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Hong Kong Protests; DMZ Diplomacy; Iran Denies Violation of Nuclear Deal; Biden Slides, Harris and Warren Surge; U.S. Border Crisis; Hong Kong Protestors Storm Legislative Council Building; Whistleblower: Pompeo's Security 'Running Errands'. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired July 02, 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): Hong Kong's chief executive, a self styled Iron Lady, vows to pursue protesters who trashed the city's legislative building while Communist officials in mainland China blame a conspiracy of hostile Western forces for causing weeks of demonstrations.
The U.S. president warns Iran is playing with fire after Tehran surpasses a key level of uranium enrichment.
And slip-slidin' away, a brand new CNN poll shows the former vice president Joe Biden losing support in his bid for the White House while Kamala Harris surges to second place.
Could this be it for Uncle Joe?
hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world, great to have you. I'm John Vause. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
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VAUSE: Hong Kong's chief executive has vowed those who trashed the legislative council building will be pursued to the very end. During a 4:00 am news conference on Tuesday Carrie Lam said she was outraged and angered by an unprecedented assault on the city's legislature on a scale and intensity which left the city stunned.
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CARRIE LAM, HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Nothing is more important than the rule of law in Hong Kong. So I hope community at large will agree with us that, with these violent acts that we have seen, it is right for us to condemn it and hope society will return to normal as soon as possible.
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VAUSE: Hong Kong's police commissioner says after defending the building for nearly eight hours, his officers were left no choice but to retreat because of the violent tactics used by protesters, which left 13 officers in the hospital.
A small number of violent demonstrators used a cage trolley to repeatedly ram the building's glass doors. Once inside, they smashed computers and spray painted slurs on the chamber walls against the police and government.
Violence was in stark contrast to the hundreds of thousands who earlier took part in a peaceful annual protest against Hong Kong's handover to Beijing.
Andrew Stevens is live. He joins us now.
Andrew, the extradition bill which started these protests which would have given Beijing the jurisdiction to extradite Hong Kong residents to the mainland has been suspended. But not scrapped.
Is the equation here just as simple as until the bill is scrapped the process continue?
But the chief executive Carrie Lam is now backed into a corner and can't make the concession.
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA PACIFIC EDITOR: At this stage Carrie Lam has given no indication she will back down. She said she will be suspending the bill and that it effectively means the bill is dead because she said she would never introduce it until she has the agreement of Hong Kong.
This only has a shelf life of on e year. So by next July it is going to be dead anyway. But the problem is Hong Kong protesters don't believe what Carrie Lam is saying. They don't trust her. The level of trust in Hong Kong government, given what we've seen, given the continued pressure put on the pro democracy movement, the fact that leaders of the 2014 Occupy moment were jailed, some pro democracy legislators were banned from taking their seats in the government has really eroded trust here.
So unless Carrie Lam does withdraw the bill completely, it is likely that protests will continue in some form or another.
I've just been speaking to Joshua Wong who was one of those jailed for his role in the 2014 Occupy movement. And he supports further protests, he does not support the violence we saw last night even though he said, I've been in jail for 100 days. These people could be facing sentences of up to 10 years. That is the passion they have, that is the frustration and desperation they're showing, even though he says he doesn't support the violence.
And he talked to pro democracy leaders and we've been talking to a few today. They all say the same thing. So Carrie Lam is also trying to use this as a wedge to shift public opinion away from support of the protests.
Look what they've done to the legislative council building, look what they've done to the parliament. They destroyed it. They need to be put in their place. And she did say that she is going to go after the perpetrators by the law.
VAUSE: Beijing will often speak to state media, at least it's often a good barometer of how the Communist leadership is thinking. So with that in mind, here's an editorial from China's "Global Times."
"Out of blind arrogance and rage, protesters showed a complete disregard for the law and order. Chinese society is all too aware that --
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VAUSE: -- "a zero tolerance policy is the only remedy for such destructive behavior witnessed. Otherwise and without this policy it would be similar to opening up a Pandora's box."
When they talk about opening Pandora's box, I think about the possibility of unrest spreading to Hong Kong, to Taiwan, to Macao and eventually to the mainland?
