Return to Transcripts main page
Hala Gorani Tonight
Trump Wants To Delay Immigration Bill Until After Midterms; Reunification Process For Families Remains Uncertain; Trump Threatens To Put Tariffs On E.U.-Made Cars; E.U. Hits Iconic U.S. Goods With 25 Percent Tariffs; Thousands Protest After "Wolfpack" Released On Bail; Late-Night Comics Bash Melania's "I Don't Care Jacket"; Court Docs Immigrant Kids Were Abused In Detention; Argentina Fans Angry After Squad's Poor Performance; ABC To Air Roseanne Spinoff Called "The Conners". Aired 3-4p ET
Aired June 22, 2018 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:39]
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Live from CNN London, I'm Hala Gorani.
Tonight, another day and still confusion and uncertainty at the U.S./Mexico border over the separation of immigrant families. I speak to a Republican
senator and big Trump critic, Jeff Flake.
Immigration is not the only thing on President Trump's mind. Europe is retaliating hard on tariffs on American products. The president is
threatening some big response of his own.
Also, anger, outrage and even a minute of silence on television. Argentina is reacting to a disastrous World Cup so far. That story later.
The U.S. President Donald Trump is talking immigration this hour, but not about the uproar over family separations that have been dominating the
headlines all week. He is meeting instead with Americans right now who have lost loved ones to violence at the hands of undocumented immigrants.
The president is trying to shift the spotlight after he reversed course and signed an executive order to end the separation of illegal immigrant
children and their parents. This is a live event that you are seeing now in Washington.
Family members who are understandably distraught and in mourning over the death of their relatives at the hands of undocumented immigrants. The
president is giving them this platform right in the midst of this conversation over whether or not separating immigrant children from their
parents is a cruel practice.
Today, there was another big reversal. President Trump has been demanding Congress to fix immigration laws, but now says Republicans should stop
wasting their time on the issue until after midterm elections.
He also appeared to mock the anguish of separated families, tweeting, quote, "We cannot allow our country to be overrun by illegal immigrants as
the Democrats tell their phony stories of sadness and grief."
Mr. Trump's own party appears to be ignoring his advice. Republican House leaders say they will work through the weekend on an immigration bill and
hope to schedule a vote next week.
There's a lot to talk about and a lot to try to sort of organize in coherent strands. Ryan Nobles is at the White House with more. So, Ryan,
first of all, let's talk about this event with the so-called angels. These are relatives of people who have been killed by undocumented immigrants.
What is the president trying to achieve here?
RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, it's yet another turn in the messaging here from the White House as it relates to this issue of
separating families at the border and the growing crisis on the southern border between the United States and Mexico.
Initially, it was the White House that took a firm stance as it relates to this issue. They created this zero-tolerance policy which said that if you
came over the border illegally, you would be separated from your children.
Then they saw the outcry that that created, and they tracked back. The president hastily issuing this executive order and then promising that
these families would be reunited. Now, today, there's a lot of uncertainty and confusion at the border as these families aren't exactly sure when they
will be reunited with these families.
They also don't know what the process is going to be for the families that are not continuing to come into the United States. The president is saying
illegal immigration is an enormous problem here in the United States and that most of the people that are coming over this border are criminals, the
type of people that would murder someone.
That's why he's brought these families out who are no doubt victims dealing with the anguish of losing a loved one. He is singling these folks out and
trying to illustrate that is broader example of the type of people that are attempting to come over the border illegally.
He is trying to shore up his base, essentially here, Hala, trying to make them believe that his tough stance is necessary to keep the United States
safe.
BOLDUAN: I wonder if that's because recent polling suggests that even among his base, this practice, this policy of separating parents and kids
at the border is becoming less and less popular. Even a small majority of people, according to a Quinnipiac poll, in his base, don't agree with it.
NOBLES: That has to be at least part of the calculation. But the problem he has here with this is that even though most Americans when asked the
simple question, do you think it's OK to separate children from their families, they generally say no.
[15:05:05] The president's base still firmly believes that things at the border need to be stricter, they need to build a wall, they need to deport
people that attempt to come into this country legally.
So, it's a very careful needle that he is attempting to thread here by remaining tough as it relates to his immigration policy, but at the same
time showing mercy to these families that are attempting to come over the border.
It's not an easy problem because now he gets into the bureaucratic mess of the situation at the border in terms of laws that restrict the amount of
time that you can keep a child in confinement.
That doesn't necessarily match up with the adjudication process for many of these families. So, it's a difficult position that he finds himself in.
But Hala, it's important to point out that it's a position that he put himself there by enacting the zero-tolerance policy to begin with.
GORANI: All right. Ryan Nobles at the White House, thanks so much.
Even with President Trump's executive order in force, it's still far from clear how and children already separated from their parents will be
reunited.
