Return to Transcripts main page
Hala Gorani Tonight
Donald Trump Met With Vladimir Putin Today; Joe Biden Speaks Live At Jesse Jackson's Conference; European Heat Wave Already Breaking Previous Records; Trump And Putin Share Quip About "Fake News"; U.S. Immigration Boss Blames Dad For Deadly River Crossing; Soon: U.S. And France In Fiery World Cup Matchup; High Tech Helps Japanese Trains Run On Time.Aired 2-3p ET
Aired June 28, 2019 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:20] HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR, HALA GORANI TONIGHT: Hello, everyone. Happy Friday. Live from CNN London, I'm Hala Gorani. "Tonight, don't
meddle in the election, please." That's the message Donald Trump gave playfully to Vladimir Putin at the G20, while smirking and wagging his
finger.
Also tonight, Kamala Harris creates a lot of buzz but it's a bad night for frontrunner Joe Biden. We wrap up the second leg of the first Democratic
presidential debate, and we'll also be going live to a Biden event.
And Europe is sweltering. France has reported its highest ever temperature, twice in one day. Over 45 degrees. My goodness.
We are expecting former Vice President Joe Biden to speak this hour after that poor performance in the Democratic debate last night. He came under
attack from Kamala Harris on issues of race, and he'll be hoping to shore up support among African-American voters in particular because he'll be
speaking at a conference of Reverend Jesse Jackson's Rainbow PUSH Coalition any moment now. Stay with us as we monitor his remarks.
Now, to a pair of much-anticipated meetings on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan, and a study in contrasts. Take a look at the differences
in the faces and body language as Russian President Vladimir Putin greeted U.S. President Donald Trump; and British Prime Minister Theresa May, very
different scenarios there.
During the Putin-May sit-down, the prime minister challenged the president on a variety of issues, including the poisoning in England last year of a
former Russian spy and his daughter in Salisbury. She asked Mr. Putin to bring the Russians responsible to justice.
The Putin-Trump meeting was their first since the release of the Mueller report, with no hint of tension over the special counsel's finding of
Russian election interference in 2016. None at all.
Mr. Trump even appeared to joke with Mr. Putin about the next U.S. election. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Will you tell Russia not to meddle in the 2020 election?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes, of course I will.
Don't meddle in the election, please. Don't -- don't meddle in the election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Matt Rivers is at the summit in Osaka, Japan. Matthew Chance has the reaction from Moscow, and the view from there.
So that very friendly first meeting on the sidelines between U.S. President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin -- Matt Rivers.
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was absolutely the kind of scene, Hala, that we've -- in a lot of ways, have gotten used to. Every time
President Trump meets with President Putin at one of these kind of international forums, we don't see him take a hard line against President
Putin.
We don't see him call out election interference. We don't see him warning President Putin not to do it again. We don't see him heeding the word of
his intelligence agencies, that Russia did interfere in the 2016 election and plans to do so again in 2020.
In a lot of ways, this was the meeting that we've seen before. And the president not only didn't challenge President Putin on election
interference, he also brought up fake news to the Russian president, in saying to journalists that were in the room, "Look at all these fake news
here," saying to President Putin, "You have some of that -- you don't have that problem in Russia." And President Putin saying, "No, we do, we do."
It's worth pointing out that there have been journalists in Russia who have been killed with suspicion cast on the Kremlin. And yet the president is
making light of that. And this is, you know --
GORANI: Yes.
RIVERS: -- follows a script from what we've seen from this president, unwillingness to --
GORANI: And it is --
RIVERS: -- be tough with Vladimir Putin.
GORANI: It is the first anniversary of that mass shooting at the Capital Gazette, by the way, in Maryland, where five reporters were murdered, is
when those comments were made.
Matthew Chance in Moscow, I want to run that sound between the U.S. president and Vladimir Putin, about what the president called, quote, "fake
news" again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Fake. Fake news. You don't have the problem in Russia. We have - - you don't have it. We have it.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA: Yes. Yes. Yes. We have the problem. The same.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Dozens of journalists have been murdered. We have just a little sampling of those who lost their lives over the last several years in
Russia, that we'll be discussing later. It is quite a remarkable moment there, isn't it?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's -- it is remarkable, yes, to see the leader of the world's most powerful democracy
sort of joke about these issues which, frankly, are not funny.
Neither the issue of Russian interference in the presidential election system in the United States back in 2016, and the possibility of them
interfering again in 2020. Nor, of course, the extremely serious issue of the persecution of journalists in this country.
[14:05:09] It's one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Journalists are routinely arrested, levied false charges
against them, beaten up and even killed. And so to joke about how there is fake news in America and, you know, there's no fake news in Russia, and
then Putin says, "Actually, we do have fake news there as well," is quite extraordinary.
GORANI: Yes. All right. We'll get back to you two.
I want to take you to Chicago, where Joe Biden is speaking. Let's see if he references yesterday's debate.
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: -- on racial justice, including busing. I never, never, never ever opposed voluntary busing. And it was a
program that Senator Harris participated in, and it made a difference in her life.
