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President Obama Speaking out on the Crisis of Iraq; Thousands Rally in Support of Iraqi PM; President Obama Sits Down for an Interview; Families Reuniting after Years. New Plan to Curb Illegal Immigration; U.S. Military Advisers Will Arrive In Iraq Soon; Dad Pleads Not Guilty In Son's Hot Car Death; Mudslide Threatens Minneapolis Hospital; CDC Says General Public Is Not At Risk

Aired June 21, 2014 - 11:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It's the 11:00 Eastern hour of the NEWSROOM which begins right now.

All right. U.S. military advisers arriving in Iraq very soon to help Iraqi troops get critical intelligence in their fight against Islamic militants. But President Obama warns U.S. support can't continue if certain conditions are not met.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If we don't see Sunni, Shia and Kurd representation in the military command structure, if we don't see Sunni, Shia and Kurd political support for what we're doing, then we won't do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The White House also unveils a plan to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to tackle what it calls an urgent humanitarian situation. A flood of undocumented children streaming across the U.S. border.

The growing crisis and the president's response this hour.

Plus, World Cup mania reaches a fever pitch as Team USA prepares for its huge battle against Portugal this weekend. The significant challenges both teams are facing coming up.

All right. Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM on this first official day of summer. And let's take a look together. Let's inhale and exhale now. Doesn't that look beautiful? You're looking at live picture on the beachfront in Hollywood, Florida. Temperatures in the mid-80s in what looks to be a pretty perfect summer day.

Oh my gosh, the umbrellas and the beach chairs are waiting for you to come right out to Hollywood, Florida. Maybe find a little ice cream on the boardwalk there and maybe a waffle or two?

All right. Now let's get back to reality for most of us. And the top story. It won't be long now before U.S. military advisers are at the side of

Iraqi troops assessing their capabilities to defeat Islamic militants who are storming through northern Iraq right now. A senior Defense official says the first of about 300 advisers will arrive in Iraq soon. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is also headed to the region this weekend. He is visiting Jordan to discuss ways to stabilize Iraq and push for an inclusive Iraqi government that includes Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish factions.

Meantime, the fighting rages own. Iraqi security officials tell CNN that their troops have regained control of the country's main oil refinery in the town of Baiji. The refinery is critical because Iraq's economy is dependent on oil production.

There's also been violence in the capital of Baghdad.

Our Nima Elbagir is there.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tensions are really ratcheting here in Baghdad, Fredricka, after the detonation of roadside bombs in a number of predominantly Shiite neighborhoods. This comes after thousands of Shia are rallied here in the Iraqi capital and in cities across Iraq to show their support for Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki and his beleaguered army in their battle against the Sunni extremists, ISIS.

A show of support but also a show of force which as you can appreciate isn't resting too comfortably with those Sunnis who remember this country's very recent history of sectarian violence. Their worry is that it might become difficult to differentiate between a Sunni extremist and just a regular Sunni Iraqi.

President Obama's 300 or so military advisers are on their way here. They are expected to arrive sometime this weekend. They have to begin with the most basic of jobs. They have to begin with assessing the capacity of the Iraqi army and why it is that they were so successfully routed by ISIS' militant forces and what can be done differently and how the U.S. can support them to try and push back some of that militant momentum here in Iraq -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much. Be safe, Nima.

President Obama says U.S. military efforts are hopeless without a change in government. In a one-on-one interview with CNN's Kate Bolduan, he told her that Iraq needs a political solution to unify its country.

Here's Kate with more on what she discussed with the president.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR, NEW DAY: Fredricka, I started by asking the president about Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki who the president just a few months ago had commended for ensuring an inclusive and democratic Iraq. But the prime minister has done none of that. So how can anything get fixed in Iraq with him in power?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) OBAMA: We gave Iraq the chance to have an inclusive democracy, to work across sectarian lines, to provide a better future for their children. And, unfortunately, what we've seen is a breakdown of trust. There's no doubt that there has been a suspicion for quite some time now among Sunnis that they have no access to, you know, using the political process to deal with their grievances.