CNN's Dianne Gallagher is outside a detention facility in Homestead, Florida. Dianne, I understand you went inside one of these facilities. We
have pictures of it from the inside, but these are handout pictures from the government. What did you see when you went in?
DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and Hala, that's really important because they wouldn't let us bring inside any cameras or phones
or recording devices. So, we have to rely on those images they provided us, just a pad and paper to write down our observations.
They said it's for privacy reasons. That's also why they cited we couldn't talk to any of the children. But I can tell you from going in there,
truthfully, it kind of looks like a dingy old community college.
On the interior, they have decorated it with artwork from the kids themselves. They have signed it. They have Disney princes up on some
walls. They have other characters that are on some of the walls, United States civics, the breakdown of the branches of government.
It looks almost like an elementary school in there, but these are kids from the ages of 13 to 17, Hala. They are both boys and girls, although, the
boys outnumber the girls about two to one here.
Roughly, 1,200 kids are in this facility. It's the second largest HHS shelter in the nation. Really, we're told that only about 70 of them here
are kids who were separated from their parents once they crossed the border.
The overwhelming majority are teenagers who came here by themselves. But, you know, they still are trying to work on finding sponsors and reuniting
them with some family members, no matter what their status was when they came across.
GORANI: Those who were separated from their parents at the border, can the parents get in touch with them? Can they speak with them? Do they know
where they are?
GALLAGHER: Well, to be honest, Hala, that depends who you ask. You know, I will be honest in here. It was a very strict and regimented tour. We
spent an hour on a massive former job corps campus. They kind of whisked up from room to room to room.
We got to peek inside the bedroom. We got to see the medical check-in area. We saw their case workers. That's where that all stays. Our
caseworker was walking through and walking out. There were about 15 or so women at computers there. They work with the children to get them in touch
with either sponsors or their parents.
They made it sound like it's not that hard to reunite them, like it's not that difficult to track them down. But obviously, we have heard extremely
different stories from other people. So, they are conflicting here.
I will tell you that about two days ago, Florida Senator Bill Nelson tried to get into this facility. He was denied because they said he hadn't made
any appointment. They told him that day, HHS, that there were 94 kids who had been separated from their parents at the border staying here. Today it
was 70.
When we asked the director what the change was, she said, they have been reunited. I mean, very simple like that. So, this facility to be honest,
it was super organized, Hala, I mean, very, very regimented.
There is a schedule on every single wall in that building from 6:30 a.m. to lights out at 10:00 p.m. They have ever hour of the day blocked off and
managed for them. They have classes like history and science, art time. They have about an hour blocked off for group counseling every single day.
Then once a week they see these caseworkers, unless it merits seeing them more frequently we're told. They get two phone calls every week that can
last ten minutes each. They can either call a sponsor here in the United States, a family friend, maybe a relative, or they can call someone back in
their home country. How they're getting reunited to be honest, HHS, isn't very clear about that.
GORANI: All right. Two phone calls a week in a facility like this, that's not great if you are 13 years old at all. Dianne Gallagher, thanks very
much for joining us from Florida.
[15:10:03] With so much focus on immigration, it's easy to forget the U.S. is also inching itself into a possible full-blown trade war with side
effects hitting some of America's most iconic emblems like Harley-Davidson, Levi, denim clothing, bourbon and more, peanut butter. What's more
American than peanut butter?
In a retaliatory move, the European Union is hitting exports of those goods with a 25 percent tariff. A total of more than $3 billion worth of goods
are affected. This was Donald Trump's response on Twitter.
"Based on the tariffs and trade barriers long placed on the U.S. and its great companies and workers by the European Union, if these tariffs and
barriers are not soon broken down and removed, we will be placing a 20 percent tariff on all of their cars coming into the U.S. Build them here."
Let's talk about this with Richard Quest, who is live in New York, host of "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" coming up next hour. He says build them here. They
do build them there. Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes, they have plants in America.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST: They do. But they also bring over a large number almost all the time. I think what you are looking at here is obviously the
next developed phase of the trade war. It's going to get particularly nasty.
Hala, 20 percent on cars would sort of go above what the E.U. puts on cars going the other way. The E.U. has a 10 percent tariff. One has to ask
what the end game is. Because if you continue to tariff and, let's say, for example, the Harley-Davidson, just look at the situation of Harley-
Davidson.
It is paying more for its steel because of the tariffs that are being imposed and it's now going to be tariffed when it goes on the final
product. Same for Daimler-Benz. The cars are getting hit either which way. If the car is made in the United States, then it gets hit when it
goes to China. If it's made in Germany, it gets hit when it goes to the United States.
GORANI: Well, everyone suffers. Trade wars hit everybody hard. Obviously, the increased tariffs on steel for manufacturers in the United
States. When you mention rightly Harley-Davidson, it's on the way in and on the way out.
