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Agreement Between United States And Mexico Signed; Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden Reversing His Stance On Abortion Funding; Presidential Candidate Elizabeth Warren Getting Some Rousing Praise From An Unlikely Source; One On One Interview With Congressman Dan Kildee. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired June 08, 2019 - 16:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:00:19] ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Thanks for being here. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.

And right now the ink is still drying on the brand-new agreement signed between the governments of the United States and Mexico. That means three things. One, Mexican officials are promising some very specific steps aimed at slowing down the flow of people crossing illegally into the U.S. I'm talking about military action and cracking down on human trafficking. Two, the U.S. is promising to speed up and streamline the process for people seeking asylum. And three, the very urgent thing that was hanging over this entire standoff, import tariffing that President Trump was threatening to slap on Mexico. He has taken that threat back.

Senior congressional leaders, mostly Democrats, definitely not happy with the way the President handled this round of diplomacy. House speak Pelosi in a statement this morning saying this morning the President undermined America's preeminent leadership in the role in the world by recklessly threatening to imposed tariffs on our close neighbor and friend to the south. And she went on, threats and temper tantrums are no way to negotiate foreign policy.

Our White House correspondent Boris Sanchez is with us now.

Boris, the President on the flip side is cheering this new deal with Mexico. What is he saying?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Ana.

Yes, the President simultaneously celebrating this deal and attacking House speaker Nancy Pelosi. We are going to go to that in just a second. But more on the parameters of this deal.

The Trump administration really getting something what it wanted from Mexico here. The Mexican government agreeing to host more undocumented immigration who would cross the border into the United States illegally, seeking asylum. The Mexican government has agreed to provide them with education and job opportunities. And on the flip side, the United States has agreed to essentially expedite the adjudication of their cases. The Mexican government also agreeing to mobilize more of its National

Guard across the Mexican country side essential trying to limit the flow of migrants from crossing their southern border.

The President clearly sees this is a win. And he is bashing Democrats in Congress who he feels has had to sidestep to try to get what he once done on immigration. Take a look at what he said about the speaker, Nancy Pelosi.

The President writing quote "nervous Nancy Pelosi and Democrats in the House are getting nothing done. Perhaps they could lead the way with the USMCA, the spectacular and very popular new trade deal that replaces NAFTA, the worst trade deal in the history of the USA. Great for our farmers, manufacturers and unions."

Very important to point out that critics of this threat of tariffs against Mexico believe that they could potentially put the USMCA at risk. And further, looking at the big picture, this could potentially embolden the President to threaten tariffs against other allies essentially to try to strong on them into doing what he wants, Ana.

CABRERA: All right. Boris Sanchez at the White House, thanks.

I want to bring in Democratic congressman Dan Kildee of Michigan. He seats on the budget and ways and means committees.

Congressman, first, your reaction to this overnight deal, preventing tariffs from going into effect?

REP. DAN KILDEE (D), MICHIGAN: Well, many of us didn't think the President would ever really pull the trigger on these tariffs. He didn't define what success would look like, which is usually a signal that it was a false threat.

I think this is not good for the country in the long term. Obviously we want to do what we can to make sense of what's happening at the southern border, particularly to trying to as careful and as welcoming as we can to those seeking asylum. But threatening an ally with tariffs, which, by the way, really would be paid mostly by American companies and American consumers, threatening in a way to get them to take action, in the long term is just not the way allies treat one another.

He is a bully. And in this case, maybe he thinks he succeeded. But honestly, if he wanted to deal with this problem pour effectively, he would think about it and he would realize that cutting essential aid to Honduras, to Guatemala, to El Salvador, to help those people where they are, is the best way to deal with the problems that they are trying to flee, not forcing the Mexican government to activate its military to deal with the problem that fundamentally is a humanitarian problem.

CABRERA: I understand your point but for all flack this President has taken for his negotiating strategy, he did get Mexico to the table. They are making concessions. They are stepping up efforts to stop the flow of migrants north. Could this be considered a win for the President?

