Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Japan Faces Tough Recovery after Floods; May Seeks to Reassert her Authority amid Brexit Strife; Facebook Gave Russian Company a Special Data Extension; France Beat Belgium to Advance to World Cup Final; Trump Slams Allies On Defense And Trade; Tusk To Trump: Appreciate Your Allies; Heritage Foundation Tweets Reminders To Trump; Trump Putin Meeting May Be Easiest Part Of The Trip; France Beat Belgium Advance To World Cup; CNN Goes Inside Cave Where Boys Were Trapped. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired July 11, 2018 - 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: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour, here we go again. Donald Trump ready for a rumble with U.S. allies this time it's NATO and defense budgets but the Europeans are already pushing back. From mission impossible to mission accomplished, 12 boys and their coach are all together once more in hospital and doctors say they're all in good health after their incredible rescue from a flooded cave in Thailand. And football euphoria sweeps across France as their players defeat Belgium, now just one win away from World Cup glory. Hello! Thanks for joining us. I'm John Vause and this is NEWSROOM L.A.
In just a few hours the U.S. President will meet with NATO secretary general over breakfast and that will mark the start of a summit expected to be high in tension may be low on diplomacy. Even before arriving in Brussels, Donald Trump was calling out allies are not spending enough on defense and also criticizing what he says are their unfair trade policies. This tone was a little softer before leaving Washington but then he said this about the upcoming summit with Russia's president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: NATO has not treated us fairly but I think we'll work something out. We pay far too much and they pay far too little but we will work it out and all countries will be happy. The U.K. that's a situation that's been going on for a long time so I have NATO, I have the U.K. which is in somewhat turmoil and I have Putin. Frankly Putin may be the easiest of them all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: European leaders might just have given up trying to convince President Trump that they're all on the same side. European Council President Donald Tusk says a stark message.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TUSK, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COUNCIL: I would like to address President Trump directly who for a long time now has been criticizing Europe almost daily. The America appreciate your allies after all you don't have the planning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Wow. Nic Robertson joins us live from Brussels. OK, so, Nick, ahead of the summit what's the bigger concern among NATO allies the chaos the U.S. President could cause within the Alliance or the concessions he might make when he later meets with the Russian President, you know, like recognizing Russia's annexation of Crimea for example?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, I think both are concerns and they're both very big concerns. What they've recognized in President Trump and they recognizes it a long time ago is that he is unpredictable. So the way that he handled the G7 summit means but when he has statements like sure he'd be asking NATO to reimburse me for money that they've shortchanged the United States as he -- as he said on his flight on the way in here just before he landed, they have to kind of take that seriously. But yes, I mean NATO is all about an alliance. A transatlantic alliance and it's that unity, it's that working together that's the fundamental core of NATO -- of the NATO alliance so while diplomats recognize that President Trump you know, won't be President of the United States forever, what gaps he may then go on and open up during his time here but then open up in the alliance's objectives and strategy for dealing with Russia and his meeting with Putin, that's more fundamentally damaging because it's that unity of the Alliance, its ability to work together cohesively, cooperatively that President Trump could really undo in real time. They can withstand the barbs and the sticks and the stones and the anger and frustration about the money. They're working towards that but they can't undo damage that he might do that they think would weaken the alliance by giving concessions potentially unilateral concessions to President Putin who obviously as many see wants to see a weaker NATO.
VAUSE: At the end of the day though, can NATO allies complain as much as they want about Donald Trump but is the reality simply that they need the U.S. more than the U.S. needs to them?
ROBERTSON: Sure the past 70 years has been built around this alliance in terms of sort of military strategy but they would see that the United States needs NATO as well. That after the 9/11 attacks 2001, the United States turned to his allies and it was NATO that stacked up sending troops into Afghanistan. NATO has a range of troops from a range of countries from a range of backgrounds and that does serve the United States interest. So it is a two-way street. But again that alliance has been predicated on the United States taking a leading and central position and this is a sort of a revaluation that NATO leaders particularly here in Europe because of the trade issues with President Trump as well begin -- are beginning to re-evaluate but they can't move away from it in a short timeframe are now hoping to weather this storm and have the Alliance continue. And that's the political message they're getting be it from the non-binding Senate vote last night in the United States or message from Senator McCain saying that you know U.S. politicians and the people support this alliance. So I think it's a hope to weather the storm rather than -- rather than sort of have to reset positioning and decide who needs who -- you know who needs who more than -- more than the need each other.
[01:06:12] VAUSE: Yes, that a non-binding resolution was incredible. It was like almost saying you know, we think motherhood is good. It was just one of those sort of statements of accolades you never thought would come from Congress. But you know, the situation was a defense expenditure, you have presidents from Canada to Obama complained I should say that NATO country says don't spend enough on defense so explain the background to this agreement which was made what they had in 2014 that NATO countries would agree to spend a minimum of 20 -- of two percent of their GDP on defense.
