Return to Transcripts main page
Hala Gorani Tonight
Macron And Putin Meet At Versailles; Trump Returns To Domestic Duties After Trip Abroad; British Airways: Power Surge Crippled Computer System; Japan And South Korea Condemn North Korea Test; Tiger Woods Arrested On Suspicion Of DUI; Thousands Displaced in Sri Lanka Floods; Modern-Day Slavery in Florida's Tomato Fields; Polls: Labour Closing Gap on Conservatives; Disney Opens New "Avatar" Attraction. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired May 29, 2017 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:00]
(HEADLINES)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes in for Hala Gorani. Welcome to THE WORLD RIGHT NOW.
Well, for decades the relationship between the U.S. and Western Europe has seemed almost unshakable, but now a single comment by Germany's chancellor
is casting doubts on the alliance as we know it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): There were times when we could completely count on others. They are over to a certain
extent. I'd experienced this in the last few days, and that is why I can only say that we Europeans must really take our fate into our own hands.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And that is being seen as a dig at the U.S. commitment under President Trump especially after Germany's foreign minister claimed the
U.S. president's actions have, in his words, weakened the west. It is also being seen as a reference to Brexit Britain leading the U.K.'s home
secretary to insist Britain wants a special partnership with Germany.
Germany may feel warmer ties with France right now which has been hosting a visit from the Russia's President Vladimir Putin. Emmanuel Macron wasting
no time bringing up claims of Russian hacking in the French election this year, claims Mr. Putin denies.
Let's get more on these European developments. Melissa Bell joining us from Paris. Melissa, always a pleasure. So President Putin invited to
Paris, not to the Elysee Palace, no red carpet in sight, but plenty to discuss including some thorny issues.
MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lots of thorny issues, Michael, and really, Emmanuel Macron had made from the start that he was
going to pull no punches and that he was going to make clear his position on a number of different issues.
They talked about Ukraine and Syria, and they also talked about even more contentious issues like for instance the alleged crackdown on gays in
Chechnya and the right to protect within Russia, itself.
Also, as you mentioned, Michael, that question of hacking denied by Vladimir Putin and confirmed by Emmanuel Macron who said he'd already
broached it with him once and he chosen not do it again this time.
Although he did talk about Russian media and the allegations of fake news, which are also part of what damaged his campaign saying that a number of
Russian media outlets that he cited by name, Michael, were not serious press organizations, but in fact, propaganda machines.
So really a French president choosing not to mince his words and really seeking to impose himself next to this much older and much longer standing
Russian president.
HOLMES: He really is as you say imposing himself. It was interesting actually to juxtapose the optics of the handshakes even with the rather
combative one that we saw with Donald Trump where that was no accident Mr. Macron said, and the more normal greeting with Mr. Putin, really
establishing his credentials on the international stage, and optics are obviously important.
BELL: You are absolutely right. It is all about the handshakes these days. As Emmanuel Macron explained, this was important that he had held
that white knuckle handshake with Donald Trump and explained that it is establishing the fact that you would not be pushed around and stand up for
what you believed in.
And although it was seemed more cordial with Vladimir Putin today, there was a touch of the shoulder and a smile on the part of Emmanuel Macron, the
handshake was firm as well and it was really something that was to set the tone for this meeting.
I mean, here is Emmanuel Macron who has been in power for a couple of weeks. Vladimir Putin who has been in power for decades, and the question
was, would Emmanuel Macron faced with the man himself after this first tight meeting where very few people were involved and all these thorny
questions had to be discussed.
And this larger format lunch, would he at the end of that be able to stand next to the Russian president as firmly as he did and speak to those very
contentious issues as plainly as he did, and the answer is he managed it. I think that must have been something he was very much hoping to be able to
pull off, and in the end, the consensus amongst the journalists is that he really had.
HOLMES: All right. Melissa Bell there in Paris, thanks so much. Appreciate that.
Now, amid all of the talks and shifts of the global diplomacy, Donald Trump calling his first overseas trip a home run even if Angela Merkel may not
agree.
Back home, it is America's Memorial Day, and Mr. Trump is honoring the fallen U.S. service members at Arlington National Cemetery, laying a wreath
at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and addressing the loved ones of those who died.
The U.S. president also returning to domestic duties of course, as allegations about alleged links between his team and Russia drag on.
[15:05:07]Senior White House correspondent, Jeff Zeleny, is in Washington for us. Jeff, it was interesting Mr. Trump remarkably quiet on Twitter
while overseas, but he's had his thumbs working overtime since getting back. We had word that staff were huddling on Sunday, talk of a war room,
what has he returned to?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Michael, there is no question the White House is trying to reset and change the subject, but
they are in fact in the thick of this deepening Russia investigation here.
When we were traveling with the president last week, we got word that he was indeed watching every incremental development even if he was not
commenting on it social media.