KILDEE: You know, certainly it would be a win for the people who believe that our goal should be to prevent people seeking asylum in the United States from being able to seek that asylum within the U.S. I think we are better off dealing with the problem in a more fundamental way, by supporting people in those countries with humanitarian aid, with efforts to stem violence, which they are trying the President cut -- let's keep this in mind, he cut efforts to reduce the violence in those places, doesn't want them to come to our border to seek asylum, which is very much against I think what the DNA of America is all about and then threaten Mexico into using its military to deal with this problem. Sure, he can call it a victory if those values are something that we think we should celebrate. I don't think they are.

[16:05:37] CABRERA: Let me read you what the President tweeted today.

Nervous Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat House are getting nothing done. Perhaps they could lead the way with the USMCA, the spectacular and very popular new trade deal that replaces NAFTA, the worst trade deal in the history of the USA. Great for our farmers, manufacturers and unions.

Yes, the USMCA is still on the table. I know there was concern by both Republicans and Democrats about this tariff threat impacting this deal. What is the impact now? How does that move forward?

KILDEE: Well, it's hard to say. I think there's a bit of irony here. And that many of us want to see this agreement move forward. But we are nervous about the fact that there's not much in it that requires enforcement of the changes in Mexican labor law, just to use one example.

The President sort of makes that point himself, when he said one of the concerns he had about Mexico in the context of this immigration issue is that they fail to enforce their own law, they fail to adhere to their own law. That's what we have been saying about USMCA.

But let me just take what the President said and dissect a little bit further. We are passing legislation in the House of Representatives. For example, if the President wants to do something to make our democracy stronger, he would take up, he would encourage the Senate to take up HR-1, which takes a lot of corporate money out of politics and ensures or political system works better. He would request that the Senate take up our legislation to make sure that women are paid and equal salary to men and strengthen the law that allows that to go forward. He would take up the equality act which we pass. He would take up the common sense gun legislation which we have passed.

The House of Representatives is passing a lot of legislation that the American people want us to take up. It's Donald Trump and the people who are acting like full-time employees of Donald Trump, the Republicans in the Senate that are in the way from us making progress. We have a lot that we have done. The Republicans and the President are not willing to take up those bills because he doesn't want to give Democrats a win. CABRERA: Something House Democrats haven't done is open up

impeachment proceedings. And there have been a lot of talk about that lately. I know you haven't fully backed proceedings happening, at least not publicly, but you have said you think the President is leaving Democrats little choice. Where do you stand on this today?

KILDEE: I think he is leaving us very few options. I think we have to be really careful and deliberate about this. I'm not one who sort of started with the idea that we should impeach and then look for evidence for it. But after reading the Mueller report, especially the second phase of the Mueller report, the section that deals with obstruction, it's very clear to me that this President is trampling on the constitution. And unless our ability to provide a check on his power, to provide oversight on him can be made effective short of impeachment, I'm not sure there's going to be any choice left.

CABRERA: Are you there yet?

KILDEE: The fact that the President continuing to block -- I'm getting there fast, Ana. Again, I have been very cautious about coming to that conclusion, but if we don't see the President turn away from this policy of not allowing his own -- members of his own executive branch or cabinet members to testify before committees of Congress, not answering subpoenas, blocking every attempt for us to get information to provide the check on the presidency that the voters asked us to do when they elected a democratic majority in 2018, I have to look to the constitution. And the only tool remaining, if we are unable to provide a check in any other fashion, the only tool remaining is the tool of impeachment. And the President, despite the politics, the President may end up just taking us there in a way that gives us no other choice.

So if doesn't change, Ana, I'm afraid that's what we are going to have to do.

CABRERA: Speaker Pelosi told Democrats this week reportedly according to "Politico" that doesn't want to see President Trump impeached. She wants to see him imprisoned. You have read the Mueller report. You say it shows the President trampling on the constitution. Do you think that the President belongs behind bars?

