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Hala Gorani Tonight
Donald Trump Promises To Deport Millions Of Undocumented Migrants; Boris Johnson Has Commanding Lead In The Race To Replace Theresa May; Mixed Reaction From Iran After The U.S. Announced Plans To Send 1,000 More Troops In The Persian Gulf; Hope Hicks Set to Testify Behind Closed Doors on Capitol Hill; President Trump Threatens to Deport Millions Before Re- election Launch; Mexico Slowly Deploys Troops to Southern Border. Aired 3- 4p ET
Aired June 18, 2019 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone live from CNN London. I'm Isa Soares.
Tonight, Donald Trump promises to deport millions of undocumented migrants just hours before kicking off his reelection campaign. Could this be the
next British Prime Minister? Boris Johnson has a commanding lead in the race to replace Theresa May. But can anyone catch him? That's the big
question. And another American tourist has died in the Dominican Republic. That's the ninth U.S. citizen to have lost their life after a stay on the
island? That's just not over yet. We'll have much more on that.
But we begin this hour with a vague yet ominous threat by U.S. President Donald Trump that took even many of his own staffers by surprise. Just
before officially kicking off his reelection campaign, Mr. Trump tweeted that the U.S. will begin deporting millions, he said, of undocumented
immigrants next week. He gave no details except to say they'll be removed and I'm quoting him here, "as fast as they come in."
That kind of declaration is like throwing read meat to Mr. Trump's base, you can imagine, his supporters already gathering outside an arena in
Florida. You're looking at these live images where he'll be -- your headline -- a rally tonight. It was raining earlier. I think the rain has
stopped from where I can see.
Abby Phillip joins us now live from the White House. Abby, do we know at this stage whether the tweets from President Trump threatening undocumented
immigrants will be part of his campaign rally tonight and perhaps the rest of his campaign I may add?
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's not clear if President Trump will talk about the details of what he seemed to announce
last night, which have turned out to be not exactly as he stated them. The administration isn't planning as far as we've been told by our sources, the
kind of mass deportations the President seemed to tease in his tweet last night.
But at the same time, we can be sure that immigration is going to be a part of his campaign rally, as it almost always is. This is the very issue that
the President launched his campaign on. And it's been a kind of constant presence in his two and a half years as President, as he has struggled to
wrap his arms around what's going on at the southern border.
The President promised his supporters he would build a wall and that he stop illegal immigrants and deal with the issue of the migrant flow into
the United States. And frankly, he has not been able to do that. He has not been able to keep that promise.
And so in some ways, the President's tweet last night was a bit of signaling to his supporters that what he is really trying to do is tell
them, "I'm working on this issue." And I think that we can expect him tonight to really hammer home the idea that he is going it alone, that
Democrats on Capitol Hill are not trying to help him.
But all of that is just a product of the fact that this has been an intractable problem for President Trump. He has not been able to get those
numbers where he would like them to be. He has not been able to get all the money for his wall or even changes to the legal immigration system.
And as he tries to explain that away to his supporters, I think you're going to hear him really hammering home the message, what he has called an
invasion of the United States by immigrants. He is going to talk a lot I imagine about that at this rally tonight.
SOARES: And many of those points you're making, more promises by President Trump, Abby, but as Donald Trump launches his campaign, Abby, we have new
polling just into CNN. I want to show our viewers.
It shows that President is trailing Joe Biden 50 percent to 41 percent in Florida in potential general election matchup. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders
holds a 48 percent to 42 percent advantage in potential head to head contest with the President. What do you make of these new polls?
PHILLIP: Well, it's just yet another sign of potential trouble ahead for President Trump. A sign that I think we've been seeing for many months.
So this is going to be a bit of a tougher campaign than the President might expect.
Over the last several days, he has been arguing on social media and interviews that these polls that show him trailing his Democratic
counterparts just simply aren't real. He's been claiming that he is doing a lot better than the polls suggest and that the media gives him credit
for.
But poll after poll, whether it's private polling from his own campaign, or some of this public polling, like this new Quinnipiac poll shows difficulty
for President Trump in the various states he must win in order to win reelection.
Remember, President Trump won by a very narrow margin. He lost the popular vote by quite a lot. And so states like Florida, like Wisconsin, Michigan,
Pennsylvania, are going to be critical for him. And all the available evidence suggests at this moment that President Trump is he's not doing as
well there as his campaign would like him to be, and this might be a bit of a tougher campaign than then he anticipates.
[15:05:06] PHILLIP: That's one of the reasons though, that he is in Florida tonight. This is a state that is critical to really any
presidential campaign, but particularly for President Trump.
He had a narrow margin over Hillary Clinton in 2016. He is going to have to, at the very least keep that margin if he is going to want to win
reelection, especially if he might lose some of the states that he also narrowly won in the industrial Midwest.
So it's a critical state for him and I think it's beyond symbolic that he is launching his campaign there. He has called himself a Florida resident.
He has his clubs down in Florida, his golf clubs and his Mar-a-Lago resort.
And so I think he feels a bit of a kinship with the people in Florida and wants to hammer that home by relaunching his campaign there tonight.