But, boy, less than 12 hours after he landed here in Washington, he did fire off all of those messages and he called this fake news and blamed it,
of course, his favorite punching bag the media.
But the reality here is he knows and others know this is very much a real investigation. It's why he was huddling here at the White House yesterday
with his new personal lawyer he has had to hire.
It's one of the reasons that his whole staff here is trying to get, you know, contain what has become a spreading investigation here, and the
reality here is for all of the talk of staff shake-up, and the talk of the war room.
This comes from the top, the president, and many of his advisers hope he frankly like him to just stop talking and tweeting about this until he
actually listens to them, I am not sure the best war rooms in the world are going to overcome the power of a tweet of his -- Michael.
HOLMES: And Jeff, it is interesting, with all of this apparent chaos inside the White House, how is that impacting his domestic agenda, what he
really wants to do?
ZELENY: Michael, that is the great question here. That's what frustrating Republicans so much in Washington, and across the country, the fact that
they control the branches of government, and they have not been able to do their agenda.
Also, Michael, I was struck by just seeing the president earlier today at Arlington National Cemetery, sacred ground of course, another decision that
is weighing on him on his desk, that decision whether to send more American troops to Afghanistan.
And that is something else that's been overshadowed and complicated by the crisis going on inside the west wing. So all of the decisions that
normally occupy a lot of the president's agenda and time and bandwidth are, you know, pushed to the sidelines a touch as this Russia investigation
really consumes everything here. But as the week goes forward, they will try to get a handle on it -- Michael.
HOLMES: Yes, not surprisingly if they can. Jeff Zeleny back from that overseas trip, appreciate it there at the White House for us.
Well, one week on from the Manchester terror attack, British intelligence services facing some questions about what they knew about the suicide
bomber who killed 22 people. MI-5 launching an inquiry in fact after media reports that the agency had been alerted to Salman Abedi's extremist views
before he launched the attack at that Ariana Grande concert.
Police have made another arrest meanwhile as they continue their raids to break up the terror network behind the bombing. Right now 15 people are in
custody.
Senior international correspondent, Atika Shubert with the latest on the investigation, joins us now from Manchester, and ever widening
investigation, bring us up to date.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. The investigation is continuing, and in fact, police have just released a new
photo of Salman Abedi from the day of the attack. You can see him in the photo standing curbside at a city center location with a very distinctive
blue suitcase.
And police now want to speak to anyone who may have seen him with that suitcase at various locations across the city. This is all in part of the
effort to try and retrace his last moments before the attack.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT (voice-over): The last images of Salman Abedi on his way to carry out the attack that killed 22 people. Police released these photos to the
public for help in retracing his movements. Those who knew Abedi are also looking back. Local rapper, Gecko, still can't fathom how his friend
turned into a mass murderer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's always been a happy person. I don't know what happened (inaudible) he's always been a happy person. The Salman I knew
from ages ago is not the person who just went and bombed kids, no way.
SHUBERT: Police now believe Abedi assembled the bomb here at a short term rental apartment in the city center just a mile and a half from arena. In
North Manchester, police are also still scouring this apartment Abedi rented weeks before the attack.
But many of the arrests have happened here in South Manchester where Abedi lived. Two years ago, Gecko says Abedi was another friendly face in the
neighborhood, then something changed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every time I see a picture of him on Facebook or whatever, I just think, how, like, I still don't understand how, because he
was the most laughable person two years ago or when I see him, and how did he switch just like in two seconds?
[15:10:11]I don't know man. This is all confusing to me. We still chilled together and he kind of left because he was going to be religious.
SHUBERT: Parts of South Manchester are known to be rough and gangland, but it's also the kind of place everyone knows each other and the attack and
its aftermath has hit the community hard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I even cried because I found out it is someone that I know. Someone that had done such a bad thing like that is someone I know.
So I even ended up crying in my bed when I found out like what is going on here and what is happening? People are saying, yes, it is him. I can't
believe it. Until now, I still can't. And I am like, no, no, he was alive 2 seconds ago.
SHUBERT: Police are still trying to understand how Salman Abedi plotted the attack, his friends are trying to understand what turned him into a
killer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: Now police are still investigating whether or not Abedi assembled the bomb by himself or whether he had help, and this is a crucial part of
the investigation, but also where he may have traveled before the attack.
Earlier, there had been reports that he may have traveled to Syria. At this point, however, Michael, it is still not clear where he was in the
weeks before the attack.
HOLMES: Yes, it is hard to believe that it is pretty much a week on since this horrible event happened. Tell us about the mood there, and there is a
memorial tonight, right?
SHUBERT: That is right. It is a bank holiday today and so a lot of people have been coming here to express how they feel, and show their solidarity
with the city. We heard a choir earlier today and a motorcycle rally that went by, but there will be a private event later tonight for the victims'
families who want to come and to mark one week since the attack.