KILDEE: You know, I never prejudge any criminal process or proceeding. I don't get into that. I will say this. The President is not above the law. And he needs to be held accountable. What Mr. Mueller did very clearly is point out that Congress has the authority to hold the President accountable. He does not believe there is the pas to indict a sitting President.

But the truth of the matter is, we have a job to do. And even if it's uncomfortable, we have to do it. We have to hold him accountable. He is not above the law. And we have to use every tool we have. What happens after he is out of the presidency, I would leave, and unless somehow we deal with it short of that, I would leave that to the law enforcement officials or have to look at that information and make their judgments?

[16:10:40] CABRERA: Congressman Dan Kildee, always good to have you with us. Thanks for taking the time.

KILDEE: Thank, Ana.

CABRERA: Nineteen Democrats are in Iowa today, including Pete Buttigieg. You are watching live right now as he takes a walking tour of Mason City. We showed you Bernie Sanders on the ground earlier. They are all going to be speaking at some point this weekend. Nearly all the Democrats running for President that are in one single state trying to get a head start before the Iowa caucuses. This as the Democratic current front-runner for President is not in Iowa this weekend, after a pretty major flip flop on his stance on abortion funding. So how does this impact his support among women?

Plus, stunning new details in the case of this Connecticut mother missing for almost two weeks.

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[16:15:03] CABRERA: We are getting new insight into a tumultuous 38 hours that ended with Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden reversing his stance on abortion funding.

For decades Biden voiced support for the Hyde amendment which prohibits federal dollars from paying for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or to save the mother's life. But when an ACLU volunteer pressed him about this after an event back in May, here is what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am an ACLU rights for all voter and I have one quick question for you, and that is, will you commit to abolishing the Hyde amendment, which hurts poor women and women of color.

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes. And, by the way, ACLU member, I have a near perfect voting report my entire career.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard you did. But I'm glad you said you would commit to abolishing the Hyde amendment.

BIDEN: No, no, right now, it can't stay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: OK, fast forward to Wednesday. Just this past Wednesday, Biden's campaign backtracked on what we just heard him say. They said he misunderstood that question and that he still support the Hyde amendment putting him at odds with all his leading 2020 opponents. In fact, a top campaign surrogate argued it was a deeply held conviction of Biden's because of his catholic faith.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CEDRIC RICHMOND (D), NATIONAL CO-CHAIRMAN, BIDEN CAMPAIGN: He is a deep le religious man. I think everyone knows that and he is guided by his faith. And his position on the Hyde amendment has been consistent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: But the very next day, Biden announced he had changed his mind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Circumstances have changed. I have been working through the final details of my health care plan, likes others in this race, and I have been struggling with the problems that Hyde now presents. If I believe healthcare is a right, as I do, I can no longer support an amendment that makes that right dependent on someone's zip code.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: The Biden campaign is now saying this has not to do with political backlash or pressure that he changed his position on the merits. Otherwise, they argued that why wouldn't he also declare his support for Medicare for all or apologize for the 1994 crime bill,

Let's discuss shall we? CNN political analyst and White House correspondent for "the Guardian, NUS" Sabrina Siddiqui is here with us and "Politico's" national political reporter Laura Barron-Lopez is also here.

Laura, what does Biden's reversal tell you about the state of Biden's campaign?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, POLITICO: This was possibly the worst week for Biden since he launched his campaign, Ana. And so, what it tells me is that his campaign is really having trouble when it comes to making sure that they know where their candidate is at on these issues. And unlike Medicare for all, this is an issue right now that is getting much more attention, the Hyde Amendment, because of the sweeping restrictive abortion laws that are being passed across red-leaning states. And we have seen this issue blow up specifically in the Democratic primary. And it's one that also rallies the base. And so, Biden coming out for the Hyde amendment put him completely at odds with his party. And it also raised the question of whether or not the Democratic Party had passed him by.

