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New Day Saturday

First U.S. Military Advisers To Arrive Today; Militants Turn Mosul Into "Nightmare City"; President Obama One-on-One Interview with CNN; U.S. To Spend 250M Plus On Child Migrant Crisis; U.S. Team Faces World Cup Test; Fawaz Gerges on Importance of Creating Iraq's Own Institutions and Army; Minneapolis is Still Threatened by Rainy Weather; U.S. Football Team Challenged by Rain Forest Climate; White Shark Katherine Coming to Coast of Florida

Aired June 21, 2014 - 06:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We gave Iraq the chance to have an inclusive democracy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to go from Mosul, to Baghdad to Jerusalem and he said he was speaking in broken Arabic.

SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Is it a crisis of enormous propositions. It is also again, it's not only a national security crisis, but it's a humanitarian crisis.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're really close, so it's kind of like another block party except maybe a little less fun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Boy, a lot going on in the world this morning. Look who's up early to check it all out. We're so glad to have your company. I'm Christi Paul.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. It's 6:00 here on NEW DAY SATURDAY. You're gripping that cup.

PAUL: Because I'm so cold.

BLACKWELL: It's so cold.

PAUL: You all are probably waking up and it's so hot.

BLACKWELL: Yes, but it's 65 degrees here in the studio.

PAUL: First thing this morning, three years, think about this, three years after U.S. combat troops pulled out of Iraq, American military advisers are heading back in right now.

BLACKWELL: Yes, the first of up to 300 advisers from outside Iraq will arrive and start working today.

PAUL: Their mission is to help Iraq stop Islamist Sunni militants who have overrun town after town, and as we know are just about 40 miles from Baghdad this morning.

BLACKWELL: Now an aide to Iraq's top Shiite cleric is calling on all Iraqis to unite against this threat. They're responding, thousands are now enlisting to join this battle.

PAUL: The militants by the way are issuing their own call, putting out a new propaganda video that reportedly shows British and Australian recruits urging other westerners to join them. President Obama meanwhile is telling CNN no amount of American fire power can hold Iraq together if Iraq's leaders don't unite.

BLACKWELL: The ISIS militants now control Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, that's in the north, of course, it's just 5 hours -- 5-hour drive from the capital.

PAUL: It might as well be another world away. CNN's Arwa Damon talked exclusively with a man who was able to get out of Mosul. He said life there now is a living nightmare.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Look at this clothes, he's not Iraqi. He points it's not his real name speaking to us on condition we conceal his identity. But his wife and children are still in Mosul and could be slaughtered. He's wanted by ISIS just escaped with this video he shot on his phone. He believes the man he film was ISIL. He said he's going from Mosul to Baghdad to Jerusalem. It's a rare glimpse into the murky world of ISIS and how it solidified its grasp. You see the kid is giving the ISIS leader a kiss.

Some of the women were even throwing chocolate on them and shouting you saved us from the sectarian army from Maliki's army. It's because the army had harmed the people, put too much pressure on them. It's those actions that turn terrorists into heroes. He said the people would be betrayed.

Already ISIS is implementing its harsh interpretation of Islamic law. Men who wear three-quarter pants get blast, he says. If there was internet, you would see the worst of their torture. Women can't go out without a male guardian and he is still shocked his city fell so fast.

There were only 200 to 300 ISIS fighters and 40,000 to 50,000 Iraqi security forces. But after fighting for three days, they appeared, he says. This is special operations for the anti-terrorism unit. After moving through, sleeper cells are activated. They are Iraqi. All the groups fighting the Americans from the start are now back and with ISIS, he explains.

Maliki's actions are fuelling the fire. American bombing would wreck more havoc than there already is. It's my city, he pauses his voice starts to crack. The country is destroyed. It's lost, he said, disbelieve it, after a thousand years it won't come back. His eyes filled with tears as he adds the city of Mosul once the city of profits. And in a day and night, it turns into a city of ghosts and nightmares.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Arwa Damon joins us now live from the Iraqi city of Erbil. Arwa, what's the situation like where you are?