And, you know, that is in part the reason why a better armed and larger number of Iraqi security forces melted away when an extremist group ISIS started rolling through the western portions of Iraq. So part of the task now is to see whether Iraqi leaders are prepared to rise above sectarian motivations to come together, to compromise. If they can't, there's not going to be a military solution to this problem.

There's no amount of American firepower that's going to be hold the country together. And I've made that very clear to Mr. Maliki and all the other leadership inside of Iraq.

BOLDUAN: But by going into the country to support this Iraqi government, to support Iraqi forces now, there's a real risk that you will very well likely be seen as supporting the Shiite side.

Isn't that inflaming the tension further, and thus, doing exactly what ISIS wants?

OBAMA: Yes, actually not, because the terms at which we're willing to go in as advisers, initially to do an assessment of, do they still have a functioning chain of command, and is their military still capable, particularly in some of the western and northwestern regions of the country?

But what we've also said is that in a joint operation center that we might set up, in any advising that we may do, if we don't see Sunni, Shia, and Kurd representation in the military command structure, if we don't see Sunni, Shia, and Kurd political support for what we're doing, then we won't do it.

The terms on which we send in advisers would be dependent on us seeing that within the military and within the political structure that there remains a commitment to a unified and inclusive Iraqi government and armed forces.

BOLDUAN: No matter what happens in Iraq, can you realistically protect the national security interests of the United States without also going into Syria where this threat emanated from?

OBAMA: I think it's important for us to distinguish between a counterterrorism effort that is ongoing, dealing with al Qaeda and the remnants that still exist in the Fatah, creating platforms, taking targeted strikes where necessary, gathering intelligence. All that work has to be done -- would have to be done, even if the crisis in Iraq wasn't occurring.

And there's no doubt that the problem in Syria is one that we've been paying a lot of attention to over the last couple of years as you see jihadists coming in from Europe and as far as Australia to get trained and then going back into their home countries. This is something that we've been deeply concerned about.

Part of the reason we've been supporting the moderate opposition effort in Syria is to make sure that there are forces that are countering some of the games that some of these extremist organizations have made inside of Syria. But that's different from whether we had the capacity, for example, to send our own into troops Syria. That's different from, you know, some of the decisions that we made and we are making with respect to how do we pull Iraq together.

BOLDUAN: Finally, do you really believe in your gut that those -- this change can happen, that they can unify in Iraq?

OBAMA: I think we'll know soon enough. They're not -- they don't have a lot of time. There is a timetable that is in place under their constitution. The good news is that so far, at least, all the parties have said that we want to abide by the Constitution. You had the preeminent Shia leader inside of Iraq, the Grand Ayatollah Sistani saying we need to follow the constitutional order and form a government quickly.

So they have the chance. But, you know, ultimately, what I think the vast majority of Americans understand is, is that we can't do it for them and we certainly can't redeploy tens of thousands of U.S. troops to try to keep a lid on the problem if the people themselves don't want to solve it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: The president says they'll know soon enough, but he does seem skeptical. And that's just part of our conversation. We also had a really interesting and sometimes personal talk about the struggles of working families. This is out of a summit on the topic that he and the first lady are hosting on Monday.

We'll have much more of that, the full interview on NEW DAY Monday -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll look forward to that. Thanks so much, Kate.

Again, complete interview with the president airing Monday on CNN's "NEW DAY".

In Russia now, President Vladimir Putin is ordering his troops to carry out a surprise combat readiness test. 65,000 troops in Russia's central military district have been put on full combat alert. And we just got word that three Ukrainian border guards were wounded in a skirmish with pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk.

Ukraine has declared a cease-fire to give pro-Russian separatists a chance to surrender.

All right. Still to come, we'll talk World Cup where the U.S. gets set to take on Portugal without its top defensive player. We'll go live to Rio next.