CABRERA: Sabrina, the backdrop here also being at Biden recently had to answer questions about invading women's personal space, making him feel uncomfortable. Do you think there was a fear that he was losing touch with female voters?

SABRINA SIDDIQUI, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Absolutely. And I think what is striking is that his campaign spend the earlier part of the week explaining his support for the Hyde amendment only to then try and cast his evolution within the course of 48, maybe 72 hours as organic. And I think that no one is really necessary buying for that explanation. I think what they really did realize is not just how severe the backlash was because of the Hyde amendment in particular affecting underserved communities and people of color, but recognizing in relation to that that the Democratic base is largely comprised of women and people of color.

And so, as much as he has tried to really stay focus on the general election, he is going to have to survive a Democratic primary first. And there are degradations as Laura said on issues like Medicare for all and on other income inequality issues, but I think that issues like abortion rights, issues like immigration and criminal justice, those are going to be very much a litmus test for all those Democrats who stand on that debate stage later this month. And I think what you saw in terms of the criticism from his fellow Democratic contenders is a preview of the kind of questions he is going to answer later this month and he is standing up there. And based on this week I think he is going to have a lot more work to do to convince women voters who are at this moment skeptical of this campaign.

CABRERA: I want to look at some of the new CNN polling on this issue of abortion and take a look at what we have here. You see that 31 percent say abortion should be legal in all circumstances, 48 percent in certain circumstances, and 18 percent in no circumstance. Nearly one third of those surveyed also say a candidate's views on abortion is a make-or-break factor in terms of their vote. Another 45 percent says a candidate's stance on abortion is one of several key factors.

So, I'm curious, Laura, how critical is the battle for abortion rights for Democrats right now? Is this becoming the issue for 2020?

[16:20:31] BARRON-LOPEZ: I'm not sure it's going to be the issue. Health care is also a huge issue on the trail so far since I have been following the candidates, but it is definitely becoming a bigger one because of the fact, as I mentioned previously. The bills that have been passing in states and they are designed to trigger the Supreme Court to read this as Roe v. Wade. So there is definitely an urgency around this issue. And the Democratic base very much is united in their front of being - of wanting to protect Roe v. Wade and wanting to repeal the Hyde amendment.

So again, if Biden continuing to flip-flop on issues like this, it's not going to be easy for him heading into the debate later this month.

CABRERA: A lot of the female candidates have been highlighting their role as a mother or as a role model to little girls. Here is Senator Warren this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Every time I get a chance, I'm going to say to a little girl, my name is Elizabeth. I'm running for President. Because girls run for President and they win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Hillary Clinton you will recall had a very similar message in 2016. It is time for female president essentially was her message.

In 2020, Sabrina, is that going to be a big enough motivator?

SIDDIQUI: Well, I think one of the prevailing themes of 2020 has been the unprecedented number of women who are running for the country's highest office. And if you look at the trend we saw in 2018, there is clearly an appetite for more women in elected office. You had a record number of women who were sent to the U.S. Congress as well as elected to state legislature. And you also saw the women vote really play an instrumental role particularly for Democrats in making those gains. Republicans lost the women congressional vote by I think 19 points. Independence slung in favor of Democrats by double digits. And two-thirds of women under the age of 30 also cast their ballots for Democrats in these congressional races.

So I think talking about their experience whether as a mother or as a wife or simply as a woman, is really a way for some of these candidates like Elizabeth Warren, like Kamala Harris, like Kristen Gillibrand to relate to some of those voters that they are trying to get to know.

And it's also important because I think it really brings to bear some of the issues that uniquely affect women around gender equality, whether it is reproductive rights or economic issues and really has women trying to reinforce the importance of being at the table and the difference that they can make if they are actually sitting in the oval office.

CABRERA: Sabrina Siddiqui and Laura Barron-Lopez, great to have you both with us. I appreciate your insights.

SIDDIQUI: Thank you.

BARRON-LOPEZ: Thank you.

