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U.N.: Libyan Migrant Center Strike May Be A War Crime; Australian P.M.: Australian Released Safely From North Korea; Accounts Of Overcrowding, Filthy Conditions At Centers; Agents Arrest Driver With 33 Migrants Inside Truck; Trump Throws Census Into Chaos Over Citizenship Question; Two Women Nominated For Top E.U. Jobs; Record- Setting Rainfall Slams Japan's Kyushu Island; Netherlands Reach Final with Win over Sweden; Pharrell Williams Surprises Graduates with Internships; Avicii's Father Speaks Out about Suicide Prevention; Apple May Be Creating Smaller Cheaper iPhone; Trump Campaign Ad Uses Stock Footage of Actors. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired July 04, 2019 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:00:00] JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: They were hoping for a new better life in Europe but instead were detained in atrocious conditions in Libya and now they're being killed. Refugees and migrants victims of a civil war in a place they don't want to be.
A kind of perfect gender balance brings unity to a fractured E.U. For the first time ever two women have been nominated to the most senior leadership roles at the European Union. Climate crisis, more than a million people urged to evacuate ahead of a potential deadly downpour set to slam southern Japan.
Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. Great to have you with us. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
An early morning airstrike on a migrant detention center in Libya has sparked worldwide condemnation. At least 40 people were killed in the attack which also left dozens wounded. U.N. officials warned it could be a war crime and a calling for an independent investigation.
Libya's internationally recognized government blames forces loyal to the renegade General Khalifa Haftar. He launched an offensive months ago to take the capital Tripoli. But Haftar accuses government-linked militias for the strike. The facility is next to a military base which has been targeted by airstrikes for weeks.
Mansour El-Kikhia is Professor of Political Science at the University of Texas but much more than that he was forced into exile from Libya four decades ago. And in the wake of the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, he considered a run for the presidency. He's just returned from Libya. He joins us now from San Antonio. So professor, great to see you. Good to have you with us.
MANSOUR EL-KIKHIA, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, SAN ANTONIO: Thank you for having me. VAUSE: Many of the dead and the injured had been held in this center
for months, maybe longer, and now they're victims of a civil war in a country where they don't want to be. Is this a direct result of the E.U. working with militia groups in Libya stopping refugees and other migrants from crossing the Mediterranean.
EL-KIKHIA: Thank you so much, thank you so much for saying that because this -- the E.U., the Italians, and they work with the militias is what's bringing about this calamity in catastrophe. The Italians are paying militias to try to stop immigrants coming in. But the militias, there's no one -- there's no incentive for militias bushes to stop bring them in.
They charge $3,000 per head, now they have a million. You count that, $3,000 million. Why would they want to stop? So the Europeans have not taken a sense against this exodus of Africans from Africa into Europe.
They're going to close their borders. Where are they're going to stay? They're going to go back? No, they will stay in Libya, putting them in harm's way during a civil war.
VAUSE: Yes. You know, there is the usual blame and denial and denial and blame after an incident like this. But there are multiple reports that you know, on Monday Haftar's Libyan national army warned aerial strikes on Tripoli would increase because in their word the traditional means of taking the city had been exhausted.
You know, it's a pretty compelling piece of evidence that they are the ones responsible you know, for the strategy either by miscalculation or design.
EL-KIKHIA: Well, you know -- you know, John, I tell you something. I mean, he might have done it. I don't know. I mean, I much prefer to wait until the report comes in actually -- who actually did the whole thing. But I don't think that Haftar is the type of individual -- he might be an ogre but he's not a -- not a bloodthirsty ogre.
I don't think he sleeps at night and says oh, tomorrow morning I'm going to bomb this refugee center. I don't think so. I think something stupid happened. Maybe he thought there were arms inside there. Maybe militias came inside there. Something happened. And I think we have to wait for the results to come out of the investigation.
You know, if he has done it, then he has to own it up and say I did it. Yes, I did, but I didn't mean to do it but it happened. Now how can -- how can I make it better?
VAUSE: So look, Haftar may have been responsible, these forces may have been responsible you know, for the airstrike of the detention center, but you know, the U.N. backed government in Tripoli is not without blame here either. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHARLIE YAXLEY, GLOBAL SPOKESPERSON, UNHCR: This was a very preventable tragedy that happened just two months ago. We warned after a similar airstrike that injured two other refugees and migrants that this was a pressing a danger and that the people inside needed to be urgently evacuated.
No action was taken and today we've seen those tragic consequences of that with some of the detainees paying the price with their lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Ultimately, is it fair to say that you know, neither side in this confrontation has a lot of regard for the lives of migrants and refugees?
EL-KIKHIA: Yes, yes, you're right. I mean, basically, they're saying why are they here. You know, this is -- this is a country in civil war. They shouldn't be here. The Europeans won't take them. They're stuck in and Libya can't deal with them and that's the truth. Libya can't deal with them. It can't deal with a million more people. They can't do it, simple as that.
[01:05:18] VAUSE He's part of a press release which came out from the U.S. State Department, it reads in part, the tragic and needless loss of life which impacted one of those vulnerable populations underscores the urgent need for all Libyan parties to de-escalate fighting in Tripoli and return to the political process which is the only viable path to lasting peace and stability in Libya.
