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One Killed, Six Injured in Deadly Crane Collapse; 19 Democrats Stump in Iowa, Touting Policies and Attacking Trump; Hong Kong Demonstrators Oppose Controversial Extradition Bill; Chinese President Xi: Putin and I Are "The Beast and Bosom Friends." Aired 7-8p ET

Aired June 09, 2019 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:00] ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: He clinched the Roland Garros by defeating Austrian Dominic Thiem. Nadal is now the first player, ever, to win 12 titles at the same grand slam event, making him the greatest clay court player of all time.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. I appreciate you staying with us.

We begin this hour with breaking news on a catastrophe in Texas. A crane collapse in Dallas turns deadly. And at least one person was killed, another six injured, two critically, when this huge crane fell on to an apartment building.

Severe storms and wind have whipped through this area at the time, but officials aren't saying yet if that's what caused this crane to fall, slicing into this apartment building just east of downtown. The last we heard, Dallas authorities had concerns about attempting any rescue missions for people who might still be trapped in the rubble. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON EVANS, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, DALLAS FIRE-RESCUE DEPARTMENT: There is a wall that has suffered significant damage. And at this point, no one is confident that sending anyone inside of that structure is going to -- going to help it maintain its stability. So that's one of the places that we're looking at and that's actually where the primary point of concern is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: I want to bring in an eyewitness named Kal Fahmy.

Kal, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. I understand you were in the garage when you first heard a noise that signaled some trouble to you. Describe what happened.

KAL FAHMY, EYEWITNESS TO THE CRANE COLLAPSE (via telephone): Yes, I was walking through the garage and I heard a noise like an explosion, right? So I thought proceeding towards the garage to see what the heck is going on, and that's when I saw there's a lot of dust. And there was a huge debris and there was cards -- cars, a lot of cars that fell from the top levels of our garage. Our garage is seven stories high, and I'm on the second story. So a

lot of cars that fell down from the top down to that. And by that time, I was just interested in finding my son and getting out of that building. That's all.

CABRERA: So you were worried about your son. Where was he when all this chaos began?

FAHMY (via telephone): He was in the clubhouse because he went to the garage before me. And what -- when that happened, I don't know how he made his way down to the clubhouse, or somebody told him they need to go to the clubhouse so they went to the clubhouse.

CABRERA: And how close were you to the crane collapse?

FAHMY (via telephone): I would say maybe -- I can't count how many feet, but the crane -- the crane was about, I would say, no more than 20, 10 to 20 feet from the building. And the garage is attached to the building, so I'd say probably maybe 25 feet, something like that. I don't know. I cannot -- I didn't measure it, to tell you exactly.

CABRERA: No, I understand. At what point did you realize what had happened?

FAHMY (via telephone): I really did not know what happened until everybody start talking to each other and tell -- telling us about the crane. So I kind of like peeked from outside and I saw the crane actually, you know, all the way in through the building. So that's when I knew that the crane fell, the crane next door to us.

There was a brand new building that's being built next to us, not even 15 feet away from us, and that's where the crane is on it. And the crane fell on our building.

CABRERA: And I understand you saw somebody who was injured?

FAHMY (via telephone): Yes. When I went down to the clubhouse, there was a lady and her boyfriend, and she was injured. And he was kind of like -- he was dazed and confused, to be honest with you.

I mean, the guy just -- he was worried, I guess, or something like that. And I kept trying to call the nine -- 911, and there was no answer. Obviously, everybody's calling them and there was no answer. But I was starting to call the 911 and there was no answer.

CABRERA: Do you have any idea what would have caused this crane to collapse? I know there had been some severe weather and heavy wind that came through the area. Is that what you were experiencing at the time this happened?

FAHMY (via telephone): No, not really. I was inside my flat. I did not hear any weather or wind or anything like that. There's a lot of speculations about that, and a lot of people are talking. Everybody is saying their own point of view about what happened, but, quite frankly, I cannot pinpoint it to anything. But regardless of anything, O.K., how could that be possible? A crane

that close to our building, O.K., and is not protected from wind and all that? So something is not right in this equation, that's all I'm saying.

CABRERA: And do you know what kind of injuries that woman had?