STEVENS: Well, China is very careful about what is seen on TV in the mainland. And the protests have been blocked out. The scenes of violence have probably been shown in the newspapers in China today. So they will manage the flow of information closely.
I think we need to point out the "Global Times" is not actually an official Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece. It is a tabloid; it does support the government. And this is a tacit recognition that what it says usually has the support of Beijing.
But what we've heard from Beijing officially over the past three or four weeks these protests have been running is continued solid support for Carrie Lam. They are standing in lockstep behind her in all the moves she has made.
There are fears in Hong Kong that the violence we've seen could be a spark for Xi Jinping to crack down on Hong Kong. He is a strong leader; he likes to be seen as a strong leader. Any images showing millions of peaceful protesters coming up on the streets, which is in direct defiance of Beijing and its role in Hong Kong, he will want to see quashed as quickly as he can.
There is the fear in Hong Kong but no suggestion in Beijing or from Beijing that it will happen, at least at this stage.
VAUSE: And it's a fair point about the "Global Times." "The People's Daily" is really the official mouthpiece in many ways. But if the leadership in Beijing did not want those words out there, they would not be out there and I guess you can read into that the inference and the importance you can put on these individual newspapers and state- controlled media outlets.
But we appreciate your reporting. Thank you.
China has accused the U.S. of stoking the protests in Hong Kong at least in part because of the ongoing trade war between both countries. But at the G20 summit over the weekend, U.S. president Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping seemed to be friendly terms. Both agreed to restart trade talks and hold off on new tariffs.
That led to a surge in U.S. stocks on Monday. And the U.S. president acknowledged also that the United States is not looking for a fair deal where both sides come out equal winners.
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TRUMP: Whatever it takes. If we don't make a great deal, if we don't make a fair deal it has to be better for us than for them because they had such a big advantage for so many years. So obviously can't make a 50-50 deal. It has to be a deal that is somewhat tilted to our advantage. And we will not do that. We're taking in a fortune from tariffs.
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VAUSE: After making history Sunday by meeting with the North Korean leader at the DMZ, we are now learning Donald Trump maybe taking a key demand off the table in nuclear talks with Pyongyang. "The New York Times" newspaper reports the administration is considering a deal to accept North Korea as a nuclear power. CNN's Kaitlan Collins has more from Washington.
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KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Trump back in Washington today after taking historic first steps into North Korea. His impromptu sit-down with Kim Jong-un has reignited talks with the Hermit Kingdom, but now, there are questions about what those talks will look like.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We just had a very, very good meeting with Chairman Kim.
COLLINS: "The New York Times" reports the U.S. may settle for a nuclear freeze instead of denuclearization, a concept "The Times" says would mean accepting the North as a nuclear power.
It's a far cry from the president's demands that Kim surrender his arsenal.
PRES. TRUMP: This is complete denuclearization of North Korea. And it will be verified.
COLLINS: Trump's national security adviser John Bolton said neither the National Security Council staff nor I have discussed or heard of any desire to settle for a nuclear freeze. This is a reprehensible attempt by someone to box in the president.
But it could be an attempt to box out Bolton who was noticeably absent from the president's trip to the DMZ because a U.S. official said he was on a flight to Mongolia. Bolton may have been missing in action but the president's daughter and senior adviser wasn't.
Ivanka Trump is facing criticism over the outsize foreign policy role she played in Asia. She summarized Trump's meeting with world leaders, a job typically reserved for national security staff.
IVANKA TRUMP, ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: The Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Abe just concluded a meeting with the president.
COLLINS: She awkwardly squeezed out the secretary of state in a photo op and Ivanka Trump even crossed into North Korea from behind closed doors. While the Trump's chief of staff waited outside, an experience she called surreal.
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COLLINS (voice-over): Back in Washington, the president is facing scrutiny of his own, after warmly embracing multiple authoritarian leaders while in Asia.
PRES. TRUMP: We met and we liked each other from day one and that was very important.
COLLINS: He lavished praise on the Saudi crown prince who the CIA recently concluded authorized the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
PRES. TRUMP: They've been a terrific ally.
COLLINS: And he touted his relationship with Vladimir Putin after joking about the Russian interference in the 2016 election.