That will be a private occasion, so, you know, the police who have made a point to say that we need to give the victims' families space to mourn and
to please respect their privacy.
HOLMES: All right, Atika Shubert there in Manchester, England, for us. Thanks so much, Atika.
Still to come here on the program, British Airways flights are getting off of the ground in London. Why the airline has a lot more work to do to
repair its reputation.
And golf legend, Tiger Woods arrested in Florida, we will explain why when THE WORLD RIGHT NOW continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone. Day three and plenty of frustration still simmering at London airport. Lines were long. Information were scarce
this weekend, as a massive computer failure halted British Airways operations.
The company's CEO, Alex Cruz, blames a power surge for the computer meltdown. Flights out of Heathrow are still not back to normal and in all
75,000 people had their travel plans disrupted.
[15:15:11]We will dig a little bit deeper now into this computer outage and what caused it. CNN's Samuel Burke joining me now live from London. OK,
Samuel, so they ruled out a cyber-attack, I mean, in this day and age, don't they have a surge protector, how did this happen?
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN MONEY TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Well, on the one hand you could say glass half full. Good thing it was not a cyber-attack and on
the other hand you say it was not a cyber-attack, and that means in some ways, it was an unforced error. Michael, you and I are friends on the
Facebook so I see you with your kids all of the time.
But imagine if you are staying at a hotel and you were having to sleep on sleeping bags in the hotel room lobby, because there weren't hotel rooms,
and that is what people have had to do. What you are seeing right now are actually pictures that a CNN team have taken around the hotels near the
airport.
And B.A.s had to hand out these sleeping bags because there are not enough rooms, and some of the rooms that used to $200 a couple of weeks ago are
now $2,000 to $3,000. Now it sounds very basic, a power problem all of a sudden creates an issue where the computers can't speak to each other.
But when you have these antiquated reservation systems that so many of these airlines have, the resulting issue is the one that we are living like
in London. If this sounds familiar to you, Michael, you are right.
I want to put on the list up on the screen, it goes through a bunch of the tech issues that we have seen that have actually caused these airlines to
come to their knees.
Richard Quest and I went through and we had this list, British Airways, we are living through that right now. Delta Airlines, two different incidents
in January of 2017, actually a small fire there had this big tech glitch, and another one in 2016 before that.
Southwest Airlines, July 2016, a software issue in 2015 and United Airlines earlier in the year, two hours they had to ground all of the flights in the
United States. So basically, what this comes down to is just simple technology that they don't have those backup systems.
Something does not switch over and it all comes back to the amount of money that they have not been willing to invest in these better and deeper
systems to stop some of the simple issues from happening -- Michael.
HOLMES: Which is a fascinating point because they make money, how are the airlines spending all that profit we keep hearing about?
BURKE: Yes, well, they are certainly passing it on to shareholders, so they are basking in those baths of money, let's say, but on the other hand,
they have spent some of that money for short term profit. They need to invest digitally, but instead of investing in the new reservation systems,
I'm talking about, they are making new apps.
You probably downloaded them and think they are really great. Usually they have spent some good money, but not huge amounts of money to make apps so
millennials like me are happy.
Also there is automated kiosks so they don't have to spend as much money hiring new staff and then the luggage tracking systems and my point in
telling you all of that, Michael, is they have invested in short term projects that give them short term profits.
A lot of these airlines didn't have that much money just a few years ago and so they were not going to invest in a new project where they overhaul
the reservation systems so instead of these short term projects now they need to go in there and invest because they could lose 100 million plus.
British Airways alone on this one, well, that's probably a lot more than what it would have cost to build that new reservation system.
HOLMES: Wow, that is fascinating when you put it that way. I do like the app by the way. OK, so that list of the airlines you put up that have had
problems is quite frightening when you add them altogether like that. So what did the airlines learn from the other industries perhaps?
BURKE: Well, clearly they have not learned enough, but they could learn from the banking industry. I have been on air with you so many times
talking about the banks that were hacked, but that is actually subsided in the past couple of years because the banks realize they have to get their
game on and stop from getting hacked.
So you don't see these major hacks against the banks anymore, and one of the reasons they did it is because the banks knew that they didn't want to
be regulated. They knew that if they didn't get their stuff in order that eventually the governments would step in, and you know these businesses
hate being regulated.
Well, that is likely what is going to happen with these airlines if they don't get it together. Eventually the U.K. or the U.S. is going to come in
and say you have to get your system up to par, because keep in mind, if it can happen with these type of situation, again, let's go all the way full
circle.
An unforced error here, imagine if these systems were this susceptible and there were cyber-attack, and then it becomes a question of national
security and economies so they are going to have to do something or else someone will make them do something.
HOLMES: Yes, great points. The only thing my app is missing is that automatic upgrade button that it didn't come with. You have one I know.
BURKE: Use your miles, Michael.
HOLMES: I keep giving them away to the kids. Samuel, thank you. Great to see you.