Back in April though, CNN reported that in a phone call between the U.S. President and Khalifa Haftar, Trump praises Libyan general as his troops march on U.N.-backed -- U.S. backed government in Tripoli, I should say.
And there's also this reporting from Bloomberg. President Donald Trump indicated in a phone call with Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar that the U.S. supported an assault on the country's capital to depose its United Nations-backed government, according to American officials familiar with the call.
And earlier, a call from a White House National Security Advisor John Bolton also left Haftar with the impression of a U.S. green light for an offensive on Tripoli by his forces known as the Libyan National Army, that's according to three diplomats.
It's pretty obvious the Trump administration is saying one thing publicly, something entirely different privately.
EL-KIKHIA: Exactly.
VAUSE: So why would the U.S. President be supporting you know, the guy trying to overthrow the U.N. backed government?
EL-KIKHIA: It isn't only the U.S. President, John. Let me tell you something. The Egyptians support him, the Algerians support him, the Moroccans support him, Chadians supports, him Niger supports him, Tunisia supports him. They lift service to (INAUDIBLE) and this -- and this fabricated U.N. government, but in reality the beige the danger is very, very clear an apparent.
You have the Islamic militias, you have radical militias controlling the city of Tripoli and they from the very beginning had they had the chance, they would have used Libya's vast oil reserves to do exactly what ISIS did in Iraq and in Syria.
VAUSE: We also have -- you have all those countries lined up I guess on the side Haftar, the you know, Libyan rebel general if you like, but on the other side you have Turkey, you have -- you have Qatar and other countries which are you know, sending reinforcements to defend Tripoli.
So when you have all these foreign players sort of getting involved you know, with a weakened central government, it seems like all the ingredients are here for the making of yet another Syria.
EL-KIKHIA: Yes. I thought of Benghazi. Benghazi took three years to dislodge them out of -- out of Benghazi and in the process they destroyed half the city. They killed thousands of people. And (INAUDIBLE) supporting (INAUDIBLE). They're supporting the Islamist.
I mean, it's an ideological battle, it really is. And it's between secularism and theology. And secularism now is winning. You know, if it -- if it forgets to do to continue winning, then you will have a theology in Libya. And you don't want a theology in Libya. You don't want a Libyan theocratic state, ideological state that is the base of Europe.
You see -- you see Europeans shaken there in their beds. You don't want that. This is why -- this is why they all will say, have to know you're bad, you do -- but quietly they say go ahead. They give him the weapons. They give him the arms.
Now, where is he getting those weapons from? You think -- you think -- I don't think United States gave him weapons but certainly knows where those weapons came from and said nothing about it.
VAUSE: And all this is happening and the world is turning their backs. They're not paying a whole lot of attention to what's going on.
EL-KIKHIA: Exactly, exactly.
VAUSE: That's the problem. Mansour, thank you for being with us. We appreciate your time.
EL-KIKHIA: Always my pleasure. Thank you for having me.
VAUSE: Thank you, sir.
EL-KIKHIA: Thank you.
VAUSE: North Korea has released an Australian citizen who apparently was detained just over a week ago. Australia's Prime Minister announced the news to Parliament and said 29-year-old Alek Sigley has safely left North Korea. CNN's Paula Hancocks is following this story for us from Seoul in South Korea. She joins us now live.
So, Paula, you're getting this news from the Australian Prime Minister, but what we're not hearing is why Sigley was detained in the first place.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, John. We don't have any information whatsoever on that at this point. What we do know is from Prime Minister Morrison that he was informed by the Swedish authorities yesterday so on Wednesday, that they were intervening on the Australian government's behalf and they were negotiating with the North Korean regime.
Now, this is quite normal. Sweden does have a diplomatic presence in Pyongyang. They quite often work on behalf of the United States as well and represent them as there's no diplomatic conversations going on there.
But what we know is that the Prime Minister says he's alive and well. He is safe and we know that he has thanked the Swedish authorities for helping him saying that he has been released from detention.
So that's actually a confirmation as well that he was being detained by North Korean authorities. But at this point we have no indication as to why they have done that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[01:10:20] SCOTT MORRISON, PRIME MINISTER, AUSTRALIA: This outcomes demonstrates the value of the discrete behind-the-scenes work of officials in resolving complex and sensitive consular cases in close partnership with other governments. I'm sure we all could not be more pleased that we not only know where Alek is, but we know he is safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCK: Now, Alek is fairly well known, John, North Korean experts and observers. He started a tour group Tongil Tours which organizes educational and cultural exchanges for tourists to go into to North Korea. He's also been studying at Kim Il-sung University in Pyongyang since last year and he was living in the country.
So certainly there is some confusion as to whether as to why a student like this would have been detained by authorities but so we'll have to wait now I guess to see what KCNA, what state-run media, and what North Korea says about this. John?
VAUSE: Yes. These things always sort of get out there eventually over a period of time but it is one of those mysteries for now. Paula, thank you. Paula Hancocks for the details on the release of that Australian citizen from North Korea. Thanks, Paula.