FAHMY (via telephone): She was like halfway passed out, to be honest with you, so I did not get to ask her what was wrong with her. But the only thing I noticed on the floor of the clubhouse -- we have a concrete floor in the clubhouse. I noticed blood over there, but I don't know whose blood is it. And I pointed that to a lot of people to not to step into it and stuff like that because contaminations and all that stuff, as you see.

CABRERA: O.K. And finally, what are you going to do now? What's next?

[19:04:59] FAHMY (via telephone): Well, we need to find where we're going to live. That's what's next. We got evacuated out of the building, and they told us -- they got our phone numbers, and they told us they're going to call us when we're ready to go back into the building but nobody knows when we're going to go back there. We left without any clothes, without anything. So I'm at friends' right now, so we'll see what happens.

CABRERA: We're wishing you the best. And, obviously, there's a lot more to learn about what exactly happened here. Kal Fahmy, I'm really glad to hear you and your son are O.K. And please, let's stay in touch.

FAHMY (via telephone): All right, thank you so much.

CABRERA: Thank you. Let me take you to Iowa now. It's 2020 primary season, speed dating style. Thirteen -- I should say, 19 of the 23 Democratic candidates were each given five minutes on stage to pitch themselves to voters at the Iowa Democrats Hall of Fame Dinner, the biggest event of the election cycle so far.

This Iowa blitz comes as CNN and the Des Moines Register released a new poll from the state showing over choice inaction. Only five candidates were able to get above or even crack three percent in the poll -- Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, and Kamala Harris. Another nine polled at just one or two percent. And these nine candidates aren't even statistically registering in the poll.

CNN's Leyla Santiago joins us now from Cedar Rapids where the Hall of Fame event just wrapped up. Leyla, how has all this messaging been received by voters you're talking to?

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. So as it wrapped up, I went and I found three voters here in Iowa and what they say might actually surprise you.

All three of them said that this event didn't make things easier in narrowing down the shortlist, rather more difficult. All three of them mentioned Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar as a candidate that sort of stood out to them. Two of the three mentioned Cory Booker. And several of them also said that it made it easier to sort of knock out some people from their short list, although they didn't really mention a lot of specific names when it comes to that.

They had a chance to watch 19 candidates speak for five minutes. All of those candidates trying to have a moment that would resonate with these voters because, remember, this is Iowa. This is the first early -- or excuse me, first caucus state for this election cycle, so these candidates are seeing potential delegates out here, seeking support among the voters of Iowa.

And so a lot of them mentioned things that are key to the Democrats -- abortion, voters rights -- but every single one of them mentioned that overarching issue, which was beating President Trump. The voters here I talked to seem to like that.

They're definitely looking for someone who can beat President Trump. That is -- seems to be a big priority for the voters that I spoke to here. But we'll have to wait and see how that plays out in the polls and as these campaigns continue to move forward.

Now, while we saw a bunch of campaigns showing strength and showing their force, we did not see Vice President Joe Biden or --

CABRERA: Right.

SANTIAGO: -- his campaign really having a presence here. And when I asked the voters about that -- remember, those three voters I talked to -- two of the three voters said that they did take a little offense as if Biden was not giving Iowa the priority that they wanted to see.

Now, that said, let's mention that Biden's campaign says that he had a family commitment that had been scheduled quite a while ago this weekend. That's why he didn't attend. And also, Biden will be here in Iowa Tuesday on the same day President Trump will be here.

CABRERA: Right. It wasn't just Biden who was missing. Seth Moulton, Julian Castro, and Wayne Messam also --

SANTIAGO: Right.

CABRERA: -- not there as far as the 2020 field goes. Leyla Santiago, thanks for giving us the wrap-up on everything that just took place there today.

Let's talk it over now with CNN's senior political analyst, David Gergen. He's advised four U.S. presidents, both Republican and Democrat. David, we talked about this new CNN polling out of Iowa. I want to put it back up there for our viewers. What's your biggest takeaway?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, the fact that the field does seem to be sorting out, and you have this sort of big five. And we've seen in other polls essentially the same group of people. But there's some change of dynamics within that five as well which is interesting.

Joe Biden has -- you know, has faded a little bit in the Iowa poll. I don't think he helped himself this week or the last few days with the whole, you know, argument about Hyde Amendment and things like it, especially when he seemed to cave. And you know, I think voters are looking for strength in a Democrat. They want personal strength.

At the same time, Elizabeth Warren, who was written often by many in the press a while ago, she's getting crowds now. And her --

CABRERA: And she got the most very favorable marks in this poll.