PRES. TRUMP: I get along with President Putin. I get along with Mohammed from Saudi Arabia.
COLLINS: Now if the White House does allow North Korea to remain a nuclear power, that agreement could end up resembling the Iran nuclear deal, which the president withdrew from and has criticized the Obama administration over several times because he said it was "disastrous" -- Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.
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VAUSE: Iran insisted has not violated the nuclear agreement which Kaitlan referred to, even though its stockpiles of low grade enriched uranium now exceed the limit agreed to in the 2015 deal. Tehran argues it has the right to breach the limit after the Trump administration withdrew from the treaty and imposed sanctions.
But officials in Tehran add the decision would be reversed if European countries help ease the impact of the sanctions. In Washington, Donald Trump spoke briefly to reporters about Iran's latest move.
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PRES. TRUMP: They know what they're doing. They know what they are playing. I think they're playing with fire.
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VAUSE: Paul Carroll is a senior adviser at a group who focuses on reducing the risk of nuclear weapons. He is with us from San Francisco.
Paul, good to see you.
PAUL CARROLL, N SQUARE: Thanks for having me. My pleasure.
VAUSE: I want to start with this denial which is coming from the foreign minister in Tehran about not being in violation of the deal, particularly tweeting out this, "Paragraph 36 of the report illustrates why we triggered an exhaustive paragraph 36 after U.S. withdrawal while reserving our right. As soon as they abide by their obligations we will reverse it.
He referred to a paragraph of the accord which has mechanisms for countries to resolve disputes of compliance. I'm no expert on the treaty but it seems technically the Iranians are not in breach.
CARROLL: They have a point. I mean I'm not an attorney but I can certainly defend Iran's point of view. The United States unequivocally pulled out of the deal over a year ago. It frankly seems -- I'm surprised taken them this long to do something like this. But let's get it straight. Iran are not good guys. They're certainly provocative, support terrorist groups. They're a disturber.
But the Iran nuclear deal was doing its job for the years it was enforced until the Trump administration pulled out. I'm frankly surprised it has helped this long. And the International Atomic Energy Agency has verified. Today's action, Iran's denial notwithstanding, they are beginning to take steps to say we are not happy. We will start pushing our speed limit.
And that is what today's news about the 300 kilogram enrichment, low enrichment of uranium, means. That they're starting to test the limits.
VAUSE: And then it is kind of just a little toe in the water.
Does it matter that it's 2 kilograms?
Is that more symbolic?
CARROLL: I think you're right. It doesn't change the security situation. It doesn't significantly or substantially change Iran's nuclear weapons capacity. They are still a 12 month breakout scenario is what is called. The deal was designed to put time on the clock so we could build on that agreement. And it also meant they couldn't break out and rush to a nuclear warhead. It had a 12-month timeframe.
That hasn't substantively change based on today's news. But what it has done is really upped the stakes. And continue to say, look, we don't like what you did, United States. And we will begin moving toward more enhanced unclear capacity. So it's another twig on the fire.
VAUSE: As part of a statement which was released by the White House on Monday condemning Iran, "There is little doubt that even before that deal's existence Iran was violating its terms. The United States and its allies would never allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons."
Apart from the obvious question of how is it possible to violate the terms of a deal which doesn't exist, there seems to be a distance between the U.S. and its allies. Here is the response from Britain's foreign secretary.
"The U.K. remains committed to making the deal work and using all diplomatic tools to de-escalate regional tensions."
No mention of standing with --
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VAUSE: -- the U.S. Just a reliance on the nuclear deal which Donald Trump has rejected.
CARROLL: Yes, I think that national security apparatus in the Trump administration is getting their DeLorean. They are going back to the future.
You know, all kidding aside, a number of my colleagues and analysts made light of that statement. But I think it is important to take a look at that. It shows how the hubris in the U.S. administration and the hawkish element represented by people like John Bolton, where we are really beginning to paint Iran into a corner.
Not only did we leave the deal a year ago but we are sending signals and sending military equipment and more forces into the region. I mean this is not a good recipe.
What is Iran to do?
They already have sanctions imposed. They are sending signals as provocative as they may be that, look, in a way, you can say their provocations are signals and statements are saying as much. Let's talk.
