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Fanfare and Fallout after U.S.-Mexico Agreement; Biden Is Top Choice in Iowa; China Extradition Bill Ignites Protests in Hong Kong; Mnuchin, Chinese Central Bank Governor in "Candid" Trade Talk; Conditions in U.S. Detention Centers "Egregious"; Several Injured in Parade after Noises Mistaken for Gunfire; Race for British Prime Minister Heats Up; Firefighters Struggle to Contain Massive Mountain Fire; Women's World Cup Day 3. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired June 09, 2019 - 05:00   ET

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

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NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): U.S. president Donald Trump boasts about his latest border deal with Mexico but a "New York Times" report says the terms were agreed on.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Plus, take a look at these images from Hong Kong. Thousands demonstrating against a controversial extradition bill.

ALLEN (voice-over): The clock ticks for British Conservative Party members to deliver their pick for the U.K.'s next prime minister.

HOWELL (voice-over): We're live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta and want to welcome our viewers around the world. I'm George Howell.

ALLEN (voice-over): I'm Natalie Allen. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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ALLEN: Thanks again for joining us, 5:00 am in Atlanta, Georgia.

We begin with the fanfare and fallout in the wake of Mexico and the U.S. making a deal on migration.

HOWELL: President Trump is cheering the agreement. He's tweeting Mexico will try very hard and, if they do that, this will be a very successful agreement for both the United States and Mexico.

ALLEN: But Democrats on Capitol Hill are not excited. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the president undermined America's leadership role by recklessly threatening tariffs on friends.

HOWELL: Mexico's president celebrated the agreement at a rally in Tijuana. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told the crowd that politics had won over confrontation. Our Paula Newton reports that event was planned as one thing but quickly became another.

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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in Tijuana, this was supposed to be a unity rally, a protest rally to show Mexican strength when it was faced with those tariffs from the Trump administration.

Don't need it any longer. They've turned it into a celebration rally and President Lopez Obrador of Mexico insisting Mexico got a good deal out of this negotiation. Says before he came, here he was on the phone with President Trump. President Lopez Obrador says no, in fact they did not give in to the most drastic demands of the U.S. administration. Take a listen.

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ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR, PRESIDENT OF MEXICO (through translator): As the head and representative of the Mexican state, I cannot permit that anyone go against the economy of our country and much less that they establish an unjust asymmetry unworthy of our government and humiliating to our country.

Fortunately, yesterday the politics of confrontation were imposed and I must recognize that there was willingness to seek a negotiated exit to the conflict on behalf of President Trump and his negotiators.

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NEWTON: Beyond the actual words and details, the migrants are still trying to figure out what it means for them. Many are terrified about the fact that they will never reach their ultimate goal of getting to the United States. You can really see the frustration on their face and feel the grief with which they are now confronting their future.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): In the end, in my neighborhood, the gangs harassed me, that if I didn't get on their side, I would have to leave or they would kill me and my daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): While there are people that might say I won't go, putting yourself in a situation n a country that is not our own, where sometimes we don't have money, no support because sometimes that happens on the trek. So some might prefer to stay. Others will prefer to risk it, risk what comes.

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NEWTON: For now, though, Mexico still taking this as a win and understanding that they averted economic disaster without those tariffs being imposed on Monday and without those escalating tariffs over their heads.

Having said that, they're not out of the woods yet, the Trump administration and the Mexican government say they will be looking very carefully to see how their new deal is implemented over the next 90 days -- Paula Newton, CNN, Tijuana, Mexico.

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HOWELL: A couple of key points to go over. Mexico agreed to deploy national guard troops to its border with Guatemala and take decisive action against human smuggling organizations.

ALLEN: Also migrants caught crossing into the U.S. will be rapidly returned to Mexico to wait for the ruling on their asylum claims. Mexico also says it will offer jobs, health care and education to those people.

In exchange, the U.S. agrees to speed up the asylum process. That deal came about after President Trump threatened tariffs on every product imported into the U.S. from Mexico, leading to days of intense negotiations in Washington, leading to the president touting the agreement on Twitter.