[19:09:52] GERGEN: Yes, exactly. So she is moving up. And you know, the way I interpreted it is that the Democrats are united in wanting Trump out, but they're also looking for is a candidate who is going to replace -- not just replace Trump personally but replace Trump's ideas, replace his policies.

And she is offering up a strong menu of policy ideas, much stronger than anybody else. And that seems to be working with the voters.

CABRERA: You know, Joe Biden hasn't talked really specifically about his policies.

GERGEN: Right.

CABRERA: But he's often times pointed to his time as Vice President --

GERGEN: Sure.

CABRERA: -- and the Obama White House and what they accomplished. And he tweeted out an interesting picture yesterday that is getting a little bit of criticism here. It's friendship bracelets for himself and President Obama. David Axelrod, former senior adviser to Obama, replied, this is a joke, right?

And listen to what Jen Psaki, Obama's former communications chief, said about Biden on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEN PSAKI, FORMER WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: What I think it does show about Joe Biden, though, is that he is rusty and out of touch and out of sync with the electorate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: David, it seems like it might be a problem for Joe Biden to not even be winning over, you know, praise from his own administration.

GERGEN: Right, right. I think that's right. There's something here that's not quite working in the Biden campaign yet. That's not to say -- we've got a lot of time, Ana, before, you know, we vote, and so he can pull it together. But I do think it's reaching a point where his people and he need to pay attention.

Because, look, you know, Donald Trump and Joe Biden are not that far apart in age, and yet we don't talk about Trump's age very much because he seems a young person. And Joe Biden is getting caught up in the question, are his ideas old and does that make him old? And I think he needs to, soon, begin to delineate what makes him fresh, what makes him interesting, and why should the young generation rally around him.

CABRERA: You know, I want to ask you more about the Hyde Amendment.

GERGEN: Yes.

CABRERA: And you mentioned Biden flip-flopping --

GERGEN: Yes.

CABRERA: -- and how that was part of his kind of bumpy week. And it really culminated with that flip-flop at the end, but it's interesting because most of the current and former members of Congress who are running for president this time around have voted for spending bills that included the Hyde language.

GERGEN: Yes.

CABRERA: Why aren't they getting, you know, held to the -- their feet to the fire over this?

GERGEN: Well, in part, I think, because Joe Biden is a front-runner, and a front-runner normally gets the most heat. You know, if you're running 18th in the crowd, we just don't talk about you a lot until you show -- you know, show more moxie with the voters.

But I also think it's because he has had been a more heartfelt supporter of the Hyde Amendment for a long time. And I think, very importantly, because the Democratic Party and the morals of the country have changed. Views on abortion have changed.

Women have a very different view now and increasingly think that abortion is a health issue and you have a right to good health. And women have a right, therefore, to -- you know, help getting the abortions.

I mean, we subsidize all sorts of people for things at the higher end of the scale. Why should we not subsidize someone getting an abortion if it's -- you see it as a matter of a right? Joe Biden has never really thought about it in those terms, as one can tell, and he's been sticking to his old position.

But there's something -- what I'm saying is not working very well. There -- you know, you can see the issue coming and his -- someone around him had said, you know, he's going to -- he's going to come out against the Hyde Amendment and so it was sort of set up and then he comes for it.

And then he had to flip. And I do think the flip cost him a lot. It didn't seem -- you know, he's always run on the notion that his views on abortion, including the Hyde Amendment, are based on principle. Firm principles that he's always --

CABRERA: Right, and his Catholic beliefs.

GERGEN: And his Catholic beliefs. And when you flip within 24 hours under pressure, that hardly seems a principled response. And I think that is what is catching him a lot on this.

CABRERA: I want to ask you about another poll.

GERGEN: Sure.

CABRERA: They found that the majority of Americans believe Trump will win a second term even though we've also been --

GERGEN: Yes.

CABRERA: -- you know, showing multiple polls that show some of these Democratic candidates, especially like the first, you know, top four, ahead of Trump in a lot of key states.

GERGEN: Right.

CABRERA: Why do you think that is? Why do you think people think Trump will win?

GERGEN: Well, I think they think Trump is -- whatever else you think about him, he's tough, and he's going to be -- he's going to run a tough campaign. Maybe a dirty campaign, who knows?