SOARES: And we're just hours away from President Trump officially launching his reelection campaign. You're looking at live pictures from
Orlando, Florida, where I think it's still raining as I can see from the umbrellas that are probably are there.
Abby Phillip there for us from the White House. Thanks very much, Abby.
Now, here in the U.K., then there were five. Well, we are one step closer to finding out who the next Prime Minister will be. The race -- the leader
of the ruling Conservative Party has just been whittled down with former Brexit Secretary and arch-Brexiteer, Dominic Raab eliminated from the
contest after vote by the party's MPs.
Boris Johnson is still the favorite to replace Theresa May after topping the ballot with 126 votes. Now, his closest challenger was Foreign
Secretary Jeremy Hunt with 46. Meanwhile, Rory Stewart considered the underdog of the race, managed to get enough votes to progress the next
phase.
The surviving candidates will now face more ballots until only two remain in the race.
Now, it comes as a final five faceoff in front of the cameras. That is happening right now. It started about six minutes ago. Erin McLaughlin
has been monitoring the story for us. She joins me now here.
Erin, before we start talking about the debate that's just started here in the U.K., let's talk about those -- really the numbers in terms of votes.
No surprise that Boris Johnson has done well. He was the favorite. He remains the favorite.
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's an extremely well -- this is still very much Boris Johnson's race to lose 126 votes. That's more votes
than the three next candidates combined.
I think it's interesting though that this field hasn't coalesced more around say two or three candidates at this point. MPs still very much
holding out wanting to see more debate, wanting to see more from these candidates.
Rory Stewart's performance, though, also a big headline even though he is 37 votes, which is far behind.
SOARES: He is unknown to many though.
MCLAUGHLIN: An unknown, seen as sort of the Dark Horse in this race. He is only as of last month became the International Development Secretary.
So he's very much new to this game, but performing very well, comparatively gaining 18 votes, the most of any candidate and he is a diplomat or a
former diplomat. He is an academic. He is kind of a quirky character.
And at this point, what he is saying is resonating with a lot of MPs, and what he is saying is that he wants to see Theresa May's deal get through.
He believes that Theresa May's deal is the solution to Brexit, which is very different.
SOARES: And I'm surprised, I'm smiling at you because I feel like we're going around in circles.
MCLAUGHLIN: Exactly, but it's very different to Boris Johnson. So he's been seen as the anti-Boris and I think one of the reasons why we're seeing
the likes of David Lidington, who came out publicly, the Deputy Prime Minister -- Theresa May's deputy come out and publicly support him is
because a lot of these MPs want to see Boris Johnson's feet held to the fire and if Rory Stewart's performance on Sunday is any indication, he
would be the man to do that in the debate that's happening right now.
People want to see clarity from Boris Johnson. They want to see him clearly outline his plans as to how he is going to deliver Brexit.
SOARES: I was speaking to a political analyst, a week or so ago who basically said to me, the person who has always come out number one, Erin
has never won. Look at the numbers for Boris. Who can compete with him at this stage?
MCLAUGHLIN: I mean, as I said, it is very much Boris Johnson's race to lose at this point. But I think that one of the lessons that the MPs
learned from Theresa May when Theresa May came from to power is that she came to power without the kind of scrutiny that many believed necessary.
SOARES: True.
MCLAUGHLIN: Right? So I think this time around, they want to scrutinize Boris Johnson. They want to see clearly what he plans to do, especially
considering whoever is Prime Minister is going to be walking the tightrope of all tight ropes, especially when it comes to the question of Brexit.
It's how do you square the circle? It seems like an impossible task for anyone, especially given all of the political dynamics especially given --
but keep in mind, the Tories have a minority government at this point.
[15:10:02] SOARES: Well, this is the thing. It doesn't matter who wins, the math in Parliament doesn't make -- it doesn't make any sense because
they still can't get any deal across through Parliament, right? So they have to have a clear vision of how exactly we can achieve Brexit.
MCLAUGHLIN: Exactly. And at this point, given everything we've heard so far, that vision from Boris Johnson, from pretty much any of these
candidates is not apparent. That detail is not on paper.
Theresa May wasn't -- what will they be willing to do or able to do that Theresa May failed at accomplishing? That is the question and it perhaps
is unanswerable at this vantage point given all of the political dynamics at play.
I think it's important to note that in this leadership contest, these are MPs voting. It hasn't gone out to the wider Tory Party. That happens at
the end of the week once they coalesce around two names, and then we won't find out for another month or so who will actually be the replacement Prime
Minister.
SOARES: And that's why it's important that we have this debate that the likes of Boris Johnson has had because he has been able to escape a lot of
the media attention, hasn't he? Although -- because he's well known.
Thank you very much, Erin. And just one note on this story in fact, I want to show you some extraordinary statistics. Now Erin and I were talking
about this in a previous hour. YOUGOV conducted a poll of conservative party members, where they were asked if they would rather Brexit took
place, even if it not only jeopardized the integrity of the United Kingdom, but actually caused it to break up.
