank you for staying with us.
I'm John Vause with an update on our top news this hour.
British Prime Minister Theresa May officially resigned as Conservative Party leader on Friday. She'll remain prime minister until a successor is in place.
This comes as a newly created Brexit Party barely misses out on (INAUDIBLE) first member of parliament as Labour retains its seat in loosely-watched the election in the city of Teterboro (ph).
Talks between the U.S. and Mexico on tariffs and immigration are to resume on Friday. Mexico's foreign minister says there is no agreement yet but publicly at least he remains optimistic the U.S. President's tariff starting Monday over illegal border crossings. Mexico says it's going to send troops to the southern border to stop the flow.
Two months ago, renegade Libyan general Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army launched a major military event to take the capital and topple the U.N.-recognized government. The battle has now reached Tripoli's doorstep but that's as far as it's gone. Both sides are locked in a stalemate.
CNN's Ben Wedeman has our report with exclusive footage from the front lines that was shot by freelance cameraman Gabriel Zain (ph).
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Battle rages on the outskirts of Tripoli, the Libyan capital.
Since early April, fighters loyal to the U.N.-backed government national accord have struggled to stop the advance of warlord Khalifa Haftar's so called Libyan National Army which now nominally controls most of the country and almost all its oil.
It's a conflict with sound and fury aplenty captured in footage provided to CNN by freelance cameraman Gabriel Zain. As factions fight it out, civilians are as usual caught in the middle.
Nasser Wahid (ph) is one of the last civilians left in his neighborhood of Yarmouk, south of Tripoli.
"We're afraid, of course," he says, "but what choice do we have?"
He says he's happy just to live one day to the next. His son Martesem (ph) should be in third grade but all of his friends have fled and schools have been closed for weeks. Children's toys still clutter a house now used by gunmen.
The jubilation with which Libyans greeted the fall Moammar Ghadafi regime eight years ago now seems a distant memory. The country is hopelessly divided with France, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt backing Haftar's Benghazi-based group. And the U.S now leaning in his direction as well.
While officially the U.N. recognizes the Tripoli-based government which is backed by Italy.
The most recent outbreak of violence has left more than 600 dead and nearly 100,000 displaced. "The future," says this young fighter, "is miserable. Since we were young there has only been war."
U.N.-led attempts to restore calm are in tatters. Misery indeed appear to be in the nearest future.
Ben Wedeman, CNN -- Beirut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:35:00] VAUSE: In April alone Saudi Arabia put 37 people to death in one day. Soon a teenager who's been held in prison without charge could face execution as well. His crime? Protesting.
Salma Abdelaziz has more now in another CNN exclusive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER: It looks harmless -- children gathering for a group bike ride -- but these are actually the moments before an anti-government protest in Saudi Arabia where it's illegal to protest the government.
This boy in the Murtaza Qureiris (ph), he was later arrested. He was only 13. He spent four long years imprisoned without charge. When the authorities finally did charge the teenager, he was accused of being a member of a terrorist organization. Today, Qureiris is 18. He's still in jail and now faces the death penalty.
Qureiris is from a Shia family -- that's his dad just behind him. A family that has a history of demonstrating against what they say is unfair treatment of Shia the government.
In fact, Qureiris' brother was killed by Saudi forces in a rally. Part of Qureiris' charges include attending his brother's funeral because the government says it turned into a march against the royal family. Qureiris was just 11 at the time.
The Shia minority, which resides largely in the East of the country, has felt marginalized by their Sunni rulers for a long time.
Protests are not new, neither are arrests, but as Crown Prince Mohamad Bin Salman rose to power, the government crackdown on Shias intensified.
In April 2019, Saudi Arabia announced it had executed 37 people. One of the largest mass executions in the kingdom's history. The majority were Shia, and three were killed for protest related crimes they committed as minors according to rights group (INAUDIBLE).
Qureiris was 13 when he was arrested. The prosecutor in Qureiris case is not only calling for the death penalty, but for his body to be crucified or dismembered afterwards.
As far as the kingdom is concerned, this is state security. Saudi Arabia has often labeled protestors as terrorists and often described protests as violent. Saudi activists maintain the funeral turned rally where Qureiris was arrested was peaceful.
We are not able to contact Qureiris directly. It is illegal for Saudi citizens to speak to foreign journalists. And the details of this case are not yet public.
We asked for comment from the Saudi authorities, but have not received a response. So where does Murtaza stand now? Some of the charges against him were for crimes allegedly committed when he was just 10 years old. Some rely on confessions with only a thumbprint for confirmation. Today, Murtaza awaits a ruling. Will he be spared the death sentence?