But, you know, the way he plays the game is, you know, he's a very big bully type figure. And they're looking for a Democrat who can stand toe-to-toe with Trump, but there's -- people aren't quite sure.

I mean, interestingly enough, Elizabeth Warren is coming across as one of the people who could potentially to do that. We don't ordinarily think of a woman in that regard, but Nancy Pelosi has certainly shown that a woman can stand up to Trump. And do very well with it, so --

CABRERA: You might argue women have to prove it that much more that they can do it.

GERGEN: Yes, I agree.

CABRERA: And you point out Elizabeth Warren, Nancy Pelosi, are a couple of examples there.

GERGEN: Yes, sure.

CABRERA: Real quick before you go, you look at this field, 23.

GERGEN: Yes.

CABRERA: And we talked about how like nine of them didn't even register on the Des Moines Register poll. There are a couple who -- including Mayor Bill de Blasio, who didn't even have somebody pick him as a first or second choice.

[19:15:06] GERGEN: Oh, wow.

CABRERA: At what point -- because it is early.

GERGEN: Yes.

CABRERA: At what point do people have to say this isn't worth it?

GERGEN: Well, I think it's going to come --

CABRERA: You might be doing more damage than, you know, good for the party.

GERGEN: I think by the time we have -- we have first debate, and then there is a second debate. It's going to be a CNN debate. I think those two debates and perhaps going into September are going to be -- are going to sort the pack out a lot.

Because one of the things that's going to be very important is if you don't show well in those debates or if you don't make the debate stage after two or three of these things, your donors begin to drop off. You know, why are they going to make a big investment in you unless it's -- unless it appears you have a real chance? So money issues, the capacity to buy advertising is going to matter a lot more as we get closer to the actual voting in Iowa.

CABRERA: All right, David Gergen.

GERGEN: O.K., Ana, so good to see you.

CABRERA: Good to see you as always. Thank you.

GERGEN: O.K.

CABRERA: And next hour, I'll be speaking with another presidential hopeful, former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper who says, despite their popularity among some Democrats, socialist policies are not the way to beat President Trump.

Meanwhile, massive protests rocking Hong Kong, some of them turning violent. Why more than a million people took to the streets to express their outrage. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:19:58] CABRERA: Now overseas today, an incredible sight in Hong Kong, the busiest and biggest public demonstration there in more than 20 years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(END VIDEO CLIP) CABRERA: More than a million people, according to human rights

groups. That's one in every seven people who live in Hong Kong taking to the streets, furious about a proposed law giving police more arrest power in the city which has some autonomy from mainland China.

Now, the extradition bill, as what they're calling it, would allow suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial. This is the view you're seeing from the ground. Now, take a look at the view from above. People literally just packing the streets of Hong Kong, shouting for the Chinese government to back off and for the people of the city to never give up.

Let's go live now to Hong Kong. CNN's Asia Pacific Editor Andrew Stevens is there. Andrew, tell us more about the reason for that enormous protest and what unfolded there.

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN INTERNATIONAL ASIA PACIFIC EDITOR: Well, this has been a protest that has been building and building, Ana, ever since the government first introduced the idea of this extradition treaty between China and Hong Kong. At the moment, there is no extradition treaty. And more and more people have been protesting.

Just last Friday, we had thousands of lawyers, Hong Kong lawyers, on the street marching. We've had a strong reaction from the Hong Kong business community. They are usually hand in gloves with the Hong Kong government, but they are now vocally critical of this new extradition bill.

And the fear is that it will allow China to ask for people that may have ruffled Beijing's feathers for whatever reason here in Hong Kong to be extradited back to China. The Chinese legal system, as we know, is opaque. It is not regarded as fair and impartial by many, many critics.

And I think one statistics that speaks to that is the conviction rate in Hong Kong, Ana, is around about -- in Beijing, excuse me, is round about 99.3 percent for every case that is tried. So it gives you an idea of the Chinese judicial system.

So it's been building and building. There's also concerns of people passing through Hong Kong -- American citizens, Canadian citizens, Australian citizens -- who could also have upset Beijing in some way, could also face pressure to be extradited to China. So there is that real fear.

At the moment, we have this situation where Hong Kong is protected from that by what is called the basic law, a mini-constitution. But this new bill would change that dramatically.

I was talking to one young protester just about an hour ago, and he said this is the last fight for Hong Kong we have. And that sort of sentiment is being echoed around this city. And as we saw those amazing pictures, perhaps more than a million people.