QUEST: Yes. I think the reality is, it's inevitable that this is going to happen. The core question becomes, where doe is the cycle broken? Who is
going to actually decide, we're not going to retaliate?
At what point do both sides almost have a tacit understanding, you have done your bit, we have done our bit, let's leave it at that? At the moment
-- I think very significant, Hala, with China last -- this week, we saw exactly the opposite.
The president came back and said, I'm going to tariff you more because you have retaliated. Now we can arguably say with the cars, he is tariffing
because they have retaliated. The fact that the U.S. -- the fact that the U.S. does have to get this tariff on its cars really, really annoys Donald
Trump.
GORANI: It doesn't economic sense for an economy like the United States because the United States relies so heavily on consumer spending for its
GDP growth. If you start imposing tariffs on imports, on these cars, I mean -- you are putting roadblocks on the way to consumer spending. You
are making everything more expensive.
QUEST: Unless you do force the companies to increase the manufacture within the United States. You can't do the whole range of models.
GORANI: They have to pay more for their steel.
QUEST: Well, yes. Your problem with all of this is, Ms. Gorani?
GORANI: Well, I mean, what I'm saying is if you increase the price of products that Americans buy that contribute to their growth, the growth of
their economy, whether it's through imposing tariffs on steel coming in or imposing tariffs on cars coming in, that is going to reduce the amount of
consumer spending.
QUEST: You are looking for a logical answer in an irrational set of circumstances.
GORANI: Desperately and every day.
QUEST: Frankly, look, they are --
GORANI: I keep holding on.
QUEST: There are people who agree tariffs have a role to play in certain circumstances. This wholesale tariffing of every one of the United States'
allies certainly is not in the ambit.
GORANI: All right. Richard Quest, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is at the top of the hour and you will be looking at all this in detail.
Let's get the Democratic perspective now on all these developments. Jim Messina, a campaign manager for former U.S. President Barack Obama. He's
now CEO of The Messina Group. Thanks for being with us.
There we go. You had an odd framing on you. You are with us now in full frame. You wrote in November -- I was looking up some of your latest
things you have said and written.
[11:15:05] "Trump's tweets are hurting him with the voters he needs most." So, you said this in November, but it seems as though his popularity has
stayed pretty stable. He has tweeted things since that have, you know, been interpreted as threats of nuclear confrontation. Yet, that hasn't
really shifted his popularity with his base.
JIM MESSINA, CEO, THE MESSINA GROUP: Yes, well, I think there's a difference between his base and the swing voters I was talking about,
right. We're following 1,000 voters in a conversation every week with people who voted for Donald Trump and Barack Obama, the true swing voters
in America.
These folks say repeatedly what they want is the president to stop tweeting, stop calling everyone names and focus on the economy. In fact,
his numbers are OK because the economy is OK.
I thought it was interesting the conversation you and Richard had earlier. You are right, if these tariffs screw with the economy, you will see
Trump's numbers fall very quickly because 60 percent of Americans don't approve of him personally. They hold on because they think it's OK
economically. If those economic numbers change, he is in real trouble.
GORANI: Can it go beyond the economy? For instance, the border separation. It doesn't seem like the tweets are having an impact. If it's
the economy, could it be an issue that will really -- such as immigration or something else that will get people to walk away, to withdraw their
support for Donald Trump?
MESSINA: I think you are on to the key here, which I think is the separation issue has become an issue that I think is incredibly damaging to
the president. You see that when it unites the pope, Republican Party, big business across America and a bunch of other people all against the
president's position.
He has to cave yesterday. Then today he is trying to switch the subject by the pathetic press conference. He understands he is doing himself real
damage. I think we ought to not follow the daily polls and instead remember that in November, the president's not on the ballot.
The president's party loses an average of 30 seats in Congress every single cycle. He is already in a real challenge here. That's why his party is
panicking about the separation issue.
GORANI: I was going to say, that said, Jim, whenever a Republican candidate or often when a Republican candidate is openly critical of Donald
Trump, you will see -- you saw it with Mark Sanford, for instance, recently who couldn't even win a primary, a Republican primary.
So, there are similar situations for representatives and senators running for re-election in November, for instance, where they are not going to be
openly critical of Donald Trump because they think it will hurt them politically.
MESSINA: Well, that's the question. The question is, can the House Republicans pass an immigration bill on Monday? They tried to pass it last
night. They couldn't figure out a consensus because exactly as you say, Hala, they are worried about their base on one side.
But if you are in a competitive district, you are screaming, my God, fix this right now. So, the question next week, will they have the vote to do
something that politically with swing voters they have to do, but they need to cross the Trump base?
And you know, so far, they have been unable do it. I predict next week they won't do it next week either. Pretty soon we are going to be past
primary season, almost all the primaries are done. By early August, we will be completely past it. We're about 110 days before the general
election when voters will be forced to be in front of the entire electorate. That's why these Republicans are in panic right now.