And look at the numbers. As you can see 59 percent said they'd be willing to see that Northern Ireland leave the U.K. while 63 percent said, they'll
be okay if Scotland left as long as Brexit is delivered.
Now, that's pretty extraordinary given the Conservative Party's commitment to the union. We will have much more of course on this tomorrow and
throughout the day here on CNN.
Now, a mixed reaction from Iran after the U.S. announced plans to send 1,000 more troops in the Persian Gulf. Iran's President said he doesn't
want war, but a Senior Military Commander says Tehran is ready to act if the U.S. shows quote, "ill intentions."
The Pentagon released these images which reportedly proved that Iran is behind the attack on two oil tankers. Now Iran is denying this.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Central Command Generals a short time ago -- about two hours or so ago. He says the U.S. wants to
show Iran it is serious. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We have been engaged in many messages, even this this moment right here communicating to Iran, that we
are there to deter aggression. President Trump does not want war and we will continue to communicate that message while doing the things that are
necessary to protect American interests in the region.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Now, Russia, meantime warned the U.S. is on course to provoke a war. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran with more. Fred, what has been the
reaction first of all, to the troops announcement that we heard from the U.S.?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been a bit of a mixed reaction here on the Iranian side. You do have some
Iranian, specifically military commanders and Revolutionary Guard commanders with some pretty bellicose rhetoric. But you've also had some
more moderate reactions as well.
Now, first of all, to the to the military commanders, you had a top level Revolutionary Guard Commander who came out and said that he believes that
additional troops, U.S. troops in this region would be no threat to Iran, because he thinks Iran's military is so strong that they can cope with
anything. And he said that if the Americans tried to make any move that they would feel the Iron Fist of the Revolutionary Guard as he put it.
It's quite interesting though, there was another top level commander, in fact, the Head of Iran's General Staff, who came out and said that the
Iranians would be monitoring very closely America's moves, where as they put it, "their enemies moves" here in this region, also saying that there
would be a response, but saying that if it does come to some sort of escalation, that that would be a very wide response in a large area he
said.
And that seemed to be a not so veiled reference to the fact that if it does come to a shooting war between the Iranians and the Americans that the
Iranians very much say that they would get those militias involved that they control in many countries around the Middle East.
Of course, it's something that the Iranians have been talking about, and some of the Americans, quite frankly, are well aware of as well. Then
there have been some more moderate reactions, especially from the country's President, from Hassan Rouhani. We heard from him earlier today and he was
saying that Iran does not want any sort of conflict with any other country. He is saying that he believes that the big problem that Iran has right now
is that it's dealing with what he calls people who don't have very much political experience in Washington -- Isa.
SOARES: On Rouhani, Fred, he says, he has no desire for conflict. You just said that. But is Iran in any position to engage U.S. militarily
right now?
PLEITGEN: Well, I think that they believe that certainly what they can do is they could make any sense sort of military engagement with the United
States very painful for the U.S.
I think that's something that that they know, that's something that they're trying to project as well and there's two things that they've been saying
to try and prove that point.
[15:15:11] PLEITGEN: One is the thing that I just said, would the Iranians keep making those hints that if the U.S. does, or Iran and the U.S. do have
an escalation, that those militias and other countries in the Middle East will get involved.
One of the things that a senior or former commander of the IRGC told me, he said, "Look, the Americans need to keep one thing in mind next to pretty
much all of their bases in the Middle East, there is a militia that's loyal to Iran, and that could get involved in any sort of skirmishes if something
happens." So that's something they're saying.
Today, then Isa, in fact, not too long ago, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps came out and prodded the country's ballistic
missile program, which is the other thing that the Iranians say they haven't had.
Now, he claimed that the Iranians are now capable of hitting American aircraft carriers. Whether or not that's true is obviously very much up in
the air. But the Iranians are saying the ballistic missiles could become more of a threat to U.S. forces as well -- Isa.
SOARES: And when you and I were talking yesterday Fred, I think it was yesterday, we were talking about the Iran nuclear deal and the importance
of Europe. It seems that in 24 hour hours, everyone seems to have forgotten about Europe. Have we heard from Europe on where it stands, when
it comes to this nuclear deal? Because they are critical players here.
PLEITGEN: Yes. I think, that's really hitting the nail on the head. They are absolutely critical players here, and I think for the Iranians, the
Iranians are sort of trying to bring this into a situation where they're putting it on the Europeans to try and save the nuclear deal, because one
of the things they kept saying yesterday at their press conference, when they announced that they were going to increase their low enriched uranium
production, they kept saying, "Look, we can reverse all this, this can all go away."
But the Europeans need to make sure that the Iranians get the sanctions relief that they were promised from the nuclear agreement, and of course,
which the Americans in many ways have taken away through the sanctions and by leaving the agreement.
Now, the Europeans, there have been mixed reactions coming from the Europeans. The French are saying they definitely want to keep the nuclear
deal in place. Angela Merkel today, quite interestingly is saying that she now believes that Iran may very well have been behind those tanker attacks
in the Persian Gulf, but also saying that she wants to keep the nuclear agreement in place.