The U.S. President is defending the treatment of migrants at border detention centers despite growing criticism from human rights groups and Democratic lawmakers. Contrary to this, border patrol people are not hospital workers or doctors or nurses. The Democrats bad immigration laws which could be easily fixed are the problem. Great job by Border Patrol above and beyond. Many of these illegal aliens are living far better now than where they came from and in far safer conditions.
It's not just Democratic lawmakers though who are describing some atrocious conditions at those centers, the government's own watchdog found dangerous overcrowding and doctors are questioning the medical care migrants have been receiving. Scott McLean has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The border crisis through the eyes of the most vulnerable. Drawings depicting children in cages are from ten and 11-year-old migrants who were recently held inside a Customs and Border Patrol detention center.
A doctor from the American Academy of Pediatrics tells CBS she received the drawings from a social worker while touring two facilities last week. That doctor now described him what she saw and smelled.
SARA GOZA, PRESIDENT-ELECT, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS: When they opened the door, the first thing that we -- that we -- that hit us was a smell and there's a smell of sweat, urine, and feces. And I heard crinkling to my left and I looked over there and there was a sea of silver.
I described them almost like dog cages with people in each of them. And the silence were just hard to watch -- hard to see.
MCLEAN: The drawings come in addition to newly released photos showing extreme overcrowding in facilities in the Rio Grande Valley during an unannounced June visit by a government watchdog group. A report by the DHS Inspector General found multiple violations of U.S. detention policy including a lack of hot meals and inadequate access to showers.
One Border Patrol agent who agreed to go on camera only if their identity was concealed describes the conditions in the El Paso sector to CNN.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The cells, they are what I will say filthy. We have our maintenance and cleaning crew that cleaned the general area but I have never seen them cleaning counters or cleaning toilets in the cells, or cleaning sinks in the cell. Sometimes you go in a cell and there's trash everywhere.
MCLEAN: Following the congressional delegation's visit to the border this week, Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is calling on President Trump to immediately establish final plans, standards, and protocols to protect the health and safety of individuals in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Also, tonight the Acting Homeland Security chief has ordered an immediate investigation into offensive posts and comments allegedly made in a private Facebook group used by current and former Border Patrol personnel.
The post exposed by the investigative group ProPublica included jokes about immigrant deaths and lewd photoshopped images of Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes. Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan tweeting any employee found to have compromised the public's trust in our law enforcement mission will be held accountable. They do not represent the men and women of the Border Patrol or DHS.
The number of migrants arrested by border patrol was about 95,000 in June. That is about a 28 percent decrease from May and that may seem like authorities are starting to get a handle on the problem, but it is still almost three times more than the same time last year, Scott McLean, CNN, El Paso, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:15:15] VAUSE: In Arizona, a truck driver has been arrested and charged with human smuggling. When his semitrailer was pulled over, border patrol agents found 33 people from Mexico and El Salvador inside that truck, including 12 children and a pregnant woman.
Officials say the trailer was equipped with refrigeration but it was not running, sending temperatures inside the truck close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit or about 38 degrees Celsius.
Busy day on Twitter for President Trump, he sent the 2020 census back into chaos, a day earlier, the Commerce Secretary said the administration would abide by a Supreme Court decision which ruled a citizenship question could not be included in the census.
The printing presses were running, turning out the multi-page questionnaires. Donald Trump, though, tweeting that news is fake, insisting litigation was moving forward to include the question. Judge overseeing this case wants the final answer on what is going on from the Justice Department, by Friday.
Donald Trump tweeting tough, as well, on Iran, saying, be careful with the threats, Iran. They can come back to bite you like nobody has been bitten before. And that was in response to the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who said Iran will begin enriching uranium, higher than the limit in the 2015 nuclear deal by about 4 percent.
In his words, the enrichment rate is going to be as much as we want it to be. In the past, Iran has enriched uranium to about 20 percent, a long way from the 90 percent which is needed for nuclear weapons. But, as Barbara Starr reports from the Pentagon, it is a step forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It looks, if you take Iran at their word, like within days, they will begin increasing, once again, the volume of their enrichment. By all accounts, it is not the highly enriched uranium, essentially.
It is not weapons grade that would lead them to immediately be able to make a nuclear bomb, but it does add to their stockpile, and it may force the U.S. intelligence community to rethink, eventually, its so- called Iranian breakout scenario. In other words, the timeframe Iran would need to have enough physical material to make a nuclear bomb.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Iran wants the other countries still signatory to the nuclear deal, to help ease the impact of tough economic sanctions being imposed by the United States. Still to come, two women nominated for the E.U.'s two most senior roles for the first time, along with two men. It's called a perfect gender balance, but will it bring unity to where there is disunity?
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[01:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: A 6.5 magnitude earthquake has been recorded off Canada's Vancouver Island. The United States geological survey says it hit at a depth of 10 kilometers that could be reviewed, about 225 kilometers northwest of Port Hardy. There have been no tsunami warnings or reports of damage, at least, not yet.