GORANI: And so, your prediction for -- you look at the numbers, you study this daily, for the midterms, what are your thoughts?
MESSINA: Well, Hala, as you know, I'm obsessed with numbers. Every night, we run 60,000 simulations of the election. I think the Democrats are going
to take the House back.
GORANI: All right. We will see. We will be speaking with you before then and certainly after. Thank you, Jim Messina, for joining us. We
appreciate your analysis as always.
And in a few minutes, we will hear from a Republican U.S. senator on tariffs, immigration and a political party that has become unrecognizable
to him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZONA: I'm a conservative. I'm a Republican. I've been so my whole life. I'm not ready to give up the party. I'm not ready
to give up the party because I feel it's been hijacked.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: My conversation with Arizona Senator Jeff Flake a little bit later.
Still ahead, they are images that have shocked the world. There could be another deeply disturbing side to this story of family separations. Stay
with us as we investigate allegations that range from forced drug injections to the physical abuse of some children at facilities.
Also, there is fury in Spain after a horrendous attack on a teenager. Why a court decision is causing this much anger. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:22:05]
GORANI: Airbus has issued a stark warning to Britain saying that a trade deal with the E.U. before Brexit is necessary for their business, before
Brexit. And if Brexit continues with the current December 2020 transition plan, Airbus says that won't be enough time to adjust their supply chain.
That could put thousands of jobs at risk.
A spokesperson for the British prime minister, Theresa May, says the U.K. is consulting with Airbus over their concerns, and they are working on a
free trade deal, including the aerospace sector. Lots of industries are worried.
Staying in Europe, a German charity says two of its two migrant rescue boats have been forced to suspend operations after intervention by Italy.
Authorities there say they will seize one of the boats known as "The Lifeline."
They say the vessel carrying more than 200 people broke international law. The other boat is called the "Sea Fox" that have docked in Malta after
Italy raised questions about its registration. The fate of the passengers on board is unclear.
Thousands of people have been protesting across Spain after bail was granted to five men convicted of sexual abuse of a teenage girl. Their
case, known at the wolfpack, caused outrage because the men were cleared of chars of gang rape. Protesters shouted, it's not sexual abuse, it's rape.
Nina dos Santos is here with more. So, they are angry because they are out on bail.
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Less than a year in jail here, Hala. They were originally convicted, as you said, on the lesser charge of sexual
abuse, which meant they got nine years instead of 22 years that they could have got had they been convicted on the more significant charge, which was
gang rape, which is what the prosecutors originally went for.
But largely because there was video footage of this attack as it took place because these five men filmed it and circulated it on a group called "The
Wolfpack" that they created. It was deemed the victim hadn't fought back enough.
For that reason, it was deemed sexual abuse, which is the lesser charge, rather than gang rape. That caused tens of thousands of Spaniards to hit
the streets back in April when this case was originally heard.
Now what we have seen is after these men have spent some time in jail, they're going to be deemed fit for release on bail while they appeal that
nine-year sentence. Largely because the authorities believe that they are not a flight risk and they say that they are not deemed to be risky enough
to do it again.
GORANI: In the E.U., you could travel -- it's borderless, you know, part of the world.
DOS SANTOS: Well, they will have to surrender their passports. They will be released on bail.
GORANI: You don't need passports to drive to France.
DOS SANTOS: This is why people are also understandably very aggrieved about this. The real issue is, it's the concern for the victim here. You
said before, there are tens of thousands of people taking to the streets.
[15:25:07] We saw that back in April. We saw 3,000 taking to the streets of Pamplona, the city where the attack took place. We have had more
protests. People saying, I believe you to the girl and it was gang rape and not just sexual abuse.
What the government going to do about this? The government is coming under increasing pressure here. First of all, the spokeswoman for the government
said that they uphold the decision of the court today to consider granting bail.
They have to be seen to be independent from interfering with the judiciary in Spain, but then we do seem to have had a concession here. Amid all this
fury, another spokesperson said the authorities would probably look again at how the country tackles sexual crimes through its laws.
GORANI: It wouldn't impact this case?
DOS SANTOS: For the moment, it doesn't seem as though. The victim is appearing the nine-year sentence as well. Both sides are appealing. While
they are appealing, these five individuals have been granted bail.
GORANI: Nina dos Santos, thanks very much.
Still to come tonight, one Republican senator is standing up against the president. We will talk tariffs and the U.S. image in the world just ahead
with Jeff Flake.
And it was just last month that ABC canceled their megahit "Roseanne" after its star posted those outrageously racist comments on Twitter. Now the
network says it has new plans to reboot the series.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: There are still few answers about exactly how the United States will deal with thousands of immigrant children now in detention centers.
President Trump focused on a different aspect of immigration just a few minutes ago.