ROBERTSON: Sure. Look, and I think is recognized by many countries within the NATO alliance that they've got away with paying you know not -- a not significant amount that because of cuts in defense budgets look at Britain on the size of the army that he used to have even a decade ago over a hundred thousand troops way below that now that the pressures on economists through Europe, Canada, other places as well has meant that defense spending has gone down and the United States with its big military has footed the bill. So that summit in Wales just outcome -- just outside Cardiff in 2014 and I was there. It was hammered out that all countries would work to this two percent of GDP, a target to be met two percent of GDP did we spend on defense spending by 2024. And on top of that as well, not just spending the money on additional troops but 20 percent of that on big hardware, big infrastructure, big commitment to sort of changing warfare tactics in the future. That recognized that there had been this shortfall, that there had been an erosion of essentially contributions by some member nations.
But you have Germany for example who came out of the Second World War into this alliance with its military intentionally emasculated not allowed to deploy troops overseas as it has done more recently in support of NATO but a lower defense spending concurrent with that. So where Germany is committed to 1.5 percent of GDP by 2024, that's not what President Trump wants. There at 1.2 percent -- 1.4 percent right now at the end of last year and they say they'll up it to 1.31 percent by the end of this year. That will still make them the biggest contributor of the -- of the NATO European alliance members. But that does fall short so there is a history and there is an accepted an acceptance among NATO diplomats that there has been a shortfall but they also see this contribution, they see this contribution of blood and treasure. You know, more than 800 European NATO service men and women killed in the support of the United States original mission in Afghanistan to quash al-Qaeda and do away with the threat that brought about the 9/11 attacks. John?
VAUSE: (INAUDIBLE) They're so dull and their rather you know, did I say boring? This one will be anything but. Nick, thank you. I appreciate you being with us. For more on this I'm joined now by Democratic Strategist Caroline Heldman and Republican Strategist Chris Faulkner. OK, I think it might be a good time right now to bring up a tweet from the conservative think-tank the Heritage Foundation. It came out last week. Things to remember before Donald Trump travels to Europe. Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. Crimea belongs to Ukraine. NATO and U.S. troops in Europe serve our national interests. Europeans must spend for defense. Putin's track record shows he can't be trusted. Chris, it seems that may have been written for an audience of one.
CHRIS FAULKNER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: They're clearly just stating things that we already fully recognize in terms of U.S. foreign policy multiple presidencies, multiple administrations, and multiple congresses have verified all of these things and I think when it comes to America's commitment to defense of Europe, we show that both in I believe the quote I saw earlier was blood and treasure in any measurement of NATO's blood and treasure in recent years versus American blood and treasure is a travesty and really no one should ever make that comparison again. But in terms of economic, the President is clearly trying to leverage America's position to make sure that NATO in its member states are paying for their own defense.
[01:10:32] VAUSE: And Caroline, the U.S. President has given every indication he takes a totally different position on that list of topics for that by the Heritage Foundation which you know, I should say again is a conservative think-tank.
CAROLINE HELDMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Yes so they're reminding him as have many of his advisors and people on the left and the right that Russia is actually you know, a threat to the United States. They hacked our election. That is what our intelligence agencies say so it's difficult to process what it is about Putin that Donald Trump likes so much. Is it you know, his juvenile performance of hyper- masculinity that Donald Trump is associating with? Is it the fact that 82 members of the Trump team had some sort of contact with the Russians either during the campaign or when he got into office? Is it how they helped him during the election or does he simply not understand geopolitics? At the end of the day, he is normalizing Russia to the point where 56 percent of Republicans think that our relationship with Putin is a good idea.
VAUSE: So Chris, how do you respond to that in regards to the Russian connection?
FAULKNER: Well there's been a lot of discussion about Russia hacking our election. Is there conclusive evidence that the Russians try to influence U.S. elections, yes there absolutely is. I can wear a baseball hat tomorrow, it doesn't mean I'm a baseball player. If you look at the amount of dollars spent in the total actual influence the Russians may or may not have had in U.S. elections it's a total joke. The only people that would actually like to believe that are people that are selling ads on Facebook. In terms of our relationship with Russia, yes, of course, they're an adversary. They're a competitor, whatever language you want to use. Because the president is using different language than what we've heard in the past and not rolling over to whatever people in the diplomatic corps want, it's making people uncomfortable and shaking things up which is not a bad thing.
VAUSE: Yes, (INAUDIBLE) and the Russian investigation of what they currently may not have done but the reality is because at some point you know, those ads on Facebook managed to get people to turn out to a protest. You know, they had people actually turning up to these new events which was staged by these Russian hackers. I mean so it did some influence, that's just what we know about. But it did, in fact. I mean, people actually acted on these ads that were put out there. I mean it's (INAUDIBLE)
FAULKNER: It's documented that there was money spent and whether or not it actually had an influence on American elections, I think is total crap. The only people that really want you to believe that are people that are selling Facebook ads. If you think spending even $100,000 is somehow going to influence an American election which on the scale of economics is in the billions of dollars and you're fooling yourself and you're really not being intellectually honest about how to American democracy work.