VAUSE: The U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo issued a statement as well on Monday. Here is part of it.
"The Iranian regime armed with nuclear weapons would pose an even greater danger to the region and to the world."
I wonder at that point, anyone at the State Department raise their hand and said, yes, that's why there was a del on place which specifically addressed Iran's nuclear program.
CARROLL: Well, one would hope but the fact is there aren't that many hands left at the State Department. This is another characteristic of this administration. Secretary Pompeo, as far as I can tell, I think, is the only actual confirmed cabinet member with a national security portfolio. We have an acting Secretary of Defense. We have very large vacancies in the professional foreign service corps. This is a real problem.
So you have characters like John Bolton and others and Senator Tom Cotton in the Senate that are frankly -- they're uber hawkish. And when you add that to the fact there are military forces in the region -- and accidents and mistakes and misunderstandings can happen. We are not at a nuclear Iran yet. And there's a long way to go before that happens.
But I'm not hopeful that this administration will be of the mind that they want to have a negotiation to resolve it.
VAUSE: Make a better deal, another deal, a better deal but no one knows that that deal will be. It just seems a very odd policy which no one can really understand.
Good to see you. Thank you so much.
CARROLL: Thank you.
VAUSE: Before he joined the race, Joe Biden was seen as the one to beat. But coming up, a new CNN polls shows the former vice president's lead is shrinking.
So what is behind it?
Who is catching up?
That's next.
Also U.S. Border Patrol agents under investigation, their secret Facebook group revealed and the posts are raising some very serious questions.
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VAUSE: What a difference one debate can make in the Democratic race for the White House. A new CNN NEWSROOM poll shows a significant tightening among the front-runners. Joe Biden is still in the lead with 22 percent but that is down 10 percent since May.
Kamala Harris who many say was a clear debate winner is now in second place, 17 percent; Elizabeth Warren also gaining ground at 15 percent. And Bernie Sanders falling to 14 percent.
CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Dave Jacobson joins me from Washington.
DAVE JACOBSON, CNN COMMENTATOR: Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: Never read too much into one set of numbers but could Biden's strong early lead be explained to simply by the fact that many Democrats are supporting it because they knew him and like him and really like Barack Obama but now they've seen him on the debate stage and they saw this. Take a look.
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JOE BIDEN, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We can do this by making sure that we are in a position that we, in fact, allow people. I have also argued very strongly that we in fact deal with the notion of denying people access to the ballot box. I agree that everyone wants that. In fact they should -- my time is up.
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VAUSE: They also saw the other candidates in action. That was just a small sample of Joe. They say that he jumped ship.
If that's the theory, is Biden toast?
JACOBSON: Possibly. Look, for a very long time over the course of this presidential primary, John, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders have been in the political stratosphere while every other Democratic running in this wide-ranging field for the nomination have been planted squarely on ground -- on Earth.
It's clear from this debate that both Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden's political Teflon is no longer in existence. The reality is that Kamala Harris had a jaw-dropping, catapulting performance.
And the bottom line is at the very core of what Democrats are looking for in this nominating contest -- they care about climate change, protecting choice and comprehensive immigration reform and standing up for working people.
But the pivotal issue of this presidential primary contest is coming up with a nominee who can ultimately take out Donald Trump. Defeat POTUS and win the White House. Kamala Harris showed at this first debate that she can go toe to toe with the front-runner, Joe Biden. She took off the gloves and held her own.
She had an outstanding and spectacular performance. I think clearly voters are seeing a shift and they're now potentially perceiving her as someone who can go toe to toe with Donald Trump.
VAUSE: You get to say took off the gloves five times this year.
For the Democrats, it's still who can win in 2020?
And it's overwhelmingly that way. Biden's numbers have fallen while Harris and Warren and almost everyone else have seen their numbers improve.
So if everyone else is seen as electable and able to beating Donald Trump, where does that leave Biden?
JACOBS: That was the whole concept of why he was so formidable, why he was so untouchable. There was an inevitability factor. At the end of the day, going back to my initial point, the core reason he had this support was because Democrats wanted to defeat Donald Trump and he was the perceived only singular candidate who had the strongest chance of doing that.