Crimes committed by some immigrants in the United States who are in the country illegally. President Trump is meeting with the so-called "Angel
Families." These are people who have tragically lost loved ones to violence committed by undocumented immigrants.
Mr. Trump said their stories have been ignored by the media. He invited some of them to talk about the loss of their children, shifting -- trying
to shift the conversation to something other than separation of families at the border.
As this week's disturbing images of families show, immigration policy is far more complex. Few Republican members of the U.S. Congress have
challenged the president on hl harsh immigration policy or anything else in fact.
The Republican Party has stood behind the president, behind every tweet, behind every statement and some of the more offensive things that he has
said directed a minorities or countries around the world.
[15:30:00] But one senator, Jeff Flake of Arizona has spoken out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZONA: An American president who cannot take criticism, who must constantly deflect and distort and distract, who must
find someone else to blame is charting a very dangerous path. And a Congress that fails to act as a check on the president adds to that danger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: This is Jeff Flake in January. He's not running for re-election. I asked Senator Flake earlier about those children in detention facilities
and the hit to the image of the United States abroad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FLAKE: If you're going to hold families together, you've got to have the infrastructure. At least ordered DOD to make custom facilities available.
I'm not sure that's going to be enough.
GORANI: The Pentagon, 20,000 on a military base.
FLAKE: Right. So we'll see. They stood up some facilities a couple of years ago just for the unaccompanied minors. These are mostly kids, ages
13 to 17. So we've done this before, not so much families. But I hope that we look at some different arrangements as well, some monitoring, for
example. An ankle bracelet. I mean, we should be concerned about, will they show up in court?
GORANI: What is this doing this and other things doing to America's image abroad?
FLAKE: No, it's not good. Certainly, the images, you just don't want to see. That's not us. That's not us.
GORANI: But in the end, it is what America is doing now.
FLAKE: And I'm glad that the president finally recognized that this wasn't what we should be doing.
GORANI: You were at Chatham House event today. A conversation, can America regain its balance? What's the answer to that question?
FLAKE: It can. I hope it does.
GORANI: How?
FLAKE: Well, certainly on trade, we've got a big hiccup right now. These tariffs, steel and aluminum tariffs, now the retaliatory measures that are
being enacted, this is the mason stages of a full-scale trade war. Trade wars are never won, really, by anyone. Despite what the president says.
GORANI: Does he really believe do you think that this is good for the U.S.?
FLAKE: Well, actually, there are a lot of things that the president has come on to lately. This is one that he actually feels --
GORANI: He thinks ideologically --
FLAKE: That's unfortunate. This conflation of a trade deficit and a budget deficit as if they're the same kind of thing. He's always held that
position. So it's tougher to move him off of this.
GORANI: You seem to be saying he doesn't get the basics of --
FLAKE: Yes. I mean, he acts as if trade deficits are budget deficits. Trade deficits, all things being equal, it's nice to have them roughly
equal. But as long as we are the world's reserve currency, as long as the dollar is strong, we're going to have trade deficits and that's fine. We
shouldn't be as concerned about that. But I'm very concerned about where this is going.
GORANI: More fundamentally, with everything that's happened since the election of Donald Trump, do you believe Democratic institutions in the
United States are under threat?
FLAKE: Yes, I do. Now, I think that so far, most of these institutions have held up well. The press has. Gratefully. The judiciary has held up
well. The big thing is Congress. The Article One branch. I think we've fallen down a bit. I think, for example, on trade right now, if you
surveyed Republican senators, all 51 of us -- almost all 51, I should say, these tariffs are terrible things. We shouldn't be doing that, but we
haven't pushed back.
GORANI: Why not?
FLAKE: And that's --
GORANI: What's happening to the GOP? What's happening to your party? You yourself said essentially, if you value re-election -- and you're not
running for re-election in these midterm elections coming up. If you value re-election above all else, then find a way to accommodate the president.
This is the president party. This is the president who instituted a travel ban, who cheered torture, who insulted allies, who pulled out of deals, who
called entire parts of the world s-wholes, who attacks the media relentlessly, every single day. This is the Republican Party?
FLAKE: That's tough to come to terms with. The Republican Party right now is Trump's party. I mean, that's the bottom line. If you poll Republican
primary voters in just about every state, certainly in my state, you'll find upwards of 90 percent of those who vote regularly and Republican
primaries are with the president. And if you poll them on what's the most important issue, it always used to be something like jobs or the economy or
immigration. Now it's, are you with the president?
GORANI: Why? I mean, Bob Corker, your colleague, said this has become cultish.
FLAKE: I don't want to use those terms. But certainly, fidelity to principal is no longer tenant of the party -- it's a personality and that's
unfortunate. Because in the end, we'll get through this. Populism is not a governing philosophy. Anger and resentment, you can't govern with that.
[15:35:20] GORANI: But it's working.