HELDMAN: But it's not just Facebook ads. It's not just ads, right? And we haven't been able to track the influence of that because we don't know the full extent. They hacked 21 of our state electrical --
FAULKNER: The only time (INAUDIBLE) is concerned -- when Hugo Chavez is calling for intervention in the United States no one cares when you have Americans going and actively saying that Hugo Chavez and when he was alive --
HELDMAN: They hacked our elections eight ways to Sunday.
FAULKNER: At the end of the day, you lost, you lost.
HELDMAN: 21 states, they hacked Facebook ads.
FAULKNER: They didn't hacked anything.
HELDMAN: You know, Chris, I wish that we weren't talking about the state of our democracy. I wish that they hadn't done what they did in that election. It's not a partisan issue, it's an issue democracy and acknowledging that Russia played a major role in that election --
FAULKNER: It is not a major role, that's ridiculous.
VAUSE: OK, let me play this --
HELDMAN: Apparently you disagree with four major intelligence agencies.
VAUSE: Let's listen to the -- let's listen to the President when he talks about Europe. Here is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Germany pays one percent, one percent. And I said you know, Angela, I can't guarantee it but we're protecting you and it means a lot more to you than protecting us because I don't know how much protection we get by protecting you.
Actually, I like this country but you know, they all -- sometimes our worst enemies are so-called friends or allies right?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK. So -- and then in that second rally which was in Montana last week, the President we're starting to talk about Russia's Vladimir Putin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Putin is KGB and this and that. You know what, Putin is fine. He's fine. We're all fine with people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:15:00] VAUSE: You know -- so, Chris -- you know, Chris, for the record, you know, Putin was KGB. But -- you know, it's a -- it -- you know, the difference of the language when Donald Trump is talking about allies in Europe, and when he's talking about Vladimir Putin, is incredibly notable.
FAULKNER: It is. And going back to the issue what the president is saying about Germany's contribution with NATO, the previous reports you had on talked about how -- that the German military was emasculated in World War II.
And therefore, their percentage to GDP doesn't match United States. Well, of course, it doesn't have to, because the United States helped rebuild Germany with the Marshall Plan. We're not asking for repayment at that. What are we asking is that Germany and our allies in Europe pay their share in terms of GDP towards our -- those NATO disc.
VAUSE: So, I just want to stick with this language, though. Because I think this is an important point. Miss Caroline, it almost seems as if Donald Trump, the strategy if there is a strategy is try to convince his base that the European allies are bad. And Vladimir Putin is good.
HELDMAN: It seems plain as day that, that is what he's doing, and in fact, it is ben effective. Only 40 percent of Republicans want to stay in NATO and 56 percent think that being cozy with Vladimir Putin is a good idea. It is as though -- you know, up and down -- you know --
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: excellent hyperbole.
HELDMAN: It's not hyperbole, it's data. So, it is shocking to me that Donald Trump has been so effective with the base. But then again, this is a base that doesn't seem to be too concerned about the fact that he tells numerous lies on average every day.
But it is -- you know, Ronald Reagan would be rolling over in his grave were he to see how Vladimir Putin is being treated by Donald Trump, and it really makes you wonder what sort of connection or what sort of power, Putin has over Trump, because this is otherwise, inexplicable.
He is not a friendly as a foe. He did hack our election, and the fact that Donald Trump, hasn't both not condemned that or even recognized it, and has not condemning annexation of Crimea, is evidence that he is flipping foreign policy, or he doesn't understand it or is in Putin's pocket.
VAUSE: And here's part of the New York Times report about the telephone conversation earlier this year when Donald Trump congratulated Vladimir Putin for winning an election which was essentially rigged.
"He told Mr. Putin that Russia and the United States should get along better. And he described as stupid people the unnamed Trump administration officials whom the Russian president said had tried to prevent the call from happening. According to a person with great knowledge of the conversation."
You know, Chris, what happens to only the best? Trump hires only the best, now they're stupid people. It also seems hard to imagine a U.S. president at a talking about his executive staff like that to the leader of Russia.
FAULKNER: If anyone believes that flattery hasn't been a part of diplomacy, you're fooling yourself. And this is another way, of course, the president having communication where he's trying to get his best interests, he's trying to get the interest of our nation. And he's using language that people are uncomfortable with. And sounds like he may or may not have thrown some of his staff under the bus which again for a president or politician, it wouldn't certainly be the first time.
VAUSE: Caroline, I didn't hear a lot of flattery when the Donald Trump is on the record speaking to the president of Mexico, the Prime Minister of Australia, the Prime Minister of Canada -- you know, this guys, so on.
HELDMAN: He seems to have an unusual affinity for Putin. And again, is it the masculinity? Is it because he -- you know, was assisted during the election by the hacking from Russia? Those -- you know, the Facebook ads in the DNC, breach of e-mails, as well as the 21 states that were hacked.