HOWELL: Now there is new reporting that parts of the deal aren't new at all. In fact, they were hammered out many months ago. Our Boris Sanchez has the reporting here from the White House.

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Reporting in "The New York Times" indicates that certain key aspects of this agreement between the United States and Mexico on immigration were agreed to months before the president brought up the threat of tariffs against one of the United States' largest trading partners.

A key portion of this agreement involves the mobilization, the expanded deployment of Mexican national guard troops across Mexico, with a focus on the southern border, trying to prevent migrants from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador from crossing through Mexico with the aim of crossing the border with the United States.

According to "The New York Times," that agreement was actually brokered in March by former DHS secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Further, another portion of this agreement, one that involves a program in which Mexico would host undocumented immigrants who entered the United States illegally requesting asylum, offering them education and job opportunities, that program was apparently brokered in December, according to "The New York Times."

This agreement suggests that it would be expanded, though details on exactly how it would be expanded are still ambiguous.

We should point out the president is treating this as a victory, even though "The Times" writes that it is unclear whether the president knew that these agreements were already in place or whether this was a face-saving measure by the president in light of the fact that tariffs were set to take hold on Monday.

The White House declined to comment on this story but the president has been celebrating this agreement on Twitter and his campaign has been trying to fund-raise off of it. They sent a mass text this afternoon, requesting funds from supporters and citing the president's best-seller, "The Art of the Deal" -- Boris Sanchez, CNN, at the White House.

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HOWELL: The Democrats looking ahead at the 2020 presidential nomination just around the corner. Iowa is the place to be this weekend; 19 of the 23 declared candidates are expected to be in Iowa, hoping to convince voters there ahead of the nation's first caucuses in February.

ALLEN: It's always Iowa's moment in the sun.

HOWELL: It is.

ALLEN: Notably absent, front-runner Joe Biden. He's attending his granddaughter's high school graduation but he'll be campaigning in Iowa next Tuesday, the same day President Trump holds a fund-raiser there.

HOWELL: And at this early stage in everything, a new poll shows that Joe Biden is the clear favorite among likely caucusgoers in Iowa at 24 percent. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg and Kamala Harris round out the top five. The other 18 candidates polling at 2 percent or less.

ALLEN: The first Democratic debate is less than three weeks away. This weekend's campaigning also coincides with Pride Fest in the capital, Des Moines.

HOWELL: That's where our Leyla Santiago has this report from Des Moines.

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LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is pride and politics. As many of the candidates make their way here, not only for the Pride Fest but also for a big dinner on Sunday night. That is the Hall of Fame dinner.

And we expect about 19 of the 23 candidates to be there, to not only show strength in their campaigns but also make themselves stand out. Now in this crowd here at the Pride Fest, a lot of the voters are looking for someone who's going to talk about abortion, the rights of LGBT. But a lot want to know about the jobs, the economy, health care and the candidates are taking note.

We've heard some take aim at President Trump. We've heard them talk about marriage equality. They've each had about 10 minutes to make their pitch to voters at a candidate forum to do so.

So really, the focus for many of these candidates is Iowa this weekend, that very first caucus state that really carries a lot of weight for that first vote. But take note of the time here. We are just weeks before a lot of these candidates get on a very big stage and that will be for the very first debate for the candidates -- Leyla Santiago, Des Moines, Iowa.

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HOWELL: Let's talk about it all now with Scott Lucas. A professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham. Also the founder and editor of "EA WorldView" from Birmingham, England.

SCOTT LUCAS, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM: Fine morning to you, George.

HOWELL: Let's start with the poll showing the former Vice President Joe Biden the favorite ahead of others in that state's caucuses set for February. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, all rounding out the top five. But while Biden is out front now, his advantage is smaller than seen in recent national polling.

LUCAS: I think that's no surprise, George, because when Joe Biden announced, like Bernie Sanders, they were the two that --

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LUCAS: -- had the most name recognition amongst the Democrats. Inevitably, they were the ones who had the base supporters to put them out in front in polling.

