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Trump Administration Offers Plan To Boost Palestinian Economy; Hours Away From First U.S. Democratic Presidential Debate; Celebrities Perform Mueller Report As A Play. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired June 26, 2019 - 00:00   ET

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


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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello, everybody, great to have you with us. I'm John Vause and you're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Ahead this hour: Trump to Iran, "I could obliterate you." How our race to the bottom is raising the risk of confrontation.

A dead body of a father still holding his little girl face down in the waters of the Rio Grande. How the dangerous journey for the better life in the United States cost them their own lives.

The U.N. is warning how warming climate will lead to climate apartheid. Will the wealthy escape the worst and the vulnerable suffer the most?

A global crisis which the Trump administration refuses to even acknowledge.

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VAUSE: It's the stuff of schoolyard arguments. Taunts of you are mentally disabled, followed by warnings of total obliteration. These are not the words of grade school boys in short pants. This is what passes these days for dialogue between the leaders of the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

CNN's Boris Sanchez begins our coverage, reporting on the escalating crisis now from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After deploying a round of threats on Twitter, President Trump insisting Iran takes his threats seriously.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do they take your threats seriously?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think everybody does. I think you do, too.

SANCHEZ: Trump's maximum pressure campaign on Iran now getting personal. One day after Trump slapped Iran with new sanctions, Iran's president Hassan Rouhani taunting the White House, questioning how Trump could simultaneously ask for talks with the regime.

HASSAN ROUHANI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): They do strange things that no sane person in the history of world politics has done, or at least I don't remember. This is because of their total confusion. The White House is suffering from mental disability.

SANCHEZ: Trump firing back with a string of tweets, promising war if Iran targets any U.S. interest, quote, "Iran's very ignorant and insulting statement put out today only shows that they do not understand reality. Any attack by Iran on anything American will be met with great and overwhelming force. In some areas, overwhelming will mean obliteration."

The new threat coming as sources confirm the U.S. military launched a major cyber attack on an Iranian proxy group last week. Trump today also repeated a claim that he has many Iranian friends and he wants the regime to get rid of their hostility.

But the president also boasted that if the U.S. went to war with Iran, there would be no need for an exit plan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have any exit strategy for Iran if war does break out?

TRUMP: You're not going to need an exit strategy. I don't need exit strategies.

SANCHEZ: President Trump also making clear during an interview with Hill TV, that he may consult with members of Congress whether to start an armed conflict with Iran but does not believe he needs their approval to start a war -- Boris Sanchez, CNN, at the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: CNN global affairs analyst and executive editor for "The New Yorker" website, David Rohde, joins us now from New York.

It seems proportional, it's so last week. Back then, it was enough to call off the U.S. military strike, with just minutes to spare. As a reminder, here's part of the president's tweet, when he described the estimated death toll of 150 people, "Not proportionate to shooting an unmanned drone."

A couple of days later, on Tuesday, the tweets are all about overwhelming force and obliteration. The red line for military reaction was redrawn before it was subjected upon America. Now it's on anything American, like a U.S. drone.

Has there been any significant development between then and now, apart from the Iranian leader, saying that he believes President Trump suffers from intellectual disability?

DAVID ROHDE, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: That's a very good question. I think there has been. Look, I think it's wrong to not be concerned about this rhetoric. As we pointed out, we went from not proportional to obliteration in a matter of days.

The president of Iran, saying that the president of the United States is mentally handicapped. And when Trump says now any attack on anything American will be carried out, he is under pressure to respond militarily.

So again, the president, President Trump can change his mind. But he is backing himself into a corner with this rhetoric.

VAUSE: I guess the point here is, there are obviously things that we don't know behind the scenes. But it seems like publicly, the ratcheting up of American policy, which is the change in the last couple of days, it seems it is because Donald Trump was made fun of.

ROHDE: Yes. And look, all politics is local, he is made fun of, he does not want to look weak to Americans and his political base of the United States. So that could be his personality --

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ROHDE: -- he wants to fight back but it's always about politics.

The flip side is that all this demeaning talk about Iran makes it hard for the Iranian government to agree to peace talks. They are basically being humiliated and pressured to just capitulate publicly in front of their own people. They are not going to do that for their own domestic, political reasons.

VAUSE: Part of Tuesday, the administration, some officials were still working from Friday's play sheet, focusing on negotiations without preconditions and public declarations of not wanting a war.

Here's John Bolton.

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JOHN BOLTON, TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The president has held the door open to real negotiations, to completely and verifiably eliminate Iran's nuclear weapons program. All that Iran needs to do is walk through that open door.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: As you say, pretty hard to walk through that door in the current environment.

