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Trump Criticized for Embracing North Korean Leader; Ivanka Trump Dabbles in Diplomacy; HK Police Secure Legislative Building After Protests; Iran Denies Uranium Stockpile Violates Nuclear Deal; Trump: Tariffs Against Mexico Off the Table; ProPublica Reveals Secret Online Border Agent's Group; Salvadoran Migrant Father and Daughter Buried Monday. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired July 02, 2019 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:000:00] JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hong Kong's chief executive, a self-styled Iron Lady vows to pursue the protesters who trashed the city's legislative building for where communist officials on mainland China say hostile western forces were behind weeks of unrest.
U.S. President warning Iran is playing with fire after Tehran surpasses a key level of uranium enrichment. And slip, sliding away, a brand new CNN poll shows the former Vice President Joe Biden losing support in his bid for the White House where Kamala Harris surges to second place. So could this be it for Uncle Joe?
Hello, welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. Good to be with us. I'm John Vause, and you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
A tense calm has settled over Hong Kong right now 24 hours after protesters stormed the Legislative Council building and ransacked the main chamber. Riot police used tear gas to disperse the crowds. Their anger was stoked by the anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to China and are now suspended extradition bill.
There was a more peaceful protest earlier in the night nearby which was praised by the city's chief executive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARRIE LAM, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, HONG KONG: We have seen two entirely different public scenes. One is regular march on the 1st of July. Regardless of the number of participants in the march, the march was peaceful and generally orderly and this fully reflects the inclusiveness of Hong Kong society and the core values we attach to peace and order.
The second scene that we have seen which really saddens a lot of people and shocks a lot of people is the extreme use of violence and vandalism by protesters who stormed into the Legislative Council Building over a period of time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: CNN's Andrew Stevens has been on the frontlines of the protest. He joins us now live for more on this. So Andrew, you know, this extradition bill which you know, essentially sparked for protests, the critics say were to give him Beijing jurisdiction and basically a power grab and the ability to extradite Hong Kong residents to the mainland. It's now being suspended but not scrapped by the chief executive but she does say, Carrie Lam, that for all intents and purposes, it's done.
But from what protesters are telling you, that just isn't enough. Why is it? So where does this all go from here?
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the protesters I've been speaking to, in fact, there are leaders and there are legislators, lawmakers here I've been speaking to, John, because the protesters today are conspicuously absent.
But leading up to the events of the last few hours, that violence and the attack, and the invasion of the Legislative Council, the protesters were very clearly saying they are going to continue their fight as they keep on saying they're peaceful fight for Carrie Lam to completely scrap this bill.
But it is complicated because as Carrie Lam says, the bill is in effect dead. She hasn't scrapped it. She has suspended it but the chances of it coming back before it actually naturally expires next July are virtually zero and she herself said she'd only bring it back when the people of Hong Kong agree and the chances that happening is pretty much zero as well.
But the protesters also want an independent commission into police action. Police accused of using excessive force a couple of weeks ago at June 12th in clearing the protesters away from this area. They want the protesters who are arrested then to be exonerated, to be freed. So there's that there is more at stake for the protesters.
So in a way, they're making it very difficult for the government to actually agree to all their demands. Having said that, John, the government has as Carrie Lam said, there were two types of protests. There was the peaceful protests. We've seen peaceful protests before, one million coming out of the street, two million coming out of the street, but the government didn't listen to that.
It was only when June 12 when we saw injuries and arrests and violence here that Carrie Lam said all right, I do not want that to happen to our youth. I will now suspend this bill. She later apologized for the government's handling of a whole affair. So it showed that there was some movement in the government only to be achieved by the fact that the protesters were prepared to you know to go to the barricades as it were.
So where are we now? Well, the protesters have disappeared as I say. Today we've got (INAUDIBLE) camps, we've got the pro-democracy camp saying that they're pleading with the protesters not to do any more violent acts but to continue the protest. We've got the pro-Beijing lawmakers here saying that these kids are -- they're misguided. They needed to be brought back on track which is you and I know, John, doesn't go down very well with teenagers and people in their early 20s.
But I put that to Joshua Wong. Joshua Wong is probably the best-known protest leader in Hong Kong. He was jailed for his part in the 2014 Occupy movement. And I asked him, did he think the students who -- or the young people who stormed this legislative council building, were they misguided. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSHUA WONG, ACTIVIST: I don't believe young are misguided with their independence of mind and critical thinking. I will say that I understand people might not fully agree on all the behavior of the activist when they're storming to the legislative council building but they feel depressed and no hope and they come to solve the problem inside the institution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEVENS: This is what you hear from the -- from the protesters on the front line so to speak time and again, the passion and the deep despair, their deep frustrations in their position in Hong Kong, the fact that their democracy is disappearing before their eyes, the fact that economic opportunities are dwindling as they see them as well.