Salma Abdelaziz, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, a stunning assault on a free press in a place where it was possibly least expected. Just ahead police raids on Australia's biggest media outlet have been called a clear attempt at intimidation.
Also ahead -- a suspense is building in Paris ahead of the women's world cup this year promises to be the biggest and the best ever.
[01:38:39] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: The chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation has condemned the federal government for raiding their offices in the wake of a story critical of the Australian military. Federal police seized thousands of pages of documents -- that works -- part of what they say is an investigation into the publishing of classified material.
This all goes back to a 2017 report by the network detailing a series of abuses committed by Australian troops deployed to Afghanistan. That report was based on leaked Defense Force documents.
In a statement, the ABC chair Ita Buttrose said she'd registered with the federal government her grave concern over the raid saying "An untrammeled media is important to the public discourse and to democracy. And the way in which Australian citizens are kept informed about the world and its impact on their daily lives.
Buttrose went on to say, the police raid was clearly designed to intimidate.
We go back (ph) to Tasmania no and Damian Cave, the Australian bureau chief for the "New York Times".
Damien -- thanks for being with us.
DAMIEN CAVE, AUSTRALIA BUREAU CHIEF, NEW YORK TIMES: Sure, my pleasure.
VAUSE: You know, it seems Australia is now joining what is a growing list of countries around the world -- many of them modern established democracies where press freedom is under attack. And it seems the only ones really complaining there or speaking out, are the reporters. There's not a lot of outrage among the public.
CAVE: No, it's true. I mean I think I think Australians have gotten very used to a culture of secrecy and a lack of transparency here frankly and ,you know, this is just the latest example. but there are many other examples as well.
In the courts with defamation law, with all kinds of things and so I suppose the public just isn't as outraged as some of us who work in the business.
VAUSE: And ABC says police please seize what more than 9,0000 documents. They review each one of them on a big screen in a conference room. The ABC executive news editor John Line tweeted this image that we're seeing here.
But what was really quite stunning in all this -- the warrant which they were given, the authorities had given gave police the right to change, copy or delete any of the material they saw fit in those files. That is an incredibly wide scope for the police to have.
CAVE: I mean it's an enormous dragnet. In addition to the documents, they were also -- the warrant included, you know, enormous teams of journalists. Journalist that probably had absolutely nothing to do with this story or may have an extraneous email connected to it were also caught up in it.
I mean this is a really, really big fishing expedition. It's a very rare to see a whole bunch of police show up in a newsroom and sit there for eight hours going through notes, emails and every imaginable detail. It really looks like intimidation.
VAUSE: And that's the thing. I mean officially they say this is not about intimidating journalists. You know, we're all for freedom of the press, blah-blah-blah-blah. But at the end of the day, when you have, like you say, teams of police turning up, sitting in newsrooms for hours and hours at a time, there has to be some kind of chilling effect.
CAVE: Absolutely. I mean I think not just for journalists, but also for public officials who might have information about something that the government is doing wrong.
I mean one of the things that the public I think doesn't necessarily fully appreciate is this isn't just about journalists. This is about anyone who sees government misbehaving and has something to say about it and want to change.
If they don't feel empowered to come to us in journalism then things continue to go wrong for a very long time, possibly with big consequences for everyone.
VAUSE: You know, unlike the United States, there's no constitutional amendment in Australia which protects free speech and protects journalists. But what Australia does have is a lot of laws preventing the sharing of confidential information in the context of terrorism and national security.
But from what we know about the information which is contained in these files, could anything realistically be seen as a threat to Australia's national security?
CAVE: I mean these stories were from a while ago, one from one year ago, one from a couple of years ago, you know. And these are not issues of revealing operational details, these are issues that are embarrassing to government. Possible war crimes in Afghanistan by Australian troops, possible attempts to expand surveillance powers by the government.
These are things that the government would prefer to keep secret, but it's hard to believe that there are actual issues of national security so much as national embarrassment.
VAUSE: So national embarrassment does not come under the title of national security but, you know, this is where, you know, the politics meets the reality. And that essentially, what we are seeing and we're seeing this in a lot of countries as well -- this excuse of national security, national security, which resonate with the public, could (INAUDIBLE) a journalist and the politicians seem to get away with it.
[01:45:00] CAVE: I mean ultimately it looks a lot to me like it's about control. This is the same in authoritarian regimes as it is in a lot of democracies that are moving in this direction. The government wants to be the one that gets to say this is secret you don't get to know.