Is the best case scenario a repeat of the failed nuclear diplomacy with the North Koreans?

We went from fire and fury and Rocket Man to love letters across the sea.

ROHDE: I think so. We would be lucky to get another round of negotiations. At least that would reduce the chances of some sort of accidental conflict. The broad Trump playbook is not working. The saber rattling, the

military threats are not leading North Korea or Iran to capitulate. I think the Iranians are under tremendous economic pressure. That is very true. The administration deserves credit for the strength of the sanctions.

But they are essentially trying to wait out Donald Trump.

Can they get through the elections of the United States and see if he is driven from office?

Trump would like to deliver a new Iran agreement. He has promised that to his supporters but I think it will be very hard for him to get anything like that before he faces reelection.

VAUSE: How much do we make of the fact that the most stinging public criticism of the U.S. president is coming from a leader, who is considered a moderate, especially compared to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, which actually controls the nuclear program.

ROHDE: I think it's a sign; I think the Iranian provocation, the statement from Iran then that the tankers were damaged, which I believe is the Iranians, they shot down the drone, that shows that the Revolutionary Guard is in control.

They are trying to provoke Trump. They're trying to isolate him from Europe. They are succeeding to a certain extent. And I think they will continue provoking Trump; this rhetoric strengthens the hardliners on both sides. It's not conducive for negotiations.

And overall, Trump chose to pull out of the 2015 nuclear deal. And he has not been able to deliver any kind of new deal, let alone a better one.

You mentioned the isolation of the United States, whose long-time ally Britain has said it was unlikely to sign up for any war with Iran. Listen to this.

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JEREMY HUNT, BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, the U.S. is (INAUDIBLE). We talked to them the whole time. We consider any requests that they say carefully. But I can't envision any situation where they request or we agree to any moves to go to war.

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VAUSE: On the other side here, Russia is making it known that Iran is an ally. Also that the Russians believe that Iran had every right to shoot down in the U.S. drone. So the Iranian strategy was to drive a wedge between the U.S. and its allies. Also, to leave Donald Trump isolated.

Would you say it has been effective and will continue like this if there is no change in U.S. policy? ROHDE: I think it's going to be effective in the short term. It is very unusual for Britain to split from the U.S. That doesn't really worry Donald Trump in terms of politics inside the United States.

But it is a concern. It's back to this thing of you can't belittle your European allies. You can't mock NATO and then expect to be backed by an international coalition at a moment like this.

Again, a big moment, a big test for Trump's foreign policy all around the world, from North Korea to Syria, to Iran. And the beginnings of the Middle East peace proposal. And I don't see any concrete achievements.

VAUSE: David Rohde, appreciate you being with us.

ROHDE: Thank you.

VAUSE: Of all the images of heartbreaking chaos, of human suffering at the U.S.-Mexico border, there is one which seems likely to become a symbol of a humanitarian crisis which seems to get worse by the day.

His name, according to the Salvadoran government, is Oscar Alberto Martinez. That little girl right next to him, the body tucked inside his shirt, her right arm around his neck, is Angie Valeria, 2 years old, his daughter.

They were found on Monday, face down on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande. They had tried to cross the river on Sunday.

A Mexican newspaper reports that Mr. Martinez had successfully crossed with his daughter but as he went back for his wife, his little girl followed him into the water and both were swept away by a strong current.

In what is an example of the barn door closing way too late, El Salvador's foreign minister is urging others not to make the journey.

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ALEXANDRA HILL, EL SALVADOR'S FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Presidents (INAUDIBLE) asked me to support these families --

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HILL (through translator) -- that have lost their loved ones due to this illegal immigration. This should not be happening.

As Salvadorans in government, we are doing everything in our power to help fix this situation. As a mother, government official but mainly as a Salvadoran, I want to beg every single one of our brothers and sisters who are planning to migrate illegally, don't do it.

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VAUSE: The image of Mr. Martinez and his daughter brought words of shock and horror from U.S. lawmakers but not much else. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. GERRY CONNOLLY (D-VA), MEMBER, OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: The crisis at the border is a humanitarian crisis. It is the failure of our government to show any empathy or any concern for the thousands of people who are fleeing violence, gang activity and dire poverty. This picture in many ways is emblematic of the failure of that policy.

Where is your humanity?

Why aren't we taking care of children and the parents who are fleeing with them in a humanitarian way, as opposed to turning them away, refusing asylum, insisting that they stay in Mexico?

And the risks continue. And we just see that in this picture. That father risked all to come to another country where he thought he and his daughter would be safe and have a future.