CABRERA: One 2020 candidates is getting some rousing praise from an unlikely source. Here what one host from the President's favorite network had to say about Elizabeth Warren, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:27:01] CABRERA: President Trump's favorite TV network seemed to have a bit of identity crisis while he was overseas this week. We saw some curious moments from some of the best known personalities on FOX News Channel. And CNN media analyst Bill Carter is joining us to help breakdown some of the changing narrative.

Bill, I want to start with what may be the quote of the week. And this was Nancy Pelosi reportedly say she believes the President should be in prison versus impeached.

BILL CARTER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: Yes.

CABRERA: That brought this response now from Sean Hannity. It seemed surprising given his views in the past with Hillary Clinton and the whole lock her up thing. Let's watch and put them together.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Speaker Pelosi now apparently telling senior Democrats she would like to see Trump behind bars. Based on no actual crime, she wants a political opponent locked up in prison. That happens in banana republics, beyond despicable behavior.

Equal justice would be Hillary goes to jail. By the way, when is Hillary going to be charged?

Real crimes were committed by Hillary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: How do you explain it, Bill?

CARTER: You don't really explain it because it is just the way they are. They live in a separate university. So that which existed before, and all the things they have said about Hillary, lock her up, how many times was that said, they just pushed that aside. The most amazing thing is they can keep a straight face when doing it. Because having done that, you would think it would resonate like, yes, I have said that a thousand times about Hillary Clinton. But their audience doesn't hears that. They only hear the message that they want to give. They are on message all the time.

CABRERA: Is it because their audience wants to hear the message and they are giving the audience a message that they believe is, you know, something that is notifying (ph) to them.

CARTER: Precisely. It's a feedback thing. They turn to FOX News to get, you know, basically support for their opinions. And their opinions is already that it's outrageous that someone would go after Trump for this. And the business about Hillary, well, is justified so we can do that. And they see it as completely separate.

CABRERA: OK. I'm going to actually challenge you on that because there was also this moment. And I have to think a lot of the FOX viewers may have been surprised to hear Tucker Carlson, another one of the President's host say this about Elizabeth Warren.

CARTER: Yes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Yesterday Warren released what she called her plan for economic patriotism. She says the U.S. government should buy American products when it can. And of course, it should. She says we need more workplace apprenticeship programs, because four- year college degrees aren't right for everyone. Well, that's true. She says taxpayers all to benefit from the research and development that they paid for. And yet she writes quote "we often see American companies take that research and use it to manufacture products overseas like Apple did with the iPhone. The companies get rich and American taxpayers have subsidized the creation of low-wage foreign jobs," end quote and so on. She sounds like Donald Trump at his best.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: So is Tucker Carlson suddenly an Elizabeth Warren cheerleader? CARTER: Well, he is being very selective there. He has cherry-picked

things that, you know, coalesce with the conservative point of view. He didn't, for example, talk about the New Green Deal or women's reproductive rights, these other things that he would find offensive. But he selectively those things. And they're pro-American things.

And Warren is not a knee-jerk, left-wing Socialist person. She can have views that economically made sense in a narrow way with the conservative party.

CABRERA: The irony is Warren has been perhaps the one candidate in the 2020 race that's been the most against FOX News --

CARTER: Yes.

CABRERA: -- in terms of how she's lashed out about their content.

CARTER: Yes. Hate for profit.

CABRERA: Yes, hate for profit, she's called it.

CARTER: Yes, yes.

CABRERA: I won't go on there.

CARTER: Exactly.

CABRERA: I would be supporting hate for profit.

CARTER: That's right. Exactly.

CABRERA: Are they trying to lure her in?

CARTER: It's an interesting thought. They probably have a thought that that would be a great headline for them.

But I just think he's -- Carson is peculiar and persnickety that way. He'll pick out little things. The same -- the same guy who was attacking the metric system later on, saying it's a plot or whatever. He was attacking the metric system. So i don't think it's a turnaround for him at all.