CABRERA: Yes.

STEVENS: I haven't seen anything like it, and I've been living here for 25 years, Ana.

CABRERA: Wow. I know we'll be following this as it continues. Thank you, Andrew Stevens.

And as the condition on the ground there in Hong Kong remains volatile, the U.S. State Department says it is monitoring the situation and concerned about these proposed legal changes. That brings us to your "Weekend Presidential Brief," a segment where we highlight the most pressing national security issues the President will need when he wakes up tomorrow.

With us now is CNN national security analyst Sam Vinograd. She helped prepare the presidential daily brief for President Obama. Sam, as you just saw there, massive crowds taking to the streets there in Hong Kong there today. Should we care, from a U.S. national security perspective?

SAMANTHA VINOGRAD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Ana, when Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997, it was under an arrangement called one country, two systems. Hong Kong was allowed to retain the independence of its institutions and the autonomy of its law enforcement and judicial system.

These protests are against what is perceived as an encroachment on that autonomy and the fact that people in Hong Kong could become subject to China's incredibly unfair legal system. And this bill, if it goes forward, is expected to pass legislature in Hong Kong. There is a pro-Beijing majority in the legislature in Hong Kong, but there is precedent for rolling back bills that didn't have favorable polling.

Back in 2003, there were mass protests against a law that was also viewed as Chinese encroachment. It would've prohibited things like sedition against China. There were more protests and the bill was shelved, so these protests could have an impact.

But even if this bill is shelved, we have to consider this against the backdrop of Chinese encroachment in the region more broadly. China is trying to bully Taiwan, a territory that it considers part of the mainland. It's encroaching on Hong Kong's autonomy. And it is harassing U.S. military assets in disputed areas like the East China Sea and the South China Sea. China is dialing up its aggression more broadly.

CABRERA: In another piece that you have on CNN.com this week, you argue that Russia and China are working together against the U.S. in this new global world order. Should you expect this cooperation to continue?

VINOGRAD: Most definitely. There is a new clique of countries getting together and that's inimical to our security interests. Russia and China have historically competed for hegemony and for resources.

[19:25:03] The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said earlier this year that the level of cooperation between Russia and China has not been this high since the mid-1950s. They are putting their differences aside to counter us.

They're signing billions of dollars in economic deals. They're working together on North Korea. And President Xi Jinping was just in Russia and called Russia and China the best and bosom buddies. They are combining forces against us.

At the same time, many of our allies are turning to Russia and China for support. Saudi Arabia, a big U.S. ally, is purchasing ballistic missiles from China. It said it may purchase weapons systems from Russia. Turkey, a NATO ally, is going to buy an air defense system from Russia despite the fact that Russia is NATO's biggest enemy and buying that system is illegal under U.S. law.

The reason this matters is because when we need to call in allies to work with us against Russia and China. They are going to be less likely to side with us because they're more integrated with our rivals. The costs are higher for them when it comes to working with us down the road.

CABRERA: Some of the countries you just mentioned criminalize homosexuality. It is gay pride month, and we know that there was this new decision by the U.S. government to say, no, you can't fly the gay pride flag at U.S. embassies. What do you see as the impact of that?

VINOGRAD: Well, elections have consequences. We elected President Trump. He used his authority to nominate Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State. And Mike Pompeo has been flagging his own flag very high when it comes to the LGBTI community.

He has made no secret of the fact that he does not believe in same-sex marriage and other rights for this community. He used his authority to proactively prohibit flying this flag. That's his right to do, but what it means is he's not listening to his team.

I worked with three secretaries of state. They often listened to their own staff. They listen to their diplomats. And in this case, as we're seeing, diplomats want to fly the gay pride flag. They're defying Pompeo's orders to try to celebrate gay pride month.

And we have no leg to stand on when we try to pursue an agenda that promotes the rights of the LGBTI community when Secretary of State Pompeo so very clearly is signaling that he doesn't believe that his own staff should be able to celebrate gay pride month in the way that they did under President Obama. This damages our policy agenda going forward, and it will damage State Department morale, as well.

CABRERA: Sam Vinograd, as always, thanks for being here.

VINOGRAD: Thanks, Ana.