SEN. JEFF MERKLEY (D-OR): This father, this child were victims of American metering, where they attempted to cross at a port of entry; reportedly, they were refused the ability, put back into Mexico, where they had no family, no friends, no resources. They did what so many others try to do in that situation and say, we have just try to get across the border.

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VAUSE: Democratic presidential candidates blamed the Trump administration for the deaths of Oscar Alberto Martinez and his daughter.

Senator Kamala Harris tweeted, "These families seeking asylum are often fleeing extreme violence.

"And what happens when they arrive?

"Trump says, 'Go back to where you came from.' That is inhumane. Children are dying. This is a stain on our moral conscience."

One tweet from the former Texas congress man, Beto O'Rourke, says simply, "Trump is responsible for these deaths."

This comes on a day when America's immigration policy and leadership at the very top once again appears in chaos. The Democrat controlled lower house approved a $4.5 billion in aid to ease the crisis on the border, even though the White House has warned it will veto the bill. And (INAUDIBLE) moved children back to a detention center which days earlier had been described as deplorable. CNN's Nick Valencia has more.

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NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As the drama plays out in Washington, here along the U.S.-Mexico border in Clint, Texas, Customs and Border Protection announcing on Tuesday that they would move 100 child migrants back into a facility that was described by independent monitors as having unconscionable conditions. Heartbreaking stories, where children are left to sleep on the floor, some with no mattress. Some children going three weeks without a shower, a facility where children are left to fend for themselves.

There were allegations that were addressed by Customs and Border Protection on a call with reporters, they pushed back on those allegations, saying that not only were they reported to the inspector general but also that things like water and soap were customarily and continually available for child migrants, despite reporting otherwise.

One thing is clear. The politics is being played on both sides, while the fate of hundreds, if not thousands of child migrants hangs in the balance -- Nick Valencia, CNN, Clint, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Former special counsel Robert Mueller is to testify in public next month about his two-year long investigation into President Trump and Russian election interference. The House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees subpoenaed Mueller, Democrats hope for more detail on potential obstruction of justice by the president.

Republicans are expected to attack Mueller's team and the origins of his investigations.

Hong Kong's government facing a no confidence vote over a proposed extradition bill which has sparked weeks of protests. Demonstrators are urging the G20 countries to continue to pressure China at a summit this weekend.

But Beijing has warned this is not up for discussion.

CNN's Andrew Stevens is live for us this hour from Hong Kong.

Andrew, if there's one thing that the leaders in Beijing really respond to it's pressure from outside foreign groups. So clearly, they are not moving on this but that means that these protests will continue.

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA PACIFIC EDITOR: Absolutely. As you say, Beijing is very unlikely to move further than already has and that was by shelving this bill but not killing it.

What these people are doing and we're looking at a long protest line in Hong Kong, they are calling for a scrapping of this highly controversial bill. What's going on today is these protesters -- and they're mostly young -- are doing the rounds of all the international consulates and embassies. They've been to the E.U. consulate, the British embassy, and now going to the Canadian and Japanese embassy, handing over a petition and all embassies are bringing out staff to meet them and accept this petition, which basically says this bill must be scrapped. And they're urging the leaders of those countries --

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STEVENS: -- Donald Trump, the British leader Theresa May and the Canadians and the Japanese to support this struggle in Hong Kong.

They want it brought up at the G20. We will just keep walking down, because these protesters are now on the way to the Japanese consulate to hand over their latest petition.

Certainly, it is good natured, these protests continue almost on a daily basis and the protesters keep on saying, even though Beijing will show no sign of backing down, they say they're still going to come out and continue these sort of protests.

VAUSE: The question is, how long will Beijing tolerate the peaceful protests?

Andrew, you will keep up for that, thank you, live for us in Hong Kong.

Scorching temperatures across Europe which some are seeing (INAUDIBLE). We will have the latest forecast (INAUDIBLE).

Also, some say climate change is not only threatening ancient monuments but causing a greater divide between rich and poor. We will explain.

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VAUSE: Parts of Europe bracing for a potentially deadly heat wave. Temperatures are expected to climb north of 40 degrees (INAUDIBLE). (INAUDIBLE) officials say record breaking temperatures by the end of the month (INAUDIBLE).

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VAUSE: A heat wave in Europe is nothing new. They've had them before and they will have them again. What is unusual is the trend line of soaring temperatures. Just last year, Europe saw record breaking heat along with unusually dry conditions. This is what climate change does. It makes a heat wave hotter and longer. Hurricanes become most powerful and dump more rain.

Wildfires spread more intensely and cause more destruction. And just a brief look at international headlines over a 12-hour period on Tuesday reveals the breadth and the scope of this crisis.