It is really hard to say what is happening here, but we can certainly conclude from the left and the right, The Heritage Foundation included that this is not normal. It's not good for the United States. The fact that we are praising this dictator. Someone who has probably ordered the murder of more than two dozen of his critics. This is a dictatorship, and a murderous one of that, and the fact that we are cozying after him, it's startling, especially during a time when Donald Trump is going after the E.U. and NATO was such force.
VAUSE: OK, and that -- at that is where we shall leave it. Caroline and Chris, thank you both. Really appreciate you being with us tonight.
FAULKNER: You're welcome.
HELDMAN: Thanks, John.
VAUSE: And France will make it a first World Cup finals (INAUDIBLE) in 12 years. The party is on in Paris as fans filled the streets to cheer for Les Bleus.
France last won the World Cup in 1998, when they hosted the tournament. It took only one goal for France to beat Belgium with Zinedine Zidane, final match. They go on to face the winner of England-Croatia, in a few hours in Moscow. Full highlights and a preview of that match later this hour.
We'll take a short break. We'll be back on the other side. You're watching CNN. More on the relief in Thailand as that rescue comes to an end.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:22:24] VAUSE: Doctors in Thailand say the 12 boys and the football coach rescued from a flooded cave are in surprisingly good mental and physical condition. Crowds cheer there's the last four boys and the coach were brought out on Tuesday.
They're trapped for 18 days, and all doctors say they treated the boys for lung infections, and all of them lost weight, and some are now be allowed visits from their parents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NARONGSAK OSATANAKORN, MISSION COMMANDER, THAI CAVE RESCUE (through translation): Today, Thais, team Thailand, government officials and private sector, as well as the media members and the world's moral support, we managed to do something that we've never expected we could do. It's the world's first.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Amongst, all the boys and the coach had been rescued from that cave, CNN went inside for a closer look. Here's David McKenzie.
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the spectacular entrance of the Tunnel One cave system. And the boys have no idea when they came in here that the rains would flow in, and that their saga would capture the world's attention.
But there have you flee deeper into the cave system as the water streamed in, and it was here where the rescuers first mobilized to get them out. The boys survived by drinking water from the roof and they didn't eat any food for nine days. You can imagine the joy when a British diver popped up through the water nine days after they went missing. Everyone thought that they were dead. And that was the beginning of this incredible rescue mission.
When they started their mission, the water was much higher than where it is now. You can see the measuring stick. And they pumped water out 24 hours a day, for days, and days down the mountain that allows in the space in the roof of the cavern to get in with the expert divers in a short enough distance to bring the boys out.
And the last people to emerge were the four Thai Navy SEALs after those incredible days of rescue. No one thought they could pull these rescue off, but they did using a combination of expert divers and incredible teamwork. David McKenzie, CNN, inside the cave in Chiang Rai.
VAUSE: And CNN's Ivan Watson, live again for us this hour in Northern Thailand. So, Ivan, you know, I guess the headline from that update we had from the doctors about the last four boys take it out from the cave. They're all in really good health. They lost a little bit of weight. They are suffering -- you know, at least one is suffering from a lung infection. But they're in remarkable good condition just like their eight teammates.
[01:25:03] IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I mean, the doctors' saying that they're in the "safety zone". It's kind of striking that you have a situation where I think a lot of people feared these boys might never be found. In the first week and a half, after they disappeared on June 23rd and after a remarkable combined effort, the sacrifice of one life. A Thai former Navy SEAL diver who died last week as part of this incredible effort, probably some good luck, and some very, very hard work.
These boys, their coach, they have survived after more than two weeks underground beneath this mountain here, at a depth of four kilometers, 2 1/2 miles.
I've been messaging with one of the divers, a Canadian who worked on this remarkable rescue effort. He has indicated that he needs a couple days to recuperate his feet and his hands are pretty beaten up after the rescue operation.
The divers were describing razor-sharp rocks. Tight, narrow tunnels that they had to navigate and rushing waters, as well that added, added to the difficulty of this rescue operation.
The doctors gave credit not only to the 25-year-old soccer coach who was the only adult with the children when they first disappeared. But also to the Navy SEAL doctor and three other divers who spent more than a week with the kids, underground in the cave, helping really keep them alive, feeding them gel packs so that they got some nutrition after nine days without solid food.
I'm still struck by the fact, John, that even though they had no food it was the very element that trapped them, the water that they had to hide from that also kept them alive. They had a steady supply of water since it was all around them as they were trapped in the darkness, and the doctors attributed that, as well, to the fact that they're alive and in relatively good condition considering their ordeal, John.
VAUSE: And what we thought it was a coach who basically taught them how -- you know, to get the water out of the limestone of the cave so it was clean, and filtered, and safe to drink. And with that, when this story first -- just broke, you know, they come in the early days. There was talk of you and the police would not rule out charging the coach with maybe child negligence, that kind of thing.