They don't want to have questions asked about whether or not the public has a right to know or whether or not it's been official for the public to know. The issue is we have the power to determine that this is secret. And because this is labeled secret, you shouldn't get it. And no matter what you think about what the information is, we're going to tell you that it's going to make you safer.
And sadly a lot of the public buys into this. I mean, you know, many years after 9/11, we are still at a point where the public feels like issues of safety are of such importance that they're willing to give up a lot of rights or risk to democracy because of it.
VAUSE: Yes. David -- we're out of time, but I guess, you know, at the end of the day it's a question of oversight. Who has the oversight ultimately in all of these matters? It's a struggle, and it's getting harder.
Good to see you -- thank you.
CAVE: Thank you.
VAUSE: How about that? The biggest tournament for women's soccer kicks off in Paris in the coming hours with host France taking on South Korea. It's only the eighth FIFA women's world cup, but this could be the year that takes women soccer to new heights.
Here's CNN's Amanda Davies.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anticipation is building here a big thing is the building here in Paris and across France ahead of the 8th edition of the women's world cup. It is said the be the biggest and best yet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVIS: 730,000 tickets have been sold with the tendency to expect it to top a million. FIFA has increased the prize money to $30 million -- that's double what it was at the tournament four years ago, and they said the ambitious target of one billion TV viewers, as they really try and grow the women's game.
The tournament's logo is there to shine, and it's the U.S.A. that has traditionally shone brighter than the rest. And like the Eiffel Tower, towered over the competition.
The defending champions have been a team in transition, since winning the title four years ago. But they are back to winning ways, as the top rank team in the world and the favorites once again.
Ada Hegerberg, the winner of the first women's battle (INAUDIBLE) won't be in action because of a dispute with the Norwegian Football Federation. But, the player widely regarded as the greatest female of all time, Marta, will be playing for Brazil. This is her fifth world cup, and she's already the tournament's record goalscorer without even taking to the pitch here in France.
Host France will be looking to emulate the success of their men's team in Russia last year. They kick off their campaign here at the (INAUDIBLE) of France against South Korea. And if (INAUDIBLE) emerge victorious in 52 matches time, France will become the nation ever to hold the men and women's world cups at the same time.
Amanda Davies, CNN -- Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Still to come, the Tony awards will be handed out this Sunday after the Broadway box office sets new records. We will have two likely winners out and what this says about the future, next.
[01:48:38] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: To his friends and family he was Malcolm Rebennack Jr. The world knew him as Dr. John, a six-time Grammy winner, songwriter and member of the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.
The former studio musician who became a flamboyant lead act died Thursday of a heart attack. Dr. John was called a true original with his Mardi Gras costumes, feathers, sunglasses and that growly voice, helped define the sound of his hometown New Orleans with such hits as "Right Place, Wrong Time" and "Such a Night". Dr. John was 77.
Broadway has never seen a box office like the one for the past season. A record setting $1.8 billion driven by a significant increase in audience numbers. And while there's the usual combination of big commercial offerings and the smaller avantgarde experimental productions as well as some big names coming in from Hollywood, it seems Broadway may just have managed to hit that sweet spot of holding on to its traditional base while appealing to a whole new audience.
And this weekend, the Tony Awards from the diversity of the performers are out for Broadway honors to show which had been nominated, it's a reflection of how this brave new world is working out, a world which looks increasingly like the real world.
Joining us now from New York, Michael Musto, columnist with the NewNowNext.com. Michael -- thanks for being with us. It's been a while.
MICHAEL MUSTO, NEWNOWNEXT.COM: Yes. Great to be here.
VAUSE: Ok. Let's get straight to business. Here's a clip from "Hadestown" which has received the most nominations, 14 in all.
Ok. The critics have all fallen in love with this. "L.A. Times" describes it as a "folk opera with a New Orleans soul. The originality of the musical goes beyond its mythic update. Ranging freely across disciplines, "Hadestown" braids influences from across the artistic spectrum."
And Amber Grey in particular is an odds-on favorite to win for best supporting actress in a musical. And this is one of those productions which really came out of nowhere?
MUSTO: Well, not really. It's been around for years. It was a school play, then it was a concept album, then it was off-Broadway, now it's Broadway. It's grown and evolved a lot through the years. It's an original musical though it's based on the legend of Orpheus and Eurides, and it's set in a kind of a jazzy New Orleans slash hell or Hades environment.