But as people learn more about other candidates they may switch and you'd name three others -- Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg. Others may emerge.

And Joe Biden, some of the luster has worn off already. You have a lead. You have to keep on holding it. For example, in recent days with his switch on abortion, that gets headlines which aren't as positive.

These are preliminary skirmishes I need to emphasize. We have a snapshot but it's really going to be in those first debates in June and July that we see things start to sift out.

Beyond those five, for the other 18 candidates, they really have to make an impression in those debates and get up around beyond 1 percent or 2 percent support if they'll last the course even to the first caucus next January.

HOWELL: Right, right. We talk about Bernie Sanders pushing for impeachment proceedings. Many of these candidates are pushing for that. That really speaks to what Democrats in the House are dealing with, this double-edged sword as to whether to pursue an impeachment inquiry against President Trump or to be more strategic to hold off for now and rely on the various investigations around him, should he lose come 2020.

There's a good article that's been published in "The Washington Post" that explains this dilemma among Democrats, asking, how will they explain this moment to their grandkids? Because there seems to be backlash really either way.

LUCAS: Well, I am wondering how to explain any of the Trump era to our grandkids. But there's a middle ground here and I think Democrats know, even if they impeach Trump, that the Republicans in the Senate will block any conviction.

So the question is really the pace to any proceedings and that turns upon the hearings. The House committees would like to have hearings to get closure on what happened in 2016 but also because it keeps pressure on Trump.

I think all Democrats will go around that. Then if the White House continues to try to block the hearings, if they defy subpoenas, if they defy contempt of court Congress charges, then you see the incentive to move towards impeachment as like a last resort to get something done about this election interference and Donald Trump's possible obstruction of justice.

HOWELL: I'd like your thoughts on this deal announced between the United States and Mexico. President Trump's threats of tariffs stole the headlines over the past couple of weeks. But new reporting shows that parts of this deal were hammered out many months ago behind the scenes. So it raises a question here.

Did the president accept this deal to save face and avoid the political fallout from these punishing tariffs?

LUCAS: I hate to brag, George, but last week a colleague and I said this is how it's going to play out. A few days of tension, then Mexico will make a limited announcement, for example, expanding its holding of migrants who await asylum. And Donald Trump will declare victory.

Here we are. Let me be honest. This was either a fit of temper by Donald Trump or it was a PR stunt. Up until the 2020 re-election effort, Donald Trump and his advisers will keep focusing on the anti- immigration theme.

This was the latest. Here's the man who can get you the art of the deal, even though the deal was made a few months ago. The problem for Trump on this one is, he's been called out now.

What if the Mexicans not only say we already agreed but if they throw it back and say, look, you are the one who is weak, does that benefit Donald Trump's effort?

I think in the next few days, watch for this, George, Donald Trump will be on Twitter again, angry with the Mexicans, and we'll go into another manufactured crisis.

HOWELL: Scott Lucas with perspective for us, thank you.

LUCAS: Thank you, George.

ALLEN: Massive protests are rocking Hong Kong right now. This could be the city's biggest in years. We'll have a live report on what's driving the outrage which is aimed at China.

HOWELL: Plus, the United States and China, they finally have spoken to one another after weeks of silence in their escalating trade war. Still ahead, details about that meeting. How it might open up new negotiations.

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ALLEN: Live video from Hong Kong showing massive protests underway. possibly the city's biggest in years. These crowds coming in to join the march.

HOWELL: Thousands of people have taken to the streets there. They're making their voices heard, rallying against a controversial extradition bill. The reasons for the outrage around this bill could let suspects be sent back to Mainland China.

Critics fear that's a power grab by Beijing, designed to help crack down on people who disagree with the government, dissidents there. Supporters insist it's about law and order. They say it stops Hong Kong from being a criminal safe haven. This has revealed some deep divisions in Hong Kong and not just on the streets.

ALLEN: Tensions over the bill have been bubbling for months. Things have gotten so heated literal clashes broke out at the city's legislature last month. It also led to protests before. This was the scene in April.

