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Hala Gorani Tonight
Libyan Migrant Center Bombed; ICE Issuing Fines To Migrants Who Overstay; Interview With Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA); Trump Defends Plans For Independence Day Extravaganza; Soon: Alabama Prosecutors Announce Fate Of Marshae Jones; Women Fleeing ISIS Become Victims Of Human Trafficking; El Salvador President Takes Blame For Migrant's Deaths. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired July 03, 2019 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:17] HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Happy Wednesday. Live from CNN London, I'm Hala Gorani.
Tonight, 44 people killed, hundreds injured as a migrant center is bombed in Libya in what's been labeled a war crime.
Also, the shocking pictures of migrants held in overcrowded U.S. cells on the Mexican border, released by U.S. government inspectors themselves.
And the tanks roll in, just a day away from what Donald Trump is calling his Salute to America, 4th of July extravaganza.
Dozens of migrants had fled for their lives, making it through a dangerous journey by land, then were turned back at sea, only to die in a place where
they thought they should be protected. Forty-four people were killed, and as many as 200 injured when a migrant center was bombed in Libya.
The United Nations says the attack amounts to a war crime. CNN's Becky Anderson has our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN MANAGING EDITOR (voice-over): An attack on innocent civilians in the dead of the night. Emergency workers struggling to
identify victims and body parts in the rubble of an air strike. Parts of the Tajoura migrant detention center were brought to the ground. Many
inside had no chance. Those who did survive, rushed to recover their few possessions.
The center held at least 600 men, women and children from other countries, refugees and migrants who'd fled other horrors, violence, persecution and
economic repression in the search for a better life.
OTHMAN MUSA, NIGERIAN MIGRANT: All what (ph) we know, is we are -- would (ph) want U.N. to help people out of this place because this place is
dangerous. There's some people that's stranded here. They don't know what to do. They don't know where to go.
ANDERSON (voice-over): The U.N. says there needs to be more than just condemnation. A full independent investigation to determine how and why
this happened, to bring those responsible to account. No one has yet claimed responsibility.
But the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli is blaming Khalifa Haftar, a renegade general whose forces have been fighting for control of the capital
for more than a year.
EUGENIO AMBROSI, CHIEF OF STAFF, INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION: It is simply not acceptable that civilians are targeted, that the target of
military action are area of the town where it's known that civilians are present and living, and therefore knowing very well that the --
ANDERSON (?): Sure.
AMBROSI: -- likelihood of high civilian casualty is very high.
ANDERSON (voice-over): But the victims here had no part to play in the battle. And yet they paid the ultimate price. Becky Anderson, CNN, Abu
Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, the misery there. Fleeing your country, being turned away once you reach the sea, and then dying in this way. Ben Wedeman has spent
a lot of time reporting on the lawlessness that is Libya, and he joins me now from Istanbul.
Do we know who bombed this facility? Was it deliberate?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Whether it was deliberate, that's not altogether clear because we do know, Hala, that
about three minutes before the detention center was hit, there was another strike as well in this area, Tajoura, which is to the east of Tripoli, does
have military facilities belonging to the Government of National Accord, the government in Tripoli.
As far as who was behind it, it's pretty clear, the Libyan National Army of warlord Khalifa Haftar was in some way or another behind it. Now, the LNA
really doesn't have an air force to speak of. But in the past, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have made fighter aircraft available to the LNA,
and therefore that's where a lot of the suspicion seems to be leaning at the moment -- Hala.
GORANI: And so how do we get to the bottom of what happened here?
WEDEMAN: Well, certainly, there have been calls from the U.N. and various other organizations, for an investigation into what happened. But because
of the complexity of the situation on the ground and the situation in Libya in general, we may never get to the bottom of it.
Keep in mind, Hala, that Libya has become an arena for this great regional struggle between Qatar and Turkey on the one hand, and Saudi Arabia, Egypt
and the United Emirates on the other.
GORANI: Yes.
[14:05:00] WEDEMAN: And they are really fighting out this cold war between them in Libya, and therefore some sort of independent investigation into
what happened last night is all (ph) nigh impossible.
GORANI: Well, yet another proxy battlefield there. Just so we're clear though, these migrants were handed back to Libyan authorities by the coast
guard, which is funded by the E.U., right? The E.U. is helping fund this coast guard force to help prevent these migrants from ever making it to
European shores
WEDEMAN: Yes. This is an E.U.-funded program. They give money and resources to the Libyan coast guard, which is loyal to the Tripoli
government, to essentially stop, turn back and put in detention centers, the thousands of people who are trying to get to Europe.