FLAKE: Sooner or later, people will realize, we can't govern that way and voters will value those that can govern. But we're in for a rough patch
right now. And I don't know when the inflection point comes. Will it be with a big election loss? That usually does it. Will it here? I'm not
sure.
GORANI: So many commentators have said and Trump opponents have said, Jeff Flake, Bob Corker, they talk a big game, they tweet, they do all those
things but they don't act. They could become independent and caucus when needed with the Democrats, because this is an emergency for the country.
They're saying. Why don't you do something like this?
FLAKE: I will only speak for myself. But I'm a conservative. I'm a Republican. I've been so my whole life. I'm not ready to give up the
party. I'm not ready to give up the party because I feel it's been hijacked. I believe in limited government, economic freedom, free trade,
strong national defense, alliances. And I think that's traditional Republicanism. I'm not ready to give that up.
GORANI: You'll keep fighting?
FLAKE: Yes, yes. But this fever will cool at some point. Right now for somebody to embrace the kind of principals I'm talking about and not be
with the president down the line, there's a very narrow path to re- election. It's a tough world right now.
GORANI: Well, those who speak in opposition to the president in the Republican Party tend to not do very well in the polls these days. That's
one of the issues. How about running for president?
FLAKE: You know, I do hope that another Republican runs, if nothing else just to remind Republicans of here's what we stand for. Here's what we
have traditionally stood for and here's what we will need to stand for again if we're --
GORANI: That could be you.
FLAKE: I have not ruled it out, but not in my plans.
GORANI: Not in your plan. I'm sure you saw this. This is how the world, I think, sees the president of the United States. Welcome to America with
that crying Honduran toddler. As an American, how does that make you feel?
FLAKE: I'm not happy about it. I don't think this has been a good time for America and our brand around the world. I've traveled all I can. I
think a lot of us do to try to do what John McCain said, so eloquently well, to our allies, we are with you. A majority of us do believe in free
trade. We value our strong alliances. We believe in rules-based international order. We just have a rough patch to get through. And so
we're trying to spread that word among our allies.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Jeff Flake, the U.S. -- the Republican senator from Arizona. He's not running for re-election in November, but he's still holding on to the
hope that the party he knew, the Republican Party, he knew will get back to what it once was, he says.
Now, the immigration concerns along the U.S. border are influencing how the world views America, especially images like this. I'm going to show you
the moment when a Guatemalan migrant. Sued the Trump administration over family separation was finally reunited with her son. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SOBBING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, the reunion came at Baltimore-Washington Airport after a month apart. Look at that little kid. The mother sued several government
agencies and top officials accusing them of violating her rights when they took the 7-year-old. Lawyer said in court Thursday, an agreement had been
reached just before the hearing was set to begin. But of course a lot of migrants don't have the money or the contacts to get legal representation.
And the uncertainties surrounding separated families is stirring strong emotions across the border.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: These are people outside the U.S. embassy in Mexico. There was a protest there on Thursday. One held a sign that read, quote, "The
executive order stops the new bleeding but it does not address the blood on their hands."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Adding to the controversy, well, the outfit that the U.S. First Lady wore for a trip to the border. The back of Melania Trump's green Zara
jacket says, "I really don't care, do you?" The first lady's team insisted there was no hidden message. But late night comedians aren't buying it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[15:40:10] JIMMY KIMMEL, AMERICAN TELEVISION HOST: Is the president now tweeting onto his wife's clothes?
Her spokeswoman said, it's a jacket. There was no hidden message. Well, no one thought the message was hidden. It was written in big letters on
the back.
JIMMY FALLON, AMERICAN COMEDIAN: Nobody knows what it means or if it means anything at all. Meanwhile, President Trump was going through his class
like, where the hell is my coat? Where is it? Where is my favorite coat?
TREVOR NOAH, SOUTH AFRICAN COMEDIAN: Although, it is kind of sweet that she made a jacket out of her and Donald's wedding vows. That's really
cool. I like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: It's $39, in case you're wondering from Zara, the high street retailer. The American president, Donald Trump tweeted that the message --
after by the way, the administration said there was no message. The president said there was a message and it was aimed "at the fake news
media," because his wife, "has learned how dishonest they are."
Check out our Facebook page, facebook.com/halagoranicnn.
Still ahead, horrendous claims of abuse. CNN investigates allegations involving some of the kids at government facilities in the U.S. You won't
want to miss this next report coming up.