Of course, we also know from the E.U. Foreign Policy Representative Federica Mogherini, she is also very much in favor of the nuclear
agreement. So while the Europeans may believe some of the intelligence that the U.S. is putting forward and that the Iranians may have been behind
those tanker attacks, it does still seem to be the policy that all those European countries that are signatories to the agreement, that they very
much want to keep this agreement in place and have been urging the Iranians to continue to abide by the deal -- Isa.
SOARES: But what Iran may say Fred is yet again from Europe, words, but no deeds. We will see what they say in the days ahead. Fred Pleitgen there
for us in Tehran. Thanks very much, Fred.
And still to come tonight from the Paris Air Show, we'll hear from the head of Airbus on a slew of new orders, and the crisis at rival plane maker,
Boeing.
And yet another big shake up in the Trump administration, this one at the Pentagon. Just as things are heating up with Iran, as we were just
discussing with Fred in Tehran, someone is departing. We will explain why. Next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:20:51] SOARES: Over to Paris where Airbus has unveiled a new jet and announced a slew of orders -- new orders, notably from Air Lease
Corporation, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Cebu Air. CNN's Melissa Bell spoke with the Chief Executive of Airbus earlier. He said the company is in a
positive when it comes to competition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUILLAME FAURY, CEO, AIRBUS: We in a position where we were last year. It's a positive one. We keep going. After 2019 will be 2020. We have a
very strong order book and we keep booking planes given the single line of the news XLR. So yes, we're in a positive situation. But we're working
hard to keep it positive.
MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: On the question of Boeing trouble at the moment. This is a problem that faces the industry more broadly -- a
question of confidence in the regulators, confidence in the certification process. How will the industry recover from this?
FAURY: Yes, safety is primarily an addition. We have a very high level of safety, a very strong track record and we haven't had an accident or even a
series of accidents to raise this question.
The industry he has made progress by learning from these kind of situation. So we'll be looking at what's happening on the other side, taking the
learnings and moving forward. That's the way progress has been happening in industry in aviation, and it's very important that safety remains the
top priority. We are very, very committed to safety.
BELL: There are of course a number of other challenges facing the industry at the moment, some of them geopolitical, some of the macro-economic, some
of them from the heart of the industry itself. How do you see the next couple of years?
FAURY: Very competitive, trade tensions are bringing complexity and are not helping. We think there's no winner in a trade war. And we see a
couple of trade wars around the world. We benefit from globalization in a very open market.
But basically, there is a very strong demand for flight for connectivity. And I believe we will continue to see big order books, growth of aviation,
and therefore we are in a market, which is growing for a number of years.
BELL: On the question of Brexit. You mentioned the trade wars there, one of the big challenges facing you. Brexit is another. We're in the middle
of this Conservative Party leadership race. What would you like to see happen?
FAURY: We need certainty. We need this to come to an end, and we need to know what will the environment look like in a couple of months? In a
couple of years? We are at the risk of a no-deal Brexit by end of March. It's again the case for end of October. We can't always be in a situation
to have a Plan B backup plans, stocks to be prepared against unprepared Brexit.
BELL: Are the other big geopolitical challenges, which are the trade wars loom, how worried are you?
FAURY: I am worried. I think there is always a risk of escalation when trade wars are initiated, and therefore we are advocating for resolutions
of the issues, an open situation where we can have this global market being successfully going and moving forward. This is what we have had in the
past. I think this is what the industry needs for the benefit of everybody.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: CEO of Airbus speaking to our Melissa Bell there. Now at this very delicate time between Iran and the United States. There's going to be
another change of the top of the Pentagon.
Acting Defense Secretary, Patrick Shanahan is out of the confirmation process and Trump tweeted the news. Shanahan said it's because of details
from his past. It is Shanahan's last week on the job. Let's get more details from this. CNN's Ryan Browne is at the Pentagon for us this hour.
And Ryan, do we know any more details about why he is pulling out now?
RYAN BROWNE, CNN PENTAGON REPORTER: Well, he is citing personal affairs as the primary reason for his pulling out and sources at the White House are
telling CNN that this was in fact Shanahan's decision to leave.
And again, there have been multiple allegations and reports of family strife within Shanahan's family dating back years ago, accusations of
physical violence, physical altercations. He had not been charged with anything, but these stories had persisted, and he is citing that the pain
that the stories reemerging through this process, the pain that that would cause his family, he said that his reasons for his exiting at this time.
[15:25:06] BROWNE: Again, he was expected to face nomination hearings on Capitol Hill in the coming weeks, and so this was something that he was
having to face. Looking at that he decided to resign effective and his last day will be on Friday.
In fact, he's meeting currently now with his replacement, Army Secretary, Mark Esper, who President Trump said would replace him on an acting basis,
and some of the other heads of the services, the heads of the Navy, have representatives from the Air Force, things like that.
He is meeting with him currently, as we speak, to discuss the transition plan. But as you said, this comes amid just less than 24 hours ago. He
ordered 1,000 troops to the Middle East as part of a response to what the U.S. says is increased Iranian threat.