I did support federal action to address root causes of segregation in our schools and our communities, including taking on the banks and redlining
and trying to change the way in which neighborhoods were segregated.
I've always been in favor of using federal authority to overcome state- initiated segregation. In fact, I cast the deciding vote in 1974 against an amendment called "the Guernsey Amendment," which would have banned the
right of the federal courts to be able to use busing as a remedy.
And you might guess, in the middle of the (ph) most extensive busing order in American history, my city and my state, it wasn't what you'd call the
most popular vote in the country at the time.
So Reverend Jackson, we spent a lot of time working together over the years, on a lot of issues that matter. And I know -- I know and you know,
I fought my heart out to ensure that civil rights and voting rights, equal rights are enforced everywhere.
These rights are not -- are not up to the states to decide, they're our federal government's duty to decide. It's a constitutional question, to
protect the civil rights of every single American. And that's always been my position.
And so that's why I ran for federal office in the first place. As Reverend Jackson, maybe one of the few people that knows, my city was the only city
after Dr. King was assassinated, that was almost burned to the ground. Twenty percent of it, the only city in the United States of America since
Reconstruction that was occupied by the National Guard with drawn bayonets on almost every corner for 10 months.
I came home from law school that year, and I only had two political heroes: Dr. King and Bobby Kennedy. And they were both assassinated the year I
graduated.
And I came home, and I had a job with a very -- one of the oldest law firms in the state, a prestigious firm. And after five months, I decided I
couldn't do it. And I ended up leaving and becoming a public defender.
When I was elected, one of the first things I did is to go on a committee to try to strengthen the Voting Rights Act. I co-sponsored the Equal
Rights Amendment. I supported making the Equity Act in law -- make the law of the land today.
I voted for the Civil Rights Act in 1990, to ban employment discrimination. I wrote the law, the provision of the law that allows the attorney general
to pursue cases involving, quote, "a pattern or practice of conduct by law enforcement officers in violation of constitutional -- of federal rights."
I wrote that law.
And I used that power during the Obama-Biden administration. Our Department of Justice investigated police discrimination and abuse,
including Ferguson.
By the way, we worked like the devil to make sure that you should not allow police departments to buy excess military vehicles like armored Humvees and
up-armored personnel carriers. You don't go into a neighborhood, police, going in in an up-armored Humvee or a personnel carrier.
Our criminal justice reforms, as president and vice president, reduced the federal population by 38,000 people. Ladies and gentlemen, in the Obama-
Biden administration, we commuted more sentences than the president did -- than the 13 previous presidents combined.
We passed the support --
(APPLAUSE)
And by the way, with all due respect, I say to Chicagoans and everyone. My president gets much too little credit for all that he did. He was one of
the great presidents of the United States of America. And I'm tired of hearing about what he didn't do.
(APPLAUSE)
This man had a backbone like a ramrod. He had a backbone like a ramrod. You want to know what a man or woman's made of? Watch them under
incredible pressure. He got elected as we were about to fall off a cliff.
We went out, and we had passage -- we had to pass an act that was the Recovery Act, $800 billion. And guess what? Remember, he stood up on a --
he loved, at a State of the Union, to turn and surprise me. He didn't tell me. He said, "And Sheriff Joe's going to enforce the act."
(LAUGHTER)
[14:10:00] Thanks a lot, Mr. President. $800 billion. But we did it without less than 2 percent of waste, fraud or abuse in that act. But
here's what he did. Everything that landed on his desk, I watched him. I watched him. I sat with him every single morning. And I watched him for
hundreds of hours in that -- in the so-called -- the situation room is not where Wolf Blitzer lives. There are real situation rooms.
(LAUGHTER)
I watched him. And I want to tell you, Chicago, you had a great, great man out here and he's still a great man and he still has a lot to offer.
(APPLAUSE)
We were in office, we passed the Supportive Discipline Initiative to start to break the school-to-prison pipeline.
Folks, the discussion in this race today shouldn't be about the past. We should be talking about how we can do better, how we can move forward, how
we can give every child in America the opportunity to have a success story.
These aren't somebody else's children. They're our children. They're all our children. Not a joke. They're all our children. And they're the kite
strings that lift our national ambitions aloft. We have to make people realize what you all are doing.
What you're doing to (ph) every single child in America, has enormous potential. Every single child has enormous potential. But it means --
means, you have to have good schools in every neighborhood.
No child's future should be determined by their zip code.
That's why I proposed tripling funding for Title 1 schools, to eliminate disparities between rich and poor school districts. We're going to
increase teachers' pay. We're going to make -- we're going to make pre-K absolutely a requirement across the board.
Ladies and gentlemen, these teachers, they walk into school every day -- like my wife, she taught in the public school system and now she teaches
community college. She's never stopped teaching, by the way. She's the only second lady I ever know who's had a full-time job, teaching 15 credits
a semester.
(LAUGHTER)
I don't know how the devil (ph) -- by the way, I'm known as "Jill Biden's husband."