But it's clear from his weak debate performance that Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren, who was not on the debate stage with him, both of those candidates had stellar performances. And I think voters and particularly Democrats and Democratic leaning independents are looking at those two candidates as plausible candidates that can take on the commander in chief.
VAUSE: Here is just a moment from Kamala Harris from last week's debate which has been such a benefit to her campaign and her polling numbers, here it is.
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SEN. KAMALA HARRIS, (D-CA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, there was a failure of states to integrate public schools in America. I was part of the second class to integrate Berkeley, California, public schools almost two decades after Brown v. Board of Education.
BIDEN: Because your city council made that decision.
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HARRIS: That's why the federal government must step in. That's why we have the Voting Rights Act, the Federal Rights Act. That's why we need to pass the Equality Act.
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VAUSE: So is Biden now fair game?
Will the rest of the field we're going after him in the same way as Harris did?
JACOBSON: I think they should but let's not forget that this was Biden's gaffe to begin with. There was no other candidate who brought up Biden's close friendship with segregationists. This was a self inflicted wound that he did to himself. So, yes, it was fair game. The reality is this is a leader who has been --
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JACOBSON: -- in office for decades and he needs to be an open book. At the end of the day, we need to have a bloodbath of a Democratic brawl in terms of this presidential primary. We need to have an open debate about all the candidates, all of the records, a dialogue about that because that is the only way that the strongest candidate is going to ultimately prevail and be in a very strong position to propel themselves to the general election and ultimately take on Donald Trump.
VAUSE: At this point, polling data is important but money talks louder. Mayor Pete Buttigieg has had a big second quarter, raising three times the previous quarter but if you look at the numbers, it's his first time; individual donors almost $300,000 which is really significant. What does it say to you?
JACOBSON: It's remarkable; it's clear that there is a groundswell of grassroots support for Pete Buttigieg. He had a solid performance at the debate too. Obviously it wasn't at Kamala Harris or Elizabeth Warren's level but he held his own and had a very solid performance.
But I think this clearly puts him into the top tier of candidates. We have not seen him tick up into double digits in polling. Obviously once you start spending down those resources and communicating with voters, that's going to help tick up the points a little bit.
Let's not forget about last quarter's performance, he skyrocketed above what Bernie Sanders raised, which I believe was just under $20 million in the first quarter. But Bernie was the top fund-raiser for the first quarter.
So this is obviously an epic performance. The question now is where does Kamala Harris and Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker and the rest of the field stand?
No one else to date has released their numbers.
VAUSE: The president, his campaign rally in Orlando raised $24 million for his campaign.
Let's finish up with -- do we get a hint of how this election will play out with Don Jr. retweeting that nasty, vile comment about Kamala Harris and her racial background?
He deleted the retweet within a few hours but by then others had picked it up and were running with it. In some ways, the damage was done and the Trump family was back in the birtherism business.
JACOBSON: I feel like I need to search for a word that adequately describes that tweet. I think I'm going to go with deplorable. The fact of the matter is, this is more of the racist, abhorrent activities that we've seen from the Trump campaign, the Trump family, the Trump Organization, the Trump allies, Republican cronies that support the president but I think Democrats ultimately will be talking about issues.
And bottom line the American people will be behind them. The American people want health care as a human right. They want to tackle climate change, they want a pathway to citizenship for the DACA recipients.
So if Democrats stay laser focused on these issues and don't get into the gutter with Don Jr., I think we will be in a solid position come in November of 2020.
VAUSE: We will see. It's a long road ahead. And we will be talking to you plenty before. Thank you good to see you.
JACOBSON: I appreciate it, take care.
VAUSE: U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials can now add public relations trouble to the humanitarian crisis they are dealing with at the southern border. The investigative reporting group ProPublica discovered a secret Facebook group, where agents posted sexist memes and joked about migrant deaths.
The group claims to have 9,500 members. The report came as U.S. lawmakers toured detention facilities where conditions have been described as unconscionable. Here is Nick Valencia.
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NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus toured three border patrol facilities along the southern border today, but it was at this station here in Clint, Texas, where, on a recent trip, independent monitors called conditions "unconscionable." The congressional delegation spent about an hour.