CABRERA: Ahead, there is severe risk of fires in Arizona this week, and firefighters are now racing to get control of a wildfire that has already burned more than 7,000 acres. What officials say is behind the flames. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [19:30:00]

CABRERA: Welcome back. Besides severe storms that may have caused a deadly crane collapse in Dallas today, people across Texas are also dealing with scorching heat indexes. Advisories in excessive heat warnings are in effect for Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and Brownsville, Texas.

Temperatures are in the upper 90s across the state but when you factor in humidity, it will feel as hot as 116 degrees in some places. All of this happening as crews battle wildfires erupting in parts of California and Arizona.

Evacuations are underway in rural parts of California's Yolo County outside Sacramento due to a wildfire there. So far no reports of injuries or damage. In the heart of Paris, the blackened shell of the Notre Dame cathedral stands as a reminder of a disastrous fire.

But now we're learning it may also be a serious health hazard as CNN's Cyril Vanier reports officials are sending out urgent warnings about lead poisoning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CYRIL VANIER, CNN REPORTER: On April 15th, a catastrophic fire engulfed Notre Dame destroying its spire and much of its roof. The French environmental group (inaudible) estimates the blaze melted more than 300 tons of led from the cathedrals roof and steeple.

Now, local health authorities are urging families to test pregnant women and children younger than seven for exposure to lead. The regional health agency says this is only a precautionary move after a child in the area was found to have lead levels higher than normal standards.

Last month, businesses and health associations in neighborhoods surrounding Notre Dame raised concerns about lead contamination in the area. But the regional health agency says recent test show there is no risk to air quality.

Still, some high levels of led have been found in the soil near the cathedral. Authorities say they have sealed off the affected areas and decontamination will begin soon. They're also testing dust samples from homes near the cathedral.

Exposure to high levels of lead can effect children's brain development. The World Health Organization also says lead poisoning can affect the central nervous system. And for pregnant women, high levels of lead can cause miscarriage, still birth, and premature birth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: That's CNN's Cyril Vanier with that report. A new Pentagon report labels North Korea a rouge state and that's provoking a new blast of name calling from Kim Jong-un. We have details just ahead. [19:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: North Korea is very upset this weekend by some words that were used by U.S. military officials in an official Pentagon report was a military strategy report specific to security in the pacific and it refers to North Korea as a quote "Rouge State."

That and some other recent events have chipped away at the good will created by two face-to-face meetings between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and President Trump. CNN's Brian Todd has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From Kim Jog-un's regime, an angry brush back at America's military. The dictator's new agency accuses the Pentagon of a provocation of quote "an aggressive attempt to bring us to our knees by force."

Their fiery directed at a new Pentagon strategy report for the pacific region, which in its North Korea section calls the regime a "Rouge State."

AMBASSADOR JOSEPH DETRANI, FORMER U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR NORTH KOREA: The North Koreans will look for any reason to say they're not happy.

TODD: The new Pentagon report lays out the threat for North Korea's missile tests and the claims that Pyongyang sends nuclear technology to other rouge regimes. North Korea's new agency says what the report means is that the Americans are using nuclear talks as a faint to invade and overthrow Kim.

SOO KIM, FORMER CIA AGENT: The redirect has been upped and that's very typical for North Korea to do to use various tools that they have at their -- within their kit to pressure the United States.

TODD: Next week is the one year anniversary of President Trump's summit in Singapore with Kim Jong-un, when Kim pledged to work toward denuclearization. But mush of the optimism from that historic diplomatic breakthrough has unraveled.

A second summit in Hanoi ended with a Trump walk out and no new deal which analysts say angered and embarrassed the dictator. Kim's regime tested short range ballistic missiles in recent weeks.

And has issued several aggressive hostile statements aimed at the Trump administration. Should the Pentagon not have not used the phrase "Rouge State" to describe North Korea given the delicacy of where we stand now?

DETRANI: The diplomats will say look, we're at sensitive negotiations right now, maybe you could tone the language down at least when you're describing North Korea. That's a good give and take.

TODD: The White House isn't commenting on the language of the Pentagon report and whether the Trump team thinks it under minds Trump's relationship with Kim. A Pentagon spokesman tells CNN the report and the title speaks for themselves.

And former envoy Joe DeTrani says it's certainly fair for the Pentagon to call out North Korea's recent bad behavior.

DETRANI: Look, as we speak, North Korea's producing more missile (ph) material. Obviously they're weaponizing their (inaudible) material. They just launched some short range balletic missiles. They're not stopping.