Organizers claimed more than 100,000 people turned out. Police say the figure was closer to 20,000. Let's go to our Kristie Lu Stout live in Hong Kong, there among the crowds.

We get this issue has angered so many. Tell us the mood there on the streets.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: The mood here is one of anger and determination. And all afternoon, we've been here in Hong Kong's Victoria Park, monitoring tens of thousands filter into the park here, gather here and join the greater march against the extradition bill.

This is the largest political protest I've seen here in Hong Kong since the 2014 pro-democracy movement. I must also add the temperatures here are over 30 degrees Celsius. That's hot, especially with the levels of humidity here.

That's not stopped the elderly, the senior citizens, the families with young children and infants, who feel so opposed to this legislation. That's why they're here today. The Hong Kong government says the extradition bill, which would allow the extradition of fugitives into Mainland China, is necessary to cover a legal loophole. They cite a recent grisly murder case, a 20-year-old Hong Kong woman

allegedly murdered by her boyfriend while on vacation in Taiwan and under the current law Hong Kong's inability to extradite him to Taiwan.

But the protesters here. You can hear the roar of the protesters around Causeway Bay, this major commercial district near Hong Kong. They are firmly opposed to this bill. They say, if it is passed, it would be abused and lead to the extradition of critics of Beijing, including dissidents, human rights lawyers, activists, journalists, and there would be no guarantee of a fair trial once they're extradited into China.

Earlier today I spoke to protesters for their views on why they're here.

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STOUT: Do you feel that this protest will make a difference?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Absolutely not.

STOUT: Then why do it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just at least you fight for it. At least like you didn't give up anything. You fight for it. Fight until the end.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's what I could say.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The law in China and Hong Kong is so different. Like they have so different standards. So if they happen, then what I can't imagine like what happened to the political activists or whatever, they were just sent back to China just for whatever reasons.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are some issues like if China hates some people in Hong Kong, for example, the politicians, they may be sent to China because of this policy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think that really targeting real criminal but --

STOUT: Who are they targeting?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe some political leaders. Like they are -- they may use other reasons to arrest them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: After meeting here at Hong Kong's Victoria Park, the protesters will make a two-hour walk to the Hong Kong legislative counsel, the city government here in Hong Kong. There's a critical meeting later this week when Hong Kong lawmakers review the highly controversial extradition bill. Many here are hoping that this protest action will somehow sway their minds, encourage them to withdraw the bill. Back to you.

ALLEN: Like you said, that one person said he doesn't think the protests will do anything but protest he must. You mentioned the Umbrella protest from 2014 and this is the biggest since then. Those protests, people would not leave the streets. They blocked streets, stopped commerce.

How long do you think this could go on?

STOUT: Yes, I want to add that we still haven't gotten official crowd numbers from the organizers or Hong Kong police. But what I've seen, this is the largest political protest I've seen since then.

This is planned to be a one-day action, a march from this park to the legislative council. After our position here, when we report to you live, we'll be moving over there to get a sense of the situation there.

But it's really hard to imagine what will happen as a result of this protest. That said, opposition is widespread. It's not just the ordinary people of Hong Kong who voiced their opposition to the bill but also the greater business community, even the American Chamber of Commerce.

Also the U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo said he's expressed concerns about the extradition bill and fears it will undermine the rule of law in Hong Kong. Tension is building but the opposition is widespread in regards to this piece of legislation. Back to you.

ALLEN: And will it resonate with leaders?

We'll wait and see on that one. Kristie Lu Stout, we can get a sense from your reporting the loudness of this rally. Thank you.

HOWELL: Speaking of China, for the first time since trade talks broke down last month between that nation and the United States, the two are talking again.

ALLEN: U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has held a private meeting with China's central bank governor on the final day of the G20 finance ministers' summit in Japan. Mnuchin tweeting their meeting was, quote, "constructive and candid."

HOWELL: Let's go live to Kaori Enjoji, who is following this story.