Plus, the Obama administration reveals a new plan to stem the tide of thousands of children making a dangerous trip by themselves crossing the border into the United States.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The Obama administration has revealed a new plan to curb what's becoming a big problem with illegal immigration, children coming across the border. By the numbers, unaccompanied children come from as many as 11 different countries. The U.S. government estimates as many as 60,000 to 80,000 children without their parents will cross the border this year alone.

And the U.S. intervention plan includes spending $250 million for Central American governments to help stem the tide of undocumented kids coming to the U.S. illegally. The majority of the children apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol along the southwest border this month have been concentrated in the Rio Grande Valley sector of Texas.

Our Nick Valencia was just there.

And, Nick, on the ground, you know, this is a very bad situation.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Humanitarian crisis, someone's saying.

WHITFIELD: How bad is it?

VALENCIA: Well, some U.S. officials I've spoken to say it's worse than we're even seeing in those images that have been leaked from U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar's office, also other Border Patrol agents have leaked other photos as well. It's worse, they say in these facilities.

In fact, when I was there on the border, Fred, I saw a family group from Honduras that had just crossed the Rio Grande Valley. That's me right there next to the Texas Department of Public Safety. And that's the family I'm talking about. They just arrived from Honduras. Two young girls under 4 years old with what is presumably some of their family members. They call this a family group because they're coming with adults. Those two kids there, under the age of 18 years old, it's a humanitarian crisis as some would say.

What the Obama administration is doing now is it's pledging this $250 million. Where is that money going to go? It's intended to go to these governments in Guatemala, in Honduras, in El Salvador, to be part of this reintegration process --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: What does that mean?

VALENCIA: They're not really detailed. That's a great question.

WHITFIELD: Yes. VALENCIA: But it's not really detailed by the White House. What is

this reintegration process and how -- another big question is, how are you going to hold these governments accountable to spend the money on the migrants when they go back?

WHITFIELD: Exactly because it's the problem from what we've heard from a number of these families and the children, if the problem is family members are saying, I'm willing to risk the life of my child --

VALENCIA: Right.

WHITFIELD: -- to go unaccompanied by me --

(CROSSTALK)

VALENCIA: Hundreds of miles.

WHITFIELD: -- across the border because the drug crime is just too much to bear here. There are no jobs. There's no future for my child. If that's what families are saying, this $250 million being doled out to any of these countries, are they going to address those things? Will that money be going towards, you know, some kind of crime intervention or helping to, you know, build infrastructure so there are jobs. I mean --

VALENCIA: There is $161.5 million set aside for the Central American Regional Security Initiative. And that goes towards addressing governance challenges as well as security challenges.

As you mentioned, a big issue is violence in these home countries. Yes, it is a processing issue, yes, there's not enough room to house these thousands of migrants that cross. But it really is the root of the problem in Central America. And that needs to be addressed. Some senior lawmakers saying this money, not enough. Not enough. Not going to solve the problem.

WHITFIELD: Wow. We're going to talk to, in fact, Congressman Cuellar a little bit later on that you were talking about. And keep us posted on this as well.

VALENCIA: Great. You got it, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it.

So it's been years since one New York woman left her town filled with poverty and violence in Honduras to immigrate to the United States. She hasn't seen her parents for nearly two decades, until now.

Here's Rosa Flores taking us on this "American Journey."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This neighborhood in Honduras is not only home to both poverty and violence, but to families, as well. And to this mother, who would give anything to see her daughter again. Natalia Lopez Manuelez says she has always supported her children,

even when one of them wanted to take on the dangerous and uncertain voyage to the United States in search of opportunity.

Nearly 20 years ago, Natalia kissed her daughter, Leslie, goodbye. The 25-year-old left on foot never to return to Honduras.

This mom says she's now trapped in the very situation her daughter left behind. Over the years, she has only spoken to her daughter by phone, never seeing her face-to-face.

(On camera): I met this family while I was filing special reports for CNN in Honduras and when I learned about the agony they were facing due to separation, I thought there is something we can do here, and I started looking for her daughter, Leslie.