[15:20:09]All right, now North Korea's third missile launch in three weeks being met with global condemnation, not surprisingly. The U.S. president,
Donald Trump, taking to the Twitter saying the launch shows, quote, "great disrespect to China" whom he credited for, quote, "trying hard."
The early morning missile came down in the waters of Japan's exclusive economic zone. Now that prompted immediate protests in the region. Paula
Hancocks now with the latest from Seoul, South Korea.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the third missile launch we've seen in just over three weeks. It is an intensifying missile
launch program from North Korea. Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader has made it abundantly clear that he is going to continue testing missiles and
no matter how many sanctions or international condemnation there is laid against North Korea that does not appear to be changing.
So this Monday morning, according to the U.S. military was a short range missile. The South Korean military saying they believe it was a scud
missile. They were trying to analyze whether or not there were modifications to this missile and why exactly it would have been fired.
At this particular point, the short range missiles are not usually the ones that concern the regional powers as much, but certainly, the fact that it
is the third in just three weeks is a concern.
Prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, has said that he is very concerned with what has happened. He has said, quote, "We will take concrete action
together with the U.S. to deter North Korea."
We also heard from the Japanese chief cabinet secretary. He said that it is extremely problematic to have these missile launches pointing at that
it's a busy shipping lane. That it is a very busy stretch of water, the exclusive economic zone where this missile is believed to have touched
down.
And there are concerns for safety for aircraft and also for ships. So, certainly, there is concern here in South Korea. It is also condemned
here. Foreign Ministry calling it a severe threat to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula not just in Korea, but of course also the
international community.
Bear in mind, there is a relatively new president here in South Korea, Moon Jae-in, he took power just a few weeks ago and since he has taken power,
North Korea has launched a missile every single week, very difficult to see how Moon Jae-in, who was pro engagement and dialogue with North Korea would
be able to move his North Korea policy forward. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
HOLMES: Just hours before the North Korean missile test, we did hear from the U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis. He had a grave message about
Washington's standoff with Pyongyang.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES MATTIS, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: A conflict in North Korea, John, would be probably the worst kind of fighting in most people's lifetime, and
why do I say this? The North Korean regime has hundreds of artillery cannons and rocket launchers within range with one of the most densely
populated cities on earth, which is the capital of the South Korea.
We are working with the international community to deal with this issue. This regime is a threat to the region, to Japan, and South Korea, and in
the event of war, they would bring danger to China and Russia as well.
But the bottom line is it would be a catastrophic war if this turns into a combat, and if we are not able to resolve the situation through diplomatic
means.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, the golf legend, Tiger Woods, has been arrested in Florida on suspicion of driving under the influence and this happened at 3:00 in
the morning apparently. World Sports, Alex Thomas, joins me now. Details are thin on the ground about these sorts of things, what do you know about
what unfolded?
ALEX THOMAS, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Well, it is more of what we don't know, Michael, than what we do. We don't know whether the driving under
the influence was confirmed whether it was alcohol or drugs or why police officers decided to stop him. It was a traffic stop of some description.
He was detained for around seven hours and released after 10:00 in the morning local time in Florida, and it seems he was released without charge.
That is what we know on that front, but it adds to a picture of misery for Tiger Woods right now, Michael.
Only last week he was quoted as saying in a statement after his latest back surgery and his recovery, I have not felt this good in years, but if you
are looking at the mug shot we have seen released, he is clearly not feeling it anymore.
HOLMES: Talk more about, if you will, Alex, Tiger's troubled times not just off of course, because he has had a lot of trouble getting back into
the upper echelons of the sport he once dominated, but the off and the on course obviously impact each other.
[15:25:04]THOMAS: Yes, a lot has happened since a previous car accident in 2009, which is believed to have followed an argument with his wife over his
extramarital affairs that he then admitted to in the aftermath of that accident.
This to be an extricable decline since then, Michael, but it's impossible to underestimate and understate to our viewers just how big a sporting icon
Tiger Woods at his very peak up there with Muhammad Ali, (inaudible), Roger Federer, Tom Brady.
Just the absolute best of the best and behind the likes of Jack Nicholas, maybe (inaudible) player who can beat Tiger Woods as far as his golf
records are concerned, but it's now been four back surgeries in his last three years.
He's only entered three tournaments in the last two years. You have to go back to 2008 for his last win in a major championship -- Michael.
HOLMES: Yes, you are right. It is an incredible career for those of us who lived through it and witnessed it. Sad days for Tiger Woods. Alex,
always good to see you. Alex Thomas there.
All right, still to come here on the program, monsoons are normal, but Sri Lanka has not seen flooding this severe in well over a decade. We are
going to have an update on the rising toll of the torrential rain.