This is the first meeting between these two sides since the talks essentially broke down.

Any new lines about the spirit of the meeting?

KAORI ENJOJI, JOURNALIST: Well, the final communique, the statement, has just been released as the G20 meeting closed. And it's obvious from the statement that the trade dispute going on between U.S. and China loomed large over this meeting.

In the statement itself, the G20 ministers described it like this. They said, quote, "trade and geopolitical tensions have intensified."

So this word intensified really characterizes and sums up the mood at the G20 in Fukuoka here in Japan over the last two days. They don't specifically mention China and the U.S. This is a multilateral forum.

But, clearly, this is the dispute looming large over the meeting and one that finance ministers and central bankers said threatens to push the global economy potentially push the global economy into a slightly weaker growth phase.

Just getting back to the meeting between the U.S. and China, between Mnuchin and his counterpart at the PBOC. He says it's constructive. He says it was candid. This was a tweet he issued right after the meeting ended.

But not constructive enough to give us any details as to what happened during this meeting. I think people now will be waiting for a potential meeting between U.S. president Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi which could be held at the G20 leaders' meeting to be held in Osaka at the end of the month.

China has not confirmed this meeting will take place. Remember, there's the specter of possibly more tariffs --

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ENJOJI: -- being slapped on if no deal is reached. One thing is clear from the G20 meeting. It was very difficult for the leaders to put on a united front at a time when most of the members of the G20 are looking for a multinational approach but one big country, the U.S. in particular, has insisted all along during this administration that they prefer a bilateral approach.

HOWELL: That's a clashing of different approaches for sure. A significant G20. Kaori Enjoji, thank you.

ALLEN: Next here, an exclusive CNN report looks at conditions some migrants face once they make it to the United States.

HOWELL: Plus havoc on the streets of Washington after loud noises at a parade are mistaken for gunshots.

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HOWELL: A warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States watching this hour and all around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Atlanta. I'm George Howell.

ALLEN: I'm Natalie Allen. Here are our top stories.

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HOWELL: Let's look at a couple of numbers to put the immigration issue into perspective for you.

ALLEN: As you can see, the number of border apprehensions has been continuously on the rise since early 2017 and spiked this year to more than 130,000 apprehensions in May.

HOWELL: And here the overwhelming number of apprehensions this year are actually families, far outnumbering single adults and unaccompanied children.

ALLEN: We're learning more about the conditions many of these undocumented migrants face after they're detained in the U.S.

HOWELL: An internal report from Homeland Security says some facilities were found to have egregious violations during any inspection last year. Our Jessica Schneider reports exclusively the inspector general noted the people being held were not prisoners and detention was not meant to be punitive.

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JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Improperly packaged raw and leaking meat, overflowing toilets and moldy shower stalls and braided bed sheets referred to as nooses that have sometimes been used for attempted suicides.

The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general says these are some of the immediate risks and egregious violations found at multiple ICE detention facilities in 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 amendment 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 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 in 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.

These violations were found over a seven-month period. 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 these problems could flare up again -- Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

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HOWELL: In Washington, several people were injured at a pride parade on Saturday after reports of gunfire sent the crowd running in panic.

ALLEN: Despite the commotion, it turns out no shots had been fired. Police did recover a gun and they arrested one man. Now they are trying to figure out where the loud noises came from.

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GUILLERMO RIVERA, METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: Our officers responded to a report of a man with a gun in a park. As the officers were going to that scene, there was a crowd of people running away from it. Some of the individuals said there was a man with a gun and someone had fired shots.

Officers arrived at the location of -- where the individual was located. At that point, they stopped the individual and they recovered a gun close by. There was no evidence --

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RIVERA: -- at all that any shots were fired during the course of this investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Meantime, many people were just terrified on the streets of Washington. Here's the reporting of CNN affiliate WJLA that witnessed the panic.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's happening?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get in here. Get in here now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just chaos.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Someone has a gun.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just all of a sudden you heard these three or four very loud pops and I mean loud. And they sounded like they were coming from almost where we're standing right now and you just heard people scream and they just started booking it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His mom was trying to pick him up off the ground as people are stepping on him. And like she can't get him because people are really stepping on this little boy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the cops said there was an active shooter and they started moving quickly. And then a half second later is when that loud boom happened and so that's when everybody -- when you guys were running, that's when everybody took off like crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People hear one thing. Sounds like gunshots. We all react.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: That's the thing. You hear something and you react. Obviously, police there in Washington encouraged witnesses to come forward with any information that they could.