(Voice-over): And found her living in New York. Sharing her mother's grief. Leslie says she used to cry alone, thinking about her family thousands of miles away. She was undocumented and couldn't visit.

We took a DVD of my interview with her parents and showed it to Leslie. She was finally able to see her parents for the first time in almost two decades. She couldn't believe her eyes. Her mom showing the many years on her face.

(On camera): When you left they were --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Big difference.

FLORES (voice-over): As does the home she grew up in, a shell of what she remembers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Home sick.

FLORES: And also shocked at the poverty and violence plaguing her old neighborhood. What didn't surprise her, her father talking to CNN.

"He's never been timid," she says, and while this unconventional reunion brought her some joy, nothing replaces seeing family in person. Her dream now, aside from becoming a U.S. citizen, is to visit her family in Honduras one day.

Rosa Flores, CNN, New York. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Families separated by thousands of miles across the border, that's just one aspect of this immigration crisis. Next hour, I will actually speak with Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar about all of this, including the children caught in the middle. What's next for them.

Still to come, an injury to a top American scorer could impact the U.S./Portugal match Sunday at the World Cup.

Lara Baldesarra is in Brazil. LARA BALDESARRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pretty big injury for the U.S.

but it's not the end of the world. I will have all the details coming up for you in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Man, talk about setting the bar high. Can the U.S. team match its stunning performance in the World Cup opener when it takes on Portugal tomorrow? Let's check in with Lara Baldesarra. She can look at her crystal ball.

How's it looking?

BALDESARRA: Hi, Fredricka. Well, it's looking pretty interesting because the USA is getting set to play the game that every team wanted to avoid. And really it's not because of who the U.S. is going to be playing but where they're going to be playing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDESARRA (voice-over): The U.S. faces Portugal in Manaus. That's the only location in the Amazon rainforest which means not just playing in the high heat which averages 88 degrees Fahrenheit in June, but playing in the deep humidity which can make it feel hard to breathe for any one let alone a soccer player running for 90 minutes.

KYLE BECKERMAN, U.S. MIDFIELDER: It's probably similar to Houston, Dallas, Midwest, East Coast in the summer, so hopefully when we get there, it won't be as shocking as it has been to some other teams.

GEOFF CAMERON, U.S. DEFENDER: I think the heat plays for both teams, so you can just wash that out.

BALDESARRA: Either way, it will be a physically grueling match for both teams with fitness levels and conditioning certain to play a role on which side has the edge.

Now for the U.S., they will have to do without a key player, Jozy Altidore who is out with a hamstring injury. It is a pretty big loss as Altidore was expected to be a key goal scorer.

BALDESARRA: He had just broken out of his scoring drought and his foreman U.S. boss Jurgen Klinsmann had very high expectations for his striker.

JURGEN KLINSMANN, U.S. HEAD COACH: We still have the hope that Jozie will be back. How quickly? That is down to his healing process.

BALDESARRA: So now, without Altidore the U.S. will depend on Aron Johannsson or Chris Wondolowski to put the U.S. on the score sheet. No matter which striker Klinsmann chooses, defense will be key. Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to play for Portugal despite dealing with a knee injury. Ronaldo is Ronaldo, and this guy, he can score from anywhere.

BECKERMAN: You lose the ball and the next thing you know it's in the back of your net. That's how dangerous he is. So we're going to have to be aware of him at all times.

ALEJANDRO BEDOVA, U.S. TEAM: We're trying to go out against Portugal and win that game. And then we don't have to think about anything.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDESARRA: Fredricka, this is going to be a much more difficult for the USA. Then the first one was against Ghana. They've already surpassed their expectations, the Americans that is.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

BALDESARRA: But I kind of think that they can do it.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Yes. I think they can do it again, too, I like that. You know what, they ought to take some tips from you because you are keeping it cool there in hot Rio.

Lara Baldesarra, we'll check back with you next hour. Thanks so much covering the World Cup from hot Brazil.