DAMON: Well, Erbil is in the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan. So it's relative safe and that's why we've seen a massive influx of refugees into Erbil and to other parts of Iraqi Kurdistan and this area relatively secure because it is not been a victim of a lot of the sectarian division that have plagued the rest of the country, but also by and large because it is being secured by a fighting force that is known as the "Peshmerga."

And since ISIS began its most recent offensive, the Peshmerga have moved into many of the areas that were abandoned by the Iraqi security forces, mostly Kurdish areas. But also positioned their own forces to continue to protect them. So you get a very different dynamic up here than you do the rest of the country -- Victor.

PAUL: OK, Arwa, real quickly, you mentioned that that man that you spoke exclusively with. His wife and children are still in Mosul. What is the possibility that he's going to be able to get them out and why were the people in Mosul so welcoming to ISIS?

DAMON: Well, to start with your second question first, welcoming them because as that person was telling us, as many people were telling us they were so disenchanted by the Iraqi security forces who they really felt had an incredibly unnecessary heavy hand when it came to dealing with the population, conducting mass arrests, specifically targeting the Sunnis.

They felt as if these ISIS fighters were actually coming in to liberate them from Maliki's predominantly Shia Army that is what is being perceived as. The issue though is that ISIS very quickly moving to implement it's very harsh interpretation of Sharia law and now we're seeing growing fears that it's going to try to become even structure when it comes to dealing with the civilian population. That's not anything.

That the vast majority of Iraqis don't want to actually see take place at this stage. Why this man can't get his family out, again, one of the problems that a lot of people are facing. There's no safe space where he can actually afford to move his family.

Where we are in Iraqi Kurdistan, rent is extremely expensive. A lot of refugees can't afford it. And they're making this decision that they don't want to be move into a refugee camp and be forced to live inside a tent -- Christi.

PAUL: Arwa Damon, thank you so much, that you've been able to keep us informed of what's going on here. We appreciate it. Now, let's talk about President Obama because he does have a message for Iraq. He said you need a political solution to unify your country.

BLACKWELL: He says no U.S. military action can bridge the sectarian divisions that threaten Iraq's future. CNN's Kate Bolduan spoke one- on-one with President Obama. Kate, good morning.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": Christi, Victor, I started by asking the president about Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki, who the president just a few months ago commended for ensuring an inclusive and democratic Iraq, but Maliki has done none of that. So how can anything get fixed there with him in power?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRESIDENT 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, using the political process to deal with their grievances.

And that is in part the reason why a better armed and larger number of Iraqis 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, compromise.

If they can't, there's not going to be a military solution to this problem. There's no amount of American fire power that's going to be able to hold the country together. And I made that very clear to Mr. Maliki and all the other leadership inside of Iraq.

BOLDUAN: But by go 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 tensions further and doing exactly what ISIS wants?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Yes, actually not because the terms at which we're willing to go in as advisers, initially is 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 north western regions of country. But what we also said in a joint operations 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 at which we send in any 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?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: I think it's important for to us 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 years. As you see Jihadists coming in from Europe, as far as Australia, to get trained, and then going back in their home countries. This is something we've been deeply concerned about.

Part of the reason we've been supporting the moderate opposition effort in Syria is to make sure 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 troops into Syria. That's different from some of the decisions that we are making with respect to how do we pull Iraq together?

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

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

So they had the chance. I think ultimately what the vast majority of Americans understand, we can't do it for them. And we certainly can't redeploy tens of thousands of troops to keep a lid on the problem if the people themselves don't want to solve it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: The president said they'll know soon enough, but he does seem skeptical. That's just part of our conversation. We also had an interesting talk and sometimes, personal talk, about the struggles of working families. This is all ahead of a summit on the topic that he and the first lady are hosting Monday. We'll have much more of that conversation, the full interview on "NEW DAY" Monday -- Christi, Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right, Kate Baldwin there in Washington for us. Kate, thank you.