Two fishing boats mysteriously capsized off the coast of Honduras, in the same location, but just hours apart. At least 26 people on this lobster fishing boat died when it suddenly flipped, 47 others were on board and were rescued.
There were no casualties when another fishing boat capsized in that same area, just earlier in the day. It's not yet known what caused both ships to roll.
Two women have been nominated for the E.U.'s senior leadership. Christine Lagarde, who currently is the head of the International Monetary Fund, was nominated to leave the European Central Bank. And German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen was tapped to run the European Commission.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, DEFENSE MINISTER OF GERMANY (through translator): A lot rests on this, it is about the future of our Europe. We have a long and difficult election process behind us, but now it is absolutely vital to show unity.
Absolutely vital that we form our combined passion for our Europe that is so important in this world, and that needs to be heard and seen. These are our goals for the next 14 days. Thank you very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Still not a done deal, though, the European Parliament has to confirm both nominees, as CNN's Anna Stewart explains, they weren't the likely choices.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ANNA STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL REPORTER: Well, these nominations come after a marathon set of talks in Brussels, which exposed deep divisions in the block. Neither as von der Leyen or Christine Lagarde were frontrunners for these jobs, both are considered to be compromised candidates.
So let's look at the top jobs the E.U. Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen. She is Germany's defense minister, a hawkish conservative and that's considered to have placated Hungary's hard- line leader, Viktor Orban.
Also, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is likely to be pleased that a member of her own party is nominated for this job. However, the ruling coalition party in Germany fiercely opposed it. And as a result, publicly, Merkel had to actually abstain from voting for her.
Now, von der Leyen is generally considered to be a divisive politician in Germany, and she could face lots of opposition when it comes to the European Parliament. They have to approve her nomination by an absolute majority in less than two weeks' time.
Now, if she fails to win their approval, it's back to the drawing board for the 28 E.U. leaders. With a German, taking the top job, it should come as little surprise that the nominated candidate for ECB president is French, balancing the most powerful and most influential of the E.U. members.
Now, Christine Lagarde is considered to be something of a financial rockstar. Former French Finance Minister, current Head of the IMF and a well-respected leader on the international stage. However, there are critics and they have said she's not qualified for this job. She lacks an economics degree. She lacks experience in monetary policy. She's never worked, for instance, at a Central Bank.
However, European markets seem cheered by the news, equity markets generally traded higher, bond yields push down even lower. German, French, Belgian 10-year bond yields, all in negative territory, and you know what, this shows investors think Lagarde is cut from the same economic cloth as the current ECB president, Mario Draghi.
Rates expected to stay lower for longer, more fiscal stimulus potentially in the wings. What is undeniably positive about all of this, is the fact that all four European leaders to be nominated, two are women. It shows that the E.U. is finally delivering on years of lip service, for a better gender balance at the top. I'm Anna Stewart in London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: For more now on what lies ahead for the E.U., Ann Berry, is a partner and financial analyst at Cornell Capital, she is with us this hour from New York, and good to see you.
ANN BERRY, PARTNER AND FINANCIAL ANALYST, CORNELL CAPITAL: Good to see you. Thanks for having me. VAUSE: OK. Well, there's still, you know -- there's this element of uncertainty here, if there will be this final leadership team, as it has been nominated for the E.U., there's no guarantee that Ursula von der Leyen, who we just heard from, and she's nominated for Commission President, there's no guarantee she'll get the majority when MPs vote, two weeks from now.
So, how do you see it? Is this set in stone or is that -- still that, sort of, you know, a surprise in the works?
BERRY: It's definitely not set in stone, and even within the German Parliament, within the German government, she was a very controversial choice to put forward. So, I think we are considering to see that uncertainty to spill over onto the -- into the E.U. front.
But the European has got to put the chaos that has been the last couple of weeks in filling these key leadership positions behind them, I think they know that. I think they're seeing a global landscape that's becoming more uncertain, Trump seems to be gearing up for battle and I think they need to put someone in place pretty soon, hopefully, sort of, common sense wins the day.
VAUSE: Well, you know, for me, these nominations represent, you know, the death of what they call a (INAUDIBLE) candidate. I think that's the right way of saying it, essentially where parties announced their lead candidates for the top jobs before the elections.
[01:25:11] And that gives voters a much bigger say in who, the leadership will ultimately be, and the current nominees actually don't represent that, they actually represent a victory for the backroom deal, the backroom deal lives on.
BERRY: It does. And I think, particularly right now, where you're seeing the rise and rise of more minority parties across Europe. The backroom deal, I think, is becoming a lot more commonplace, I think what's so intriguing about this particular nomination, is you're seeing that dynamic on a domestic level and national level, really percolating up now to the pan European scale.
And so, I do think there's a very good chance she gets, I think it's been very tough for a consensus candidate even to be found, so my bet would be on Ursula, making it over the hurdle.
VAUSE: On the other hand, you know, amidst all the criticism, there's the nomination of two women alongside two men, for the top jobs, and that's being seen as a very bright moment for the E.U. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TUSK, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COUNCIL: We have chosen two women and two men for the four key positions, a perfect gender balance. I'm really happy about it. After all, Europe is a woman. I think it was worth waiting for such an outcome.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: You know, beautiful moment, exciting, all that kind of stuff, but here is part of an opinion piece from Politico, which is fairly typical of the criticism we're hearing of von der Leyen.