(LAUGHTER)

All right. Also, straight ahead. Militants closing in on the capital of Iraq. The Pentagon is ready to help the Iraqi government but is waiting for the official OK.

Ahead, we'll get an update from the Pentagon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tensions are really ratcheting here in Baghdad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is really important to treat this as you would a deadly virus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pressure on Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki still stands, but there's no indication yet that he's about to heed it and step down.

OBAMA: We can't do it for them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We cannot defend Iraqis from themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The U.S. plan to assist in Iraq's latest crisis is ready to go. American advisers will help the Iraqi military stop the advance of militants closing in on Baghdad. The fighting has already forced 1 million Iraqis to flee their homes. Two senior officials have said the U.S. is exploring possible direct talks with Iran, which could become an unlikely ally in this current crisis. But there's a more immediate problem. The Pentagon needs the approval of the Maliki government. Here now is Barbara Starr.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Fred, the plan has been announced, but now the Pentagon has to work out the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): At the White House podium, it sounds easy.

OBAMA: We're prepared to send a small number of additional American military advisers, up to 300.

STARR: But 24 hours later, could the plan already be in trouble? The Pentagon acknowledging it doesn't have a legal agreement with the Iraq government to send in those advisers. But insisting they are certain they will get one.

REAR ADMIRAL JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: We're pursuing something in writing. The secretary is absolutely committed to making sure that our troops have the legal protections and he would not do that on a nod and a wink.

STARR: For now, the first troops will be drawn from those already in the country. As the fighting rages, U.S. officials already know plenty else could go wrong. One senior defense official telling CNN, the whole mission is not without risk. If the legal problem is resolved, some U.S. troops will go to northern Iraq, the stronghold of ISIS Sunni militant fighters. How much will small numbers of U.S. Special Forces really be able to see?

And the big concern? U.S. troops are not supposed to be in combat, but what if they are attacked? CNN has learned F-18s flying off the carrier "George H.W. Bush" would be authorized to drop bombs on ISIS positions if U.S. lives are at risk. Classified rescue plans call for troops to quickly fly from ships in the Persian Gulf or nearby Kuwait. But it could take hours to get on scene and no guarantee any wounded would get some medical care in that golden hour typical in a war zone.

KIRBY: If somebody gets hurt, wherever they get hurt around the world, we do what we can to get them the medical care as quickly as possible.

STARR: U.S. troops are supposed to be collecting intel on what ISIS is doing inside Iraq. But a senior administration official says potential action is not restricted to a, quote, "specific geographic space." In fact, U.S. reconnaissance flights are now closely watching the Syrian border for movement of ISIS personnel and weapons, as well as the Iranian border for their troops moving in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: But the big issue still remains getting an Iraqi agreement to let U.S. troops back into the country with all the legal protections. Back in 2011, Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki could not get his government to agree to such a plan. So U.S. troops left at that time. Still, now the U.S. has to get his signature on the dotted line -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Barbara Starr. So the first group of U.S. military advisers just might be arriving soon, pending that kind of agreement. President Obama said Thursday the U.S. is sending up to 300 advisers to figure out how strong ISIS is and to advise the Iraqi military. A senior defense official says the first group to arrive would be small and more would come later.

Additionally some U.S. military personnel already in Iraq will be reassigned to work with this group. I'm joined now by Douglas Ollivant, a senior national security fellow at the New America Foundation, good to see you. And CNN military analyst, Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona.

SO Colonel, let me begin with you. Is this a significant problem that there isn't this signed agreement at this juncture as Barbara was outlining or is this something that can happen in a matter of seconds while advisers are in transit?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: It can happen quickly, but we still need a formal agreement between the United States and the Iraqis about just what status our people are in. There will be problems and they have to be legally safe while they're over there. This can happen with the stroke of a pen and a fax machine. It's that quick. I expect this is going to be resolved. It's very important these people get in there very quickly.

WHITFIELD: All right, so in your view, who would make up these advisers? What is important in the first wave of advisers? What's the level of expertise?