Obviously, given the political climate in places like Italy, where Matteo Salvini, the hard right-wing interior minister, is very much in favor of
this sort of program to prevent these people from reaching, for instance, Italian shores.
The end result, though, is that they are stranded. As many as 6,000 of these migrants and refugees, in Libya. They're stranded in very difficult
conditions in these detention centers, many of which are either near the front lines or in areas like Tajoura, where there are very possible targets
for one of the warring parties to engage in. So --
GORANI: Sure.
WEDEMAN: -- the U.N. and other organizations have urged that this program, funded by the E.U., be curtailed and that more lasting and safe solutions
be found for these thousands of people, stranded in the middle of this insane conflict in Libya.
GORANI: Yes. Ben Wedeman, thanks very much. Live in Istanbul.
Well, speaking of desperate migrants, in the United States, the government's own inspectors say migrant centers are so overcrowded that
they are ticking time bombs. This is what the government oversight entity that went into these facilities is saying.
They took these shocking pictures, showing facilities housing up to twice the number of people they were built to hold. In some cases, they're so
crammed that people can't even sit down. Some migrants -- adults and children, by the way -- are even being denied showers and fresh clothing.
CNN's Nick Valencia is at the U.S.-Mexican border. Our justice correspondent Jessica Schneider is in Washington.
So, Nick, talk to us more about what we know about the conditions inside these facilities. We saw the congresspeople visit a few days ago, now we
have this independent entity there, releasing these images. What more are we learning?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the inspector general focused their report on five visits to the Rio Grande valley, and they described
just horrible conditions there, the conditions that you were just talking about there, Hala.
But things, I'm told here by a veteran Border Patrol agent in El Paso, are just as bad. This veteran Border Patrol agent, agreeing to go on-camera
under condition of anonymity. I asked them, "Why are you speaking out now?" They told me they're just tired of seeing the horrid conditions
inside. They say so long as Border Patrol continues to respond like this, migrants will never be safe in U.S. custody.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: What do you say to leaders who are saying, "Migrants are getting basic human rights"?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is basic human rights? Toilet paper? Water from the sink? Wearing the same clothing for days? I remember when we used to
be a processing center, we used to have -- especially in Winter, we used to have these blankets. And 10 different aliens will use the same blanket.
We will recycle them, you know? We'll put them in a -- in a bag and they wouldn't get washed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: There were several times during this interview that the agent sort of had this long, distant, blank stare. And I asked them, "What are
you thinking about?" And they told me, it's just really hard not to take home the emotional baggage from what you see inside these facilities, day
after day.
Not only that, but what they're hearing. The agent, telling me that it was earlier this week, they overheard a supervisor joking about the photo of
the Central American father and his 2-year-old, Valeria, who died trying to cross the Rio Grande. They were joking about this image.
And they didn't stop there. The supervisor, according to this agent, continued in saying that they wished they could use their vehicle to run
over migrants.
The agent says that they had reported these allegations, but misconduct depends -- the punishment depends on, really, what circles you run in. And
if you are in it with the leaders, and if you're in favor with leaders, it's just basically a slap on the wrist.
We did take these allegations to Customs and Border Protection. They said they are taking them seriously. They did not respond to them directly, but
did say that they handed them over to the Office of the Inspector General - - Hala.
[14:10:00] GORANI: Well, if it's confirmed that people have been saying these things, regardless of what you think of immigration policy, it is so
absolutely shocking and dehumanizing, that it should upset people on both sides of the political spectrum.
And the Trump administration, Jessica Schneider, is taking their anti- immigrant policy one step further by empowering ICE to fine migrants who are in the United States illegally, and that some might actually owe,
quote-unquote, "hundreds of thousands of dollars."
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Hala. So at the same time we're seeing these crowded and unsanitary
conditions at the border and members of Congress speaking out, we're also learning that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is cracking down all over
the country, in the interior of this country.
It was just about a week or so ago that ICE actually cancelled some planned raids to fine migrants who had disobeyed court-ordered deportation. Well,
now, ICE is taking a different tactic. They're issuing fine notices to immigrants who are still in this country despite being ordered by judges to
leave.
And really, the penalties can be massive. The attorney for one Mexican woman who has since taken sanctuary in a Columbus, Ohio church, actually
posted her fine notice on Twitter. It amounted to $477,000.
Now, ICE says that this woman has been avoiding a removal order since 2016, and that she even removed her ankle monitor to avoid detection.
And ICE also says that the reason the fines are so steep is that if migrants don't comply with the final order of deportation, and if they
decide to stay in the U.S. instead, they face $3,000 -- that's the initial fine -- plus up to $799 per day that they remain here. So you can imagine
that adds up fast.