ALLEN: The bottom line is we have mass shootings in this country every day and people are terrified when they are in a crowd that something could be happening. That, too, was at play.

The official home of Britain's prime minister needs a new resident and the race to fill the job at 10 Downing Street beginning in earnest this week. We'll have that coming up.

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ALLEN: The race for Britain's next prime minister is on. Friday was Theresa May's last day as Conservative Party leader. She'll stay on until the party chooses a new one. But the selection process to replace her begins this week and the Tories have until the end of July to make a decision. But it seems the contest is already full of drama. HOWELL: That starts with apparent front-runner and former foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, speaking to "The Sunday Times," he said he'd refuse to pay the Brexit settlement to the E.U. unless it gives Brexit a good deal.

Michael Gove is also now being branded a hypocrite after British media reported that he admitted to using illegal drugs decades ago.

ALLEN: Let's get more about it from Salma Abdelaziz in London.

You're covering the queen's birthday and now back to Brexit. Sorry about that.

(LAUGHTER)

ALLEN: But certainly this search shows that Britain is in the throes of the complexity that is Brexit.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER: That's right, Natalie. We had our moment of sun and fun and now it's all over and back to the political drama, which is absolutely the last thing anybody wants. We have 11 contenders and the mudslinging has already begun. The Tory leadership contests are always notoriously acrimonious and bitter affairs.

And there are some candidates on the Sunday talk programs already, trying to lay out their pitches, criticize their competition in this very crowded field. In the next few weeks, we'll see those 11 people whittled down to just two.

This is where the concern comes in. This is a contest that's meant to cater to a very small subset of British society. Out of 65 million people, there are only some 120,000 Conservative Party members. And those are the ones that will be voting on those two candidates.

And let's go through the stats of these 120,000 people. They are over 70 percent male. Over half of them are over the age of 55. It's an estimated 97 percent of Conservative Party members are white. So you're talking about an older, white, male population, a very small group. And that is who these candidates are speaking to.

And that is who is going to determine the future of Brexit. So the worry is this is going to push the argument further to the right, towards a more hardline approach. And the last thing anybody in this country wants to see is more political drama, more turmoil.

I think the most common phrase you hear on the streets is, can't they just get on with it?

ALLEN: I know. Actually we'll see older, white male population. So you have held up the newspapers before for us on days when there have been some pivotal decisions.

What is the feeling among the voters, the people about the process and where it's stuck and where it's headed?

ABDELAZIZ: There is definite voter fatigue here. And I think it's the uncertainty that really concerns everyone because, as we said, we have these 11 members. Over the next several weeks we'll see these series of secret ballots that's going to whittle them down to two people. Everyone is making their arguments on TV, in the papers.

Boris Johnson saying he won't pay the Brexit bill. Sajid Javid winning over a key competition from Ireland and pushing his agenda towards education. Everyone is laying out their pitches.

But the concern is that deadline, October 31st. That means when that new prime minister is in place, at the end of July, because this is when this will be all over, they are going to have just three months to solve the crisis that Theresa May couldn't solve in three years.

ALLEN: Right. They may -- you think, maybe come Halloween, some people will miss Theresa May?

I don't know, we'll have to see that. If she couldn't do it, who can? She certainly put her work into it. Salma, we'll talk with you again about this. Thanks so much.

HOWELL: Day three action at the Women's World Cup is just hours away. Ahead here on NEWSROOM, we preview one of the most anticipated matches between two longtime rivals.