The science and technology website Gizmodo cites one study which found, "Deforestation and climate change could split the Amazon rain forest in two."

From "Scientific American," "Major Medical Groups Release Call to Action on Climate Change."

Meanwhile, over at the "Los Angeles Times," "Wildfires fueled by climate change will mean shorter lives for many Americans."

Britain's "Telegraph" has this, "Climate change threatens Acropolis and other ancient Greek monuments."

"The Guardian" has a report on a U.N. study, "'Climate apartheid': U.N. expert says human rights may not survive."

Canada's "CBC" also reporting a story with a slightly different take, "Rich will save themselves in 'climate apartheid' while poor suffer, U.N. report says."

And that last story in particular seems to take this crisis to a whole new level. A warming planet always meant the way we live was destined to change. But this new report warns climate change could impact the fabric of society, undermine the rule of law and divide the planet into two groups, between those who use summer as a verb and those who don't.

For more, joining us now, Jeffrey Sachs, the director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University. He's author of "The Price of Civilization." He joins us from Pittsburgh.

Thank you so much for being with us. We notice that "Time" magazine calls you the world's best known economist. So that's quite the title.

JEFFREY SACHS, ECONOMIST AND PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST: It is good to be with you and it is indeed an absolutely dire crisis. There is no doubt about it.

VAUSE: Let's start with that U.N. report. I think this is essentially the bottom line from that report. This is what it reads.

"Perversely, while people in poverty are responsible for just a fraction of global emissions, they will bear the brunt of climate change and have the least capacity to protect themselves. We risk a 'climate apartheid' scenario, where the wealthy pay to escape overheating, hunger and conflict while the rest of the world is left to suffer."

Is this essentially the reason why very little seems to be done to address climate change?

The ones with the power and the money to actually change anything, they have no political incentive to do so?

SACHS: The fact of the matter is, most of the world wants to change and understands that we are already facing disaster. In the United States, we have had years, where the cost of weather-related disasters has exceeded $100 billion .

We have mega hurricanes, heat waves, forest fires, as you were pointing out. And all 193 governments of the United Nations agree that this is an emergency and we have to take action. But one government and that is the government of Donald Trump has said, no. VAUSE: The president is infamous to refusing to admit climate change is even happening. You may recall, at the end of the year, he posts a sarcastic tweet about global warming. "Where is it? It's really cold outside."

A kind of a bitter joke from his point of view. But over the weekend his vice president, always the loyal deputy, he echoed the words of his boss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Do you think it's a threat, man-made climate emergency is a threat?

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think the answer to that is going to be based upon the science.

TAPPER: Well, the science says yes. I'm asking you what you think.

PENCE: There is many in the science that --

TAPPER: The science community within your own administration, at NOAA, at the DNI, they all say it's --

(CROSSTALK)

PENCE: -- look, what the president has said --

TAPPER: -- for some reason, you don't think it's a threat.

PENCE: I think we are making great progress reducing carbon emissions. America has the cleanest air and water in the world. We continue to use --

TAPPER: That's not true. We don't have the cleanest air and water in the world. We don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: It went on and on and on and on Monday, the Agriculture Secretary was the latest to dismiss climate change. He said publicly it's all just strange weather patterns. Here he is.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is the cause of climate change?

SONNY PERDUE, U.S. AGRICULTURE SECRETARY: We don't know. And obviously, scientists, many scientists that believe that it's human caused.

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PERDUE: Other scientists believe it's not.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So if it's not human caused, then what is it? PERDUE: I have -- I'm not -- you know, I think it's weather patterns, frankly. And you know, and they change. So that's it. The rain yesterday, it's a nice, pretty day today.

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VAUSE: It's one thing for three members of the Trump administration out there, and the vice president, the president and the commerce secretary being willingly ignorant. But it goes on further than that. This is a report from "Politico," saying that the Agriculture Department has been burying studies which present the dangers of climate change.

So not only is there no American leadership on trying to solve what is a global crisis, it is like the opposite. They are working against the rest of the world.

SACHS: These people are a disgrace. Let's be clear, they either really know nothing, absolutely, and they haven't tried to learn anything. Or it's a corruption of politics, which is a big part of the story because if you look at how the oil and gas industry pays the campaign bills and lobbies massively, you know, we all know that in Washington they are playing games with us.

But to hear these statements from so-called leaders is just disgraceful.

VAUSE: I'm just wondering, how much blame is there for conservative media, which continues to promote these false narratives, almost creating cover for the politicians?