The United States is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the futures of children. Not for education, but illegal immigration to stem the tide of what we've been talking about for a couple weeks now, this humanitarian crisis.

PAUL: Just what's feeding this surge of young kids trying to cross the border? That and more in a moment. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Vice President Joe Biden was in Guatemala yesterday, working on the growing crisis at the U.S. border in the tens of thousands of young children trying to get into the U.S. alone. Based on this information, actually, that the U.S. will let them in, Vice President Biden met with leaders of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador where really a large percentage, 29 percent of these children are coming from.

Now there was obviously some coordination here because the trip came on the same day that the White House said it would dedicate more than $125 billion to stem the tide of the undocumented children and adults trying to get to the United States.

PAUL: And the money's going not to border security, but two nations south of the border to, according to the White House here, address the root cause of migration. Our CNN's Nick Valencia joins us know with details. I know a lot of people here go, wait a minute, where is the money going? How's it going to be used?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'd like to know how they got this money and where it came from. We don't know that just yet, that's not clear. But we do know $250 million being pledged to these governments in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador with the majority of these undocumented minors are coming from.

The money is intended to help with the reintegration process and the White House hopes it will keep these unaccompanied minors there in their home country. They're also pledging $161 million to the Central American Regional Security Initiative for governance issues, security issues.

All of this money, lots of money, about a quarter billion dollars, senior lawmakers in Washington still don't think that that will be enough to stop the problem. Senator John McCain is one of those lawmakers, and he aired his concerns yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Right now, with the number of thousands that are crossing the border, that are sort of -- that have left Central America and are on their way here, it's a roughly 15-day trip, that if we stopped tomorrow, there would still about that backlog that would be coming here. So it's got to stop and it's got to stop immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Now the White House has also said that this increase has led to misinformation by criminal syndicates, smuggling groups saying that if you come now, you will be allowed to stay. That's simply not the case, but they say that that's really germane to the issue.

BLACKWELL: So I'm hearing $100 million to reintegrate these kids once they get back then --

PAUL: To keep them there.

BLACKWELL: To keep them there and 161 million for this regional security fund. That doesn't stop the kids from coming north still. But what else are they doing other than just giving money?

VALENCIA: Absolutely not. That's part of the issues, they're not ready for this processing here, to process the stream of migrants that have come across. They are trying to open up new detention facilities, Victor, the problem, though, is this classic case of not in my backyard. They tried to do it in Virginia. The community there pushed back.

They wanted to put it at a historically black college that had been shut down. The community there voiced concerns about disease being spread, which we've heard stories of scabies, skin issues there in these facilities, really, really poor conditions. And they also said that they feared for their own security there.

So that's part of the problem, really the root concern, guys, is in Central America, and the White House is trying to do as much as they can do address these problems. They're pledging a lot of money and they're hoping that this will relieve the problem, but again, you have Senator McCain saying they're going to keep coming and coming. As long as there's violence in these countries, the American dream --

PAUL: You need to give the money to the government, but if it's the smugglers that are doing it and that's criminal, how do you --

VALENCIA: On average, about $5,000 a person they are getting for these people. It's a money issue for the smugglers as much as a misinformation issue --

PAUL: Nick Valencia, thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: One church votes, Washington and Jerusalem listen. The new message Presbyterian leaders are sending to Israel and some American companies.

PAUL: Plus tomorrow is the next big test for Team USA, the World Cup, the challenges are mounting though for this match against Portugal. Challenge number one, how can they cut one of the best soccer players on the planet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow! Next big test for Team USA in the World Cup.

PAUL: It's 6:00 p.m., we're ready. Me and the girls. They're putting the five-game unbeaten streak on the line against Portugal. Rashan Ali joins us with the preview in today's "Bleacher Report." Give us some hope, Rashan?