And when they emerged, some of the members were clearly emotional. It was chairman Joaquin Castro who says that migrants are being held in dehumanizing conditions.
Another member went on to say that the country is in a very dark place.
But it was Representative Ayanna Pressley that perhaps gave the most impassioned speech.
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REP. AYANNA PRESSLEY (D-MA): This is bigger than a funding debate or any speeches that we give on the floor of the House of Representatives, this is about the preservation of our humanity and this is about seeing every single person there as a member of your own family.
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VALENCIA: The visit comes on the same day that an investigative team with ProPublica reported on a closed Facebook group said to comprised of nearly 9,500 current and former border patrol agents.
Now the Facebook group features jokes about migrant deaths, racially derogatory comments. And responding to those comments, the National Border Patrol Council tweeted this.
"The National Border Patrol Council condemns the inappropriate and unprofessional social media posts related to members of Congress and those encountered by border patrol agents" -- Nick Valencia, CNN, Clint, Texas.
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VAUSE: And the chief operations of the U.S. Border Patrol claims the offensive Facebook posts were limited to just a small number of people. And he told CNN's Brooke Baldwin an investigation is underway.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) [00:30:12] BRIAN HASTINGS, CHIEF OF OPERATIONS, U.S. BORDER PATROL: We take all of the posts that were put out today very seriously. These do not represent the thoughts of the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol.
Each one of these allegations will be thoroughly investigated. They're already -- we have already turned this into the Office of the Inspector General and our own internal CBP Officer of Internal Affairs to begin the investigations.
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VAUSE: Well, still to come, chaos and condemnation as Hong Kong leaders condemn protestors after a demonstration turned violent. We'll take you behind the scenes as this day of violence unfolds.
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VAUSE: Welcome back. I'm John Vause with an update of our top story this hour.
Iran says it has not agreed to the 2015 nuclear agreement, even though its stockpiles of enriched low-grade uranium now exceed the deal's limits. Iran says it is responding to Washington's withdrawal from the pact. The U.S. president says Iran is playing with fire.
"The New York Times" reports the White House is considering a deal that would accept North Korea as a nuclear power. In return, Pyongyang would freeze its nuclear programs and receive sanctions relief.
The report comes after Trump's DMZ meeting with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, on Sunday.
On Monday Donald Trump also discussed fresh trade talks with China, which was announced at the G-20 summit. He said negotiations are underway and that a deal has to be, quote, "better for us than for them." Donald Trump said China had taken unfair advantage of the U.S., and any agreement could not be 50-50.
At this hour it's all quiet outside Hong Kong's Legislative Council building. Shattered glass and police tape are the only remnants of protestors storming the building and then later forced out by riot police firing tear gas.
CNN's Nic Robertson was in the middle of it all, and he explain to us how the chaos unfolded inside and outside the building.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): The moment of confrontation, Hong Kong police lobbed tear gas into the umbrella-wielding crowd, the last stand from protestors who spent the day storming the Legislative Council. Riot police herding crowds through the streets, finally moving in to quash the demonstration after hours, where the protests seemed in control. Earlier, these astonishing scenes inside the Hong Kong Legislative
Council chamber. Protestors seizing the very room where lawmakers usually sit. Their message? Release the righteous, hold police responsible, take back universal suffrage.
[00:35:07] They left a path of destruction, sprayed slogans on the walls, and defaced the city's coat of arms. This was the moment when they smashed through the glass of the council building, after hours of using trolleys, barricades and metal poles, shielded by umbrellas, the infamous symbol of resistance to Chinese domination.
(on camera): Just over my shoulder here, you can probably hear what sounds like a battering ram. It is a battering ram of sorts. It is one of those barricades you just saw being used to try to batter into this government building.
(voice-over): Once through the first layer of the building, protestors tore down metal fencing. With the building's security fully breached, the floodgates were opened.
The protestors looked well-prepared, with gloves, masks and helmets, but one told CNN, "We don't have a plan. We just want to say something.
July 1 is often a day for protests in Hong Kong, marking the anniversary of its hand-over to China in 1997. While official celebrations were held, complete with the Chinese national anthem, protestors raised their own black flag of rebellion outside the government building.