Also the heroic men who lost their lives coming to the defense of two young girls racially harassed on a train. We will hear one of the girl's
emotional tribute. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone. Now German Chancellor Angela Merkel is saying it is time for Europe to become more self-reliant. She said Europe
can no longer completely rely on longstanding allies, an apparent reference to both the U.S. and the U.K. This is Merkel speaking after the G7 and
NATO meetings last week.
U.S. President Donald Trump has honored America's fallen on Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery. Donald Trump laying a wreath at the Tomb of
the Unknown Soldier and called those who lost their lives in military service angels. The president is returning to domestic duties following
his first overseas visit.
[15:30:00] Monsoon rains are drenching parts of Sri Lanka, causing the worst flooding and mudslides in almost 15 years. The death toll has now
soared past 160. It is expected to rise even further. Our Ravi Agrawal with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN INDIA BUREAU CHIEF: A rope descends from the skies, much needed aid gratefully accepted. This is the reason why, towns and villages
submerged in Sri Lanka's worst floods since 2003. Here are some of the displaced, more than 100,000 people across the country, as torrential rains
have pounded the tiny island nation through the weekend.
They are escaping situations like this, houses almost disappearing in the rising floodwaters. A few rescue attempts are made. But homes are left
behind with precious belongings lost forever. And it's not just floods. The heavy rains following a severe drought also triggering deadly
landslides, with workers looking for survivors.
Sri Lanka has deployed 2,000 military personnel and it's set up evacuation centers in the worst affected areas in Ratnapura, just 60 miles southeast
of the capital, Colombo, providing food and shelter to the displaced. It is not enough.
The country's Foreign Minister admitted to, quote, "a problem of limited resources" and asked for help. Neighboring India heeded that call over the
weekend. Three ships were deployed with relief personnel and supplies. As the death toll rises and the water remains high, the race is on to get help
to those who need it most.
Ravi Agrawal, CNN, New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Really distressing now. Two men have died, another in the hospital after they bravely tried to defend two girls on a train in the
U.S. The men leaping to the girl's defense in a light rail train in Portland, Oregon, after a man suddenly started shouting racial abuse at the
teenagers, one of whom was wearing a hijab. The attacker then turned on the good Samaritans who were trying to help, stabbing all three. He is
under arrest.
Polo Sandoval is here with me now to talk more about this. So one of the girls at the center of this has been speaking, and it's been quite
emotional stuff. Tell us what she said.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Destinee Mangum is her name, Michael, and it really is an incredible story here that we're hearing from her. She
spoke to CNN affiliate, KPTV, essentially thanking not just these three strangers that stepped up to help when she and another young lady became
the subject to this verbal assault. Listen to what she said to that local station, not only about those people who stepped up for her but their
families as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DESIREE MANGUM, TRAIN ATTACK VICTIM: Thank you to the people who put their life on the line for me because they didn't even know me. And they lost
their lives because of me and my friend and the way we looked, and I just want to say thank you to them and their family, that I appreciate them.
Because without them, we probably would be dead right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: And I think that that's really the main message here, too, Michael. What we're hearing from this young lady is the focus is on these
three people who stepped up, and not necessarily on the man who finds himself behind bars right now suspected of carrying such a terrible attack.
HOLMES: You know, I'd like to think a lot of people would've stepped up in that situation and done something. These men did. What more do we know
about them?
SANDOVAL: Well, let's start with the lone survivor, the man who lived to tell about it, which is actually the youngest of these heroes, Micah
Fletcher. He is 21 years old, currently at the hospital, and we are told that he is expected to eventually make a full recovery.
And then there's also Ricky John Best, on this Memorial Day. He is the individual who is an Army veteran, described as the model public servant by
the city of Portland, which is where he worked as a technician. He was actually headed home when he noticed this man that was hurling these racial
epithets at these two teenagers. He retired from the Army after 23 years of service.
And then the man that you see on the other side of your screen here, a gentleman by the name of Taliesin Namkai-Meche. He is the other individual
here who, unfortunately, did not survive. He had just graduate, barely starting an economics career, had just purchased a house, and was very much
looking forward to getting married and having children.
We have heard from the families of both of these two very brave individuals and also from the third gentleman that survived the attack and obviously,
nothing but some incredible descriptions of what kind of life they lived. And going back to Mr. Best, that 53-year-old veteran, in particular on this
Memorial Day in the United States, so he's a gentleman who already wore the title of hero even before he boarded that train on that Friday afternoon.
[15:35:08] HOLMES: It is just so incredibly sad and such an incredible waste, you know. What's been interesting in even just recent days, there
is a growing number of cases of racial abuse, religious abuse in the United States at the moment. The climate has changed.
SANDOVAL: The climate has changed and there are several different factors, too, Michael. We explored the topic, especially after we saw some of these
racist rants that have made their way on to social media, like Facebook and Twitter.
We turned to an expert here at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and basically told us that there are several factors. There are, obviously,
more smart phones out there, more people with cameras, so more people that are willing to capture these kinds of events.