So they are desperate. They do say they're prepared to fight, to take this fight physically to the government. So whether they will again, we'll have to wait and see, but certainly, there is that depth of frustration, that depth of despair which hasn't been dissipated yet, John.
VAUSE: Very quickly, we're almost our time, Andrew, because what we're hearing from you know, leaders of China, in Beijing, they're blaming a lot of these protests unrest on hostile Western forces. We heard that before the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, we heard it again in 2014 during the Occupy protests there in Hong Kong. They're saying it now again during these protests.
So you know, each time the you know, Tiananmen Square, the Occupy, they've ended with some kind of crackdown by China. Is that where this is heading now?
STEVENS: That's a huge question. I mean, this will be a problem that is contained within Hong Kong. I don't see anybody telling me, anyone suggesting that Beijing will step in to sort this out once and for all. And as far as the hostile forces are concerned, yes Beijing has been saying that and there has been a lot of debate in Hong Kong about what hostile fuss. What are we talking about?
Are we talking about U.S. lawmakers looking at Hong Kong with concern saying that they may have to look at Hong Kong's favored trading status with us because Beijing is interfering more and more? Is that hostile forces actually acting in in Hong Kong or is it more nefarious than that. There's no evidence that has been brought up in public, in the media, that suggests that these hostile forces are surreptitiously organizing, planning this, or even funding this.
So as far as hostile forces goes, we don't know where they're coming from and what they actually are. As far as a crackdown, what we saw -- we saw the police have been very, very light handed so far. The police have taken a battering just on the public relations front after what they did on June the 12th. And as we've seen from that, they backed right off.
So the chances of a crackdown you can't say, John, but certainly, the police strategy at the moment seems to be softly, softly.
VAUSE: Yes. These things always turn on a dialogue and you know, so that's why we're there. That's why we continue to monitor and that's why you're there. So Andrew, thank you. I appreciate it. Andrew Stevens live for us in Hong Kong.
Iran says it has not violated the nuclear agreement even though its stockpiles of enriched low-grade uranium now exceed the limit agreed to in the 2015 deal. Tehran argues it has the right to breach that limit after the Trump administration withdrew from the treaty and imposed tough economic sanctions.
But Iranian officials add the decision would be reversed if European countries helped ease the impact of American sanctions. In Washington, the U.S. President spoke briefly to reporters about Iran's latest move.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, no message to Iran. They know what they're doing. They know what they're playing with. And I think they're playing with fire. So no message to Iran whatsoever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Paul Carroll is a Senior Advisor at N Square Group focused on reducing the risks from nuclear weapons. He is with us from San Francisco. Paul, good to see you.
PAUL CARROLL, SENIOR ADVISOR, N SQUARE: Thanks for having me, John. 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. In particular, he tweeted out this. Paragraph 36 of the Accord illustrates why we triggered an exhausted paragraph 36. After U.S. withdrawal, we gave the E-3 which refers to Britain, Germany, and France, plus two --a few weeks for reserving our right.
We finally took action after 60 weeks as soon as E-3 abide by their obligations, we'll reverse it all. It means, all very complicated but he referred to a paragraph in the Accord which has mechanisms for countries to resolve disputes over compliance. I mean, I'm no expert on you know, legalities and nuclear treaties, but it does seem at least as an (INAUDIBLE) here that technically the Iranians are not in breach.
CARROLL: Well, 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 Iran nuclear deal over a year ago. It frankly seems -- I'm surprised it has taken this long to do something provocative under the nuclear auspices.
Let's get it straight. Iran are not good guys. They certainly are provocative. They support terrorist groups. They're a disturber. But the Iran nuclear deal was doing its job for the two and a half years that it was enforced until the Trump administration pulled out.
I'm frankly surprised it's held together this long and the International Atomic Energy Agency has verified so. Today's action Iran's denial notwithstanding, they are beginning to take steps to say look, we're not happy. We're going to start pushing our speed limit, and that's what today's news about the 300-kilogram enrichment or low enrichment of uranium means. They're starting to sort of test the limits.
[01:10:53] VAUSE: But -- and then its color just a little toe in the water if you like. I mean, does it matter that they're in breach like two kilograms. Is that sort of more symbolic than substantive?
CARROLL: I think you're absolutely right. I don't -- it doesn't change the security situation. It doesn't significantly or substantially change Iran's nuclear weapons capacity. There's still a 12-month sort of breakout scenario is what it was called.
The deal was designed to sort of put time on the clock so that we could build on that agreement. And it also meant that they couldn't break out and rush to a nuclear warhead. It would had sort of a 12- month time frame. That hasn't substantively changed based on today's news.
But what it has done is really up the stakes and continued to say look, we don't like what you did, United States, and we're going to begin moving toward more enhanced nuclear capacity. So it's another -- it's another twig on the fire.