CABRERA: Bill Carter, we have to leave it there.

CARTER: OK.

CABRERA: I had more for you --

(CROSSTALK)

CARTER: I was ready.

CABRERA: We'll have to get to it another day. Thank you.

CARTER: All right. CABRERA: This is another mystery we're following. Two weeks since a

Connecticut mother of five vanished, and police are asking residents to help find any video surveillance from the day she disappeared. This, as both her estranged husband and girlfriend have now been arrested. We have new details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:35:08] CABRERA: Right now, Connecticut police are searching for this missing mother of five children. And 50- year-old Jennifer Dulos was seen two weeks ago. She said once in divorce court that she was afraid of her husband. He and his mistress have now been arrested.

CNN's Jean Casarez has the latest details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As law enforcement continue their investigation into the disappearance of 50-year-old Jennifer Dulos, legal documents say something police won't say at this point, Jennifer Dulos was the victim of a crime.

After last being seen on the morning of May 24th, dropping her children off at school, hours later, a missing person's report was filed.

During a search of her home, police discovered multiple stains of blood on the floor, multiple areas of suspected blood spatter, and attempts to clean up the scene. They concluded Dulos was the suspected victim of a serious physical assault.

PETER WALSH, REVERAND, MARK'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH: The truth of it is that people are all dealing with something that doesn't even seem real. And yet, it clearly is real.

CASAREZ: Reverend Peter Walsh led community members at a prayer vigil after the mother of five went missing, while police focused on their investigation, calling on residents of New Canaan to ask for help.

NEW CANAAN POLICE DEPARTMENT AUDIO: As part of the time line, we seek video surveillance from homes or businesses that have cameras, which capture vehicular activity on roadways.

CASAREZ: That time line had law enforcement searching a busy street in Hartford after city surveillance video showed what appeared to be her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, depositing trash bags into garbage receptacles -- more than 30 stops in all -- hours after Jennifer Dulos went missing. A woman matching his girlfriend Michelle Troconis' description is seen with him.

Clothes and a sponge from the recovered bags were confirmed to have Jennifer's blood on them. That led police to arrest Fotis Dulos and Troconis, charging them with tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution.

After an initial court appearance, Troconis posted the $500,000 bond. Dulos did not and remains in jail.

Jennifer Dulos and her husband of 12 years have been embroiled in a divorce battle for the last two years.

In her original divorce filing, Jennifer told the court, quote, "I am afraid of my husband. I know he will retaliate by trying to harm me in some way." And claimed that he threatened to kidnap their children. Fotis Dulos denied it all to the court.

While police continue to conduct searches at properties he owns, they are also combing through mountains of trash for any evidence that can determine what really happened to Jennifer Dulos.

Jean Casarez, CNN, New Canaan, Connecticut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: A Massachusetts judge has ruled Kevin Spacey's accuser must turn over his phone to the actor's legal team. Details on how that could impact the case, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:42:14] CABRERA: Welcome back.

Actor Kevin Spacey, who is facing allegations that he groped a young man in a Nantucket bar in 2016 just had a ruling that went his way. A Massachusetts district judge is granting a defense team request to examine the contents of the phone that belongs to Spacey's accuser. And Judge Thomas Barrett has ordered that phone be turned over to state police June 21 so defense experts can conduct a full forensic imaging of what it contains.

Entertainment reporter, Chloe Melas, is joining us with this last

Chloe, you originally broke this story that led to Spacey getting fired from his Netflix show, "House of Cards." This is a separate case but sounds like it's a big development for the defense. So where does this case stand?

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: It's a huge development. Kevin Spacey pled not guilty to indecent assault and battery of this young man. He's the son of a news anchor.

Kevin Spacey's defense team has said, from the beginning, why did this young man and his mother wait a year to come forward and make these allegations against Kevin Spacey. He allegedly, like you said, groped this young man at a bar where this young man was working. Kevin Spacey's team claims this young man said he was 21 years old, not 18.