A largely unknown quantity in Brussels who has been dogged by misspending and mismanagement allegations in Berlin, she was nominated not because of the leadership skills she will bring to the E.U.'s top job as Commission president, but because she filled more banal criteria; compensating Germany and the conservative European People's Party for being denied their first choice - the conservative lead candidate Manfred Weber.
So, assuming that she has the support among the MPs, what sort of president will she ultimately be and when it comes to Brexit, I guess, you know, there seems to be no change there, it's sort of steady as she goes, which is bringing, you know, a sigh of relief from London that it could've been a lot worse.
BERRY: Yes, it's interesting. The coverage coming out of the British press today was very much a sigh of relief. And I think that is portending, perhaps, anticipation that she's not going to be particularly controversial once she's in this much bigger seat.
Certainly, in Germany, she's been dogged by criticism, but, you know, with this much bigger platform, I think there is some anticipation that she'll be a fairly uncontroversial leader once she's actually at the helm.
VAUSE: Also, we have Christine Lagarde, head of the ECB, and she comes into this position as (INAUDIBLE) again, she has the support. She'll face, you know, slowing Eurozone from the young point of view, there's a tariff-trigger-happy U.S. president. How will she succeed in dealing with Trump where others have failed? Can she do that?
BERRY: I think this is going to be a little bit of a function of what hand she's delta, she's coming in, I mean, Draghi is not actually exiting until October. There's a chance that he does -- do a rate cut before then, which is bound to infuriate the President.
You know, she's going to be coming in at that window where the six- month hiatus on auto tariffs may well come back into play if Trump has indeed feeling trigger-happy, particularly if he settles something with China.
So, I think, Christine Lagarde, she's been a very steady head at the IMF, could be inheriting a challenge situation. I think the question will be whether she is able to garner in a widespread public support across the E.U. so that whatever stance she takes, she really does have the consensus behind her.
VAUSE: And this list of nominees, you see it as a clean sweep, a pro- European centrists, it's also known as a good day for the French president, Emmanuel Macron. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): This agreement is also the fruit of a deep Franco-German (INAUDIBLE) we never cease to coordinate, to work together with Chancellor Merkel. And of inability to work with all European partners of all political families.
Since the day after the elections, I had numerous meetings with these families and groups, seeking precisely to exclude no one and to help build this consensus. This decision is also one that allows not to divide Europe, neither politically nor geographically.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Yes, we are all one, big happy family now, according to Emmanuel Macron. But is he essentially the kingmaker or queen maker?
BERRY: I think at this moment in time, you know, Merkel, I think, historically played that role. And I think he is very visibly trying to step up into that position right now. And I think at a moment in time, funnily enough, I think external forces may push that power behind him.
I think the more anti-European traditional allies like Trump, are perceived to be, I think the stronger and stronger platform someone like Macron has, and been a unifying voice, people, I think, will unite around the idea of trying to share some commonality right now.
VAUSE: Yes, certainly a lot of pushback coming, you know, from Macron, I guess, as you would expect from the French president. But Ann, thank you so much. We appreciate your insights.
BERRY: Thanks.
[01:30:00] VAUSE: Still ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, Southern Japan hit with record setting rain, bringing floods and mudslides and putting almost a million people at risk.
Plus one of the most active volcanoes in the world claims the life of a hiker, sets off wildfires on a popular tourist island in Italy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Thanks for staying with us.
I'm John Vause with the headlines this hour.
Australia says North Korea has released one of its citizens from detention with the help of Sweden. 29-year-old Alek Sigley is said to be safe and well. The student at Kim Il-Sung University of Pyongyang was reported missing by his family just over a week ago. It is still unclear why he was detained in the first place.
Pro and anti government forces in Libya blaming each other for an airstrike on a migrant detention center near Tripoli. At least 40 people were killed. The UN-backed government points the finger at a renegade general, Khalifa Haftar, whose forces are trying to take the capital. Haftar in turn accuses militias loyal to the government for the attack. The U.N. Says it could amount to a war crime whoever committed the strike.
President Trump tells Iran, be careful with the threats after Iran's president said his country will enrich uranium to any level it wants. That would violate the 2015 nuclear deal that Mr. Trump withdrew from last year. Iran wants other countries in the pact to help ease the impact from U.S. Sanctions.
And we are getting new video from inside Hong Kong's legislative council after protestors stormed the building on Monday. Left behind in their wake -- debris, broken glass and graffiti spray painted on walls. Demonstrators were angry about a now suspended bill that would allow Hong Kong residents to be extradited back to Mainland China.
Still in -- Japan, rather, is bracing for a possible landslide following extremely heavy downpour across the island of Kyushu, home to more than 13 million people. Almost a million residents are being told to leave because the areas are prone to flooding and mudslides. The government says thousands of troops are ready for emergency operations if necessary.