VAUSE: It's a bold statement which was released by the White House on Monday condemning Iran. There is little doubt that even before the deal's existence, Iran was violating its terms. The United States and its allies will never allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
You know, apart from the obvious question of how is it even possible to violate terms of a deal which does not exist, there seems to be a lot of distance between the United States and its allies on this issue. Here's the response, a tweet from Britain's Foreign Secretary. The U.K. remains committed to making deal work and using all diplomatic tools to de-escalate regional tensions.
You know, no mention of standing with the United States, just reliance on a nuclear deal you know, which dog Trump has rejected.
CARROLL: Yes, I think the national security apparatus of the Trump administration is getting in their (INAUDIBLE) and they're 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's important to take a look at that.
It shows how vociferous and the hubris I think in the U.S. administration and certainly in the hawkish element represented by people like John Bolton where we're really beginning to paint Iran into a corner. Not only did we leave the deal a year ago but we are sending signals and frankly sending military equipment and more horses into the region.
I mean this is not a good recipe. What is Iran to do? They already have sanctions imposed on them. They are sending signals as provocative as they may be that look, you know, there -- in a way you could say, their provocations are signals and their 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's part of it. The Iranian regime armed with nuclear weapons would pose an even greater danger to the region and to the world. You know, I wonder if at that point, anyone at the State Department raised their hand said to Pompeo, yes Mr. Secretary, that's why there was a deal in place which specifically addressed Iran's nuclear program.
CARROLL: Well, one would hope. But the fact of the matter 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 over hawkish. And when you add that to the fact that there are military forces in the region, and accidents and mistakes and misunderstandings can happen.
We're 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 is of the mind that they want to have a negotiation to resolve it.
VAUSE: Yes. You scrub a deal to make another deal that's going to be a better deal but no one knows what that deal will be. It just seems a very odd policy which no one can really discern at this point. Paul, good to see you. Thanks so much.
CARROLL: Thank you.
VAUSE: Jokes about dead migrants and something names aimed at Latino lawmakers. The discovery of a secret Facebook group for U.S. Border Patrol officers reveals a new and very ugly side to this immigration crisis.
[01:15:08] Also ahead, some are up, some are down, a new CNN Poll reveals a post-debate bumps and drops of Democrats hoping to take on President Trump in 2020.
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VAUSE: Well, the early numbers from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection showed the tensions on the border with Mexico, dropped slightly in June, the first time in six months. And the U.S. President says that means the tariffs on imports from Mexico, is no longer on the table, at least, for now.
Donald Trump made those remarks in the Oval Office, as he signed a $4- 1/2-billion aid package to ease the humanitarian crisis on the border.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Well, there are, because I think the President is doing a great job. He put 6,000 people in this weekend, and they're forming, but they're -- you know, getting to the border. They're doing a great job, and he has 6,000 people at the border with Guatemala, so, I mean, it's been way down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Amid this crisis, comes another shocking new allegation against the agency which patrols the border.
The investigative group, ProPublica, has revealed a secret closed Facebook group with current and former border agents post sexist memes and make offensive comments about migrants, one of the posts who came at Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who toured border detention facilities on Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): In that last facility, I was not safe from the officers in that facility.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have any comment about what was posted about you in the alleged Facebook group?
OCASIO-CORTEZ: I mean, I think it's just -- it's just indicative of the violent culture that we saw in the inside.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The chief of operations for the U.S. border patrol told CNN's Brooke Baldwin, an investigation is underway.
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, office of Internal Affairs, to begin the investigations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Thirty-year-old Honduran man has died while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He was detained early last month, and after a few weeks, he was taken to a facility in Houston. By June 30th, he was found unresponsive in his dorm, the sixth detainee to die in ICE custody since last October.
[01:20:07] Border patrol officials have raised concerns that overcrowding at a detention facility in El Paso, Texas could trigger a riot or hunger strikes. A draft report from May, by the Homeland Security inspector general, found detainees being held for days or weeks, in standing room only conditions.
The report also found unsanitary conditions with the spread of viruses and other illnesses were a major concern. And the father and daughter who died, trying to cross into the United States were buried in their home country of El Salvador, in the capital, El Salvador.
The photo of the bodies of Oscar Alberto Martinez and his 23-month-old daughter, underscores the dangers of illegal immigration and ignited intense criticism of the Trump administration's policies. The private funeral came a day after El Salvador's president took the blame for their deaths, saying the country failed to provide decent jobs, schools, health care system.
Oh, what a difference a debate makes for the Democratic race for the White House. A new CNN poll shows a significant tightening among the frontrunners. Joe Biden still leads with 22 percent. That is down, though, 10 percent, since just May.
Senator Kamala Harris who may say was the clear debate winner, now in second place, at 17 percent. Elizabeth Warren also gaining ground, surging to 15 percent, Bernie Sanders, though, heading in a different direction, falling to 14 percent.
CNN Political Commentator and Democratic Strategist, Dave Jacobson, joins me now from Los Angeles, Dave, it's been a while. Good to see you.