They want these cell phone reports, Ana, because Kevin Spacey's defense team believes there are incriminating text messages that the mother and son have deleted that could actually debunk their allegations and support Kevin Spacey's not guilty defense.

So to finally have these cell phone reports is big for the defense. But the judge did rule that they do not have access to the mother's cell phone records, which they also wanted.

CABRERA: So Kevin Spacy obviously hasn't been out there in public. He's been laying low for quite some time.

MELAS: Yes.

CABRERA: But he did show up in court this week. Is he saying anything about all of this?

MELAS: He showed up unexpectedly. Nobody was expecting Kevin Spacey to show up at court. His next hearing is July 8th.

And, you know, it was surprising to see him. He hasn't said much, except he posted around Christmas time a strange video on YouTube, in character as his former Netflix character.

But he has maintained his innocence. But he laid low over a year. We couldn't find him, get any statements. I reached out to his camp, repeatedly, and I could find Kevin Spacey. It was like, Where's Waldo? Where is Kevin Spacey.

But he is coming out swinging against these allegations. But there are also investigations into Kevin Spacey --

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: This isn't the only one. Remind us about the others.

MELAS: London, Los Angeles. And don't forget, you know, my investigation that I originally published right after actor, Anthony Rapp, came forward and accused Kevin Spacey of making an inappropriate approach towards him when he was a young team.

[16:45:11] You know, I had people on the set of "House of Cards" telling me that Kevin Spacey allegedly touched them in appropriately. And I have one young man, who remains anonymous to this day -- well, I know who he is but we kept his name from the public -- he claims Kevin Spacey sexually assaulted him.

So it was after our investigation at CNN that led to him getting fired from Netflix's "House of Cards" and then cut out of the Sony movie, "All the Money in the World." That was a huge deal for a film studio to cut Kevin Spacey out of that movie, recast it with Christopher Plumber, and reshoot those scenes.

Kevin Spacey has a big uphill battle against him. It's not just what's going on in Nantucket. It will be interesting to see if this goes to trial. It will be interesting to see if, now that Kevin Spacey and his defense team have these phone records, will it really help them get these charges to completely go away.

But, again, I will say the accuser and his mother, they have been holding out for months, and the prosecution holding out to not give these cell phone records over. Now Kevin Spacey's team have them.

CABRERA: Thank you so much. A quick programming note. See what happens when victims and offenders of violent crimes meet face to face in the all-new CNN original series "THE REDEMPTION PROJECT" with Van Jones. That's tomorrow night at 9:00. Followed by "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA" with Kamau Bell, at 10:00, right here on CNN.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is downplaying the threat of climate change. Hear how he characterizes the threat of melting sea ice and what he's suggesting to those who could be most affected by rising sea levels.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:50:15] CABRERA: We know that President Trump dislikes the term "Climate change." Here's what President Trump said last week in an interview with Piers Morgan while overseas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe there's a change in weather. And I think it changes both ways. Don't forget, it used to be called global warming. That wasn't working. Then it was called climate change. Now it's actually called extreme weather.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: The "Washington Post" is reporting that Trump administration officials took steps to block written testimony from a member of its own State Department who said climate change could be possibly catastrophic. Officials from several agencies raised objections to that testimony that lays out in start detail what lies ahead is carbon emissions are not curbed.

The United States, which pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord under the direction of President Trump, is second only to China when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions.

The president isn't the only one in the administration who publicly downplays the impact of rising temperatures around the world. In an interview in the Washington Times," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, "The climate has been changing a long time and societies reorganize." This is a quote. He said, "We move to different places, we develop technology and innovation."

The Arctic, of course, is on the front of climate change. Home to majestic creatures, like polar bears and beluga whales and tiny, mysterious ones, too, like algae and phytoplankton. They all depend on sea ice. And so do humans. Sea ice is disappearing at an alarming rate.