However, when we dive into the political aspects of the story as well, according to this expert, many individuals, what they describe as a
minority, may have seen then President Trump -- I'm sorry, candidate Trump at the time, be politically incorrect. And so as a result, this may have,
perhaps, emboldened some of these individuals to take part in these very disturbing displays.
HOLMES: A lot of people think he gave permission to people who otherwise would not have voiced such things to start voicing them really.
Speaking of President Trump, there was, in the eyes of many, a belated tweet today after numerous calls for him to respond to this, and this the
tweet here. "The violent attacks in Portland on Friday are unacceptable. The victims were standing up to hate and intolerance. Our prayers are with
them."
You know, a couple of things there. That came after numerous calls for him to speak out when he is very quick to speak out on other incidents,
particularly involving Muslims. But also interesting there, and it's worth pointing out, that came from the Potus account, not @realdonaldtrump, which
he tends to drive with his own thumbs.
SANDOVAL: That @realdonaldtrump Twitter page or Twitter account is really what he's used as his main megaphone to be able to address not just the
country, but the rest of the world. So it was interesting that that message conveying some of these prayers for the families of these
individuals didn't appear on that account, but it did appear on the Potus account.
But nonetheless, it did come as a response to what you just mentioned, this growing criticism in light of these heinous attacks, not only to denounce
this attack, but also to pay tribute to these three heroes, these three strangers that stepped up for these two young ladies. At the start of
Ramadan, nonetheless.
HOLMES: Yes, exactly. It's just a horrible story, and three very brave men. Polo Sandoval, thanks so much for dropping by.
SANDOVAL: Thanks, Michael.
HOLMES: Appreciate it.
The CNN Freedom Project is, of course, committed to helping to bring an end to modern day slavery. In Part One of this week's special series called,
"Fair Food," we will show you how forced labor was wiped out in the tomato fields of Florida. Amara Walker with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Immokalee, Florida. Hot, humid, and home to thousands of migrant workers who board buses early every
morning, bound for tomato farms scattered throughout the region. Immokalee is the epicenter of tomato production in the United States. Florida
produces 90 percent of the country's winter tomatoes. It also used to be ground zero for modern day slavery in agriculture.
LAURA GERMINO, FOUNDER, COALITION OF IMMOKALEE WORKERS: We found out that the workers were being held by armed guards, you know, prevented from
leaving, pistol-whipped, some sexually assaulted.
WALKER (voice-over): Laura Germino is one of the founders of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers or CIW, a grass roots nonprofit that began in 1993 to
improve wages and working conditions of migrant farm workers.
GERMINO: Initially, it not an anti-slavery organization or anti-human trafficking organization. But in the course of our outreach, we began to
come across situations where workers were being held against their will.
WALKER (voice-over): Since then, the CIW's anti-slavery program has uncovered and helped the U.S. government prosecute several horrific cases
of forced labor on tomato farms. In one of those cases just 10 years ago, farm workers were locked inside a truck at night.
GERMINO: It was a dozen workers housed in a windowless boxed truck, forced to be in there at night, sleep in there at night, use the bathroom in there
at night. One of them held out his hands, and you could see the marks from the chains, which his wrists had been chained with.
[15:40:02] WALKER (voice-over): That case was so shocking, CIW decided to buy a box truck that was the exact make and model as the one used in the
case and turn it into a mobile museum highlighting other cases of forced labor from the past 20 years. Today, the CIW has a staff of 17 people,
nearly all of them former migrant farm workers themselves. And their focus is no longer uncovering cases of slavery, it's preventing it from happening
in the first place.
GERMINO: Forced labor has been virtually eradicated. And if it were to take root, it would be identified and dealt with really quickly.
WALKER (voice-over): They do that through an innovative initiative called the Fair Food Program.
Participating growers allow CIW staff to come on to their farms and hold mandatory education sessions for all workers. They're given booklets that
outline their rights and a hotline to call if they experience violations.
The growers also agree to regular third party inspections of their farms. A team of auditors speaks confidentially with at least 50 percent of
workers to ensure their rights are being respected.
Laura Safer Espinoza is a former Supreme Court justice for the state of New York. She now spends her retirement in Florida, running the Fair Food
Standards Council, which oversees the audits.
LAURA SAFER ESPINOZA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FAIR FOOD STANDARDS COUNCIL: Places that were called ground zero for modern day slavery by federal
prosecutors a few years ago are now cited by national and international human rights experts as the best work environment in U.S. agriculture.
WALKER (voice-over): And there are real market consequences at the top of the supply chain if violations are found. That's because many of the
largest buyers of tomatoes have also joined the program, agreeing to purchase tomatoes only from farms that are part of the agreement.
The Fair Food Program started in Florida, and now covers seven states in the eastern part of the U.S. Carlos Hernandez spends the tomato-growing
season in Florida. In the off-season, he travels to the western U.S. where he says it is much different.