So coming at a very, very intense period of planning here at the Pentagon is this very senior change.
SOARES: Yes, that was going to be my next question. I mean, how chaotic is this for this administration? It just seems like it's truly a mess at
the Pentagon with this.
BROWNE: Well, it is. It is quite a change at a very critical time. Of course, you know, many had already taken issue with the fact that there had
been an Acting Secretary. Shanahan was never officially formally confirmed in the position. People had criticized that there was an Acting Secretary
in the role for so long, saying that the Pentagon, given the military operations it's currently conducting needed someone with a little bit more
stature, someone with a little more certainty behind them.
So there had already been criticisms about that following Secretary Mattis' resignation in January, this is the longest period in the history of United
States they'd had an Acting Secretary.
So even more turmoil, of course, there's other effects, he had his own staff, some of them are expected likely to go with him. So there'll be
turnover in other positions.
So again, coming amid heightened tensions with Iran, the U.S. increasingly concerned about China and Russia, so a lot of issues at hand here, Acting
Secretary Esper will have to get up to speed very quickly. He has been kind of narrowly focused on army issues, dealing with reforms,
modernization. He now will have a very wide portfolio dealing with international affairs all over the globe.
SOARES: Ryan, very briefly, from those you spoken to, was anyone surprised that he decided to pull out?
BROWNE: I think there were people who were surprised. You know, I think they said it's kind of been out there. He had been confirmed as the Deputy
Secretary. So he had gone through a vetting process already. So I think there was some surprise that he had to exit over this issue.
SOARES: Ryan Browne there for us at the Pentagon. Thanks very much.
BROWNE: You bet.
SOARES: And still to come tonight, U.S. President Donald Trump threatens millions with deportation as he starts, his reelection campaign bid. We
will have more next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:30:00] ISA SOARES, HOST, HALA GORANI TONIGHT: Now, a former member of Donald Trump's inner circle was getting ready to testify behind closed
doors on Capitol Hill tomorrow. And now we're learning new details about what lawmakers want to know. CNN has learned Hope Hicks will be grilled
about hush money payments made to women who claim they had affairs with President Trump.
But that, it seems, is not all. I want to bring in CNN's senior congressional correspondent Manu Raju. Manu, talk to us, explain to our
viewers right around the world the significance of Hope Hicks' testimony before the House Judiciary Committee.
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, she's one of the president's longest-serving confidants, someone who dates back from his
time before he was even a candidate for president. Someone who dare came with him during the transition and the White House, the former
communications director.
Now, she has left the White House, but she knows a lot of information, including things that occurred before the president won in November of
2016. That includes that hush money scandal that we've been discussing for months now. That scandal involving his former fixer, Michael Cohen, who
made payments allegedly to silence extra marital affairs to prevent those stories from becoming public in the run-up to the 2016 elections.
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee want to ask Hope Hicks about her knowledge of that hush money scheme. They believe there's nothing the
White House can do to prevent her from answering those questions. But Isa, that is hardly all. They also want to probe her about a range of topics
that were detailed in the Mueller report.
Things that occurred while she was serving in the White House, whether it's the firing of James Comey, the president's alleged efforts to interfere
with the Mueller investigation, to get the former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to unrecuse himself, so he could oversee the Mueller probe, to
allegedly try to fire Mueller himself in addition to the firing of James Comey.
Those are among the handful of issues that Democrats plan to question her tomorrow behind closed doors. But Isa, the ultimate question is how much
will she answer? Will she provide any new details, and will the White House seek to intervene to block this in any way? Those are still the big
questions as we head into this high-profile session tomorrow, Isa.
SOARES: Yes, and if she issued as well misleading statements in 2017 regarding the Trump former meeting with the Russians at Trump Tower. You
talked about, depends what we'll hear from her, Manu, but what if she exerts executive privilege? What are Democrats saying here?
RAJU: Yes, it's possible the White House could come in and say that her topics during the time while she was serving in the White House are off-
limits. They're --
SOARES: Yes --
RAJU: Either executive privilege occurs or she's immune from testifying about those matters. Democrats say that is simply not the case. They say
she essentially waived those rights of executive privilege by discussing these matters with the special counsel Robert Mueller, so they should be
able to talk about these matters on Capitol Hill.
So they're going to engage her in negotiation about that, if the White House were to interject on each question, the question is, will they come
to any sort of an accommodation or will that end up in court? Which is always a possibility if they refuse to answer these questions, Isa.
SOARES: Will the public, Manu, be able, at some point be able to hear what she has to say, be able to read what she had to say on this?
RAJU: Well, read what she has to say, for certain. There's going to be a transcript that will be publicly released we're told, potentially within 48
hours of the closed-door session. So we should have a sense on what she says. We expect most of it to be released, not to be redacted.
But at the moment, we don't expect her to appear in public, to testify even as the Democrats have called for a range of people to testify publicly.
They're at the moment, they've cut a deal with Hope Hicks, allowing her to go behind closed-doors, we'll see what she has to actually say when she
does appear tomorrow. Isa?