CNN's Arwa Damon joined a team of scientists collecting data from some of the world's most remote places.

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ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's spring in the Arctic. Nature is waking up as the sea ice melts, warmed by 24 hours of sunlight. This year saw a record loss of sea ice in April across the Arctic, and this is where that ice comes to die. But the story of ice loss is more than just warming air.

TILL WAGNER, POLAR PHYSICIST, UNC WILMINGTON: I would lean towards trying to keep going a little further in.

MATTIAS CAPE, BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHER, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON: OK.

DAMON: We're in the Fram Strait, far north in the Arctic Circle.

CAPE: So we're choosing this area, because this is an area where we have this warm water meeting the ice edge.

DAMON: Biological oceanographer, Mattias Cape, is one of a small group of scientists headed by polar physicist, Till Wagner.

The warm water they're talking about is the fast-moving Gulf Stream, originating in the Gulf of Mexico.

WAGNER: It's actually this warm water is at the surface as it comes up and then it drops under the ice as it goes into the Arctic Ocean. And that layer that's under the ice, that has been coming up closer to the surface and melting the ice from underneath.

DAMON: We know the oceans are taking the brunt of global warming we have caused. But the team wants to understand how the way the ice and water are interacting affects our changing world.

WAGNER: What we're trying to do is find ice that's representative of the area.

DAMON: And ice that doesn't risk breaking apart under our feet.

With a polar bear guard on watch, the team works on the ice flows day after day.

(on camera): There are so many challenges when it comes to really understanding our planet's changing climate. It's a bit like trying to put together a puzzle whose pieces are constantly changing. Changing faster than the science and the studies can keep up with.

(voice-over): The team drove through the ice to measure thickness.

WAGNER: So we're starting to get a fairly good idea, and it has definitely thinned in this -- in this area, as well. It's basically thinned everywhere.

DAMON: Extracting ice cores that hold frozen clues.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, wow, look at this.

Beautiful.

About a meter of ice core right here.

And inside this piece of ice, actually, is a little microscopic forest.

DAMON: Greenpeace ship the "Arctic Sunrise" is converted into a floating lab.

CAPE: All right. I can grab the first one.

DAMON: Melted ice-core samples come to life under the microscope, a kaleidoscope of algae and phytoplankton.

CAPE: So these sea-ice algae and phytoplankton, in general, are tremendously important for carbon drawdown. These -- they photosynthesize, takes in carbon dioxide.

DAMON: Phytoplankton don't just store carbon dioxide. They jumpstart the cycle of life. Feeding on the phytoplankton under the ice are zoo plankton which, in turn, feed small fish, feeding the bigger fish all the way up the food chain, including us.

[16:55:12] WAGNER: This is exciting, yes. Yes, there's a lot there, and this is very different than what we've seen so far, actually, in terms of just the diversity of things that are in there.

DAMON: Initial data from hundreds of samples confirmed the team's expectations. Plankton, that critical source of ocean food, concentrates where the freshly-melted ice is.

WAGNER: This is crazy. How strong. This is 14 milligrams per liter. Really strong bloom.

CAPE: Yes. Located right at the ice edge. I mean, we did have sea ice around at that station, right?

WAGNER: Yes.

This is, like, the hot devil water that sits at the bottom. It's just waiting to come up.

DAMON: Increasing ice melt is wearing down the cycle of life here and undermining nature's carbon storage system. And that's bad news for all of us.

(on camera): These waters in this region is among the most productive when it comes to the building blocks of ocean life.

WAGNER: There it is.

DAMON: There it is. Polar bear tracks.

(voice-over): Increased melting of glacial and land ice from above and from below have recently led to doubling previous projections of sea level rise, to two meters around the world by the end of the century.

That, coupled with the loss of sea ice, is not only going to deprive us of magical moments like this, beluga whales, which rely on the food under the ice to survive. It will also deprive us of the riches the ocean now holds, riches we all depend on. Arwa Damon, CNN, the Arctic.

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