For more now, Kaori Enjoji is in Tokyo with the very latest. Kaori -- what are the preparations? They've put the troops on alert but what else is the government doing right, you know, to try and deal with this potential disaster?
KAORI ENJOJI, JAPANESE JOURNALIST: Well, they're trying to get people to enter these evacuation centers -- John. And thousands are still in some of these shelters that have been opening up over the last 24, 48 hours.
But the rain seems to be subsiding in a lot of the areas that have been heavily hit over the last week. But still, the government and the weather agency is saying that this rain has just festered over the southern area of Kyushu, and in particular a place called Kagoshima.
[01:35:02] And that's where they seem to feel that the vulnerabilities still lie because you are having some cities that are getting dumped with rain, that they normally would see -- double the amount of rain they would normally see in a month in one week period. So that makes some of these mountainous areas in these areas in Kyushu very vulnerable to landslides.
They are searching for one woman in her eighties who is still missing. It seems that her house was engulfed by a landslide. But apart from that we had one casualty earlier in the week. So far, thankfully nothing more than that.
But they're saying that the forecast is for more rain over the next couple of days, so that is what they are really worried about -- these potential landslides.
It has been a very painful learning curve, as you know, John -- for natural disasters here in Japan, and particular this time of year because it's a traditional rainy season, so we do get a lot of rain for the next couple of weeks still, but exactly at this time last year, there was a very similar rainfall -- rainy season that killed more than 200 people.
And the government came under fire for not warning its citizens early enough. So this time they're trying to get ahead of the curve, and telling people to move to these evacuation centers. And not all of them are doing so and I think that highlights the problem in some of these areas outside of the capital Tokyo. It's a very rapidly aging society, a lot of elderly people live alone, so it's very difficult for them to move into these evacuation centers per se.
But the actual numbers have started to come down. At one point last night, there were more than one million people who were told to get to these evacuation centers. That number has gone down significantly over the last couple of hours. And it seems the rains are starting to shift away from the southern island of Kyushu, more towards the central area of Japan and even towards Tokyo right now.
But still thousands there are still in these evacuation centers -- John. It's still a fairly nervous time for them.
VAUSE: Yes. It's miserable for some of those evacuation centers as well for any extended period but when you get a death toll of just 1 person, it seems to be incredibly small so far.
ENJOJI: Thankfully, and they are hoping that they will take heed and get to the shelters. But as I say, some of the transportation networks around these areas are very slim as well. It's hard for the elderly to move to these centers.
And you are seeing a lot of comments on Twitter, on social media saying, look, the government is telling us to evacuate but how can my grandmother, how can my parents move by themselves? Wouldn't it be safer to just sit it out at home?
So I think this is also highlighting some of the difficulties in trying to get that those emergency procedure underway. They have deployed the self defense forces, which is, you know, similar to the military in some other countries.
They seem to be searching the area, but they are not exactly going door to door to get people out. So it's really more of a voluntary exercise. So as I say, the numbers are starting to come down, and it seems that that worst is passing through that area.
VAUSE: And this is a story which we'll continue to watch. But yes, an aging population, and natural emergencies like this for a weather emergency do mix particularly well.
Kaori -- thanks for the update.
Well, a popular spot in Italy has been rattled by the one of the world's most active volcanoes. A hiker was killed in a series of eruptions on the island of Stromboli. Much of the island was engulfed in smoke and ash. Local reports say some tourists jumped into the sea to try and escape the lava flows. Firefighters have targeted some hot spots with areal waterdrops.
Well, the matchup is set for the women's World Cup Final after Netherlands and Sweden battled until the last moments for their chance at the championship.
Also ahead it's been more than a year since superstar deejay Avicii died. His father now opening up about his son's death and suicide prevention.
[01:38:50] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Chalk up another win for the Wonder of Wimbledon. 15-year-old American Cori "Coco" Gauff is through to the next round after her straight sets of victory over Magdalena Rybarikova. Gauff beat five- time Wimbledon champ Venus Williams in the first round. Very quickly so no one notices.
She is the youngest ever to emerge from qualifying and the youngest since 1991 to win a match in the main draw. Gauff says she wasn't expecting any of this and admits she is kind of starstruck.
Teamed Netherlands are headed for their first ever trip to the Women's World Cup final. They advance to the championship with a last-minute goal against Sweden on Wednesday.
CNN's Amanda Davies has the highlights.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORTS PRESENTER: It was only four years ago that the Netherlands made it to the World Cup for the first time. Now they're gearing up for a World Cup final against three-time champions, the USA.
It certainly won't go down as a classic against Sweden. It was difficult to compare as an occasion to what we saw in the other semifinal matchups between England and the USA on Tuesday night, both in terms of atmosphere and precision and urgency on the pitch.
We had two sides confident in possession, but not always finding the opportunities to do something with it. The likes of Vivianne Miedema (ph) for the Netherlands and Sweden's Stina Blackstenius (ph) were short of chances. Both keepers did make a couple of stunning saves, and ultimately, the Dutch continued their habit of scoring late.