SOARES: Manu, let's talk about the timing of this because, of course, this is happening tomorrow. But today, we're expecting it hours away in fact
from President Trump launching his campaign bid. How damaging -- is it damaging for President Trump at this point?
RAJU: Well, the question is ultimately what will be revealed that is not already known.
SOARES: Yes --
RAJU: A lot of these things are known and how much new light will they shed on this? The way that presumably this could be politically damaging in
the hope of Democrats is that it continues to keep these issues in the news.
[15:35:00] For instance, they have hush money scandal, has not been talked about as much in the aftermath of the release of the Mueller report, which
did not focus on that, but focused of course on Russian interference and alleged efforts to obstruct the Mueller probe. But now with Hope Hicks
coming forward, if she does provide new light, it does renew these questions about the president being involved in crimes, including while in
office, that could of course be politically damaging and also renew calls on Capitol Hill to begin impeachment proceedings. Isa?
SOARES: Manu Raju there for us, thanks very much, Manu.
RAJU: Thank you.
SOARES: I want to take you back now to our top story. We're just hours away from the official start of Donald Trump's campaign for a second term
as U.S. president, I was discussing there with Manu Raju. Immigration is a key issue for the president, as proven by this tweet we saw today that
read, I'm reading out for you, "next week, ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way
into the United States. They will be removed as fast as they" came in -- "as they come in."
But that tweet is far from the first time Mr. Trump put illegal immigration front and center. There was the attempt by the administration and the so-
called Muslim ban, putting travel restrictions on a number of mainly Muslim countries. As a presidential candidate, Mr. Trump was open about his
intentions. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States
until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, Mr. Trump was quieter about his attempts to tackle illegal immigration as he cracked down on asylum seekers coming into the U.S. The
president said it was to cut off incentives for migrants heading to the country. Critics said that would stop vulnerable people from being
protected.
Now, despite the tough words, President Trump still lags behind his predecessor Barack Obama when it comes to deporting immigrants. When Obama
was president in 2009, the government removed almost 400,000. However, last year, under Mr. Trump, the number was significantly lower at 250,000.
You can see there on your screen. I want to take you now to Mexico's southern border, Michael Holmes is available in Mexico along the border
with Guatemala. Michael, today, I believe is the deadline for troops to be in place at the border. What have you seen on the ground, any movement?
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A little, but not a lot. Yes, as you point out though, the promise was to have 6,000 in place by end of today,
Tuesday. That isn't going to happen as you're about to see. But to give you a sense of where we are, we're on the Suchiate River which is between
Guatemala and Mexico. Guatemala behind me over there.
And you can see some of the river traffic going back and forth. Most of it commercial, avoiding taxes, basically, by bringing goods over. But a lot
of it is migrants as well. And the boat owners tell us that since the U.S. has been cracking down, their traffic has reduced. But it won't make any
difference.
People will move to other end, other places along this very long, very porous border. Have a look at our report on how this is all unfolding
here.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES (voice-over): The Mexican government initially said 6,000 troops and police would be in place along the southern border with Guatemala by
Tuesday, to deal with the migrant crisis. But at a news conference Monday, a government spokesman said that won't happen.
MAXIMILIANO REYES ZUNIGA, MEXICAN UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE: I think that finishing this week, there should be approximately 50 percent of those
6,000 assigned.
HOLMES: Still, activity has increased in the last 24 to 48 hours. Here, entire truck loads of migrants found in the state of Veracruz. Also, more
checkpoints, road blocks, and a growing number of detentions. But here at a packed human rights center in Tapachula, those in charge say this isn't a
job for soldiers not trained to deal with women and children who are fleeing for their lives. Are troops the answer? Is the military the
answer?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, because they need protection, they don't need more violence, more detention, and being deported, sent back again to the
violence in their countries.
HOLMES: So you think it will make it worse?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm sure about that.
HOLMES: Saul De La Cruz(ph) says the center he runs has seen more migrants in the past five months than the previous three years combined. And what
people are fleeing in their home countries is worse than dodging troops to get here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The situation we have here is people hiding away from violence and trying to save their lives because if they don't leave their
countries, they will die. They will be killed.
HOLMES: Mexico's government says it is unable to cope alone, needing international help, including from the U.S.
ZUNIGA (through translator): Without a doubt, the U.S. will have to invest, because the Latin American migration phenomenon is not exclusive to
one country and all those involved should be doing this.
[15:40:00] HOLMES (on camera): The migrants come from many countries, but the vast majority come from right there, Guatemala. More than 210,000
apprehended at the U.S. border in the eight months to main. This is one of the ways they get there. Jump on a pontoon, go from there to Mexico, a
dollar ahead, and you're there.
(voice-over): There are dozens more crossing points, a porous, nearly thousand kilometer border. And human rights groups says migrants will take
more remote and potentially more dangerous routes to avoid security forces. But while the reasons they left in the first place remain, they will still
come.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And Isa, as those troops do come down towards the border, they are not doing so in great numbers. There have been some patrols along the
river bank that we've seen. There's been a slightly increased presence of troops in and around some of the border towns, but not in massive numbers.