(LAUGHTER)
And I'm proud of that. But I earned it. I'd ask her five times to marry me before she'd do it.
(LAUGHTER)
I don't know how that happened. Thank you, Lord. Anyway.
(LAUGHTER)
But, look, look. Those of you who are teachers in here, you know. You know. You're expected to teach the kids to read, write, add and subtract.
But guess what, kids come to school with burdens and problems. We have too few school psychologists. We have too few social workers. We have too few
people who are in there, doing what needs to be done to give kids a chance.
(LAUGHTER)
And we're going to do that under my proposal (ph).
Look, we're going to reinstate the policies pushed --
GORANI: Well, there you have it. Joe Biden, the frontrunner in the Democratic race for president. He's at an event for Jesse Jackson's
foundation, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, saying he didn't oppose the busing program in the '70s and '80s.
And this is something Kamala Harris, who was, according to some observers, the big standout of the second round of the first rights front.
We're going to have analysis of what happened yesterday in Miami. But first, Jessica Dean takes us through the standout moments of last night's
debate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA DEAN, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Many of the leading Democratic candidates took shots at President Trump in the second
debate.
BIDEN: The first thing I would do is make sure that we defeat Donald Trump, period.
(APPLAUSE)
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You asked before, what is the greatest national security threat to the United States? It's Donald
Trump.
DEAN (voice-over): And also each other, showing just how much the crowded field differs on issues and solutions. Senator Kamala Harris came out
swinging, confronting former Vice President Joe Biden on his record.
(CROSSTALK)
CHUCK TODD, NBC MODERATOR: We're going to get to you. Hang on. We're going to get --
HARRIS: -- stage, I would like to speak --
TODD: I -- I --
HARRIS: -- on the issue of race.
(APPLAUSE)
DEAN (voice-over): Harris, blasting Biden for his recent comments on race by using her childhood as an example.
HARRIS: I do not believe you are a racist. And I agree with you when you commit yourself to the importance of finding common ground. But I also
believe -- and it is personal. And I was actually very -- it was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who
built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country.
And it was not only that, but you also worked with them to oppose busing. And, you know, there was a little girl in California who was part of the
second class to integrate her public schools. And she was bused to school every day. And that little girl was me.
[14:15:02] BIDEN: It's a mischaracterization of my position across the board. I did not praise racists. That is not true, number one. Number
two, if we want to have this campaign litigated on who supports civil rights and whether I did or not, I'm happy to do that.
I was a public defender. I didn't become a prosecutor.
Everything I have done in my career, I ran because of civil rights. I continue to think we have to make fundamental changes in civil rights.
DEAN (voice-over): Senator Bernie Sanders, asked directly if his programs, like universal health care, would bring higher middle-class taxes.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes. They will pay more in taxes, but less in health care for what they get.
DEAN (voice-over): Former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said Sanders' progressive agenda will make it hard for Democrats to win the
White House.
JOHN HICKENLOOPER (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I still think that the bottom line is, if we don't clearly define that we are not socialists, the
Republicans are going to come at us every way they can and call us socialists.
SANDERS: Well, I think the responses that the polls -- last poll I saw had us 10 points ahead of Donald Trump because the American people understand
that Trump is a phony. That Trump is a pathological liar and a racist.
That's how we beat Trump. We expose him for the fraud that he is.
DEAN (voice-over): The candidates, speaking in personal terms, attacking the Trump administration's handling of the border crisis.
HARRIS: A mother who pays a coyote to transport her child through their country of origin, through the entire country of Mexico, facing unknown
peril to come here. Why would that mother do that? I will tell you. Because she has decided, for that child to remain where they are is worse.
But what does Donald Trump do? He says, "Go back to where you came from." That is not reflective of our America and our values, and it's got to end.
DEAN (voice-over): Mayor Pete Buttigieg, addressing rising tensions in South Bend after a deadly police-involved shooting in his hometown.
MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG (D-IN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's a mess. And we're hurting. And when I look into his mother's eyes, I have to face the
fact that nothing that I say will bring him back. This is an issue that is facing our community and so many communities around the country.
DEAN (voice-over): The generational divide, on full display with the oldest and youngest candidates in the field on the stage: 38-year-old
Congressman Eric Swalwell, taking aim at Biden's age.
REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was six years old when a presidential candidate came to the California Democratic Convention
and said, "It's time to pass the torch to a new generation of Americans." That candidate was then-Senator Joe Biden. Joe Biden was right when he
said it was time to pass the torch to a new generation of Americans, 32 years ago. He's still right today.
JOSE DIAZ-BALART, NBC MODERATOR: Vice president, would you like to sing a torch song?
BIDEN: I would.
(LAUGHTER)
I'm still holding onto that torch.
BUTTIGIEG: As the youngest guy on the stage, I feel like I probably ought to contribute to the generational conversation.
(CROSSTALK)
SANDERS: As part of Joe's generation -- part of Joe's generation, let me respond.