DAVE JACOBSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good to see you. Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: OK. Never read too much into one set of numbers, that's the warning. But, could Biden's strong early lead here be explained simply by the fact that many Democrats are supporting him, because they knew him, they like him, they really like Barack Obama, but now, they've seen him on the debate stage, and they saw this. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We can do this by making sure that we're in a position that we, in fact, allow people --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the time is up.
BIDEN: I've also argued very strongly that we, in fact, deal with the notion of denying people access to the ballot box, I agree that everyone once they in fact (INAUDIBLE) anyway, my time is up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: They also saw the other candidates in action. That was just a small sample of Joe, by the way, and so, these (INAUDIBLE) should we jump ship? And if that's the theory here, if that's the case, is Biden toast?
JACOBSON: Possibly. I mean, 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 Democrat running in this wide-ranging field for the nomination, have been planted squarely on ground -- on Earth.
And the reality is, it's clear from this debate that both Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden's political Teflon is no longer in existence. The reality is, 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. They care about 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.
And Kamala Harris showed at this first debate that she can go toe-to- toe with the frontrunner, Joe Biden, she took off the gloves, she held her own, and 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. That's one. OK. As you mentioned, number one issue for Democrats is still who can win in 2020. You know, and it's overwhelming that way. And we've seen Biden's numbers fall, while Harris and Warren, almost everyone else has seen their numbers improved.
So, if everyone else is seen as electable and able to beat Donald Trump, what does that leave Biden with?
JACOBSON: Right. I mean, that was the whole concept of, like, why he was so formidable, why he was untouchable. There was this, sort of, inevitability factor. At the end of the day, going back to my initial point, like, the core reason he have this support was because Democrats want to defeat Donald Trump and he was the perceived, only singular, sort of, candidate, who had the strongest chance of doing that.
But it's clear from his weak debate performance, that Kamala Harris and frankly, Elizabeth Warren, who wasn't on the debate stage with them, both of those candidates had stellar performances. And I think voters, particularly Democrats, and Democratic-leaning independents, are starting to look at those two candidates as plausible candidates that can take on the commander-in-chief. VAUSE: Here's this moment from Senator Kamala Harris, from last week's debate, you know, which has been, you know, such a benefit to her campaign and her polling numbers. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
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. It was a local decision.
HARRIS: So that's where the federal government must stop in.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: That's why we have the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act. That's why we need to pass the Equality Act.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:25:05] VAUSE: OK. So, is Biden now fair game? Will the rest of the field be going after him in the same way as Harris did?
JACOBSON: I think they should. But let's not forget, like, this was Biden's gaff to begin with. Like, there was no other candidate who, like, brought up Biden's close friendship with segregation. It's, like, this was a self-inflicted wound that he did to himself. So, yes, it was absolutely fair game.
The reality is, this is a leader who's been in office for decades, and he needs to be an open book. I mean, 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 their records, we need to have 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: Yes. And, you know, at this point, though, you know, polling data is important, but money talks louder. And Mayor Pete Buttigieg is a -- he's had a big second quarter, here are the numbers, raising almost $25 million, three times, the previous quarter.
But (INAUDIBLE) numbers, it's his first time individual donors, almost 300,000 which is really significant. So, what does that say to you?
JACOBSON: It's remarkable. I mean, it's clear that there is a groundswell of grassroots support for Pete Buttigieg. He had a solid performance, by the way, at the debate too. Obviously, it wasn't a Kamala Harris or Elizabeth Warren's level, but he held his own and he had a very, obviously, solid performance. But, I think, look, this clearly puts him into the top tier of candidates. We haven't yet seen him tick up into double digits in polling. Obviously, once you start spending down those resources and communicating with voters, you know, that's going to help tick up those points a little bit.
But this, let's not forget, if you think about last quarter's performance, I mean, he skyrocketed above what Bernie Sanders raised, which I believe was just under $20 million in the first quarter, but Bernie was, of course, the top fundraiser for the first quarter.
So, this is, obviously, an epic performance. The question now is, like, where does Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, and Elizabeth Warren, and Cory booker, and the rest of the field (INAUDIBLE) no one else, to date, has released their numbers.
VAUSE: Yes, and we should know that the President, his campaign rally, in Orlando, raised, I think, $24 million after that, for his campaign. Let's finish up with, you know, do we get a hint here of how this election will actually play out, you know, with Don Jr., retweeting that nasty, vile comment about Kamala Harris and her racial background.
You know, he deleted the retweet within a few hours, but, by then, you know, others have picked up, they're running with it, in some ways, you know, 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.
VAUSE: Yes, fair point.
JACOBSON: Right? The fact of the matter is, this is more of the, sort of, racist, abhorrent activities that we've seen from the Trump campaign and the Trump family, the Trump organization, the Trump allies, Republican cronies that support the President. But, I think, Democrats ultimately are going to be talking about issues, and bottom line, the American people are going to be behind them.