So late this time we needed extra time. It was Manchester United's new signing Jackie Groenen who made the breakthrough and put the European champions into Sunday's decider, which will no doubt prove their biggest challenge yet.
Amanda Davies, CNN -- Lyon, France.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Grammy award winning artist Pharrell Williams has made dozens of high school graduates really happy in a special kind of way. The music superstar spoke at the commencement ceremony for two New York charter schools and Williams offered the 114 graduate seniors the opportunity of a lifetime.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHARRELL WILLIAMS, MUSICIAN: So let me be clear -- every member of the 2019 graduating class is guaranteed an internship waiting for them, you, next summer.
The world is watching, Harlem, but this renaissance will be different and believe it or not, with respect, it's going to actually be better. And the reason why is because the new Harlem renaissance has education at its core.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: I thought he was going to pay for their college. An internship? That's nice. This is graduating class at 100 percent college acceptance rate, one of the students said Williams act of generosity is giving her and her classmate the ability to continue to keep moving forward. And that, I guess, is important.
The father of (INAUDIBLE) deejay, Avicii is urging lawmakers to address mental health problems. Klas Bergling gave his first on- camera interview since his son, whose given name was Tim, died by suicide last year. Bergling tells our CNN's Robyn Curnow that mental health problems need to be addressed much sooner before it's too late.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So it's been a year, how are you doing?
KLAS BERGLING, FATHER OF AVICII: Up and down. Some people may expect that this is over after year so it's not the way it works.
CURNOW: You are starting a foundation in his honor.
[01:44:59] BERGLING: Yes. The idea came very quickly after Tim's death that we should do something. We will focus on the mental health and prevent suicide, that's the purpose of the foundation.
For our part, we must consider us lucky because we have received so much love from everybody. There are so many people working in this field and really do a nice job, fantastic job but it has to be something coming higher up from the politicians. Making this force going in one direction, not as it is today, a lot of things here and there.
My wish is that it would be a change here where young people to get help very early when the problems are small.
And this is also the problem how do you identify the problem? How do you see it? What do you do? It's not easy to talk to your child all the time. It could be very hard.
CURNOW: Did you have some hard conversations with him?
BERGLING: Absolutely. Many. We talked a lot. His thoughts about life, meditation, love. When he was younger we had very hard talks getting him out of bed. He was an introvert, he wanted to sit and talk, meet his friends, of course there were many people that want him out on parties. And that's part of the hard life as a deejay or an artist. You have to do a lot of things that you don't want to do and in the end it takes a part of you, really.
If you are extremely happy it's not so hard to be unhappy. Our theory is not that he planned the suicide, more that it was like a traffic accident but he was happy before and he was happy for his music.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: We'll take a short break. When we come back a possible make over the next Apple iPhone which could cut the price in half.
Also, pay for praise, we'll meet the actor starring in Donald Trump's new campaign and.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Call it buzz. Call it speculation, unsubstantiated rumor -- all made up or just free publicity for Apple. But there is a lot of talk the tech giant is in the midst of a major iPhone redesign for 2020. And that includes a version which is a lot cheaper.
According to a number of reports, the new budget for new iPhone is in the works, set to launch first in China next year, potentially cutting the price in half from around $,1000 to about $500.
The tech YouTube channel Unbox Therapy says the biggest iPhone though ever is also on its way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So on the right hand side over here, these are those 3D renderings and these are based on schematics that case companies have leaked out. There's a few different ones that have confirmed that they are already in production of upcoming cases for these upcoming devices.
For comparison the current lineup of iPhones, we've got the iPhone 8, 8plus and the iPhone X. Supposedly this one here will be the only one to stick around and your new iPhone lineup is going to look like this.
[01:49:55] This one here is going to be the biggest iPhone that Apple has ever made. This will be a 6.5 inch iPhone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Well, to Los Angeles now and Scott Perry, tech expert and marketing consultant with Sperry Media. Ok.
Good to see you -- Scott. SCOTT PERRY, TECH EXPERT: Good to see you -- John.
VAUSE: Ok. You know, this report emerged from a number of places. Notably it was a Chinese newspaper, the "Global Times". It's also on the (INAUDIBLE) blog sites. People are kind of connecting the dots here.
But this in particular makes a lot of sense, given the price point of the iPhone, as being a source of much angst and derision for a while now.
PERRY: Yes. Well, I mean having the --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now some of you poor people may complain that these new iPhones start at $1,000, oh no, which is why we are also introducing the new iPhone Xr you a peasant. It has a not quite HD screen, but it's way more affordable, at the very low, low price of, oh my god, that's the cheap one?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: So I forgot we put that in there -- just a parody of an iPhone launch.
But yes. So you know, this is the thing. The price range in China is crucial and iPhone sales there will be going through some tough times.
PERRY: Well yes. I mean it's hard enough to have a $1,200 phone in America, put 85 percent of the phones that sell in China are below $400 dollars. So whatever people are paying in China for an iPhone is significantly more than that.
So, Tim Cook, as a supply chain expert, has to do something to meet those numbers. So I'm sure he's squeezing his suppliers right now on every single part that's out there to bring the cost of the phone down. And that may include letting go of a few futures, like there's rumors about taking away the face ID, and going back to touch ID, you know, to save a few dollars on the phone here and there.