(CROSSTALK)
DEAN (voice-over): Harris, shutting down that generational tussle, asking to get back to the issues.
HARRIS: America does not want to witness a food fight. They want to know how we're going to put food on their table.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, those were the first Democratic debates. And now, the fallout, the clean-up, and what's next. Let's discuss all that. I'm
joined by CNN political commentators Maria Cardona and Alice Stewart, who was also the communications director for Ted Cruz's presidential campaign.
And they join me from Washington.
Maria, you're a Democrat. Most observers -- as far as I've seen -- agree that Kamala Harris stood out. Do you?
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No question about that, Hala. I think the night was hers. And, you know, Swalwell was imaging the torch.
I think Kamala walked in there and took the torch from Joe Biden.
And I think it was an amazing moment for her because, frankly, there was a lot of excitement when she first announced, and then she kind of started
drifting into the background of the second tier of candidates. I think after last night, people will take another look at her and she will be
mentioned in the top tier of candidates.
And I think she did a little bit of damage to Joe Biden. That's why he just did the event that you all just televised, because I think he felt the
heat. He felt that she did a little bit of damage, and that he needed to come and clean it up.
So I think right now, frankly --
GORANI: Yes.
CARDONA: -- Joe Biden will probably still be the frontrunner. But this race is wide open, which to me as a Democrat, with so many diverse
candidates on that stage, I'm very proud of that and I'm excited about this race.
GORANI: And, Alice, you know a thing or two about presidential campaigns. So what do you think the -- what do you think Donald Trump and his team are
thinking now, after -- basically we've seen all the contenders in this very wide field.
ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: The main thing right now is to sit back and let the Democrats duke it out and wait until we get much
closer to, it's time for Donald Trump to step in here.
[14:20:04] Because at the end of the day, Donald Trump is president. He has the power, the perks of the incumbency. The economy is doing well.
We're currently avoiding any foreign entanglements. And if that continues to be the case, he has a very good shot.
But this is key here. The Democrats have a strong field, you can't deny that. And Maria is correct. Kamala Harris had a tremendous night, not
just for last night but both nights. She was able to show the three Cs, as you like to do in debates. You want to show that you can connect with the
voters, that you have charisma, and contrast with the other candidates.
And she also showed that she can take on Joe Biden, and also she took it to President Trump. So she is someone that really made a name for herself and
took a lot of the shine off Joe Biden.
GORANI: I found one thing interesting, Maria. No mention of Mueller, no mention of the Russia investigation, no mention of impeachment proceedings.
STEWART: Yes.
GORANI: Why do you think?
CARDONA: Well, I think it's because a lot of these Democrats understand what is it that -- what it is that real people out there are concerned
about. They talk about it all the time. They say that when they talk to voters, when they go to events, that the voters are talking to them about
how scared they are that Trump and the Republicans are going to take away their health care, about how scared they are that they're not going to be
able to make ends meet.
Because while Trump does tout this amazing economy, this amazing economy is only working for the amazing top one percent of the country. It's not
working for everybody. It's not working for the teachers. It's not working for the first responders. It's not working for the farmers, that
this president promised to protect.
So while I agree with Alice that Trump should take her advice and not focus on our race, he can't help himself.
GORANI: Yes.
CARDONA: He's already out there --
GORANI: But --
CARDONA: -- insulting -- insulting Joe Biden, insulting anyone who's -- who he sees is going to be a threat. And frankly, there are many threats
up there right now.
(CROSSTALK)
GORANI: Well, that works with his base. But -- but, Alice, I've got to ask you. Democratic voters, just -- I'll get to your point in a moment.
But just to dovetail off of what Maria just said, Democratic voters care about the issues, obviously. They care about their taxes and everything
that's important to them and their livelihoods.
But a lot of them just want to see the end of the Trump administration. And I -- and so therefore, they might be voting -- their vote might be
motivated, in many ways, by who they think could take on Trump.
So if you are --
CARDONA: That's true.
GORANI: -- watching -- you've watched both debates. Kamala Harris or Joe Biden, of those two, which one seems best positioned to do that right now?
STEWART: Right now, I think both of them joining together would be a pretty formidable ticket. And who would be on top remains to be seen.
But, look, I think it is critical for the Democrats, moving forward -- yes, the kitchen table issues are important.
But you also have to look at the bigger picture. How are we going to play on the world stage. Not one mention of Iran last night, which is a
critical component.
And they also run the danger -- while they spend so much of their time talking about these far-left policies -- and I hesitate to use the word
"socialist," but they are very far left -- they talk about climate change, free college tuition for everyone, Medicare for all. Those are great
issues to win the Democratic primary. That will not work in the general --
GORANI: Yes.
STEWART: -- election. They have to find a more moderating voice. That's where I still think Joe Biden has a good shot. He certainly has a major
clean-up on his hands after last night, but they cannot look so solely on these far-left policies of Bernie Sanders of years past, if they want to
take on Donald Trump. Because that is not going to work with the overall American electorate. It's just not going to be possible.