The embattled Hong Kong chief executive responded during the ceremony, promising to change her style of governance.
CARRIE LAM, HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE: I will learn the lesson and ensure that the government's future work will be closer and more responsive to the aspirations, sentiments and opinions of the community.
ROBERTSON: But so far, that hasn't quelled calls for her resignation. While the breakaway group was the violently smashing into the government headquarters, another much larger and more peaceful march through the city.
These latest demonstrations come after weeks of unrest, triggered by a proposed new bill that would allow extradition to China. Although the government has suspended the bill for now, many in Hong Kong say they will continue to protest, until the creep of Chinese influence into their lives is altered.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Hong Kong.
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VAUSE: And we should note that the chief executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, says the extradition bill will ultimately expire within the next 12 months and will not be brought up again in the next legislative session.
Well, still to come, new concerns about the security detail for the U.S. secretary of state, Mike Pompeo. Why a whistleblower says the team is like "Uber Eats with guns."
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VAUSE: It's called the Lear Jet Effect, how those in government become so used to the lavish trappings of office -- private security guards, five-star hotels and private jets -- they ultimately believe they're entitled to such perks. And it seems the U.S. secretary of state may have a bad case of Lear Jet-itis.
[00:40:07] Here's CNN's Michelle Kosinski.
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MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Multiple congressional aides tell CNN a virtual blower alleges to Democrats on a key House committee that, on multiple occasions, diplomatic security special agents were asked to run personal errands, in one instance, picking up Chinese food for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo when he was not in the car. The whistleblower said it led to complaints the security team was treated like, quote, "Uber eats with guns."
Another time picking up the Pompeo dog from the groomer. The secretary has discussed his fondness for the pets during congressional testimony.
MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I have a soft spot for my Golden Retrievers.
KOSINSKI: And according to a document provided to the committee, and shown to CNN, agents were told to pick up Pompeo's adult son at Washington's Union Station.
According to D.S. protocol, the secretary should be in the car during these kinds of trips, and D.S. should be doing them only if there is some threat that would necessitate it.
The State Department did not deny that these trips took place, but a D.S. special agent in charge insisted that, "At no point during my service did he or any member of his family ask me or any member of my team to act in a way that would be inconsistent with our professional obligation to protect the secretary."
It's not clear whether these alleged tasks were initiated by Pompeo himself or someone on this staff without his knowledge, but the whistleblower told congressional investigators that there is a culture right now at D.S. to try to please Pompeo and not make him angry.
ADMIRAL JOHN KIRBY (RET.), CNN MILITARY AND DIPLOMATIC ANALYST: These are not the kinds of people that go around complaining. They do their jobs, and they do them proudly, and they do them quietly. So that you have somebody who felt so strongly about this that they decided to go to Congress? I think that has to be taken seriously.
KOSINSKI: Congressional investigators are also seeking to understand why Pompeo's wife, Susan, has her own security detail. This is unusual, according to a former senior D.S. official, who said that if security was granted to a secretary's spouse in the past, it was just for short periods of time and only after a threat assessment for that person was done within an intelligence division of diplomatic security.
The whistleblower told congressional investors that multiple agents understood that the normal procedure was not followed and that they were warned not to use her call sign, which is Shocker, over the radios, because they, quote, "know it's not kosher," something a State Department spokesperson calls absolutely and definitively not true.
The spokesperson tells CNN only that an initial threat assessment was done for Susan Pompeo in July 2018. A special agent in charge defended the assignment: "Today, the security threats against Secretary Pompeo and his family are unfortunately very real. The Diplomatic Security Service is proud to protect the Pompeo family from those who would harm the secretary of state and the United States."
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VAUSE: Michelle Kosinski with that report.
Finally here, the calendar says some of the images are of a winter storm in Mexico. On Sunday, the city of Guadalajara woke up to a thick layer of ice about a meter high.
A very rare summer hailstorm blanketed the area, surrounding cars and homes. A semi-truck barely made it through the hail, the ice nearly reaching the driver's door. Ay caramba. That's something (ph).
Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us. WORLD SPORT is next. You're watching CNN.
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