Rush Limbaugh, back in March, he told millions of listeners, we do not have the power to control one element of our climate. If the forecast today is for 100 degrees, there is nothing we can do about it. We can't change how hot it's going to get. We can't change how cold it's going to get. It's so complex we can't even comprehend it. We are not responsible for hurricanes, we are not responsible for tornadoes, we are not responsible for earthquakes and we are not responsible for any of this. And the idea that we are is silly. It is intellectually vapid."

There has been a slow evolution in conservative media, at first it was a hoax. Then it wasn't really happening, then maybe it, but it's part of a natural, global cycle, now it is happening but there's nothing we can do about it or it's too costly. By the time they can recognize it as a real threat, manmade, we will be dead.

SACHS: It is truly unbelievable, so much of is known. This is why all over the world, governments, not our own, are working toward solutions. The United States and a few other oil-rich countries are working against humanity. They are creating havoc for the rest of the world.

But the games that are going on in the U.S., it's Rush Limbaugh, it's FOX News, it is Rupert Murdoch in general, it's "The Wall Street Journal," also completely a disgrace, day after day, running stories that, you can't do anything and so forth. Completely contrary to what is widely understood all over the world.

Murdoch does this also in Australia, his home country, to promote the coal industry, which needs to go away if we are going to have safety in this world. So we are seeing a small group of very greedy, very irresponsible people and a lot of political corruption because of those small, wealthy people that are holding back the truth.

VAUSE: Jeffrey, we are running out of time but it has been so good to see you. We really appreciate your opinions and your point of view. Thank you.

Still to come, White House senior adviser and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner has unveiled his long awaited plan for Middle East peace. But so far, the Palestinians aren't buying it. Hell, they are not even turning up for the sales pitch. We'll take you to Bahrain and the West Bank next.

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[00:31:09] VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause with the headlines this hour.

U.S. President, Donald Trump, has upped the anti, threatening Iran with obliteration if Iran attacks on anything American. Mr. Trump claims he still wants to negotiate. The Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, says the latest sanctions prevent diplomacy, calling the White House mentally disabled.

A photo of migrant father and his daughter found dead on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande. This is fueling the debate of the U.S. border policies. More than a hundred migrant children have also been moved back into a Texas detention center where conditions were described as unconscionable just a few days ago.

Hong Kong's government faces a no-confidence vote from opposition lawmakers as another round of protests hit the city. Huge demonstrations have shaken Hong Kong for weeks over a proposed extradition bill which would allow anyone to be sent back to Mainland China.

Big money, big plans, and a great big boycott as Donald Trump's son- in-law and adviser Jared Kushner about a $50 billion Middle East development plan to create jobs for Palestinians. The White House believes this will be the foundation to release peace. Palestinians refused to attend. They say this conflict is not about economics, it's about politics. And for some reason, they don't believe Kushner when he says he has their best interest at heart.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JARED KUSHNER, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISER: This group has the ability to work together to create a historic opportunity for the Palestinian people and the people of this region. Some people have mockingly called this effort "the deal of the century." But at its core, it is not just about making a deal. In fact, this effort is better referred to as "the opportunity of the century" if leadership has the courage to pursue it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Well, sometimes we also have mega projects, but our CNN's Oren Liebermann tells us it's often the small grassroots ones that actually have more impact over the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a farming village in the West Bank, the seeds of change start small. Narjes Qutet's new guesthouse took a few thousand dollars and a belief in herself. In a society where wives often live in the shadow of her husband's, a change here in Aboud is driven by women.

NARJES QUTET, GUESTHOUSE OWNER (through translator): The women didn't really have the courage to leave the village, but now they have a source of income and they have begun to explore life more.

(voice-over): The guesthouse is one of a few homegrown projects led by women in this village, nestled between settlements in the Southern West Bank.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): This is a rural village. It is not easy for women to work here or to raise their voice, or take decisions and participate. These projects have helped them get active and learn from their environment.

(voice-over): Lisa Henry is here with Norwegian Church Aid and Danish Church Aid. The organizations have put $42,000 in Aboud over the last three years. A modest sum but one that deals directly with the villages own needs, a greenhouse to improve farming, a small bridge over a ravine with open sewage.

LISA HENRY, NORWEGIAN CHURCH AID AND DANISH CHURCH AID: Small funds go huge way here. I mean, $2,000 can make a difference. A whole family can have a livelihood out of this. And I think we should remember that when we're talking about these big sums of money.

(voice-over): The projects have succeeded in the occupied Palestinian territories where other much larger projects have struggled. Take Rawabi, a new billion dollar city meant to bring modern housing to Palestinians. Four years after the city opened its doors, it remains largely empty. Promises of more Rawabis do little to excite Palestinians who have seen too many of these assurances failed to materialize.