But there is been this complete turnaround for this guy. The families say they don't blame him more for a bit. They think he's a hero for staying with the boys. We heard for the doctors saying, exactly the same thing.
WATSON: And I met with a relative of the coach who has he's affectionately known, Coach Eck. He is -- has been an orphan since childhood according to this cousin who is as the Thai refer to her an auntie of the man. He was orphaned at the age of 10, he became a Buddhist monk for years, and years, and years, and committed himself to community service.
There were exchanges while the team was still trapped underground where the players, the coach, were able to send out handwritten letters and get responses. And he apologized to the families of the boys for the predicament they were in. And they in response -- you know forgave him.
According to his relative, she says that the parents of these boys trust this man. They -- that he loved the kids very, very much. Whether or not, there could be charges down the road. I don't know, we certainly, have not been hearing those kind of signals in the wake of the incredible rescue operation from the Thai authorities.
The focus has clearly been on just kind of embracing what has been a good moment for Thailand. A good moment for people who are worried about these kids from around the world. But the worst-case scenario did not happen. That they did not end up dying in a crypt behind me in that mountain. But instead, emerged and are breathing fresh air, and are being incrementally reintroduced to their parents.
Not initially allowed to hug embrace, kiss their parents because they're still under quarantine. But first, being able to speak through -- to them through a glass window, a glass door. And then, the parents are led -- allowed to come into the sterilized hospital ward with surgical masks and gowns.
And as time progresses, as they feel more comfortable, the doctors about the health and the immune systems of the children, they will be able to reunite properly. John?
VAUSE: And in all this, we shouldn't forget, that a former Thai Navy SEAL diver lost his life. This follows the rescue operation, but for the most part, this was an overwhelmingly happy ending to a story which I think so many of us needed at this point.
So, Ivan, and everybody there, we thank you for bringing to us over the last couple of days. And the Thai government is thanking people around the world for their support throughout the rescue.
Posted this drawing on Facebook with "thank you" written a number of languages. [01:29:49]
So Ivan and everybody there -- we thank you for bringing it to us over the last couple of days.
And the Thai government is thanking people around the world for their support throughout the rescue. Posted this right (ph) on Facebook with "Thank you" written in a number of languages, the post reads, "We would like the express our gratitude for all that you've done. We are most grateful for your support. Thank you for taking time to help us. We really do appreciate it. From the bottom of our Thai hearts." And under the drawing, a simple message, "You are our heroes."
A short break -- when we come back Japan reeling after the most devastating floods in decades. Now rescuers moving house to house looking for survivors with a new weather threat on the horizon.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.
I'm John Vause with the headlines this hour.
U.S. President Donald Trump hours away now from what is expected to be a tense meeting with allies at the NATO summit. Before arriving in Brussels, he criticized the alliance's members for not spending enough on defense plus (ph) the leaders of the European Union for what he views as unfair trading policies.
The last of the boys trapped in a cave in Thailand are now safe in hospital and doctors say they're in good mental and physical condition. Rescuers brought out the final four boys and their coach on Tuesday. Some of those rescued earlier in the week are no allowed to visit with their families.
It's one goal but that was enough for France to book their ticket to the World Cup final. Belgium put on a valiant effort but could not break through. France will face the winner of the England-Croatia match which kicks off about 12 hours from now.
In Japan, rescue crews are searching for survivors after the worst floods in almost four decades. The death toll stands at 176 after torrential rains caused flash floods and triggered landslides.
CNN's Alexandra Field is following the story from Hong Kong.
So Alex -- dozens remain missing. Power is out in many areas. So what are residents saying about the government's response to this natural disaster?
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And another 21 people killed in just the last day. That was announced by officials that they had discovered that another 21 people had been killed. So certainly the conditions, very difficult for those people who are on the ground right now, so many of them in shelters at this moment. Natural that there are frustrations, certainly but the focus has stayed on these rescue operations because this is still very much a rescue operation with dozens of people unaccounted for.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying that the effort will continue at the highest level and to that end he's committed some 75,000 people to be a part of this operation you're talking about. The defense forces, also police, but also firefighters; and they're battling very difficult conditions on the ground.
[01:35:02] A lot of this work also has to be done from the air, given the damage to infrastructure, given the water levels that remain on the ground. So they've got more than 80 helicopters that are also involved with this effort.
They're trying to spot what they can from up high and then you have so many people on the ground doing the delicate work of trying to sift through rubble trying to identify whether there could be more survivors out there -- John.
VAUSE: And amid all of that, after everything that has happened, there is now this possibility of bad weather and possible thunderstorms in the not too distant future.
FIELD: Right -- no one letting their breath out in southwest Japan. If you think about what they've been through in just the last few days, it is truly stunning. There were some parts of southwest Japan that were seeing about 10 to 14 inches of rainfall in just a two-hour period.