TOOD: Analysts say a personal letter or call between Trump and Kim could reenergize the relationship, which Trump still seems receptive to.

TRUMP: And I think the chair and Kim would like to make a deal and I'd like to make a deal with him. I look forward to seeing him at the appropriate...

[19:40:00]

TODD: Analysis worry that all this tension on rhetoric from North Korea that seems to get more harsh with each new message from Pyongyang or (ph) that it all comes with some ominous timing.

Kim's regime has given the Trump team an ultimatum to change its calculations by the end of this year. Trump is facing a reelection campaign where he can't afford to be seen as backing down from North Korea.

Analysts say if the two sides don't figure out soon how to get back to the table that reelection campaign could play out against the backdrop of some serious military tension. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Just ahead, staggering new numbers reveal a sharp increase in the number of homeless people in Los Angeles despite the millions of dollars that city has spent to address the issue. What city officials may be missing ahead here live in the CNN Newsroom.

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It's a problem that really shouldn't be a problem when you're talking about a country as prosperous as the United States.

[19:45:00]

And in at least on major American city, it's getting worse. Officials fighting the homelessness epidemic in Los Angeles say they are shocked that with all the money being thrown at this crisis, they still need so much help. CNN's Stephanie Elam is there.

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STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN REPORTER: Tents, sleeping bags, panhandling from West L.A. to Hollywood to Downtown homeless people can be found throughout Los Angeles. Many Angelinos already suspected the housing crisis was getting worse. Now, there's data to prove it.

New numbers from the city's annual homeless count estimate more than 36,000 people in the city are homeless. That's up 16 percent from last year. In all of L.A. County the rise is 12 percent to nearly 59,000 people.

ERIC GARCETTI, LOS ANGELES MAYOR: It's high rents, it's low wages, its mental health, it's addiction, it's actually all of those transpiring together.

ELAM: Los Angeles mayor, Eric Garcetti is under fire for the homelessness issue, a problem he says he owns.

GARCETTI: People do think there's a silver bullet to this, there isn't. But a dedicated campaign with funding that continues through and patients of the first two to three years get the machine working because you can't just shelter people randomly. That will produce a system that not only ends homelessness on our streets but builds a sustainable system.

ELAM: Despite getting more people into housing last year than ever before, the city and county haven't been able to keep up with the number of people falling into homelessness. Nearly a quarter of those living on the streets said they became homeless for the first time last year.

In 2016 Los Angeles voters approved usage of $1.2 billion for permanent housing. Garcetti's goal is 10,000 permanent supportive housing units over the next 10 years. Has any of that $1.2 billion at all gone to the homeless problem yet?

GARCETTI: Yes. No, it -- we have already about $400 million of it funded. WE will spend that $1.2 billion early. I mean long before the 10 year span.

ELAM: The mayor's critics, however, are skeptical and call for more innovation.

JILL STEWART, COALITION TO PRESEVERE L.A., EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: The mayor has this dramatic plan and he's not breaking away from it. It's taking forever. It's a huge waste of money and it's turning into a disaster for the homeless.

GARCETTI: I get that frustration because I, like anybody out there, wants this to be something we can snap our finger and in a year or two see go away. It's been decades in the making and it will be years coming out.

ELAM: That frustration is also shared by L.A.s homeless.

ELAM: We are not zoo animals. We are human beings that happen to be living on the street. Stephanie Elam, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEO TAPE) CABRERA: We're getting breaking new details about that crane collapse in Dallas. Look at these images. This massive piece of equipment just slices through an apartment building. At least one person is dead. Why rescuers can't even reach one part of this structure. Just ahead, you're live in the CNN Newsroom. Don't go anywhere.

[19:50:00]

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CABRERA: It's a distinction few cities would want. Earlier this year researchers at the Brookings Institution designated Milwaukee, Wisconsin as the most racially segregated metro area in the United States.

They based their findings on analysis of U.S. census data and it shows that levels of segregation in black and white Milwaukee neighborhoods hasn't changed much since the year 2000.

But the reality is segregation has existed in Milwaukee for much longer than that. W. Kamau Bell joins us now with a preview of tonight's episode of United Shades of America. Kamau, you call this episode Living While Black. Tell me what you learned about Milwaukee's past that makes it so resistant to change.