In Aboud, everyday access to water and electricity are much more pressing problems than billion dollar projects and the status of a moribund peace process.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We hope we will see some benefits. The Palestinian authority did put some funds in here. But there have been a lot of conferences with no results. All the same, we remain optimistic. [00:35:08] (voice-over): An economic workshop in Bahrain designed to open up the Palestinian territories to investment could hardly be less relevant. Unless we told them about it, the people we spoke with in Aboud had never even heard of the conference. Oren Liebermann, CNN, Aboud in Southern West Bank.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well, get the popcorn ready, the first big debate night in America of the Democratic presidential candidates is just hours away. The first two debates we held Miami. And our CNN's Ryan Nobles reports now on what we can expect in this big night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These are your candidates.

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The countdown is on to the first primary debates and the Democratic hopefuls are working hard to shape the narrative before the first question is even asked.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Today, we are in fact offering a revolutionary proposal.

(voice-over): In the days leading up to their first face-off, several candidates have rolled out policy proposals designed to drive the debate. Ahead of her campaign event in South Florida today, policy pacesetter Elizabeth Warren unveiling yet another plan aimed at protecting U.S. elections. Writing in a medium post, "Enough is enough. It's time to make high quality voting in the greatest democracy in the world easy, convenient, and professional."

Warren isn't alone in the policy push. Progressive rival Bernie Sanders introduced a plan Monday to eliminate the student loan debt of every American.

SANDERS: All student debt would be canceled in six months.

(voice-over): Meanwhile, Beto O'Rourke is calling for a new war tax on those who have not served to help support veterans.

REP. BETO O'ROURKE (D-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have to do much more for the veterans who have served this country.

(voice-over): For other candidates who've struggled to gain traction, the debate offers a chance at a breakout moment. Cory Booker's campaign issuing a memo that says the debate will be a chance to "introduce himself for the first time" to many Democratic voters.

Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan, currently near the back of the pack, says the debate presents both an opportunity and a challenge.

REP. TIM RYAN (D-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's literally going to be speed dating with the American people. And so within one minute, you've got to leave some impression with them about who you are, where you come from and what you stand for. (voice-over): One candidate, though, who's familiar with the primary debate stage, is the current front runner, Joe Biden.

JOE BIDEN (D-DE), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They know me.

(voice-over): The former Vice President has been spending time studying his long record, preparing for it to come under attack. Although he has been less focused on big policy roll outs.

(on camera): Now one thing we aren't seeing a lot of as these candidates prepare is mock debates. Given the fact that you have 10 candidates and several moderators, it makes it very difficult to simulate the experience beforehand. And given the fact that most of these candidates have never really appeared in a forum like this with the stakes this high, it could make for an unpredictable pair of nights. Ryan Nobles, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: They often say politics is Hollywood for ugly people and that might come true on stage. When we come back, we'll have more on maybe you should call it, balancing road (ph).

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[00:40:23] VAUSE: San Francisco, the first U.S. city to effectively ban e-cigarettes. The city board of supervisor has voted unanimously Tuesday to ban the sale and distribution of e-cigs and flavored tobacco in stores and online. San Francisco's mayor says it's necessary to help prevent young people from becoming addicted to the products. Critics argue, it could hurt businesses and remove what they claim is a less harmful alternative for adult smokers.

Let's face it. At 400 and something odd pages, it's turgid and it's tough, and few have actually read the Mueller report. But maybe the stage production could be another story altogether. With some big Hollywood names, the whole drama comes to life. For this, CNN's Alexandra Field reports. It's for one night only.

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JOHN LITHGOW, ACTOR: Oh my god, this is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I'm --

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hollywood stars and Washington's biggest drama.

LITHGOW: How could you let this happen, Jeff?

(voice-over): The Mueller report coming to life on stage for one night.

LITHGOW: I need loyalty.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You will always get honestly from me.

LITHGOW: That's what I want, honest, loyalty.

(voice-over): The play featuring a star studded cast, including John Lithgow as President Trump.

LITHGOW: You were supposed to protect me. Everyone tells me that if you get one of these independent counsels, it ruins your presidency. It takes years and years and I won't be able to do anything. This is the worst thing that ever happened to me.

The President then told Sessions that he should resign as attorney general.

JOHN GREY, ACTOR: Sessions agreed to submit his resignation and left the Oval Office.

(voice-over): Annette Bening, Mark Hamill, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, all taking part in the live reading, Ben McKenzie in the role of Donald Trump, Jr.

BEN MCKENZIE, ACTOR: And if it's what you say, I love it, especially later in the summer.

(voice-over): And Kyra Sedgwick as outgoing White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.

KYRA SEDGWICK, ACTRESS: He weighed in, offered suggestions like any father would do.