So you have this massive amount of flooding which also triggered land slides. There are still concerns about mud slides. This is why so many people had to evacuate their homes.
Those threats have not let up. Officials are still warning that there is the possibility of further land slides. That, of course, is a key danger and there are concerns about excessive heat, rising temperatures right now along with the possibility of thunderstorms so really a lot of warnings going out to residents right now.
That's a lot of the focus for government officials. They say that they're focused on making sure that they're delivering enough food, water and cooling systems to those in need.
In terms of the flooding itself, that hasn't stopped entirely. The rainfall has stopped but we have seen some issues in just the last day where a backlog of debris or a buildup of sediment has caused overflowing.
In fact around one river another 23,000 people were ordered to evacuate immediately in just the last day because there were concerns about that overflowing river. So really this is still a very tenuous situation. And you've got a lot of people who are out of their homes seeking shelter in a number of education centers essentially across the country. Those are some of the areas that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is out visiting today -- John. VAUSE: We know that when people get evacuated from their homes, they
can to go the schools or, you know, there's temporary shelters and they can stay there for, you know, a short period of time. It is certainly not anything longer than that.
So is there a time frame at this point on how long it is thought before, you know, these people may be able to head on, I guess not their homes but maybe something that looks like a home?
FIELD: Well, you've got a massive operation here really. We're talking again about some two million people who had to evacuate and that was either because of the rising water or because of the threat of land slides. Some of them were under evacuation orders. Others had to do whatever they could just to get out of their homes.
You won't forget those images of people crawling out on top of their roofs just to stay dry, just to stay above the water. So there is no time frame at this point for when everyone will be back in their homes.
You can see that there's really a massive clean-up job to be done. This has brought life as usual to a standstill in parts of southwest Japan. It's not just affecting the homes, of course. You've got thousands of homes that are damaged, thousands without power, without phones.
You've got infrastructure that is severely compromised because of water, because of debris. And you've got businesses that are far from being able to open because of destruction there or also because of issues in terms of just getting people to the physical locations, to big plants in one of the hardest hit prefectures.
One Panasonic plant and one Mitsubishi plant said that they are going to have to temporarily halt operations. You know, that's just a snap shot really of one of the ways in which so many people's lives have just seemingly come to a halt as they literally have to do the work of starting to get the water out, starting to clear the rubble. Of course though, the focus staying on finding those dozens who are still unaccounted for.
VAUSE: Yes. I guess it's going to be a long time. Alex -- thank you.
Alexandra Field there, live for us in Hong Kong.
British Prime Minister Theresa May is trying to reassert her control after some of her top cabinet ministers resigned in protest over her soft Brexit plan. But another revolt from hard line Brexit supporters is possible as the Prime Minister aims to keep close economic ties with the E.U.
And now the U.S. President has worked his way into the Brexit discussion just days before he visits London. Those details from CNN's Nina dos Santos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Theresa May managed to cling on to power and also crucially not to have to water down her plans on Brexit which many ardent Euro skeptics in her party challenged her on by deciding to resign.
She moved very quickly over the last 48 hours to fill the holes in her cabinet as some junior ministers resigned and also big senior members as well. This means that we now have four key parts of the British government -- the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Home Secretary and also the Foreign Secretary -- Those positions now being held by people who advocated staying inside the European Union in the 2016 referendum. Whether or not that means the U.K. will eventually end up with a softer Brexit has yet to be seen.
With this latest political drama now having been sorted Theresa May assembled her newly-reshuffled cabinet early in the morning and says she was eager to get down to work.
[01:39:56] The focus now shifts toward international affairs later on in the week with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel already in London to host a summit on the western Balkans. She had a press conference with Theresa May.
May will then be heading to NATO for the big summit in Brussels before hosting the U.S. President Donald Trump. And even before he got on the plane to Europe, he didn't waste any time in commenting on the latest political shenanigans in Westminster.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should Theresa May remain in power.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, that's up to the people. I get along with her very well. I have very good relations. Yes. That's certainly up to the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DOS SANTOS: And it wasn't just Theresa May who Donald Trump he said he keen to meet. He also left a parting shot by saying he was keen to meet Boris Johnson, a long-time thorn in Theresa May's side who precipitated this crisis by resigning as foreign secretary after the resignation on David Davis, her Brexit secretary. No comments from Downing Street on how well those comments from the U.S. president went down.
Nina dos Santos, CNN -- in London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Your personal data might just be in the hands of a major Russian Internet company with ties to Vladimir Putin. Mail.Ru may even have access to those details long after Facebook told everyone the issue had been resolved. That's just one of many issues facing the social network giant and its boss Mark Zuckerberg.
Drew Griffin reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARK ZUCKERBERG, CEO, FACEBOOK: Yes. There was abuse. And that's why in 2014, we took the step of fundamentally changing how the platform works.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When Mark Zuckerberg told a congressional committee his social network shut down apps that gathered users' personal information, he didn't mention this. A list of 61 app developers Facebook now says were given an extension, the ability to keep gathering data from Facebook users for up to an additional six months; among them, the Russian Internet giant Mail.ru which ran hundreds of apps on Facebook.