GORANI: We'll see. We've got to leave it there, but I hope to get you both again next week --
CARDONA: Sure.
GORANI: -- Alice Stewart, Maria Cardona -- because we're going to have so much to talk about --
CARDONA: Thanks, Hala.
GORANI: -- in the coming weeks and months.
STEWART: Thanks, Hala. Thank you.
GORANI: Thank you to you both.
Still to come, we have the latest from Paris as France records its hottest day in history. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:26:16] GORANI: The heat wave in Europe is intensifying. Temperatures in France are hitting just hard-to-fathom record levels. About 4,000
schools have been closed. The opening hours of parks and public swimming pools have been extended to help people cool down. Melissa Bell has more
from Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: This is what Parisians have been reduced to, to try and keep cool in the sweltering heat. A new record's
been set today in France, 45 degrees Celsius. It had not been that hot in the country since records began. The previous record was set back in 2003,
44 degrees Celsius, back in the heat wave that had killed thousands across the European continent.
Here in Paris, it isn't quite that hot. But the heat does mean that people are doing everything they can to try and stay cool.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To keep it cool, we go to the fountain and we drinks a lot, water or fresh ice cola and ice cream.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's nothing like we've seen before. And just, oh, sweating and trying to find shorts, nothing else.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's hot and a little unbearable. But the water over here makes it a little more manageable, for sure.
BELL: These scenes are being repeated up and down the country. Here in the French capital, sprinklers have been set up in the streets as well to
try and help people keep cool.
The other problems facing authorities? Pollution. With levels being pushed up as a result of the extreme heat that both experts and politicians
here in France are laying squarely at the feet of the climate crisis. Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Melissa, going the extra mile for that piece.
Allison Chinchar, Melissa Bell, she -- it was so hot, she couldn't do her piece to camera on dry land. She had to do it out of a fountain. What is
the forecast?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And I don't blame her for that.
GORANI: I don't blame her either. It's hot here and it's only 32, 33 and I'm having a hard time getting through the day. What's the forecast? I
hope they get some relief in France because this can be dangerous.
CHINCHAR: It is. And unfortunately, they're not going to get a break, at least in the next 24 to 48 hours. We still have another day or two to go
through this heat before we finally start to see some relief.
Looking at the current temperatures, I mean, take a look at this. Across Spain, you've got numerous cities, looking at temperatures in the 40s right
now. Paris, still looking at 30. You've got Marseille dealing with 32. Even Milano, Italy looking at 33 degrees. So, again, you've got some
pretty impressive heat that's taking place across much of Europe.
The reason why? It's this big high-pressure ridge that has built. So it's surging a lot of that really warm air from Africa, up into a lot of these
places.
Now, yes, we get it. Spain, Portugal, this is the warm time of year. We get a lot of hot days in the summer. But for a lot of these areas, this is
a heat that is well above average, even beyond just simple daily records.
You are looking at all-time June records for a lot of these places. Areas of France, picking up a temperature, 45.9 degrees. That is not only a
record for the month of June, but really for any period of time. Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, also breaking all-time June record high
temperatures because of this recent heat wave.
As we mentioned, though, we still have several more days to go, including Madrid, still looking at a high temperature tomorrow, into the low 40s.
Sunday, we get back down to maybe 39. Paris, looking at temperatures in the mid-30s, again on Saturday, before we maybe get down to the upper 20s
by the time we get to Sunday.
The good news is, we are finally going to start to see some relief as this heat wave, Hala, begins to break down. But not until next week. Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, that's when we will finally get some relief from the oppressive heat.
[14:30:05] GORANI: All right. Thanks very much. It's going to be tough weekend for some.
Still to come tonight, Trump and Putin meet at the G20 Summit in Japan. Why some offhand remarks by the American president on election meddling and
fake news are making headlines and raising eyebrows.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Let's get more now on the G20 Summit in Japan. World leaders are talking trade another economic issues along with conditions and global
conflict zones. So basically a pretty standard G20, except, of course, Donald Trump is there.
And one of the most anticipated of these meetings happened today on the sideline of the summit, when the Russian and U.S. presidents held their
first sit down since last year's Helsinki Summit, and the first, since the release of the Mueller report. And it made lots of headlines. It raised
eyebrows, and some cases, caused outrage.
Josh Rogin is a CNN political analyst and columnist for The Washington Post, and he joins me now live. And I want to run that. I believe we have
the sound before I get to you, Josh, of the U.S. president joking with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, about pesky journalists. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Fake, fake news. You don't have the problem in Russia. We have -- you don't have it. We have it.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA: Yes, yes, yes, we have the problem. The same.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So dozens of journalists in Russia had been murdered, Josh. I mean, Anna Politkovskaya, Natalya Estemirova, and others. And the
president is joking about this. A lot of people were very upset.
JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I would say the reaction here in Washington is that everyone is shocked, but not surprised. You know, these
are things that President Trump has said about journalists in the past. It's clear that he's characterized them as enemies of the people and
disrespected their roles in preserving American democracy.