Plus, it was nearly 90 minutes of nothing until a brilliant turnaround at the end of Brazil's match against Costa Rica. That and the mood on the
ground coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Heartbreaking pictures and audio of kids ripped from their families at America's southern border have drawn outrage. But for years,
and importantly including under President Obama and continuing under President Trump, kids who cross the border illegally have been held in
government facilities. Now, CNN's Drew Griffin is learning about shocking new allegations about the way kids in some of those facilities have been
treated from forced drug injections to physical abuse. Here's our CNN investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Outlined in court filings, inspection reports and witness statements, the allegations range from
unsanitary conditions to un-airconditioned (ph) rooms in hot Texas summers and dosing children with mood-changing drugs allegedly disguised as
vitamins at a non-profit Shiloh Treatment Center in Manvel, Texas. Illegal filings, "Immigrant children being held down for injections, given multiple
psychotropic medications against their will. Some not even approved for use in children. In one case, a boy was simultaneously placed on six
psychotropic drugs." And an independent psychologist found the boy had been misdiagnosed with psychotic disorder, though he didn't have any
symptoms."
Another child, 13, from El Salvador said in a witness statement, I did not want the injection. Two staff grabbed me and the doctor gave me the
injection despite my objection and left me there on the bed.
[15:45:10] In other cases, it's alleged children were forced to take pills that staffers called vitamins given to them without their or their parent's
consent. An 11-year-old girl said she was forced to take 10 pills a day. Saying I would rather go back to Honduras and live on the streets than be
at Shiloh. Shiloh would not comment. In 2014, a Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee called for the state to order the closure of the Shiloh
Treatment Center. But it's still open and migrant children are still being sent there.
REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE (D), TEXAS: If we have children endangered in the federal government custody, it is our responsibility to immediately begin
the investigations.
GRIFFIN: At the Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center in Virginia, which holds teens accused to being violent, one child wrote of physically being
restrained and physically abused by staffers. They handcuffed me and put a white bag onto my head. They took off my clothes and put me on a restraint
chair. They left me naked and attached to that chair for two and a half days. This punishment chair was described in at least five other
declarations from children. Shenandoah would not comment to CNN. But in court documents denied any assault of residents. But did acknowledge
staffers use an emergency restraint chair as a last step of progressive response to aggressive behavior. Some of the complaints and allegations
stem from a long running lawsuit challenging the legality of the U.S. locking up or detaining any underage, undocumented minors.
NEHA DESAI, SENIOR ATTORNEY, NATIONAL CENTER FOR YOUTH LAW: The care they receive is shocking. What we have witnessed shocks my conscience. And I
have to repeatedly remind myself that this is actually happening in our country.
GRIFFIN: Most of the problems cited at Shenandoah and other facilities did take place before the Trump administration's zero tolerance policy. But
activist attorneys tell us that policy is only putting extra strain on an already flawed system.
Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, for more on this, visit our website at cnn.com. And we will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: All right. More World Cup action for you. Serbia and Switzerland are in the last minutes of their match. Switzerland just scored a few
seconds ago, I'm told, bringing it to two-one. Earlier, Nigeria was jubilant after scoring two goals against Iceland. They'll face off against
Argentina next. Argentina is really depressed now. There's no other word for it. And Brazil was able to seek out a last-minute victory against
Costa Rica with some very late goals. And Costa Rica is now knocked out of the cup.
You don't need to cry for Argentinian fans, because they've already got that covered. Argentina has had a terrible start to the tournament,
despite having one of the world's best players in the world, Lionel Messi. In fact, people are taking it so badly that one broadcaster actually held a
minute of silence after the team lost to Croatia on Thursday. Yes, that did happen. Don Riddell has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An Argentina fan crying in shock after her team was crushed by Croatia on Thursday. The 2014 runners-up were expected
to do well because of star, Messi. But in this World Cup, he hasn't been able to deliver.
[15:50:14]UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Messi, he keeps winning for Barcelona. He continues to live a triumph after triumph for Barcelona,
has given us nothing but defeats and sadness.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We lost very badly. The truth is that they really humiliated us this time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm so sad. I really believe in Argentina. All the world know that Messi is the best player in the world. But today, it is a
very sad day for all football world.
RIDDELL: Coach Jorge Sampaoli, who also has been heavily criticized by the Argentine press says, it's not fair that so much pressure is being put on
his star player.
JORGE SAMPAOLI, ARGENTINA FOOTBALL COACH: If he scores an Argentinian jersey, we all take credit for it. And when Argentina lose, it's all
Lionel's fault. I think that's quite an unfair treatment. There's a lot of pressure for a single player to bear.
RIDDELL: Social media has been having a field day with the loss. Check this out meme. Don't cry for Lionel Messi and Argentina, a reference to
this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't cry for me Argentina
RIDDELL: And then there are the inevitable comparisons between Messi and Portuguese superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo who scored four goals in the
tournament, so far. Argentina fans have even been reaching out to a higher power, the pope, asking him to make Messi like Ronaldo. Argentina now face
a must-win game against Nigeria on Tuesday. Their hopes of reaching the last 16 hanging by a thread. And in the end, Messi is hoping he doesn't
have to say this to his legion of fans.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I still need your love after all that I've done.