(voice-over): The show's creators describe it as a historic live play in 10 acts ripped from the pages of the Mueller Report and even portraying the weeks after, capping off the night with lines from Robert Mueller's long-awaited statement at the Justice Department last month.

KEVIN KLINE, ACTOR: As set forth in our report, after that investigation, if we had confidence that the President clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said that.

(voice-over): Alexandra Field, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Stay with us. WORLD SPORTS starts after the break.

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DON RIDDELL, CNN ANCHOR: Hello there. It is time for WORLD SPORT. I'm Don Riddell at CNN Center.

Football is known as the beautiful game but it can be a very cruel one at times. The Japan team will know exactly what I mean after they were knocked out at the Women's World Cup on Tuesday. The 2011 champions, who lost in the final four years ago, were eliminated this time in the round of 16 by the Netherlands and it was heartbreaking for them. [00:45:04] Credit, though, to the Dutch team. They are the European champions and they got in front through Lieke Martens in the last 17th minute. That was brilliant. A back heeled nutmeg going in at the far post.

And Japan got themselves back into the game equalizing shortly before half-time, Yui Hasegawa, on the end of a well work move. And in the second half, Japan had their chances. They even hit the crossbow. But, right at the depth, Nadeshiko conceded a penalty. It might have seemed harsh on Saki Kumagai. But Lieke Martens made no mistake assaulting kick sending the Netherlands through with the winning goal in the very last minute.

Meanwhile, Italy are in the quarter finals for the first time since 1991. They beat China Montpellier by two goals to null. Italy are playing in the tournament for the first time in 20 years and it's going great so far. They made a good start, Valentina Giacinti on target after just 9 minutes, her fifth goal in eight internationals.

China looked as though they might get back into it with a fine strike there from Aurora Galli earlier in the 2nd half, ended up being decisive. She is called three times as a substitute here equalling the World Cup record. And they all done so into the night to celebrate.

So, the quarterfinal line-up is now complete and it's incredible for Europe. There are seven European teams into the last eight. USA are the only outliers, no single confederation has ever had that many teams in the quarterfinal before.

Wednesday is going to be a rest day. And then the quarterfinals will start on Thursday. It's England against Norway first, then it's the host against the hooters, France versus the USA, two games on Saturday, Italy against the Netherlands and Germany against Sweden.

Now, it has been a crucial day at the Cricket World Cup. And one that could have really dire consequence is for the host nation, England. Australia qualified for the semifinals with the 64 run win against England who are now facing an uphill battle to make the semis themselves.

England would have thought their target is 286 was very gettable, but they made a disastrous start open at James Vince out for a dock and even quickly slumped to 53 to four. As is often the case, they pinned their hopes on Ben Stokes and he did his best making an impressive 89 but he couldn't get his team over the line. And when Adil Rashid was caught, England rolled out for 221 as well short of their target.

There was a convincing win for the Aussie's though. They become the first team to qualify for the semis, but England's fate is now uncertain. The pre-tournament favorites must now win their last two games against India and New Zealand and neither of them have lost a game yet. Earlier, I caught up with CNN's James Masters who watched the game at Lord's.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JAMES MASTERS, CNN CRICKET CONTRIBUTOR: I have been to cricket grounds across the world, Don, and perhaps unbiased. But I think Lord's is probably one of the best.

But today did feel a little flat especially this morning. And I think in part that's because Australia played beautifully this morning, you know, David Warner was creating a few moves. Obviously, he's back in England after the 12-month ban for ball-tampering. He came along and got 53 along side Aaron Finch who got a hundred Australia -- 123 from the wicket. And being at front seat (ph) have anything to get excited about.

And when Steve Smith came in, of course, you know, the other guy who was banned for ball-tampering perhaps when the crowd already came to life. You heard the boos. You heard the boos from outside of the stadium.

I don't really think it made a difference at the end of the day to those players. You know, Smith and Warner had promised to be professionals. They play their cricket. They played really, really well.

And I think that kind of set the tone because even when England did get back into it, you always felt Australian had enough to give. And I think when you look at the score of the England, it was disastrous, I know they lost the first three wickets for 26 runs. And you know, top players, Eoin Morgan and Joe Root and, of course, James Vince at the start of the order, you know, that really did lay the foundation for very calm (ph) to Australian victory.

RIDDLE: As fate would have it, the last three games that England had to play in a group stage are the toughest. Is that in any way a factor here or is that just the luck of the draw for them and it turns out they'll probably not going to be good enough?