And there's a character who is Hades, who was in charge of hell which even though this was written before Donald Trump was appointed it has echoes because this character sings a song about wanting to build a wall so you know, to keep out "undesirables" quote unquote.
And Amber Gray, yes she's very good as the queen of hell who has to reside there six months out of a year. She plays Persephone. I wouldn't say she's a lock to win. Ali Stroker also wonderful in "Oklahoma" which is an incredible avantgarde retelling of that classic musical.
VAUSE: Yes. we'll get to that in a moment.
But another original show, "Ain't too Proud to Beg", the life and times of "The Temptations", 12 nominations. Here's a clip.
(MUSIC)
VAUSE: The seems (INAUDIBLE) is a rare example where the music, the upbeat happy tempo of the beautiful harmony work together as a great juxtaposition for the real story which is being told here which is anything of happiness and anything of harmony.
MUSTO: This is what we call a jukebox show where a recording artist or a group is told. Their story is told along with their music. There's also the Cher show this year which is similar in a way.
And there's yes, it's a very dark story of drugs and alcohol and all kinds of tumbles within the group, The Temptations. The script I thought was a little bit off (ph) but the singing and dancing was amazing. And Jeremy Pope and Ephraim Sykes are both nominated for feature. Their the stand outs in the cast.
VAUSE: Then there's a very modern take on what is an old movie classic, "Tootsie" for anyone not familiar. Here's a reminder of the original movie with Dustin Hoffmann.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DUSTIN HOFFMANN, ACTOR: My name is Dorothy. It's not Tootsie or Toots or sweetie or honey or --
No, just Dorothy. Now Allen's always Allen and Tom is always Tom and John is always John. I have a name too. It's Dorothy, capital D-O-R- O-T-H-Y, Dorothy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: D-O-R-O-T-H-Y. There's a lot of buzz over Lily Cooper who plays the role which is very famous like Jessica Lange and they've really done an amazing job here by updating this for the modern era.
MUSTO: Yes. Well, they actually changed it from a soap opera actor which is what Dustin Hoffmann played to a musical theater star.
[01:55:02] And the character Dorothy, who's the drag version of Michael, the unsuccessful actor is on her way to get a Tony. Santino Fontana who plays Michael and Dorothy is on his way to get his Tony Awards for the party. He's terrific.
The show is hilarious. It's very different from the movie, yet they preserve some of the key elements. Lili Cooper is wonderful. She doesn't have one of the funny roles. She has the serious role but all the other people in the cast are standouts for their comedy. And Santino is on his way to the Tony.
VAUSE: Yes. I guess finally, you know, it doesn't get much more old school that "Oklahoma". You mentioned, it's a reworking of an old classic. Here's the romantic lead curly played by Damon Daunno, I think I got his name right. Here it is.
(MUSIC)
VAUSE: So is this version of Oklahoma, is this an example of how Broadway has been able to grow at least creatively not abandon the past? Is that the secret sauce to, you know, to growing the audience to record numbers?
MUSTO: Yes, it is. The original "Oklahoma" was revolutionary for its own time. This version is stripping away the prettiness and the showbiz and probing some very dark areas. It's a very diverse cast.
Like you say, Curly is portrayed as a kind of a strumming, yodeling Buster Scruggs type.
Part of the show is in total pitch darkness and a lot of it is in- house lights on. It's shocking that every moment of it works but it's refreshingly avantgarde.
And Broadway has this season been an incredible mixture of the avantgarde with the tried and true, "The Temptations" and the show shows. "Pretty Woman", "Beetlejuice", "King Kong" -- familiar with the unfamiliar with familiar turned into the unfamiliar.
VAUSE: And there's also -- there's a diversity here. there's characters and actors, you know, in the minority playing roles that we've never seen them in before. And it really is sort of a reflection of what the real world is like.
MUSTO: Absolutely, we've mentioned Lily Cooper in "Tootsie", Rebecca Naomi Jones plays Laurie in "Oklahoma". She's African-American. Ali Stroker who plays (INAUDIBLE) is a disabled actress. She's brilliant. And these directors now are trying to show that why can't we incorporate all kinds of people? Broadway should not be a place where it's the same old white males.
VAUSE: Exactly. Which is a great thing and we'll see that on the Tonys on Sunday.
Michael -- thank you.
MUSTO: I'm looking forward. Thank you.
VAUSE: Appreciate it.
Thank you for watching CNN Newsroom.
I'm John Vause.
Stay with us. George Howell and Natalie Allen take over from me right after a short break.
You're watching CNN.
[01:57:30] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