CARLOS HERNANDEZ, MIGRANT WORKER (through translator): Sometimes when you don't work fast enough, they threaten to fire you. Well, that doesn't
happen here. There are better protections here.
ESPINOZA: When we get calls from outside the Fair Food Program, it is heartbreaking.
WALKER (voice-over): There are roughly 30,000 people currently working on Fair Food Program farms and receiving all the protections and benefits
outlined in the agreement. But they're still a long way to go to bringing the rest of the country on board.
Amara Walker, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And coming up tomorrow on CNN's Freedom Project, the story of Alejandrina Carrera, a migrant worker on a Florida tomato farm. She
arrived in the U.S. from Mexico when she was just 14, easy prey for those wanting to take advantage of her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEJANDRINA CARRERA, MIGRANT WORKER (through translator): He told me, if we don't do this the easy way, we'll do it the hard way. I was afraid and
trembling. He tried to abuse me sexually, but he didn't get to because another worker heard me screaming and came to help me. The next day, the
boss fired us both.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Find out how one organization is changing the lives of migrant workers in the U.S. by protecting them from forced labor. That's tomorrow
on the CNN Freedom Project.
You are watching THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. Still to come on the program, almost decision time again in the U.K. Why the race to the finish line in the
British election may be very dramatic. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:46:03] HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone, to the program. Now, we got some break news coming into us in the last few minutes.
A security video has emerged showing the Manchester bomber, Salman Abedi, in a grocery store the day before the attack. He seemed wandering around.
These surveillance pictures from a spa shop in Manchester. There were taken on Sunday, May 21. Of course, 22 people were killed in that attack
at a pop concert now a week ago.
In the final full week before the U.K. general election, the two leading candidates back on the campaign trail. Of course, campaigning was
suspended last week after that terror attack in Manchester. Well, polls are suggesting the opposition party, Labour, led by Jeremy Corbyn, is
closing the gap on Theresa May's conservatives. Let's get more from Cardiff in Wales. That's where we find our Richard Quest who has been
speaking to voters.
So, Richard, you're on weeklong tour talking to voters. What are you hearing there in Cardiff?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is very interesting, the issues and how they are shifting in the general election. Two weeks ago or a week
ago, it was going to be Brexit, how the economy was going to the handle Brexit, how institutions like Cardiff University, behind me, was going to
handle it. But as you've just played in the breaking news, Michael, that all changed this time last week or this later last week with the Manchester
attack.
And suddenly, the question of security went right to the top of the agenda. Now, no one knows yet how that's going to factor in between the major
parties. All we know is that the Tory party, which had a 21-odd-point lead, they ruling party had a 21-point lead, has now seemed they're down to
maybe six to 12 points in the polls.
But we're still 10 days away, Michael. As you are well aware, when you do get this very febrile environment with a major story, Michael, then nobody
can truly determine which way this is going to go or how the Manchester attack factors into it, Michael.
HOLMES: Yes, interesting, the closing in the polls there. So you're going to have plenty more on your program. What is on the show tonight?
QUEST: Well, tonight, we are going to go to -- by the way, I think you are familiar with Freddy Brexit, the fine bit of British engineering, the
Bedford Van from 1977, which has done more than a few miles and we spruced up. We've had to take the "n," you'll see the red tape going through the
end. We've taken that out.
But Freddy Brexit, we have brought him here to Cardiff University where we have some students who have decided to forsake the pub and are going to
instead talk politics with us. We want to hear from them, how they think the voting will go, what they believe is the big issue, and crucially, I
think in any institution like another university, how they view the security question.
It's "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS," top of the hour.
HOLMES: Yes, indeed. I'm glad that you got them before they went to the pub. That's always important with university students. And did Freddy
drive there, not towed there, correct? Am I right?
QUEST: Hey, hey, hey, hey. Enough of your comments! Freddy did a fine journey getting from here. And he is going to get to Newport, Weston-
super-Mare, Bath, and we will end on Friday in Royal Windsor. Yes.
HOLMES: What a journey it shall be in a fine mode of transport. You'll be following along in the limo, I'm sure. Mr. Quest, a pleasure. We look
forward to the program. Thank you. That'll be interesting.
Britain's Prince William taking on the difficult topic of mental health. He is featured in the cover story for the British "G.Q." magazine. It is
part of a campaign called Heads Together to help people confront some of the stigma that goes along with mental illness and well-being.
[15:50:12] Many independent charities are involved in raising awareness, of course, and providing support. The Prince says he has been really shocked
by how many people live in fear and silence and are afraid to seek treatment. The Prince also talks openly about the death of his mother,
Princess Diana, almost 20 years ago.
This is THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. We will be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Welcome back. The Cannes Film Festival has ended. We now know this year's prize winners. The Palme d'Or, the top award, goes to a
Swedish comedy called "The Square." A member of the jury said the film explained the dictatorship of being politically correct. He also found it
very, very funny.