FRANCONA: Everybody wants to focus on the Special Forces and they will be part of the mix. But what people at the Pentagon are telling me that it's going to be a whole range of staff officers from all services because the initial task is going to be to assess the capabilities of the Iraqi army. What is their status right now?

It's been three years since we've been involved in the lower echelon. So we have to see what their capabilities are, what the logistics are and what they're going to need and what it's going to take. And of course, the bottom line as the president said, are they capable of doing this? That will determine what happens afterwards.

WHITFIELD: So Douglas, once that assessment is made, is the Iraqi military capable, then what? Is it a commitment from the U.S. to say, we're going to give you emergency training or what?

DOUGLAS OLLIVANT, U.S. ARMY (RETIRED): Well, I think it really depends on what the assessment is and what the situation on the ground looks like. I think this is a very prudent move on the part of the president. He's putting some things in motion, but not doing anything that can't be pulled back, not attacking anyone. In essence, he's getting more eyes out there so he gets more information and can make better decisions. That's always smart.

WHITFIELD: Colonel, with these advisers, would they accelerate any delivery of equipment? If they make the assessment and say -- I mean, clearly the Iraqi military is in trouble otherwise the Iraqi government wouldn't be asking for the U.S. assistance. If it's a matter of equipment, would the U.S. be able to deliver on that promise or is it the form of training -- what are the parameters of the commitment to help Iraq's military get up to par?

FRANCONA: Well, it's all of that. Equipment's probably the easier piece. It's the training that's difficult, but more importantly, it's the leadership. And from what I understand, the leadership has suffered over the last three years as many of the qualified officers were replaced by more of the cronies, the Maliki government. You're assigned by political affiliation rather than your actual military skill. I think it's the leadership piece that's the problem. I think that's what these officers are going to assess. The equipment training, we can fix that, but it's the leadership of this army.

WHITFIELD: And then, Douglas, there's a pretty strong possibility that some of these advisers who have been there before might see some familiar faces in the mix, whether it be in their leadership and otherwise, and so they might be reuniting. So there's that kind of relationship that has already been established that has to come to the advantage, I imagine, of this new marriage.

OLLIVANT: That's possible, but I wouldn't call it highly likely either.

WHITFIELD: No?

OLLIVANT: People rotate around, they move a lot. Even if they're going to the same brigade they once advised, there's going to have been lots of turmoil, officers having been moved. It's possible you'll see someone you know, but I wouldn't rank it as really likely.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Douglas Ollivant and Lt. Col. Rick Francona. Appreciate it.

All right, back here in the states, the focus, the unthinkable happening, a toddler apparently left in a hot car by the child's dad and that child dies. Was it an accident and why an investigator tells CNN this case shocks his conscience?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A Georgia man pleaded not guilty to murder and child cruelty charges after he admitted to accidentally leaving his son in a hot car for hours. His son, Cooper, died. He was almost 2 years old, just 22 months old. While this case sounds like a parent's worst nightmare, police are implying there's more to the story. An officer tells CNN that what he knows about this case shocks his conscience as a police officer, a father and a grandfather. Kevin Rowson of our affiliate, WXIA, has more on what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN ROWSON, WXIA, REPORTER (voice-over): Witnesses were overwhelmed as they watched the silver SUV turn sharply into the parking lot at Akers Mills Square as the driver --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopped out of the driver's seat, opened the back door, pulled his child out, laid him on the concrete, tried to resuscitate him.

ROWSON: His 22-month-old son was dead, probably long before he tried to resuscitate him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was tough. It's tough to see anyone pass. But especially a small child, made it especially tough.

ROWSON: Cobb County Police say the child's father was supposed to drop him off at day care. But instead went to work, apparently forgetting his son was in the backseat strapped into a child's seat.

SERGEANT DANA PIERCE, COBB COUNTY, GEORGIA POLICE: Medical personnel arrived on the scene to determine that a child apparently had been in the automobile, the father's automobile since about 9:00 this morning.