I mean, 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. And so, if Democrats stay laser-focused, sort of, on these issues, and don't get into the gutter with Don Jr., I think we're going to be in a very solid position come November of 2020.
VAUSE: We'll see. You know, it's a long, long road ahead. And I will be talking to you plenty before. Thank you. Good to see you.
JACOBSON: I appreciate it, John, take care.
VAUSE: Cheers. Well, Donald Trump has said Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, but he's making an exception for his good friend, Kim Jong-un, of North Korea, what a surprising new report says, that's coming up. Also, sometimes, a presidential visit is just a visit. Sometimes, it's a history-making, world-changing, never-to-be- forgotten moment, guess which one happened over the weekend?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:31:23] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for staying with us, everybody. Welcome back.
I'm John Vause with an update on our top news this hour.
Hong Kong's chief executive, Carrie Lam strongly condemning the protest at the city's legislative building. This after hundreds of demonstrators smashed their way inside and vandalized the main chamber.
The protests have been sparked by a controversial extradition bill by Beijing that Lam now says she will allow expire.
Iran says it has not breached the 2015 nuclear agreement, even though its stockpiles of enriched low-grade uranium now exceeds the deals limits. Tehran says it is responding to Washington's withdrawal from the pact. The U.S. president says Iran is playing with fire.
And Donald Trump also discussing the administration's trade talks with China which were announced at the G-20 summit. On Monday, he said negotiations are underway, and that a deal has to be, quote, "better for us than to them". Mr. Trump said China has taken advantage of the U.S. and any new agreement could not be 50/50.
While becoming the first sitting U.S. President to step foot inside North Korea, a new report says President Trump is considering a move which would be a big step back from full denuclearization. According to the "New York Times", the White House is weighing what could be a major concession to Kim Jong-un, a deal which would accept North Korea as a nuclear power. In return Pyongyang would freeze its nuclear programs and receive sanctions relief.
CNN's Will Ripley has more now on how President Trump's latest meeting with Kim is being reported north of the 38 Parallel.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When President Donald Trump became the first sitting U.S. President to step foot on North Korean soil, he did more than make history.
Kim telling Trump through a translator, "I never expected to meet you in this place."
Many experts call Sunday's milestone a stunning propaganda victory for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Trump, seen on camera, asking Kim for the opportunity, lavishing praise on a man seen by many as a authoritarian, even brutal, calling this moment a great honor.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was proud to step over the line. It has been a great. This could be very historic moment and I guess that's what it is. RIPLEY: Pyongyang's state controlled newspaper plastering photos of the two leader all over its front page, describing the DMZ meeting as amazing, dramatic, and historic, even giving President Trump the same title as Kim Jong-un. Praising the great and bold decision by the supreme leaders of the DPRK and the U.S., who achieved this historic meeting of the century.
State media also showing photos of the North Korean leader shaking hands with Ivanka Trump. President Trump and Chairman Kim met private in Freedom House for nearly an hour announcing working level nuclear talks are set to resume in the coming weeks, reviving diplomacy that has been stalled for months, ever since the February summit in Hanoi fell apart.
In May, North Korea resumed short range ballistic missile testing, a fact President Trump dismissed at the DMZ.
TRUMP: We don't consider that a missile test. Actually it wasn't a test. But we're talking are talking about ballistic missiles, long range ballistic missiles. And not only -- not testing them, hasn't even come close to That thing. And most importantly there were nuclear tests.
Experts say short range ballistic missiles do pose a threat to tens of millions of South Koreans, and tens of thousands of American troops within striking range.
[01:34:59] Now, word of a potentially major new U.S. concession, which could represent a shift in U.S. policy. The "New York Times" reporting the Trump administration may push for a nuclear freeze in a new round of talks, meaning North Korea would be tacitly accepted as a nuclear power, something the administration said repeatedly it would not stand for.
DAVID SANGER, "NEW YORK TIMES": I think that if the administration turns this into a complete proposal and takes it to the North Koreans, what they're going to say is, as the story says, this is just a first step. We have to have a freeze to keep the problem from getting worse.
RIPLEY: A freeze could allow North Korea to keep its ballistic missiles, and perhaps dozens of nuclear warheads, including the one they tested in late 2017 that triggered a 6.3 magnitude earthquake and moved a mountain, at its now shuttered nuclear test site.
The President's national security advisor dismissed the "New York Times" reporting.
Will Ripley, CNN -- Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: In July of 1971, then U.S. President Richard Nixon requested air times from the TV networks for what would be a stunning announcement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD NIXON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The announcement I shall now read is being issued simultaneously in Peking and in the United States.