RIDDELL: Don Riddell, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: It is the reboot of the reboot. The American network ABC announced today that it will be moving forward with a Roseanne spinoff, one
that does not include Roseanne, the original star. The new sitcom has been giving the working title The Conners. The massively popular show was
cancelled last month after Barr posted racist remarks on Twitter. Now, the show, the reboot drew in millions of viewers, especially in Middle America.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I almost forgot. Tonight is Mary's Skype call with Gina. It's on Afghanistan time. So it's 2:00 a.m. here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's 0200.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know how to do the Skype or get up at 2:00 a.m. After my night-time meds kick in, I'm legally dead until 7:00 a.m.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So the network, ABC, is hoping that it can recreate the success once more. Let's discuss this with Brian Stelter, who's live in New York.
Roseanne without Roseanne. How is that going to work?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This tells you so much about the TV business, right? They canceled her show right away in the face of an
outcry about her racist tweet. But they still found a way to revive the show, to have a re-reboot without her. I think this speaks to the idea
that money talks. This is a business at the end of the day and ABC wants to make the most of what was a really successful first season of the new
Roseanne. So they were able to negotiate a package that has Roseanne Barr leaving the show. She has no financial involvement, which means she won't
make money off the show anymore. But she was probably paid some money to go away. We don't know how much, but normally, in these sorts of
situations, she gets paid on an exit deal. Now, the rest of the cast will come back, the show will go on. And we're going to find out how popular it
is without Roseanne.
GORANI: How are they going to -- I mean, how do they write the character out? Do we know? Do we have any idea how they'll pull this off?
STELTER: I think they're going to keep that a closely guarded secret until the new season premieres in the fall. But at the end of this most recent
season, Roseanne was having knee surgeries. She was really worried about it. So I'm guessing something maybe went wrong in the operating room or
something. And giving her support of President Trump, the best idea I heard, it would not happen -- the president, famously, said he could go out
and shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and he wouldn't lose any support. Maybe Roseanne will be his victim. I don't know. I'm sure the writers in
Hollywood have better ideas than I.
GORANI: They'll come up with something, exactly. I wonder if those who said they were leaving the show because of the racist tweet would come
back. I mean, is it the original team that was behind the Roseanne reboot? Do we know?
STELTER: Yes, it will be. It will be the original writers and producers. One of the producers, Wanda Sykes did announce she was leaving the show.
Unclear if she's going to be returning or not. But for the most part, this keeps the cast and crew employed, which is a good thing to see, because
more than 200 people were losing their job as a result of Roseanne's racist tweet.
GORANI: Now, because this -- the reboot was so popular -- I expect that a lot of networks are trying to look at ways to reach those middle America
viewers, because they claim that there's not content for them, not enough entertainment for them geared at -- tailored for them on television, on
American television.
[15:55:11] STELTER: There definitely is a conversation about that. I've been working on a CNN documentary about this, about TV in the age of Trump.
We've interviewed a lot of Hollywood producers who say we do need to make a better effort to reach red states and not just blue states. At the same
time though, we're seeing a lot of great TV shows that appeal to Trump critics. It speaks to the idea that we live in the age of peak TV.
There's more of everything available and that means there's definitely room for more shows that appeal to fans of President Trump just as there are
lots of shows that appeal to his critics.
GORANI: How has television changed then since you're working on this documentary in the age of Trump? How has producers, directors, writers --
maybe they're approaching their job differently.
STELTER: Well, I think the divide is just as stark as it is in politics. President Trump polarizes everything he touches. I'm not trying to put all
the blame on him. But he has exacerbated trends that existed in American society before he was elected. He makes things more polarized, more
partisan. That includes television shows. There's a lot of sitcoms and dramas that you're not going to like if you're a fan of President Trump
because they take shots at him, they take whacks at him sometimes. Conversely, that's why Roseanne was such a big hit. Organically, there was
a sense it was a big sense show that everybody could enjoy. So I think the producers of the Conners or whatever they end up calling it will go for
that same big sense appeal.
GORANI: All right. Brian Stelter, thanks very much.
Here on HALA GORANI TONIGHT, we're proud to say we welcome viewers from around the world, from a diverse range of backgrounds. And you may be
doctors or lawyers, actors, or astronauts, consultants, or construction workers. But whatever you do, chances are there's a single hour in your
day that outshines all others and it's likely lunch. That time of culinary reflection, colleagues become friends and burdens can become bearable. But
unfortunately, one company in Japan didn't fully appreciate the value of this occasion. At least when one employee was concerned. The firm has
publically apologized after one of its workers who regularly left his desk for three minutes to buy lunch before his actual break began. The 64-year-
olds has been docked half a day's pay to make up for the three extra minutes he was taking for himself. And people immediately took to Twitter
to defend the employee with some people saying, well, smokers should be subject to the same levels of discipline. FYI, the choice of order was a
bento box.
"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