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HOWELL: Take a look here at these images from near Phoenix, Arizona. It's a fast-moving wildfire that's tearing through a national forest in that area. Strong winds have reportedly fueled the so-called Mountain Fire, making it much more difficult to contain.

ALLEN: And in California next door, another wildfire has broken out near the state capital. It comes as gas company Pacific Gas and Electric has shut off power to several counties in order to reduce the risk of fires. Some 16,000 customers have been affected.

HOWELL: In the southeastern part of the U.S., heavy rains are only fueling floodwaters.

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HOWELL: Day three of the Women's World Cup in France is set to start in just a few hours. And it comes on the heels of an exciting second day of action.

Germany's bid for a third championship got off to a solid start Saturday with a win over China;19-year-old Giulia Gwinn scored the only goal in the second half, becoming the third teenager to score for Germany in FIFA Women's World Cup history.

ALLEN: She's 19.

In the same group, Spain spoiled South Africa's first ever Women's World Cup match with a 3-1 victory. And in Group A, Norway with a decisive win over Nigeria. They beat the team 3-0.

There are three games set on Sunday but the most anticipated is between a group of longtime rivals.

HOWELL: Our Amanda Davies is in Paris with a preview of the much awaited matchup between England and Scotland.

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AMANDA DAVIES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I vividly remember being here in Paris back in December and England-Scotland was one of those matchups that brought groans from inside the auditorium when their names were drawn in the same group. People didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Scotland's first World Cup appearance; England looking at their best chance in a long time. Neighbors, such close rivals in the same group and fighting against each other for a place in the last 16. As we've got closer, excitement has only grown ahead of Sunday's matchup in Nice.

England will be the favorites with a real mix of youth and experience in their squad. Having won the invitational She Believes Cup, beating Japan and drawing with the USA earlier this year. Ellen White was one of the players that scored in that tournament and she scored against Scotland at Euro 2017.

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ELLEN WHITE, ENGLISH FOOTBALLER (voice-over): I went to euro 2004 in Portugal with my family and we went to watch England play against Croatia. And I think that was exciting to be watching a major tournament and involved in the crowd, be a super, super excitable fan and seeing like England play a live game. That was really exciting with my family.

Ultimately, you want to play in major tournaments and I think that almost gave me the buzz of wanting to be on that pitch. So yes, that potentially did give me a little bit of a push to be like, go, go be a footballer.

It's a huge transition, obviously, a new manager. It's clearly been a year now. I think it takes a while to embed a philosophy, a game plan, how he wants us to play. We've had like a full year to develop that and gain an understanding, not only as a team and a squad but also as individuals as well. So I think he's definitely brought in a different philosophy, the

standards, the mentality. I think that's really important, that we go into every game --

[05:55:00]

WHITE: -- with so much humility for every team that we play, not that we never did. But I think it's more emphasis on it.

And we want to play football. We want to win games. So it's exciting things to come. We've obviously got to get out of our group and then we'll go from there. But ultimately we'll have six months to prep after Christmas. We're going to put everything we have to win that World Cup.

We came so close in Canada. And, yes, I think we want to go one step further.

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DAVIES: White and her England teammates know that this is being talked about as their best chance yet to win a World Cup and to improve on the third place finish in Canada four years ago. They really need to lay down a marker in their tournament opener. But have no doubts, there is no chance of Scotland playing nice in Nice -- Amanda Davies, CNN, Paris.

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HOWELL: We'll have to see what happens there.

Also just hours from now, the French Open men's singles final will be under way. Dominic Thiem is slated to face Rafa Nadal, considered the most dominant clay court player of all time. Thiem beat Novak Djokovic in the semifinal.

ALLEN: And it was a dramatic match, with Djokovic fighting and failing to keep his grand slam winning streak.

And in the women's singles final, Ashleigh Barty beat her Czech rival in two straight sets. This makes her the first Australian to win the clay court French Open since 1973.

That will do it for CNN NEWSROOM. Thanks for watching. I'm Natalie Allen.

HOWELL: I'm George Howell. The news continues here on CNN after the break.