ROWSON: It wasn't until the father was driving home from work shortly after 4:00 p.m. that he noticed his son in the car seat.

(on camera): Have you ever to witness something like that in your life?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a first and hopefully a last.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Defense Attorney Holly Hughes joining me now. OK, Holly, I mean, it is very hard to listen to all these details and put yourself in this man's place and try to figure out how in the world you can forget your kid in the car. But now we're talking about the suspicion of the investigators who are saying it looks like -- and you tell me -- the things that they're looking at, it looks like it's more than just forgetting, but there are other things that make this more of a criminal now investigation.

HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right. It seems that's where they're headed. We saw the autopsy would have been done by now. But we haven't heard about the report. What they've probably done, they've made statements -- the public officer who does all the information release for Cobb County has made statements to the effect like, his answers and his responses when it first happened weren't consistent. They didn't make sense. They didn't add up.

So they think there's more to this. They're looking at that child for any injuries that may have occurred prior to this death. So they're going to look at the inside of his mouth. Is his inside lip bruised maybe from where he was suffocated? Maybe this isn't just an accidental death. That's why the investigation is still going.

They're probably ordering toxicology to see if maybe this baby was given something, like a super dose of Benadryl so he would sleep in that car and not wake up and kick and fussed. He was 22 months old, Fred. If that baby woke up and kicked and fussed, there's a likelihood somebody walking by might have seen or heard something. So that's what they are doing --

WHITFIELD: If the child is in distress in the vehicle, no matter how sleepy, you're going to hear that child. Somebody in the parking lot is going to hear a child screaming --

HUGHES: You know how loud children can get.

WHITFIELD: My twins are 19 months old, it's hard to envision forgetting. When your kids are in the back seat, no matter what, you're talking to them along the way. You may be a little forgetful about other things, but you know, the safety and well-being of your children? That's a hard one. That's a tough one to swallow.

HUGHES: Which is why the investigators are pushing this so hard. We know right now they've levied murder charges, which means they think they can prove to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt this was an intentional killing.

WHITFIELD: If we were talking about forgetfulness, we are looking at charges that might be negligent homicide.

HUGHES: Correct. Something a lot less. This could go as low as a misdemeanor if the investigation bears out that there's no intent on the part of the father. Remember, intent is an essential element of every crime and the state has to prove it.

WHITFIELD: Involuntary manslaughter might be --

HUGHES: Involuntary manslaughter would be a misdemeanour and that means you're committing a lawful act, but in an unlawful manner. So you're transporting your child, he's safely buckled in. That's OK.

WHITFIELD: So how long in your view before some of these toxicology reports might come back to show exact cause of death?

HUGHES: They can probably get the information back to the investigating body, which would be Cobb County Police Department and the District Attorney's Office there within a couple of weeks. But I don't think we're going to see a release based on what their public information officer is saying. He says, we're going to know -- the public is going to know when it goes to trial.

That right there is very telling because it means they're pushing for a trial. They're not looking to plead this out. They're not looking to make a deal. They're saying, we think we're going to discover enough evidence to push this forward.

WHITFIELD: And we're talking about the heat of summer right now, temperatures have been in the upper 80s and 90s here in Georgia. And anyone who has kids or pets knows you don't leave them in the car.

HUGHES: Especially not a closed car. Let's do a public service announcement. Don't leave children or pets in the car, period, but certainly not with the windows rolled up and then walk away because then you're looking at a tragedy like we have here.

WHITFIELD: Heart breaking. Holly Hughes, thank you so much. Keep us posted on what happens next.

All right, coming up, Anna Cabrera in Minnesota where days of rain has caused some very dangerous flooding there.

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's still a threat of more rain, more flooding and more mud slides like what happened just behind me here. You see this hillside that collapsed threatening the hospital that's there on top. We'll have an update on this developing situation and let you know what's being done to make sure patients and employees here stay safe, when we come back.