Actually, believe it or not, there is $199 dollar iPod touch right now that's available that has everything except for the phone. So if you've got a constant Wi-Fi connection, you can still have every feature that's on the current iPhone except for the phone itself.
But when you've got a lot of apps out there that are based on text and communication without a phone number, you know, having $199 iPod touch isn't necessarily a bad thing and could be the models they're looking towards for these new models.
As we stand also 2019 is going to be a strange year because 5G roll out isn't expected until 2020. So Tim Cook has to bridge that gap to bring the unit sales in until they get there.
VAUSE: Yes. Riddle me this -- Batman. How do you budget from the iPhone, and still retain the status which comes with Apple products, because it's the status symbol, the prestige factor, you know, which is still a major part of the driving sales in China.
So how do you keep these two together and still have the really good futures? Obviously you can't have all of them. But how do you square that circle?
PERRY: Man -- that is a hard call because there are a lot of manufacturers in China making phones that are of high quality at half the price of what Apple is doing. So they have to respond to the marketplace to make that happen right.
You know, they could like just pull a rabbit out of the hat with some crazy features that nobody else has. But yes, it's tough to maintain that prestige to keep people interested.
You know, what really shocks me is like it'll be great if during Tim Cook's next presentation, let's say in September when they announce the next iPhone, he presents what's supposed to be the next iteration and then pulls one of these bad boys out of this pocket, which is like a three-inch phone.
VAUSE: Yes.
PERRY: But this, of course, is a phone. So what are you going to do.
VAUSE: On Monday (ph) when we actually do get back to, you know, downsizing the iPhone because, you know, the big size has been, you know, the source of much unhappiness, a lot of women who say, you know, welcome to the big screen says Apple and women like me with full hands who need the most secure phone for safety reasons are something they can't hold and constantly risk dropping.
A company that designs $5 billion dollar headquarters without a (INAUDIBLE). For the win, you know, I wonder if this is a blind spot for Apple, have they overlooked this problem? And it seems this new design, they just keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger. Their basic question: is this what we are about to see, ultimately, where we are heading with iPhones? Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have any cases, It's the iPhone 8 plus plus?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Do you think one of the Hello Kitty ones there would fit or no? So no, sir. I'm just calling my mom.
What's the area code? Are you a 519er?
Am I able to get your number.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's that? (END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The merriment, but are we ever heading back to a normal size phone?
PERRY: Eventually, yes. I mean I think they've gotten the message about how, you know, people with smaller hands can't quite swipe around with one hand, or to really make it happen, so I think we're get a reversion to the norm but at the same time, for people that want a big phone, we'll have those, as well.
VAUSE: Ok. You can't put them in your pocket. They're too big. They're clumsy. I'm over it.
Scott -- thank you.
PERRY: Thanks a lot -- John. Appreciate it -- Man.
VAUSE: Always a pleasure -- mate. Thank you.
[01:54:48] So, one of the keys to Donald Trump's surprising 2016 presidential win was his authentic factor. He connected with voters because he was on a market tested, poll driven, (INAUDIBLE) politician. So why then are the supporters who appear in his latest campaign ad paid actors speaking (ph) for the President for about $170 apiece.
CNN's Jeanne Moos has the truth behind the testimonials.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This Trump ad features Tracey from Florida walking the beach, praising the president.
TRACEY: I cannot ask for a better President of the United States of America.
MOOS: And he couldn't ask for better testimonial, unless it was from a real supporter because Tracey from Florida is just a model from iStock photo.
But surely Thomas from Washington offering Trump religious support is the real thing. No. Not a prayer that he is real, just a bearded and tattooed hipster type from iStock.
And AJ from Texas --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Trump, although I'm a lifelong Democrat.
MOOS: He's another model from iStock photo available for a modest licensing fee of $170 bucks, all this was first reported by the Web site Popular Info.
What's an ad guy who spent 17 years making Democratic spot think of this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I did anything remotely like this for any one of my clients, I would be fired.
MOOS: Actually, no word of firings from the Trump make America great again committee that made these Facebook ads.
Now, there is an itty-bitty disclaimer that pops up on the ads for maybe two seconds, but you better have your trusting magnifying glass handy. Don't blink, it's coming.
What did you miss said actual testimonial actor portrayal. Why would someone do this when they could just grab a real Trump supporter?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sloppiness and laziness.
MOOS: Sloppiness is nothing new. There was that Marco Rubio screw up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's morning again in America.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop, stop the clip there. That's Vancouver, Canada. Someone on Twitter defended the Trump committee's use of stock images because the unhinged jackasses on the left would go to no ends to make some Trump supporters life a living how.
But they didn't just borrow the, people they lifted the store front. It's in Tokyo, note the Japanese sign, and the beach that Tracey from Florida is walking on is actually the Mediterranean Sea. Better check Tracey's birth certificate.
Jeanne Moos, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: You've been watching CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm John Vause. Please stay with us, rosemary church is up next right after this.
You're watching CNN.
[01:57:28] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