Knowing of President Nixon's express desire to visit the People's Republic of China, Premier Zhou Enlai on behalf of the government of the People's Republic of China, has extended an invitation to President Nixon to visit China.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Seven months later, Air Force One touched down in Beijing and Richard Nixon became the first sitting U.S. President to visit Mainland China. This was the end result of two years of secret negotiations, and by week's end the communist government of Chairman Mao and the Nixon administration had negotiated the Shanghai communique, a major step towards improving relations between both countries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIXON: We had been here a week. This was the week that changed the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Another presidential first. November of 2000 saw Bill Clinton travel to Vietnam. In terms of global and historical impact, it pales in comparison to Nixon going to China, but again the visit was symbolic of improving relations between two countries which has fought a long and bloody war.
Five years earlier, diplomatic relations have been established, Clinton made that discussion in consultation with Republican Senator and Vietnam War veteran John McCain. And then five years after that, came normalization of trade and then within a few months, Clinton's first official state visit to Vietnam.
Which brings us to Donald Trump and his weekend visit to North Korea. Technically, yes he is the first sitting U.S. President to set foot inside that country. But what was the point?
Some like Pope Francis have praised President Trump for what they say was a significant step towards peace. Others though have called the DMZ meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un a clown show.
For more now presidential historian Allan Lichtman is joining us from Washington. Allan -- thanks for sticking it out with us. Good to see you.
ALLAN LICHTMAN, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Certainly.
VAUSE: Ok. The White House really pushing the story over the weekend, tweeting out the video when Trump became the first sitting President to enter North Korea. But these moments, they only become iconic or take a place in history because they represent a lot more than just, you know, a 73-year-old man who happens to be the U.S. President, you know, walking across the DMZ.
In the case of Nixon it was the beginning of China opening up to the world. Clinton to Vietnam was a symbolic visit to start a new era of closer ties. So what do you say about Trump to North Korea?
LICHTMAN: I say it pales in comparison to Nixon going to China, which introduced an entire new era in international diplomacy, opening up China, ultimately paving the way for diplomatic relations with the U.S., for recognizing the People's Republic as the appropriate Chinese government. Giving it a seat on the U.N. Security Council.
So far, diplomacy between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump has led to a big nothing. In fact, this is part of Kim's playing of Donald Trump. All Donald Trump has done is elevates this bloody murderous dictator, who kills and starves his own people on to the world stage.
And what has Trump got in response? Nothing, except this kind of photo opportunity that he's used to pump himself up.
VAUSE: The harshest criticism of the President and his (INAUDIBLE) comes from Robert Kelley a professor at Pusan National University in South Korea. He tweeted, "Trump's offer to meet Kim Jong-un at the DMZ is emblematic of why the Trump North Korea effort is a farce. Thrown together, last-minute, made for TV, driven by Trump's lust for optics and drama of the DMZ, rather than substance in pursuit of a photo op for the 2020 election. What a clown show."
You know, it seems to us that the U.S. president and this administration have a sort of a naive, childlike perception of history. It doesn't seem to go much deeper than the headline, you know. He was the first president to fill in the blank, all tip and no iceberg.
[01:40:01] LICHTMAN: I think that's absolutely right. What you have to understand about Donald Trump is he cares about one thing -- Donald Trump. He cares about his power. He cares about his brand. And he cares about his legacy. And that is what this is all about, pumping up Donald Trump and nothing more.
He has no understanding of history, no understanding of world affairs, no understanding even of the American constitution. But he is the consummate show man. He is the consummate television playmaker. And that is what he is doing here.
Understand, as you point out in your prelim there, they were two years of hard work before Nixon went to China and changed the world. You don't simply make diplomacy on the fly. Diplomacy is made with a lot of hard work and a lot of hard negotiations.
And we see, at the very time that he is taking this kind of meaningless step into North Korea, what is happening in the Middle East? Iran is now enriching uranium because Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear agreement that everyone in the world certified was absolutely working. Another example of slapdash, I'm going to promote myself and denigrate Barack Obama as much as possible, that kind of diplomacy.
VAUSE: It's certainly the most generous reading of all of this is that it's too early to declare that this is either a clown show on the one hand, or a diplomatic tour de force on the other. You know, negotiations do restart, and if they do lead to an agreement and if that agreement sticks, it will be seen as a masterstroke.
But at the moment it seems all the indications are that it's heading in the other direction. But the Trump administration is set to make some major concessions on the nuclear issue to the North Koreans.
LICHTMAN: Yes. I mean they have hotly denied it, but the "New York Times" did publish a story which says that the Trump administration is making an extraordinary pivot after telling us for two plus years that the only goal they had was denuclearization completely of North Korea.
Now, maybe they are pivoting to a nuclear freeze where North Korea could keep the armaments it has. That would just be an extraordinary about face.
But again, understand, Trump doesn't care about the substance of diplomacy. He only cares about the show and flash of diplomacy. So if he can get what he calls a win, even if it is a great loss for peace and security in the world, he's going to go after it. It's not naivete. It's self promotion that you have to understand drives this president.
VAUSE: And on that video which you know, was put out by the White House there's this exchange between Donald Trump and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. Here's part of it. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIM JONG-UN, NORTH KOREAN LEADER: I never expected to meet you at this place.