RASHAN ALI, "BLEACHER REPORT": It's not a must-win game, it's more like a "don't lose game," OK? Team USA is gearing up to face Portugal in the World Cup. They're in prime position to advance into the next round with a win or draw. Now Portugal has one of the best players in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo, but he is playing hurt. He is expected to be in the starting lineup. Despite his nagging knee injury, but both teams will face another opponent, the heat and humidity of Brazil.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYLE BECKERMAN, U.S. MIDFIELDER: It's probably similar to Houston, Dallas, Midwest, and east coast in the summer, hopefully, when we get there, it won't be as shocking as it is to other teams. I think the heat plays for both teams so you can just wash that out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALI: Now, the forecast for tomorrow night's game calls for thunderstorms with high humidity and temperatures in the mid-70s at kick off.

And he's back, Tiger Woods announced on his Facebook page Friday that after a four-month absence he's making his return to gulf. He's not played since back undergoing back surgery in March forced him to miss the Masters and the U.S. Open. He made the announcement just two hours before the deadline to enter the Quicken Loans National next week.

And 11-year-old golf tod, Lucy Li, can go back to being a kid. She missed the cut at the U.S. Women's Open after shooting back to back 78. The youngest qualifier in U.S. Open history ended up missing playing the weekend by six shots. Michelle Wee will start today's third round with a three-stroke lead. Christi, Victor, back to you.

PAUL: Not the last time we're going to see Lucy.

BLACKWELL: You say she'll go back to being a kid. She'd much rather be playing.

ALI: I'm sure.

PAUL: Rashan Ali, thank you. Rashan, good to see you.

BLACKWELL: The Obama administration is expanding benefits for gay couples. You understand that this move may have a big impact on states that do not recognize same-sex marriage.

Plus, New York is poised to become the latest state to approve medical marijuana.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Well, is the coffee doing its job today? So, we hope so. 30 minutes past the hour right now. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Let's start five things you need to know for your "NEW DAY." Up first, the Capitol Hill confrontation and this became pretty ugly. IRS commissioner John Koskinen refused to apologize for the loss of emails tied to the alleged IRS targeting of political groups. Koskinen insisted the emails cannot be retrieved after a hard drive was mistakenly destroyed three years ago. And this was the most contentious moment when Congressman Paul Ryan told Koskinen, quote, no one believes you. PAUL: Number two, the Obama administration's expanding government benefits for same-sex couples, to include Social Security and veterans benefits and leave from work to care for sick spouses. Protections will be effective in case that recognizes same-sex marriage and states that don't.

BLACKWELL: Number three, Hillary Clinton offers the hint or two, or five, on when she might decide whether to run for president. Here's what she had to say, in Austin, Texas, stop, I guess number ten on her book tour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FMR. U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Obviously, I do have a decision to make. I'm not going to make it before I have my grandchild and figure out how that feels. I don't want to be missing that experience. But - and also, we have an important election in November. Don't forget that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Number four, a decade of debate echoes all the way to the Middle East. The Presbyterian Church votes to shed its investment in three companies that it says helps Israel occupy Palestinian territories. This is the first such move into pressuring Israel to pull out.

BLACKWELL: Number five, New York is expected to be the next state to legalize medical marijuana. Lawmakers reached an agreement on the so- called Compassionate Care Act. It allows the drug to be administered through vaporized, edible, oil forms as well. The bill does not allow marijuana to be sold in plant form or to be smoked. If it's approved, the rules - the bill, rather, if the bill is approved, pardon me, the rules could take 18 months to implement.

BLACKWELL: Well, with the first of as many as 300 U.S. military advisers due to Iraq - arrive in Iraq this morning, President Obama is urging Iraqi leaders to come up with a politically inclusive solution to the nation's crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Lawmakers in Washington say Iraqi President Nouri al-Maliki has been unable to govern inclusively with Sunnis, Shias and Kurds, which, of course, has led to the current landscape in the country. So, let's talk about this with Fawaz Gerges, he's author of "Obama in the Middle East: the End of America's Moment," and "The Rise and Fall of al Qaeda." Fawaz, thank you so much for being with us. I wanted to ask you first and foremost, how effective do you think these 300 U.S. advisers can be to the country.