And as you heard in that report there, the problem is the countries these people are fleeing, what they're fleeing makes it worth trying to dodge
those troops. Isa?
SOARES: Yes, true desperation. Michael, I'm sure -- I know you're on the ground there, but I'm sure you saw the tweets from President Trump today
where he was threatening millions with deportation. On the ground where you are, are these tweets, these comments from the president, is that
rattling nerves at all?
HOLMES: You know, among some, but not many. I mean, these are people -- and again, we have to say what they're fleeing. People were telling us
horror stories today. A family of eight sleeping on the streets for the last nine days because they had a note pinned to their door saying, get
out in 24 hours or you'll be killed.
Now, that's a pretty good motivation to get out of your country. So what Donald Trump says about millions being deported -- yes, it's given some
poor -- some said, look, we're going to stay here in Mexico, we'll try to get work here in Mexico, and for the moment delay their dream of getting to
the United States.
There are others who said, no, we're going to keep on going. So that determination to carry on goes on. And you mentioned the Obama
administration deporting more than Donald Trump. It's also worth remembering, Mexico has deported more immigrants from the Northern Triangle
countries in recent years than the U.S. as well.
People come in here, they apply for asylum or they apply for -- some are getting that, others are turned around and shipped back. They're kept in
detention centers here in not great conditions, by the way, and then turned around and sent home.
So, Mexico doing a lot of deporting themselves. And also, just sort of being overwhelmed by the numbers who do --
SOARES: Well --
HOLMES: Have a valid reason to be here and apply for asylum. Isa?
SOARES: Such great context, so important that you're there on the ground. Michael Holmes there for us, thanks very much, Michael, very good to see
you. And still to come tonight, this man, Joseph Allen becomes the ninth American to lose his life after visiting the Dominican Republic in just
more than a year. We'll be live for you in Santa Domingo, next.
[15:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: I want to take you to Hong Kong now where a leading group of protesters is rejecting an apology from the city's chief executive over the
controversial Extradition Bill. Carrie Lam is vowing that debate on the suspended bill won't resume in the current climate, but protesters want it
gone altogether. Kristie Lu Stout has been covering this from Hong Kong.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Apologizing again. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday, she needs to do more
to better understand people's views after a massive and continued protest against an Extradition Bill.
CARRIE LAM, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, HONG KONG (through translator): Here, I'd like to tender my sincere apology to the citizens of Hong Kong. For
citizens who took part in the assembly and march for offices maintained law and order. For reporters who have come for the event, for those who got
injured, I feel sad.
LU STOUT: Lam offered an initial apology and suspension of the bill over the weekend. That was not enough for protesters who once again poured out
into the streets. Organizers say close to 2 million people showed up, police say it was only 338,000. Either way, protesters say they won't stop
until the bill is fully withdrawn and Lam resigns.
Lam has been chief executive since 2017. Hong Kong's first woman to hold the job. Born in the city she would one day oversee, she came from a
working-class family, rose through the ranks of Hong Kong's civil service. She's married to a mathematician and is the mother of two sons.
When she was elected chief executive by a special election committee, she vowed to bring unity and hope to Hong Kong, but that has proved to be a
difficult task. In 2014, she was Chief Secretary of Hong Kong during the Umbrella Movement protests, which called for the city to pick its own
leaders.
Lam told protesters that Hong Kong could not decide its own political fate and threatened them with arrest if they didn't get off the streets. The
challenge now to Lam is to not only calm the streets, but also to hold on to power. As she tries to balance the anger of the protesters with the
demands of Beijing, a role she explained to me in 2017.
LAM: The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has what we describe as a dual responsibility and dual accountability. He
or she has to be accountable to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and also the Central People's Government.
LU STOUT: That's tough.
LAM: Yes --
LU STOUT: You have to be accountable to both.
LAM: That's unique.
LU STOUT: Beijing continues to show its support for Lam, but protest organizers have dismissed her new apology as insufficient. Lam's position
remains precarious, the Hong Kong crisis continues.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Kristie Lu Stout there with that report. Now, another American tourist has died in the Dominican Republic. The sister of 55-year-old
Joseph Allen says he was found dead in his hotel room last Thursday. His family doesn't immediately know what caused his death. Nine U.S. citizens
have now died during or after a stay on the island, that's in the past 13 months.
Rosa Flores is in Santa Domingo for us. Rosa, do we know any more about Joseph Allen and the reason or the cause of his death?
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, we do. We just obtained a copy of the preliminary autopsy report from a state agency that tracks the
deaths of tourists here in the Dominican Republic. And according to that document, Joseph Allen had cardiac arrest. And the other interesting and
important detail in this report, Isa, is that according to this report, there were no internal or external signs of violence in the body or outside
of the body.
Though, we are learning more about him and his stay at this resort in the northern part of this country from his family. His family telling CNN that
he was a usual at this resort, that a lot of the staff called him by name. And a day before he died, he felt sick by the pool, so he retired to his
room, and then the next day when his friends couldn't find him, the staff found him dead inside his room. But Isa, as you know, we've been tracking
the number of Americans who have died in this country, and so far, since last year, we know of nine.