TRUMP: It's my honor. Would you like to me to step forward.
KIM: If you step forward, you'll be the first U.S. President across the border.
TRUMP: I will be very proud to do that. Ok. Let's do it. Come on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So you can hear the translator saying you'll be the first U.S. president to take the step forward, which is what Kim Jong-un said to him. Is he playing on Trump's ego?
LICHTMAN: Of course he's playing on Trump's ego. He's been playing on Trump's ego for two years. Look, so far, if you want to score this it's Kim Jong-un ten, Donald Trump zero. Kim Jong-un -- this horrible, bloody, murderous dictator -- has suddenly been elevated on the world stage by Donald Trump, who has gotten absolutely zero in return. This is not Nixon going to China or Kennedy going to Berlin. This is much closer to Neville Chamberlain going to Munich and coming back and saying, oh, Herr Hitler has promised that there's going to be peace in our time. That's a much closer analogy.
VAUSE: Good points -- Allan. Thank you so much. Good to see you.
LICHTMAN: Take care.
VAUSE: The White House is pushing back against criticism of first daughter and presidential advisor Ivanka Trump. The former fashion designer and reality TV personality was front and center not just during key moments at the G-20 summit, but also when her dad visited North Korea.
Here is Sara Murray.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As Ivanka Trump tried to jump into conversation with world leaders, including the Canadian prime minister, the French president and the British prime minister, she created a viral moment.
THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: As soon as you start with (INAUDIBLE) -- a lot of people started listening who wouldn't otherwise listen.
IVANKA TRUMP, PRESIDENTIAL DAUGHTER AND ADVISOR: And the same with the defense line in terms of the sort -- it's been very male dominated.
MURRAY: Critics say International Monetary Fund managing director Christine LaGarde's look said it all. On the President swing through Asia for the G-20 the first daughter assumed an unusually prominent role on the world stage.
I. TRUMP: Thank you, Prime Minister Abe, for hosting the G-20 summit in the vibrant city up Osaka. And thank you for your steadfast commitment to women's economic empowerment.
[01:45:05] MURRAY: The 37-year-old, whose official title is adviser to the President, left some national security officials bristling, suggesting she was stepping into a role more commonly occupied by diplomats.
TRUMP: A lot of really positive things are happening.
MURRAY: As the President held an impromptu meeting at the Korean border with Kim Jong-un, Ivanka stood nearby. She shook the North Korean dictator's hand and later told a reporter the whole thing was surreal. In a photo op with the U.S. delegation and their South Korean counterpart, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shuffled behind the group, looking for an opening, as Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, beamed in the foreground. When she spotted Pompeo, Ivanka step to the side. Tonight Democrats are sounding the alarm about a foreign policy neophyte taking center stage. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeting "It may be shocking to some, but being someone's daughter actually isn't a career qualification. It hurts our diplomatic standing when the President phones it in and the world moves on."
But the President seemed thrilled to have Ivanka take top billing alongside Pompeo.
TRUMP: Has anyone ever heard of Ivanka? All right, come on Ivanka. Come on. She's going to steal the show. What a beautiful couple. Mike -- beauty and the beast.
MURRAY: Ivanka also took to the spotlight in a video published by the White House, offering a read out of the President's trilateral meetings with India and Japan.
I. TRUMP: We are here at the G-20 in Osaka, and the Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Abe just concluded a meeting with the President, talking about 5G technology.
MURRAY: That responsibility is usually left to a national security staffer, via a written statement.
I. TRUMP: It has been a productive morning, to say the least.
MURRAY: While Ivanka has little formal diplomatic experience, she does have experience doing business abroad including in India, one of the Trump Organization's top markets.
MURRAY: Now, Ivanka Trump is formally on leave from the Trump Organization while she works in her father's White House. The White House put out a statement that says in part, "It is sad but not shocking that the haters chose to attack Ivanka Trump."
Sara Murray, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Wimbledon just getting started. Ahead, there's already been some stunning upsets at the all England Club's Day One action for the championship, when we come back.
Also the excitement almost palpable -- a total solar eclipse is coming. We'll tell you the best place to see it.
[01:47:38] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody.
Wimbledon's first round saw some major upsets on the women's side. Former number one, now number two Naomi Osaka of Japan is out, beaten in straight sets by Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan.
Wimbledon royalty Venus Williams also lost in the first round to 15- yearold American sensation Cori "Coco" Gauff. The teenager managed to beat the five-time Wimbledon champ in straight sets.
Some tragic news to report from American baseball. Authorities say Tyler Skaggs, the 27-year-old pitcher with the L.A. Angels has died. He was found unresponsive Monday at a Texas hotel, was pronounced dead on the scene. Police say the death is not considered suspicious. Monday's game against the Texas Rangers was postponed by the Angels.