What's new here is that he seems to be allowing Vladimir Putin to draw fall equivalency between that and how the Putin administration treats
journalists, which is to persecute them, jail them, and sometimes even kill them.
And this sends a chilling effect to journalists around the world who are operating in regimes where they are taking great risks to do their work.
Because it tells them that in the president of the United States who has traditionally stood up for their roles and their rights, that's no longer
the case.
GORANI: And what about when a journalist asked him, did you bring up meddling or did you ask the Russian president not to meddle to President
Trump and he basically wagged his finger and jokingly said, "Don't meddle, Vladimir Putin." That too was kind of remarkable moment.
[14:35:09] ROGIN: Again, remarkable but unusual. The president has downplayed Russian interference in the U.S. election. And taking Vladimir
Putin at his word about his denials.
All this time and, yet, it's still shocks us here in Washington to see the president of the United States talk about an attack in the American
democracy in a joking way with the person who perpetrated that attack. It's considered unacceptable.
But then again, these days, it's par from the course. And all of these summits, when Trump goes abroad, are just a huge opportunities for the
president to make mistakes, break diplomatic protocol, say things that counter U.S. policy, say things that kind of U.S. values.
And he really never misses an opportunity and the cumulative effect of that is that the opportunity cost is huge of the things that America should be
doing at these conferences, the things that President Trump could be saying. And not to mention the damage that he does, either intentionally
or unintentionally.
GORANI: And these kind of remarkable and surprising, you're saying they're not surprising, they are shocking, but these moments. How are they abroad
by both allies but also adversaries?
ROGIN: Yes. Allies on the one hand see a calling and you saw, I think, Donald Tusk do this today, to defend the liberal world order in the western
system in the way that the United States used to do. So in a sense, it's galvanizing other advocates of freedom democracy, the world law on human
rights, to step into the gap left by the United States.
But In authoritarian regimes, whether those are allies or adversaries, regardless, they see that as a huge opening. Without America at the watch,
there's a vacuum and bad actors like Vladimir Putin will surely rush to fill.
GORANI: What about the meeting with Xi Jinping, the Chinese president? You told me producers it's positive that there is a one on one at all.
ROGIN: Yes. I mean, what we've learned over the last years with President Trump is that he doesn't actually do the negotiating in the meetings. If
something's set up and something can get done. But we've seen this over and over again. The value of those one and one meetings is usually to sign
deals, not to negotiate deals.
So we're not expecting, because there's been a reporting on this for there to be a breakthrough on the trade talks. But the fact that they're having
the meeting means that the opening for a breakthrough remains and that, again, is a positive sign.
Now, you know, overall, we have to look at this in the context of a deteriorating U.S./China relationship which is going from bad to worse.
And tensions are going to rise even more over the coming years due to factors on both sides. So we should feel somewhat reassured that President
Trump and President Xi are still have a close enough relationship where they can have this meeting. But we should set her expectations low,
because of the structural issue and because of the way that President Trump operates. We can expect that --
GORANI: Right. But he operates though in a way -- I was going to say, we're so often surprised, you can have an off the cuff remark or he'll
decide in some rushed way to say something or propose something, or maybe not have anybody but a translator in the room and no aides and so we don't
know what's being said.
I mean, there could be some sort of unforeseen development, because he doesn't play by the rule book that other world leaders follow.
ROGIN: Well, that's exactly right. That's actually huge downside risk of these meetings. As far as the U.S. government is concerned, because
President Trump doesn't read his briefing books. He doesn't tell officials what he says in these private meetings. He spills classified information
to adversaries on a regular bases. I mean, these are all things that President Trump could do.
But remember, anything that he says in that meeting or promises in that meeting, whether it's to Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping or anyone else, is
only as good as it is from that moment, because he could then change his mind again the next day or fail to tell his official about it or failed to
implement it.
So, yes, there's a huge level of unpredictability. But we can't say that's an asset, because nobody -- they're not doing -- President Trump is not
doing it deliberately and we can't say it's a detraction because we really can't know what President Trump is going to do from one day and the next.
GORANI: Well, we'll be following it and covering it on CNN this weekend, Josh Rogin, thanks very much.
ROGIN: Anytime.
GORANI: The U.S. Supreme Court says it will review the Trump's administration's decision to halt a program that protects hundreds of
thousands of undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. The case is not about the legality of the Obama program era called DACA, as
it's better known. But instead about how the Trump administration wanted to phase it out.
Now, DACA has been a focal point in the debate as the president cracks down on immigration and says he wants to build the wall and keep immigrants out.
Earlier this week, we told you about a father and daughter from El Salvador who drowned trying to cross the border into the U.S. their family back home
is still waiting to receive their bodies.
[14:40:05] The head of U.S. Immigration Services is blaming the father for their deaths.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEN CUCCINELLI, ACTING DIRECTOR, U.S. CITIZENSHIP & IMMIGRATION SERVICES: The reason we have tragedies like that on that border is because those
folks, that father didn't want to wait to go through the asylum process in the legal fashion, so decided to cross the river and not only died, but his
daughter died tragically as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: There were reports that the father had tried to claim asylum and was not able to. Many immigrants are forced to wait months for the U.S. to
process their asylum claims.