FAWAZ GERGES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean let's be blunt, I don't think 300 American Special Forces, critical as they are, would change the metric to the Iraqi politics. What we need to understand is that President Barack Obama is trying to send a message to Iraqis that the United States would like to help, as long as the Iraqis will help themselves. But the reality is, this is a political crisis. The reason why the Islamic state and Iraq has been able to do as well as it has, because it has been able to portray itself as the spearhead of Sunni Arabs, Sunni Arabs who feel basically marginalized and excluded by what they view the sectarian-led government in Baghdad led by Nouri al-Maliki. So, the President Barack Obama's approach is very sensible, it's based on a complex reading of Iraqi politics. It's telling the Iraqi leadership, you must take ownership of your country. You must rise up to the historic challenge. You must compromise, reconcile and establish an inclusive government. Final point here, very, very critical. I would argue that the military track and the political track are interrelated. Progress on the political track, an inclusive government, would be translated on the battlefield. And in fact, without a genuine inclusive government, the Islamic state or the so called the al Qaeda linked fighters would most likely remain deeply embedded within this local community, the Sunni Arab community that feels very angry at the policies carried out by Nouri al Maliki.

BLACKWELL: You know, you talk about the interconnectivity of the political and the military arms of this. You say that as politics will improve there, the fighting, the military element will improve. But let's look at it from the other angle. The president said that he wants Iraq to create a central type of command that includes Sunni, Shias and Kurds. Do you think with this fighting continued, that is even possible in the near future?

GERGES: No, Victor, you're absolutely correct, it's not possible. But remember, if Iraq's to be rescued if the Iraqi state is to survive, if the Iraqi institutions are not going to disintegrate further. They are - this is baptism by blood and fire. For the last eight years, unfortunately, the Prime Minister Nouri Maliki didn't invest critical effort in creating a professional army. An army with a national identity, unifying identify. The reason why the army or some elements of the army have disintegrated have not really challenged the ISIS because the ideology, because the unifying ideology is not there. The professionalism is not there. Most of the appointment, the Sunni appointments in the military by the prime minister were based on political considerations, so, yes, the 300 American advisers would help to basically begin the process, the difficult and prolonged process that, first of all, you need for the Iraqis senior leadership to sit down and basically agree on a national unity government. It's not easy. It's not going to happen overnight, but let's remember, I think the surge, the sweeping surge of the al Qaeda fighters has been checked so far. The reality is now, it's a protracted urban warfare. Neither side is willing. And that's why if you want to really basically stop the Islamic state in Iraq, and if you want to roll back the advances made by the Islamic state, you need to put the political process in place, you need to create a national unity government. And guess what, turn Sunni Arabs against the Islamic state. In that same way that American forces between 2006 and 2011 did. And by the time the American forces left Iraq in 2011, the al Qaeda fighters were basically on the verge of collapse. On the verge of folding their shop in Iraq.

BLACKWELL: We'll see the effect again - the first of these 300 of military advisers arriving in Iraq today. Fawaz Gerges, thank you so much for joining us this morning and add your insight to that conversation.

PAUL: Good to have you here.

Well, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but more rain is headed to Minnesota. And that puts the fate of this hospital, particularly, in some serious, serious jeopardy. We're going to take you to the bank of the Mississippi next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Look at the screen. An entire hillside collapsed into a wall of mud and debris. And right above it, a hospital full of patients.

PAUL: Officials say everyone is safe right now. But you see right there, the danger that's lurking. Ana Cabrera joining us now from the banks of the Mississippi in Minneapolis. Good morning, Ana.

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor, Christi, a break in the rain right now, but the rivers are still rising and there's more rain in the forecast. And that's the big concern because the ground is already so saturated. Take a look across the river. That's where a hillside just gave out. About a 100-yard swath of dirt, trees, shrubs, just crumbled. Now, up there on top, engineers say that building as part of the University of Minnesota Hospital that building on the edge is still stable. But with more threatening weather in the days to come no one is taking any chances.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: In Minneapolis, this entire block came crashing down along the banks of the Mississippi River, creating a massive hole below the university of Minnesota Medical Center Thursday. The collapsed hill fell on to a roadway that runs along the river. Employees in the building that sits on the block were evacuated, but officials say hospital buildings where patients are remain safe. Days of pounding rain have saturated much of the upper Midwest leaving hundreds of homes flooded.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's everywhere. And that's what part is nature, though, complicated a bit to total all the damage from everywhere. But it's all one part of one storm system.