What does that mean to you? Michael Carpenter is the former deputy assistant secretary of defense covering Russia.
MICHAEL CARPENTER, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE COVERING RUSSIA: What this means is that all data that Facebook users shared through this agreement with mail.ru is now available to the Russian Intelligence Services -- all of it. And that is incredibly troubling.
GRIFFIN: The Facebook data privacy breach that gave companies the ability to harvest, use and target your personal Facebook information and your friends included a Russian Internet firm with links to Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin.
That means if you were on Facebook before 2015 -- your name, gender, birth date, locations, photos and page likes were all available to the companies that ran the ads. Mail.ru is controlled by USM Holdings, a company founded by Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov that the U.S. Treasury Department lists as having ties to the Kremlin.
Mail.ru had the ability to use Facebook to harvest U.S. citizens' data through apps and games. But the company has denied doing that. In this statement to CNN the Russian company said only about 5 percent of its users are in the U.S. and that "we have not collected data on any Facebook users via Facebook apps other than for the purposes of in- game mechanics".
Facebook told CNN it's still investigating what mail.ru did with its Facebook apps and said in a state, "Mail.ru one of the largest top five largest Internet companies in the world has built apps for the Facebook platform and for other major platforms including iOS and Android for years. We found no indication of misuse with mail.ru."
CARPENTER: It doesn't matter what the original intent was from the company which may well be benign. But once that data is in their possession, it's then under the purview of the Russian Intelligence Services.
GRIFFIN (on camera): And in yet another blow to Facebook, the British government has just announced it is fining Facebook more than $650,000 for violating its data privacy laws. This is in connection to the Cambridge Analytica data breach. In a report released late Tuesday, the U.K.'s Information Commissioner's office said Facebook failed to safeguard people's information or even tell them how their data was being harvested.
Drew Griffin, CNN -- Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And Facebook will have the chance to respond to the proposed penalty before British authorities make a final decision.
Up next, the defensive battle in the World Cup semifinals. One goal was all it took for France to claim a spot at the championship match in Moscow.
[01:44:33] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: France are on their way to the World Cup final on Sunday in Moscow. The only question now -- will they face England or Croatia.
CNN World Sport anchor, Patrick Snell in a vest in Atlanta with a preview.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Waistcoat. Vest, waistcoat -- waistcoat Wednesday it is, mate.
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: It looks matching -- you look awesome.
SNELL: Whatever I'm wearing, I feel good. And thank you for the (INAUDIBLE) -- John.
We're going to look ahead to that second World Cup semifinal Russia 2018 in just a few moments. Which one of those two countries that John mentioned, who will be joining the 98 winners from France in Sunday's showpiece final in Moscow.
Les Bleus shattering the hopes and hearts of Belgium on Tuesday, you know, there is one very good reason Hugo Lloris is considered the best goalkeeper at this year's World Cup by his international teammate Olivier Giroud, the top keeper's superb reflexes.
Once again front and center in St. Petersburg is in the first semi and Belgium's frustrations well and truly exacerbated when Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti powering home what turned out to be the game winner in the game early in the second half from the Antoine Griezmann (INAUDIBLE).
Now Umtiti wasn't picked up by Marouane Fellaini for that goal but the big Belgian trying to make amends there with a header of his own. But by this point, Belgium's golden generation you could argue starting to lose their sparkle. The clock wound down on their dream of a first ever World Cup triumph.
Once again, the immovable object that is Lloris there to deny Axel Witsel and then Lloris savoring the final whistle. France through to the World Cup final for a third time and you can see what it means to their players. The whole squad, the heartbreak for the Belgians -- France advance to the final.
All right. Well, you have to go back over half a century then for the last time that England won the World Cup. Later today the Three Lions facing in 1998 semifinalist Croatia in Moscow for a place in the final against the French.
And the CNN World Sports Amanda Davis has been speaking with two football experts now to look ahead to the big game.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANDA DAVIS, CNN WORLD SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Not many would have predicted this, the semifinal, ahead of the start of the tournament. Croatia aside (ph) who sacked their manager ahead of their penultimate group game in qualifying, haven't reached last four of a World Cup since 1998, up against perennial underachievers England, whose fans still hark back to that day in 1966 and this time with a relatively young and inexperienced team and manager.
I'm pleased to say I'm joined by English sports journalist Ben Rumsby and Croatian counterpart Tomislav Gavelic (ph).
Right, which of you expected to be here more, do you think?
[01:50:03] BEN RUMSBY, ENGLISH SPORTS JOURNALIST: Well, I think we can safely say Croatia probably expected to be here more than England did. I mean they are a truly world class team.
England haven't seen -- it's very young and has a lot of potential but until the door opened up (INAUDIBLE) I don't think anybody expected England to be in the semifinals.