Michael Holmes is at the U.S./Mexico border, in Matamoros, Mexico. So what that official said there leaves out an essential component of the story of
this father, which there was not an attempt there to seek asylum.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, we've talked to migrants behind me, over the last few days, many, many times.
And one of them said today, get Ken Cuccinelli to come down here and have a look at this legal system that he wants everyone to follow. Because it's
not easy, it is incredibly difficult. You don't go and walk in and tell your case and put your story to anyone in the U.S. You take a number.
You can wait, we've heard, three, four months for that number to be called. These people show up here and they just wait, hoping their number gets
called. And sometimes, one number is called and sometimes no numbers are called. It is a broken system. When it comes to Oscar Martinez and Angie
Valeria, their story continues to resonate with these people because of how the system works.
The people here fully understand why Oscar Martinez made that decision to go into the river.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES (voice-over): A Mexican woman places a single rose and says a prayer at the place where Oscar Martinez and his daughter, Angie Valeria
died. A poignant tribute to the latest and most visual victims of the migrant crisis.
Later, National Guard and federal police come by to investigate they tell us, but they quickly leave. The ripple effects of what happened here
continue.
One Mexican state government posting on social media warning people not to do what Oscar Martinez did. If you lose your life, it says, there will be
no future or dream to pursue.
In this border town of Matamoros, migrants wait for their turn to plead their case to the U.S. These days, instead of doing that in the U.S., they
wait here, sometimes for months.
So many people here say they know exactly why Oscar Martinez did what he did. But they're too scared to go on camera and talk about the system and
how broken it is. They say that they won't go on camera because they're worried they'll get seen in the U.S. and that will jeopardize their
chances.
You got to understand that. One of them said to us I would rather jump in that river and die than go back to my country.
We meet Xiomara Mejia waiting here two months with her three children having fled gang threats at home in Honduras, she says.
XIOMARA MEJIA, MIGRANT (through translator): First, before everything else, I need to give safety to my children.
HOLMES: Xiomara, like others said she can see what drove Oscar Martinez to get into that river.
MEJIA (through translator): You understand the desperation that leads to making these decisions where everything can go well or badly. They bet all
or nothing, and sadly, luck was on their side.
HOLMES: In El Salvador, preparations are being made for the funeral of Oscar and Angie Valeria, father and daughter to be buried together along
with their dreams of a better life.
As we report, U.S. border patrol boats speed by on the Rio Grande, the rose the woman place here washes away in the wake.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Yes. And, Hala, I can tell you, the Mexican government, meanwhile, responding to the Trump administration's demands are really
cracking down, their activities are increasing, 450 Central American migrants from Honduras, Guatemala were taken into custody yesterday at
hotels and hostiles in Veracruz State.
There were nearly 180 migrants taken from the back of a trucker, tractor trailer truck, where they were getting into real difficulties with what is
stifling heat here. So you can see the Mexican government cracking down those who get to the border, they face a month's long wait to even get to
tell their story. Hala?
GORANI: All right. And I remember you're saying something a couple of days ago when that picture, that terrible picture of the father and his
daughter came out and touched so many people, that this is a story that is just one of many that we know of his story because we have the picture.
But otherwise, he'd just be a statistic. What are these statistics? How many people do lose their lives and their attempts to cross over into the
U.S.?
[14:45:07] HOLMES: Well, last year, for example, which is the most recent statistics, 283 people died trying to get across the U.S. border. That's a
stunning figure, it's not the highest in recent years. Some years, it was up around 400.
But it does show that, you know, people get to a point where if they're not getting anywhere here, and they think they have a valid case, they will go
to that river. The photographer that took that now iconic photograph, I suppose, she told us that was a moment for her. It was an incredibly
important and powerful photo. But she said, I've photographed 25 bodies along this river in the last few months.
Those are often numbers that are not counted in the official figures you get from the U.S. as well and found on the Mexican side. They're not
included in those statistics. This is a massive, massive problem. We spent all of last week down on the Southern Border with Guatemala and the
National Guard moving in there and what people were telling us there, well, people are still going to come. If you're fleeing something that is
threatening your family, for example, if your kids' lives are at risk, you can put troops on the borders on an 800-kilometer border, people will find
other ways.
And I was talking to somebody yesterday down in that area who said people are doing that. They're taking more remote, more dangerous routes to still
getting to Mexico and make their way up here.
It's hard to imagine if your life is that much at risk. These people didn't want to leave their homes. If your lives are that much risk, you
will do it, you will do it anyway and you may jump into the river.
GORANI: Michael Holmes, thanks very much.
Officials of countries that signed on to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal spent the day meeting in Vienna. Because Europe is trying to get Iran a stick to
the deal. So there you had, Britain, Germany, China, France, and Russia trying to stop this deal from unraveling, even though America walked away
from it.