W. KAMAU BELL, CNN HOST, UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA: I mean I think Milwaukee has done the same things a lot of major cities have as far as segregated neighborhoods and what that means is how the police differ neighborhoods, how the city allocates funds.

But the differences in Milwaukee is that a lot of people don't regard Milwaukee as one of America's blackest cities, so it doesn't get the attention and therefore maybe the help it could get because we don't think of Milwaukee as being a black American city.

CABRERA: In this episode, you talk about bias, it may be something we're not even aware of in some cases. Let's look at a clip from the show and how bias has effected the experience of one young woman.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had to pick an organization to work with for the semester. And my teacher told me that she wanted me to help out a foster home. And I was like oh, why? And she was like oh, don't you come from foster care?

(LAUGHTER)

BELL: Wow.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I was like--

(LAUGHTER)

And I asked her, I said where'd you get that from? She was like well, I just -- and I was like you just what? (LAUGHTER)

BELL: I got it from racism? I just got it--

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEOCLIP)

CABRERA: So help me understand the context there. Just because this young woman is black, someone just assumed she knew about foster care?

BELL: Yes, those -- that group was called Leaders in Transformation Lit, and it's people -- its students of color coming together to figure out how to navigate the school system because you are treated more like a statistic than an individual.

So, we were sitting around talking with these students and they all were telling stories about how teachers treated them the way they thought people of color should be treated instead of treating them like individuals.

So this teacher had not asked her what is your upbringing like, where do you come from, what's it like in your home. She just assumed because she maybe has other students in foster care that were black. That this student was a black kid in foster care.

CABRERA: Wow. You took a test I know to measure your own levels of implicit bias. Did it change your own awareness of yourself? What did you learn?

BELL: I mean it's called the implicit bias. It's a test to figure out how much implicit bias you have in you. And I think it's kind of a test that everybody should take. Unfortunately the people who need to take it probably aren't going to take it.

So, I did learn that I have a moderate preference for black people which made my family very happy.

(LAUGHTER)

CABRERA: Talk to me about redlining and the role that has played in persistent segregation.

BELL: So yes, we're talking -- the thing about segregation, people think oh, well of course black people like black neighborhoods and white people like white neighborhoods and Asian people like Asian neighborhoods but it doesn't work that way.

Once you segregate a city, what you're doing also is allocating where people can live and where they can't live a lot of times through the banks. So that a black person who lives in a back neighborhood goes to the bank to buy a new house and the bank says you live in a neighborhood where we don't give loans to people in that neighborhood.

Or also even if you are able to buy a house in that neighborhood, that house is not going to recruit value because it's in a redline neighborhood, so you can't become a generational -- you can't generate generational wealth white people can which is how you create Donald Trump.

CABRERA: Protests I remember rocked Milwaukee in the summer of 2016. And that sort of highlighted the racial tension in that city. Talk to us more about what it was. Remind us what set them off.

[19:55:00]

BELL: I'm sorry, say it again. Remind us of (ph) what?

CABRERA: Of the protest in 2016 and what's -- what triggered it.

BELL: Well there was -- a person -- a man was murder, Sylville Smith, and he was murdered and it sort of turned into a protest and then as the protest got bigger and bigger, some people -- some violence occurred and a lot of people called a race riot.

And really we've seen things like that happen in other cities too and again, it's about the fact that like people feel like what's going on in their areas, their neighborhoods aren't being addressed and they -- and they sort of get to their wits end at certain points.

And you know if these people felt like they were being policed effectively and felt like they were getting the resources that they deserved in their -- in their neighborhoods, we wouldn't end up in places like this.

CABRERA: W. Kamau Bell, it's always good to have your insight and we look forward to your episode. Thanks for joining us.

BELL: Thank you.

CABRERA: Don't miss the "United Shades of America." It airs tonight at 10 PM Eastern, right here. And nearly all the democrats running for president are in one state that holds the countries first presidential nominating contest and I'll speak to one of the contenders, former Colorado governor, John Hickenlooper.

You might have seen him pouring drinks in Iowa earlier today. He says he has a plan to beat to Trump and he's also taking on Bernie Sanders, questioning what exactly he's accomplished. He joins us live in the CNN Newsroom next.

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[20:00:00]

You're live in the CNN Newsroom, I'm Ana Cabrera in New York and we still have 239 days.