CABRERA: Across the region, people living in flood-prone areas are working around the clock building walls of sandbags to protect their homes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All we can do is what we can do. Are you nervous? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah. So, I don't know. We just have to ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it floods, it floods.

CABRERA: The big concern now, rivers that are expected to crest several feet above flood stage in the coming days. In many areas, neighbors are helping each other prepare.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are really close. So, it's kind of like another block party, except maybe a little less fun.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've seen the resilience of the people of Minnesota, and what you see every time you go to these things is Minnesotans helping other Minnesotans.

CABRERA: And in a bit of irony Governor Mark Dayton visited parts of southern Minnesota Friday. He had originally planned to visit due to drought conditions on farms. He's now declared 35 counties disaster areas due to the flooding. So, how wet house had been? Well, to give you some perspective, we're told up to a foot of rain fell in some parts of the region just this past week. Here in the twin cities, four inches of rain just Thursday alone. And unfortunately, this wet weather pattern is supposed to stick around. And so, the fear is more rain, more flooding, more possible mud slides that could make for a very dangerous and damaging situation. Victor, Christi.

BLACKWELL: We'll be thinking about the people there in Minneapolis. Ana Cabrera, thank you.

All right, tomorrow's World Cup match between team USA and Portugal. OK, it may not come down to these big names. You know, the famous players. Instead, the extreme heat and humidity. We're going to explain those tough conditions that are in the heart of the Brazilian rain forest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Here, I remember going up to the box. I didn't even know if that was even allowed back then. Because you see all the security standing there. And I was like, am I allowed to go up the stairs?

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do I need to show you my credentials?

(LAUGHTER)

SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I was quite nervous about it. But I found my way. It took a few minutes, I found my way to the box. And I had a very special moment with my father, and he's been with me through the thick and the thin. And it was just - it was really nice to see him so excited. And so passionate. And he never cries, but it was pretty emotional for him. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Following her Wimbledon title, it didn't take long

for Sharapova to become a household name.

SHARAPOVA: I remember coming to New York afterwards, and a week after I won Wimbledon, I was on the cover of "Sports Illustrated." And I had no idea what "Sports Illustrated" was. And I remember my manager running up to me and having no idea that I was going to be on the cover. And showing me that - being so excited. You know, he grew up in sports and playing college, and he knows what that's all about, and I said, OK, cool, that's great. What's the big deal, and now I look back, I'm like wow, I was on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" as a 17-year old girl.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: OK, my friends, whatever you're doing, take a look at your television right now. Yes, police in Moorhead, Minnesota, chasing a suspect through a crowded golf course.

BLACKWELL: Right on the green.

PAUL: Yes. Cars, people. Their decision to do so has prompted an internal safety investigation, we should point out.

BLACKWELL: So, the guy driving this truck, his name is Kendall Feist, he's 33 years old. Wanted for several felony warrants. And he was, eventually, taken down in a mall across state lines in North Dakota. The good news here is, you see all the people here, no one was hurt and just a little damage to the golf course.

PAUL: Makes for a good story, though.

BLACKWELL: Yeah.

PAUL: If somebody was coming off the golf course with a bad game, they had a better story to tell.

BLACKWELL: You want believe what I saw.

PAUL: Yeah, exactly. So, here's the question, are you ready? 6:00 tomorrow, team USA facing off with Portugal for the second World Cup match - a second that nobody thought would even come.

BLACKWELL: Yeah, especially after that first game against Ghana, but both teams will face another opponent, the heat, the humidity of the Brazilian rain forest. CNN's Laura Baldesarra has more for us. Hey, Laura.