Sophia Coppola became the second female filmmaker to take home best director award and that was for her film, "The Beguiled," a thriller set
during the American Civil War.
And the actor, Joaquin Phoenix won the top acting honor for his portrayal of a hitman in the film, "You Were Never Really Here."
All right. It took six years, reportedly half a billion dollars. This weekend, Walt Disney World finally opening its newest attraction, "Pandora:
The World of Avatar."
The 2009 film, of course, smashed box office records. Four sequels are in the pipeline, believe it or not. But with years to go before their
release, Frank Pallota went to find out why Pandora is opening now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANK PALLOTA, CNNMONEY MEDIA REPORTER (voice-over): It is a land six years in the making. Even longer for Director James Cameron.
JAMES CAMERON, DIRECTOR, "AVATAR": I think back to when I was 19 years old, and I had a dream of a bioluminescent forest with glowing trees.
PALLOTA (voice-over): The world of Avatar as touched down on planet Earth, more than seven years after the movie made its debut. Disney is bringing
Pandora into reality.
CAMERON: Disney came to me and said, we want to take your movie and turn it into a land. Not a ride, a land, a place to go and be and smell and
walk through and experience and have it surround you. And I thought, OK, that is a bit of a challenge. You guys are biting off a big one this time.
And you know what, they delivered on every promise and beyond.
PALLOTA (voice-over): Pandora is one of Disney's biggest undertakings, costing a reported half a billion dollars to build. The film told the
story of the people of Pandora, the Navi, fighting to save their environment from being destroyed. The new land is an expansion of Walt
Disney World's Animal Kingdom, a park that Cameron's producing partner says is a perfect fit for "Avatar."
JON LANDAU, PRODUCER, "AVATAR": To put Pandora not into Hollywood studios, not into the Magic Kingdom, not into Epcot, but at Disney's Animal Kingdom
where their value base is the intrinsic value of nature. It was the perfect and only marriage we could have.
PALLOTA (voice-over): It has two rides, the Navi River journey, a boat ride that takes visitors into the glowing world of Pandora at night, and
Flight of Passage, an augmented reality flight simulation.
Guests can take their own pet banshee home, and even turn themselves into an Avatar. But Disney's main focus was building a world guests can get
lost in, starting with a feature only Pandora has.
[15:55:02] JOEL DAVID MOORE, ACTOR: The legendary floating mountains of Pandora, heard of them?
PALLOTA (voice-over): Joe Rohde is the imagineer behind Pandora.
JOE ROHDE, DESIGNER, WALT DISNEY IMAGINEERING: Within the film, you know, you're watching this spectacularly technologically engaging film that
brings to life this really, really amazing world. But mainly, you are watching the arc of principal characters and what happened to them.
In this case, we are producing that world, just the world, for you to come in and walk around in. So to get that more detail, we had to, first of
all, collaborate with James Cameron and all of his production designers, all of his people in the invention of whole other levels of detail, levels
of detail that aren't in the film.
LANDAU: If you walked into the Flight of Passage and you go into an old RDA building where the walls were once crumbling and they need to be shored
up, the company that did the shoring is J.C. Shoring, Jim Cameron Shoring, and the number under the name, 081654, is Jim Cameron's birthday.
PALLOTA (voice-over): Pandora is Disney's answer to stiff competition from other theme parks, like the Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Tourists are coming to Disney World for more than just characters and thrill rides. Guests want new worlds, parks what make them feel like
they're in the movie they love.
When "Avatar" hit theaters in 2007, it soared at the back office, becoming the highest grossing film of all times. Disney is betting that success
will translate to its own parts. But it is a risk.
PALLOTA (on camera): So now, the movie came out roughly a decade ago.
CAMERON: No, no, no, no. I mean, let's not exaggerate, 7 1/2 years.
PALLOTA (on camera): Seven and a half years ago.
CAMERON: OK.
PALLOTA (on camera): And it's going to be coming out in a couple of years, the sequel.
CAMERON: Yes.
PALLOTA (on camera): Do you feel that that kind of gap in time hurts people being truly engaged in this park and even I'm even kind of get them
excited?
CAMERON: Well, it didn't hurt Avatar, that there was no Avatar before that, so I kind of rest my case. This will help bridge that gap in the
public consciousness. People will come here and say, man, I need some Avatar.
ROHDE: Any time you tell a story, any story, you have to start at the beginning. We have designed land very deliberately so that you need no
nothing. You couldn't possibly build any land, any land including the brands you mentioned, predicated on the idea that only people who love it
are coming. You have to build it for everyone. Everyone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, amazing, isn't it? This has been THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. Thank you very much for watching. And, of course, Mr. "QUEST MEANS
BUSINESS," up next. Thanks for your company.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