Iran's envoy says the meeting was positive but that not enough came out of it. Tehran says it's looking for financial relief after the U.S. withdrew
last year and re-impose those crippling sanctions that have hurt its economy. China envoy to the talks says Beijing rejects the sanctions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FU CONG, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY, DEPT. OF ARMS CONTROL: We reject the unilateral sanctions. And for us, the energy security is important and the
importation of oil is important to the Chinese energy security and also to the livelihood of the people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So that means China will continue importing Iranian oil or not?
CONG: As I said, we do not accept this so-called zero policy of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Earlier this week, Tehran said it will ramp up its enrichment and stockpile of load-grade uranium if it does not get relief.
Still to come tonight, football's finest square off in just a few minutes. France in Paris are gearing up for quarterfinal between the U.S. and
France.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:17] GORANI: Well, in just a few minutes, a big matchup for all football fans. The defending women's champions from the United States take
on the host country from France. Amanda Davies has been working the crowd before that crucial World Cup quarter final. And it's a pretty ruckus
bunch. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hala, if ever there was a game that has had a big buildup, it is this one. The two, three
tournament favorites going head to head for a place in the semifinals. A game that the U.S. former goalkeeper, World Cup winner, Hope Solo, has
described as the match of the century. The game she thinks will let women's football to the next level.
As you can see, atmosphere is really building here at the Parc des Princes. It's excited to be as sellout with France and the USA making up the most
number of tickets sold here for the tournament. So let's have a chat to see how people think it's going to go.
OK. How excited are you about today? How do you think that that game is going to go?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the U.S. is going to win.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes.
DAVIES: But how can you be so sure? Because you didn't have all your own way against Spain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Team USA, we always win.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We always win.
DAVIES: You're not worried about the pressure?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, they're going to do great. I believe in them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what's your take on the World Cup so far has gone?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Easy for the U.S. We're doing great. I think.
DAVIES: Would you like to see this as the final though maybe?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, that would be really fun. But I'm glad I'm here.
DAVIES: OK. So I'm going to do a quick down the line. What's the score going to be?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two-zero, U.S.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three-zero.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three-one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two-one.
DAVIES: OK. I think it's fair to say there's a whole load of confidence here. This is one though is a really tough one to call. Many people would
have like to say as the final. What it means though one team heading home to the semis -- heading to the semis. Another team heading home.
What we hope, Hala, is that the performance is on the page. We'll be, at least, half as hot as the temperatures of it here in France. Back to you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: All right. Thanks, Amanda Davies. I'm going to rush out of here and watch it in eight minutes.
More to come after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: This week, we're looking at how artificial intelligence and other high-tech changes are modifying the way people live in Japan. That's a
nation whose population is aging and the workforce is shrinking. And today, we look into technologies that may help trains run on time in the
future with fewer hands on deck.
Here's Will Ripley with "Innovate Japan."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When it comes to public transportation, nobody, and I mean nobody can beat Japan's pardon upon
track record.
[14:55:03] In the greater Tokyo area, nearly 20 million people use public transport every single day. Most of them take the train.
I've been on these trains countless times. But the place we are headed now is a first for me.
To get there, we take a ride through Tokyo, the world's busiest metro. Known for efficiency and punctuality. Incredibly, these packed trains are
almost always on time. You know, the old saying, if it ain't broke, don't fix it? Apparently, that does not apply here. Because Japan is about to
make big changes to its already safe, already punctual railways.
Today, for the first time, I'm going underground to find out why.
Caution. Why we need the hard hats. This massive subterranean complex is where JR East, the East Japan Railway Company, cleans and does maintenance
on their trains.
JE East is incorporating artificial intelligence and IOT, internet of things technology in its train maintenance, making it possible to detect
changes almost immediately, and in turn, predict the potential failures.
I feel like I'm living my train geek fantasy right now.
Hikaru Mita says the goal is to use the latest AI technology to help passengers get to their destinations even faster.
HIKARU MITA, MANAGER, TRANSPORT AND ROLLING STOCK DEPT. THE EAST JAPAN RAILWAY COMPANY (through translator): We are using the technology to
ensure there aren't so many troubles, to ensure that fewer trains are delayed and that our customers are safe.
RIPLEY: There's another reason for cooperating this new technology. JR East says it could eventually reduce the need for human workers as the
population and labor pool shrinks. In less than 50 years, Japan's population of 126 million is projected to drop by nearly 40 million.
MITA (through translator): Of course, in about 10 years or 20 years in the future, we know that the reality is that there will be fewer people, so we
must continue to ensure the safety of our trains with fewer workers.
RIPLEY: Are the trains here going to be able to keep their spotless record?
MITA (through translator): We will keep this record. We believe that is our duty and our mission.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, thanks for watching tonight. There's going to be a lot more ahead on "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS." If it's your weekend, have a great one
and if it's not, well, have a good time working or doing whatever you enjoy. If you're in Europe, it's going to be a hot one.
I am Hala Gorani, I'll see you see next time. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