LARA BALDESARRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christi and Victor. I'm certainly ready for the USA second World Cup game. The United States, they're getting ready for the game that every team truly wanted to avoid. It's not because of who they play, but where they play.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BALDESARRA: The U.S. faces Portugal in Manaus, the only Brazilian host city in the Amazon rain forest, 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 anyone, let alone a soccer player running for 90 minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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 certainly play a role in which side has the edge. For the U.S., they'll have to do with their striker Jozy Altidore who's out with a hamstring injury. It is a pretty big loss as Altidore was expected to be a key goal scorer.

JURGEN KLINSMANN: We still have to hope that Jozy will be back. How quickly? That is to the healing process.

BALDESARRA: No matter which striker Klinsmann chooses, defense will be key. Cristiano Rinaldo is expected to play for Portugal despite healing with a knee injury.

Rinaldo is Rinaldo, and this guy, he can score from anywhere.

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

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're trying to go into Portugal and win that game, and then we don't have to think about anything.

AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!

BALDESARRA: U.S. fans are turning out in record numbers to support these team in America, as well as in Brazil and the players, they are feeding off this energy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anytime we get on the field, it's all about making them proud of us. Win, lose or draw it's all about them seeing a team with good spirit and commitment. And the American fight.

(CHEERS)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDESARRA: But the U.S. fans have certainly been proud of their squad. The original expectation was just to get a draw against Ghana which the U.S. far surpassed by winning. Now, expect these fans to be even louder, even more excited for the game against Portugal. Inside and outside of the stadium. And Christi and a Victor, I don't doubt that you'll both be your red, white and blue on Sunday night. PAUL: Yes, madam you got that right. Lara Baldesarra at the World Cup in Brazil. Thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: Hey, if you're headed to the beach, you know, for the Fourth or for summer vacation, put down the coffee. Listen to this. A one-ton shark is bearing down on Florida. Her name is Kathryn. That's nice.

PAUL: You know.

BLACKWELL: But, you know, she's 14 feet long. Good news here, people are tracking it. And we can tell you where she's headed, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: So the great white shark, you can just hear the "Jaws" music. It inspired a sense of fear, of wonder in millions of people, obviously. The scientists just don't know as much about the fearsome predator. As they would like to.

BLACKWELL: No, that may soon change, because researchers are tracking a shark named Katherine all the way down the East Coast and possibly on a way to Texas. Alina Machado looks at the science behind tracking sharks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The shark is named Katherine!

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 14 feet long, 2300 pounds, Katherine is a great white on the move. And the team of researchers from O-search are able to track her in real time. By the looks of it, she's got her sights set on Texas.

Last summer, Katherine was tagged and outfitted with a locator in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, then clocking in pings all the way down the Eastern seaboard. Last month, pinging several times in central Florida, and now the Gulf of Mexico, possibly arriving in Texas in the coming weeks. That's more than 4,000 miles. And the reason they're doing this is because they're trying to unravel the mystery behind the great white shark in the Atlantic Ocean. They want to figure out where and when these sharks are breeding. And also where their nurseries are located so they can protect these areas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very large.

MACHADO: Very few get the chance to come this close to a shark of this magnitude safely. People across the U.S. are fascinated with following this ocean giant just as vacation season heats up with plans to venture out into the ocean water. Earlier this month, a 22-year- old woman was bitten by an unidentified shark while tubing in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm in the water. She's bit by a shark. And she's bleeding everywhere. There's nowhere for me to go, I'm right next to her, I could be next. MACHADO: This photo taken right after the attack showing torn muscle

and crushed bone. And just last week, a Texas teen had a run-in with a shark that was swimming dangerously close to shore off the Coast of Galveston Island.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just felt like something like bumped into my back. I was like, this could be a shark.

MACHADO: And it was. The 14-year-old emerged from the water with teeth marks edged into the right side of her back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Alina Machado reporting for us. Thank you.

PAUL: So, the next hour of "NEW DAY" starts right now.