[15:50:00] We know that in April, the U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory, but it was related to crime, in essence, advising tourists
who come to this country about criminal activity. However, a lot of the deaths that we've been tracking are natural deaths.
And so, that's an interesting -- an interesting point there. And I should add that with three of the deaths that we've been tracking so far, the FBI
is involved, and they're working with local officials here, with the toxicology part of those tests and examinations. That, of course,
important for Americans who -- and for their families who have died abroad to know that their government is involved in trying to figure out what
happened to them.
But again, the latest news that we know regarding Joseph Allen's death is from that preliminary autopsy report, which shows that he had a cardiac
arrest. Isa?
SOARES: And Rosa, the Tourism Minister, Franciasco Javier Garcia has basically been insisting this country is a safe destination. And he also
said the deaths were unrelated. As we look at the numbers, nine U.S. citizens now dying in the past 13 months. Where -- is there an
investigation ongoing on the ground, looking if there's a correlation between these? If this -- if they are, in fact, related?
FLORES: You know, I really pushed the state agency that we talked to today for statistics, for more information regarding your specific question. And
they keep on saying that all of these, the majority of them, that the lead cause of deaths for tourists in this country is natural death. And they
add that, you know, tourists come to this country, many of them perhaps doing more exercise than they're used to, it's very hot in this country, I
can tell you that for a fact from being here.
And so there are complications and that leads to their death. That is the main thing that they've been pushing. Last week, we heard from the
Ministry of Health here, saying that there was an international campaign against this country because of all of the negative attention that it has
gotten. And again, it goes to what you were saying.
The country definitely trying to push that narrative that it is a safe country, and that most of these deaths are of natural causes and not due to
crime or other things that, of course, plague many countries around the world.
SOARES: Rosa Flores there for us in Santa Domingo, thanks, Rosa, really good to see you. We'll have much more after a very short break. Do stay
right here with CNN.
[15:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Now, there are a lot of things that U.S. President Donald Trump can't stand. We know he hates polls that show him losing, especially ones
that leak from his own campaign team. But as Jeanne Moos tells us, here's another thing that really ticks him off.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you have to wipe your nose, don't wipe it near this guy.
TRUMP: I'm also very much of a germophobe.
MOOS: And if you cough during an interview --
TRUMP: But at some point, I hope they get it, because it's a -- it's a fantastic financial statement.
MOOS: Prepare to be thrown out like a used Kleenex.
TRUMP: And let's do that over -- he's coughing in the middle of my answer.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, TELEVISION JOURNALIST: Yes, OK --
TRUMP: I don't like that, you know --
STEPHANOPOULOS: Your Chief of Staff.
TRUMP: If you're going to cough, please leave the room.
MOOS: Not some intern, but acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney. On the bright side, Kim Jong-un would have had him killed. A former campaign
staffer told the "Washington Post", it's something they're warned not to do.
JOHN KASICH, FORMER OHIO GOVERNOR: Well, thou shall not cough.
MOOS: Imagine how Hillary would fare.
(COUGHING)
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Can I get some lozenge or something.
CLINTON: Every time I think about Trump, I get allergic.
MOOS (on camera): A lot of people kept --
(COUGHING)
Coughing up the coughing conspiracy theory.
(voice-over): That Mulvaney was trying to signal Trump to shut up about his financial statements.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is my theory --
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, ACTRESS & TALKSHOW HOST: Right --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he was going --
(COUGHING)
Don't talk about how you're broke --
(COUGHING)
(LAUGHTER)
Yes.
MOOS: Anthony Scaramucci tells of the time he had a sore throat while meeting with President Trump aboard Air Force One. The president banished
him to the sick bay for a shot.
ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, FORMER WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: There I am traveling on the most famous plane in the world, my pants are down and I'm
taking a shot of penicillin like I was in the second grade.
MOOS: The ban on coughing left some wondering, sniffing OK, though? Trump has a tendency to order things out.
TRUMP: Hey, get this thing out of here, will you?
MOOS: From teleprompters to crying babies.
TRUMP: You can get the baby out of here.
MOOS: But at least, he's no Caligula.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is it?!
MOOS: When a young man's coughing irritated him, off with his head!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've cured his cough.
MOOS: Will President Trump keep his head the next time someone coughs? Jeanne Moos, CNN --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take it away, it looks horrible --
MOOS: New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, he's quite the TV producer who wants a clean sound bite. Now, to a political catastrophe in Pakistan. A regional minister was live-
streaming his news conference on social media, but he didn't look quite as serious as was credible, as he would have liked. That's because a staffer
apparently left a cat filter on, apparently left the cat filter on.
So, the minister inadvertently appeared with kitty ears and whiskers. Can you imagine the online cat calls, but the minister seemed to take things in
stride. His political party said they investigated and found human error was to blame. And that does it for me for tonight, thanks very much for
watching, for staying with me for two hours. Do stay right here with CNN, "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