DAVIS: Did you genuinely think Croatia were going to be semifinal contenders?
CROATIAN SPORTS JOURNALIST: No. Nobody also expected this team to be contenders for the semifinals. But as my colleague said the door is opening. The team plays well so, we shall see.
DAVIS: There was a notable lack of expectation around this England team compared to previous tournaments. How much do you think that has helped?
RUMSBY: I think there certainly have been no pressure on them to do well. If you remember 10, 20 years ago there was a great expectation that England would not just get this far but would win a World Cup or a European championships and maybe (INAUDIBLE) play soccer as a result of that pressure. But certainly given the results in recent World Cups in Euro I don't think anybody could say there was any pressure on this side to do well.
So yes, maybe that has something to do in part (INAUDIBLE).
DAVIS: So who's got more chance of coming back here for Sunday?
RUMSBY: I think it is on a knife edge. It's too close to call. It really is. I think England if they can just step up a little bit more, another level they'll have a very, very good chance. But if Croatia returns playing the way they did against Argentina, in particular then I think England are in for a very difficult and very long night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's do like this. Croatia had experienced team, older team -- then Croatia win. This time and in four years, England will have more experience than the big team. I'm just joking. Let the better team win tomorrow, ok.
RUMSBY: Good luck.
DAVIS: It won't just be the journalists doing the writing on Wednesday night but one of these teams will write their place in history. And when you stand here on the pitch at the Luzhniki home to not just the semifinal but also Sunday's final, you realize how close they are to the ultimate prize. Neither of these guys will be giving up their spot in the big one without a fight.
Amanda Davis, CNN -- Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNELL: Thanks -- Amanda. Remember France lying in wait for the winner.
All right. I just want to squeeze in one other big story we're following. For days it appears to be just rumors. But now it is official. Portugal's football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will start next season not with Real Madrid but with the Italian giants Juventus. The fee reportedly around the $117 million mark.
CR7 (INAUDIBLE) all-time leading scorer with 451 goals at the club across nine seasons, winning a total of 16 trophies including four champions league titles, just for good measure. He also won four of his five Ballon d'Or awards whilst in Spain. Ronaldo who played for Man United earlier in his career actually penned an open letter to Real fans saying "After much reflection, the time is right for a new cycle". CR7 moving on to Italy.
Time for me to send it back to John, who's awaiting there in L.A. John -- back to you.
VAUSE: It's almost over. It went so quickly.
SNELL: I know.
VAUSE: Another four years after this.
SNELL: Four and a half actually because the next one's later in 2022. But --
VAUSE: Too long. SNELL: It has been a fascinating World Cup, it really has and we're
going to get a winner on Sunday.
SNELL: Thanks -- Patrick.
Well President Trump maybe thinking about a gift for Kim Jong-un. And we'll explain what that gift could be. It's a CD of Rocket Man -- next of NEWSROOM L.A.
[01:53:44] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: It should have gone so smoothly. When the U.S. Secretary of State traveled to North Korea, he was meant to slip Kim Jong-un a little something special from President Trump. Kim snubbed Pompeo which meant he missed out on that special gift. It was an Elton John CD with the song "Rocket Man".
But the U.S. President will not be denied. He is still hoping at some point to give the CD to his new bestie and yes, this is for real.
Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What do you give to a dictator who has everything? President Trump really is giving Kim Jong-un a copy of the Elton John song that inspired that taunting nickname --
TRUMP: Little Rocket Man.
Rocket Man.
Little Rocket Man.
MOOS: At the Trump-Kim summit, the nickname came up at lunch. A South Korean newspaper reports President Trump asked Kim if he knew the song. Kim said no.
So when Secretary of State Pompeo visited North Korea the other today, President Trump sent along a copy of the song autographed not by Elton John but by the President. In the end the Secretary of State wasn't granted a meeting with Kim Jong-un. And now President Trump has confirmed --
TRUMP: They didn't give it. I have it for him. They didn't give it. But it will be given at a certain period.
MOOS: Tweeted someone in disbelief, "Our president is making mixed tapes for a dictator." Twitter was agog wondering, "What did Trump write on the CD?" Guesses range from "I really like you but I'm not good with words" to "Hold me closer, tiny dancer", a song played at Trump rallies. He's an Elton John fan.
TRUMP: Elton John is a good friend of mine.
MOOS: Though the singer supported Hillary, Elton John isn't the only one singing Rocket Man these days.
A Kim impersonator sings this parody.
President Trump's name calling has gone from --
TRUMP: Rocket Man.
MOOS: -- to --
TRUMP: Chairman Kim.
Chairman Kim and I --
I want to thank Chairman Kim --
MOOS: Will President Trump ever again call him Rocket Man.
Also a good bet for when North Korea will give up its nukes?
Jeanne Moos, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause.
The news continues right here on CNN after a short break.
[01:57:55] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