MASTERS: I think when you looked at England's games I think most people were expecting them to be through by now. I think when you look at the defeat of Pakistan and the defeat of Sri Lanka, and those are the, you know, those two have been so damaging, which means, now they face India next and New Zealand, two teams who haven't lost a game, two teams that are excellent in the cricket.

Of course India looked outstanding. They've looked great from the moment they turned up in this country, and New Zealand who, you know, always underestimated, always overlooked made the final four years ago. They haven't lost a game yet. They look very, very consistent. England will really going to have to up their game.

You can see it from the body language and even the fielding today. They just really struggling at the moment. They need some spark. They need something to go up against India. They need to go and win that game. Someone is going to make something happen. Ben Stokes was great today. He hit 89 but, you know, that was too little too late for England. [00:50:04] RIDDLES: And let's give Australia their dew, terrific performance from them. What has been the secret of their success this year and what are the chances they could go all the way and win the whole thing?

MASTERS: They came here last summer. They got beat 5 nil. And Australia won the cricket was in turmoil. Nobody really gave them a chance. Now they have won 6 out of 7 in the World Cup. They thump England the favors across from the host nation. They love playing in the Lord's by the way. They always beat them here. I think you look the bowling attack. You've got Mitchell Starc, playing fantastically well. He was great again today. Jason Behrendorff took five wickets.

They just look a team who has the momentum. And so often in international tournaments, momentum is key. England don't have it. India do have it. But there's something about this Australian team. I know Australia lost to India. But they seemed to be getting better and better with each game. And it's about picking for those right moments. They're into semifinal. Australian have never played the World Cup semifinal and not gone on to play in the final. I think it would be a brave, brave person to bet against them now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIDDLES: James Masters then.

OK. You may recall that over the weekend, the Cameroon team was knocked out of the Women's World Cup in disgrace. A different result to the men's team with the African Cup of Nations but they kicked off with both a win and a loss. I'll explain that for you, next.

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RIDDELL: Hey, welcome back. At the African Cup of Nations in Egypt, the reigning champions, Cameroon, kicked off with the win against Guinea-Bissau. That's the good news. They lost their forward Joel Tagueu on the eve of the tournament after a scan revealed a heart defect, the interminable lines though say, they won't replace him.

The former AC Milan star Clarence Seedorf is the manager of Cameroon these days, and Neil have been pleased with their start. Well, they did miss a string of chances two quick goals in the second half settled the game.

Yaya Banana opened the scoring with the header before Stephane Bahoken made it two-nil just three minutes later. Cameroon's next big game is -- well, it is a big one. They are playing Ghana both are among the favorites to win the tournament.

Ghana's opener didn't go quite as well as Cameroon's though. The Black Stars came from behind to go two went up against Benin. And it was a bit of a family affair. Andre Ayew making it one all there before his brother, Jordan, made it two-one, just before half time. Their dad by the way, is a Ghana football legend, Abedi Pele.

[00:55:05] The Ghana went down to 10 men in the second half and ended up heading to settle for a 2-2 draw. Ghana are seeking a 5th nations title but the first since 1982 when Pele was on the team.

Ever since Roman Abramovich took over at Chelsea, the Blues have been managed by some of the biggest personalities in the game guys like Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, and Luiz Felipe Scolari.

What Abramovich has never done is hiring English manager but that could soon change. Chelsea's record goal scorer Frank Lampard could be set to make a dramatic return to Stamford Bridge.

Lampard has only been in football management for one year. Last season, he led Derby County to the play off final. But Derby have given him permission to speak with Chelsea about the vacant manager's position. As a player, Lampard was regard as one of the finest midfielders of this generation. He played almost 650 games for the club, winning 11 major trophies. If he's appointed, it would be a gamble. But there has no doubt that he is a legend at Stamford Bridge.

It has been more than 30 year now since the Hillsborough Football Stadium disaster which claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool supporters. Prosecutors in England on Tuesday announced that they will retry the former Police Chief David Duckenfield for 95 of those deaths.

In Duckenfield's first trial, the jury was unable to reach a verdict from the charge of gross negligence manslaughter. The 74-year-old he match commander on the day of the disaster denied the charge. A new date has been set for October the 7th.

All right, that is it for this edition of WORLD SPORT. Thanks for your company. I'm Don Ridell at CNN Center. Take care. And I'll see you again soon.

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VAUSE: Hello, and thank you for joining us. I'm John Vause as you watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Ahead this hour, the dead bodies of a father still holding his daughter face down in the waters of the Rio Grande. How a dangerous journey for a better life in United States ultimately cause them their own lives.

[01:00:00] Plus, Rouhani to Trump, you're mainly disabled. Trump to Rouhani, I could obliterate you. Our race to the bottom is raising the risk of confrontation.