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WHITFIELD: Minnesota's days of heavy rain are taking its toll. Flooding is threatening parts of the state and the governor has now declared a state of emergency in 35 counties as rivers break their banks and roads are flooded. Look at those images. Extraordinary.

Ana Cabrera joining me from the bank of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis and even more extraordinary is that view behind you with that hospital really nearly teetering.

CABRERA: It looks like it's teetering. Certainly a daunting image, to say the least, but you can there are cleanup crews underneath so the threat of that hospital falling is not imminent by any means. They're clearing away all that mud and debris and even up there on top, there are people standing on that building.

Preliminary investigations have shown by civil engineers, geologists, that that building there is stable. We're told it's built on rock shale. Really should not be at risk, but of course, they're going to double check. They want to make sure this hillside is still safe and the plan today is to put a tarp over the rest of that hillside because unfortunately, there's still a threat of more rain, more flooding that could impact the already very saturated grounds.

They're going the put a tarp out there, it's going to allow the water to trickle down and hopefully prevent any more erosion from the hillside, but it seems like these have people really concerned across the state because they've had so much rain. It's been a record setting month when it comes to precipitation in many parts of this state, which has led to the many flooding problems that we're seeing.

You mentioned nearly three dozen counties are under a state of emergency. We know the National Guard has deployed members throughout this state and throughout the Midwest to help to shore up all the high water as these rivers including the Mississippi is still rising -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Incredible. All right, thank you so much, Ana Cabrera. Appreciate that.

All right, workers possibly exposed to anthrax inside the CDC Building in Atlanta. How many are affected and how could this have happened in the first place? Next.

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WHITFIELD: The FBI and CDC are investigating how dozens of workers possibly became exposed to anthrax. As many as 86 Atlanta-based employees are being monitored or provided antibiotics. No one has become sick so far. CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta says it looks like the whole thing was simply human error.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, we're here at the CDC. This is the sight of this accidental, it seems accidental anthrax bacteria release. It's quite a story and I'll preface by saying that either someone or a group of people messed up. Some protocols, some very important protocols were not followed.

What was supposed to happen as they were taking the anthrax bacteria from a high bio safety lab to a lower bio safety lab, two things were supposed to happen, the anthrax bacteria were supposed to be inactivated and they were supposed to wait for 48 hours to make sure that in fact, the bacteria had been inactivated, sort of watch them.

Neither one of those steps happened. The inactivation process did not work properly and the bacteria were not watched for the 48 hours, so as a result, the live anthrax bacteria found its way into a lower bio safety lab, a lab that was not equipped to handle it and that's where the concern for exposure comes from.

Initially, 75 people were identified, Fred. They looked at ID cards, tried to figure out who was in the lab and when by looking at the swiping of security areas and stuff like that. They looked at the hallways outside these labs, really trying to find out who may have come in contact with this bacteria.

Since then more people have come forward, yes, I may have been in that area at the same time. So, the numbers are going to go up a little bit here as they have over the last couple of days. So far, Fred, the good news is nobody has gotten sick. Flu like symptoms, no one has even had a mild fever, which can be one of the mildest symptoms of infection.

Fred, this is a serious matter. While it is hard to get the infection if someone were to breathe in this and get the infection, 75 to 80 mortality so it's a very, very deadly pathogen. Hard to get, but deadly if you do get it.

And just to give you an idea, finally, even within this community of infectious disease experts, not everyone agrees on the right course of action. Of the 54 patients that have already been identified and screened, 32 of them said I'm going to take ciprofloxacin for 60 days, 20 of them I said I'm take a different antibiotic, doxycycline, two said I'm not going to take anything at all.

Half the people said I'm going to take the anthrax vaccine. Half said no. So there's not widespread agreement by any means on what exactly to do, but again, Fred, they're beginning to be monitored, observed and screened over the next couple of months. Symptoms can take that long to develop, but so far, nobody's sick.

WHITFIELD: Thank you, Sanjay. Appreciate it.

All right, we have much straight ahead in the NEWSROOM and it all starts right now.