We have more details this hour about the shooting in the Dominican Republic that left baseball legend David Ortiz badly wounded. Police say this man is the alleged mastermind of the attack and he hired a group of hit men to kill his cousin, paying them $30,000.
But on the night of the shooting, the suspected gunman shot Ortiz by mistake. Ortiz was sitting next to the target at the time. He is now recovering in a Boston hospital.
In a matter of, hours a total solar eclipse will be visible in South America. A solar eclipse like this one is when the earth, moon, and sun all lineup and the moon blocks the sun's entire surface. NASA says the eclipse could last up to four minutes starting from 4:38 p.m. Eastern U.S. time. And for those not in South America, well, you can still see it online at the Web site of the European Southern Observatory.
And meteorologist Ivan Cabrera joins us for more on this. Don't they all look the same?
IVAN CABRERA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No, they do not.
VAUSE: Ok.
CABRERA: And they are amazing. Have you ever been in one in the path of totality?
VAUSE: No.
CABRERA: You haven't.
VAUSE: There's nothing for me.
CABRERA: You have not lived here, my man, until you are in the path --
VAUSE: This is true.
(CROSSTALKING)
VAUSE: That is another debate.
CABRERA: Or a different story. Let's talk about our total solar eclipse. This happens of course, during a new moon, when the, essentially moon is between the sun and the earth -- caliente over here. and twice a year basically the geometry, right, lines up just right so that earth -- so that the moon's is cast upon the earth.
Remember the moon has to shadows. The outer shadow, that will give you a partial eclipse. But if you're lucky enough to be in the inner shadow, which covers only about 1 percent of the earth's surface, that right there, is your total solar eclipse.
So let's take a look at the areas that are going to be seeing them, won't be enough to see that. We're talking about South America as you know. We've been covering this last few days. It is happening as we head there through today, second of July 2019. Here's the path of totality over the water. You're not going to find much there. But there it is.
Chile, Argentina, you are the lucky ones there. Buenos Aires is just going to be north of the path of totality. It has to be at 100 percent. If you're not under that you're not going to get the full effect and it's just going to look like a cloudy day.
But if you happen to be in La Serena in Chile, 4:39, that is when you're going to see the moon covering the sun. 5:42 in Rio Cuarto (ph) and then south of Buenos Aires at 5:44. I think weather conditions early on, not so good. But the time we get into the big show, between 6:00 and 7:00, lots of clear skies.
So I think you're going to be in great shape. And I'll leave you with some tips. Don't be like John and look directly at the sun. That's never a good idea. You want to wear approved protection -- Mr. Vause.
VAUSE: Are you done?
CABRERA: Yes.
VAUSE: Great. Loved it. Thank you -- Ivan.
See you.
CABRERA: See you.
VAUSE: And when we come back one is the U.S. Secretary of State, the other famous with his easy listening mellow tunes, but does the U.S. President actually know which is which?
[01:53:52] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: For a self declared stable genius with the world's greatest memory, the U.S. President sure does struggle to remember some names. Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When national security adviser John Bolton sat there and heard President Trump call him --
TRUMP: Mike Bolton.
MOOS: -- maybe John felt like Michael.
(MUSIC) MOOS: Even if a president did correct his mistake immediately --
TRUMP: Mike Bolton -- John Bolton is here.
MOOS: It is happened too many times. There was the "New York Times" article that said sometimes with aides of the President refers to him as Mike Bolton. And then there was a time the President sent Bolton on a mission.
TRUMP: Mike bolt, as you know, is in the Russia. Discussing nuclear issues no less. Not bad for a love song crooner.
(MUSIC)
MOOS: The President lives without John Bolton, laughing in the North Korea, meeting Kim Jong-un, while Bolton was off on a diplomatic mission to Mongolia. Read one tweet, how many times can Trump called John Bolton, Nike Bolton before he quits? But don't take it personally, Mike, John -- whatever.
The President was trying to honor Apple CEO Tim Cook when he said --
TRUMP: We appreciate IT very much, Tim Apple.
MOOS: And he meant no disrespect --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President -- Ellen Houston (ph) Lockheed Martin.
MOOS: When he called this CEO.
TRUMP: Marilyn Lockheed.
MOOS: And even when he talks about not making mistakes.
TRUMP: so we don't make mistakes.
TRUMP: Go ahead Ken.
Moos: Come again.
TRUMP: Go ahead Ken.
MOOS: The President even misspelled his wife Melania's name in a welcome home tweet. So don't let Mike get you down -- John..
There was one occasion when Michael Bolton sang things that John Bolton said. The late show had Michael perform alarming JOHN BOLTON quotes to make them seem less scary.
(MUSIC
MOOS: Maybe that's what confused the President, Michael wearing John's moustache.
Jeanne Mousse, CNN -- New York. (END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you, for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm JOHN Vause. Rebecca Church -- no, Rosemary Church is up next.
Keep watching CNN.
END