Now, a former ICE official told us that the plan is really simple. It's another way to get the message out, that ICE and border officials are
serious that migrants must comply with judges' orders telling them to leave the country.
So, Hala, they're cracking down in the interior of this country. At the same time, we're seeing, really, what a mess it is at the border, and the
conditions that these migrants just entering the country are facing now -- Hala.
GORANI: Jessica Schneider, thanks very much.
Nick Valencia at the border.
Let's stay on this. The U.S. House Democrat Norma Torres just visited three migrant detention facilities along the U.S.-Mexico border. She told
CNN young children are being held in, quote, "jail cells." She joins me from Los Angeles.
Thanks, Ms. Torres, for being with us. So when you visited these detention centers -- and I'm sure you saw the release of these government pictures
there, showing how overcrowded some of the rooms and parts of the facility are -- what did you see with your own eyes inside those centers?
REP. NORMA TORRES (D-CA): Well, those photos of the art that these children are drawing, I believe are truly a reflection of what they are --
the horrifying conditions that they're suffering, that they're living under when they're being held in these jail cells.
Having to sleep on cement floors and having to shield themselves from the cold within these cells, with nothing more than an aluminum type of
blanket. In contrast, I must say, I also visited a refuge, a place where children that had been separated from their parents, are being held.
This facility is southwest key (ph) facility. In the photos, the art that I saw on the wall of that facility, certainly painted a much different
picture, when children are actually treated as children and being counseled and helped through that trauma that they have suffered.
GORANI: And were you able to speak to some of them? What did they tell you? What stuck with you after you left the facility, the stories you
heard from the migrants themselves?
TORRES: So we were -- we were not allowed to speak to any of the minors. When the women of Congress -- myself included -- walked into one of the
facilities, the children ran to the window and began knocking on the window.
And there was a child, he looked about two or three years old, a very, very, very little young boy. He started tapping on the window, trying to
get our attention, and said, "Papa, Papa." Obviously, he was crying out for his parent. But yet this child was being held in a jail cell with a
group of other children that were older than him.
GORANI: Without a parent or an adult?
TORRES: Without an adult in a jail cell. A jail cell that was being monitored with cameras. But can you imagine? Little children inside a
cold jail cell. When they're hungry, when they need, you know, a hug or a warm glass of milk, who do they talk to?
[14:15:02] Are they tapping on that window? Are they simply trying to get the attention of the CBP officers that are there? And are they able to
hear them? How often do they go into these jail cells to check on these kids? Those are all the questions that members of Congress, you know, had
when we visited these facilities. But we received very, very little answers.
GORANI: But how old would you say the oldest child was in the room where this toddler was being held? I'm just curious who's taking care of these
very small children.
TORRES: So they all appear to be under the age -- you know, under the age of, I would say, you know, 10 to 12 years old. You know, we also have to
think about the perspective that many of these kids look a lot younger than what they are. But they all look --
GORANI: Yes.
TORRES: -- you know, much younger than 10 years old, in a group setting, taking care of each other, comforting each other, very, very sad situation.
GORANI: Do they get any time to -- outside that particular holding area? Especially the young children, how do they spend their day?
TORRES: So as we toured the facility, those were some of the questions that we posed. We inquired about shower facilities, since we were not able
to directly talk to the -- to the children. We walked through temporary shower facilities, and we were told that that is where children take a
shower.
We also saw a couple of old balls that the CBP officers themselves bring to the location, and donate to the kids so that they can play. So there were
-- there were two balls there, in a very, very small place. It wasn't a playground, it was just a walkway where children can come out and play for
-- you know, they didn't specifically set how much time.
GORANI: Right.
TORRES: But my question is, why are CBP officers being tasked with having to shower children and change diapers? If these kids are going to be --
GORANI: Yes.
TORRES: -- separated from their parent, they need to be taken care of by someone who is an expert in dealing with children that have suffered so
much trauma, not a law enforcement officer.
GORANI: I want to ask you about something your colleague on Capitol Hill, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson of Florida, said about teen girls in
detention. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. FREDERICA WILSON (D-FL): So they're at 17, waiting on their 18th birthday. ICE comes to that facility, shackles their hands, shackles their
feet and take them to a private prison just like the private facility they're in. So they're profiting from these children. So it's profit and
greed.
And instead of them processing them out of these centers, out of that center, they're constantly bringing girls and children into this center. I
do not trust them with adolescent girls. I do not trust them with girls going through puberty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So that's kind of -- that is a very serious, you know, allegation there, that your --
TORRES: Absolutely.
GORANI: -- Frederica Wilson is saying. She doesn't trust Border Control officials with teenage girls, as if somehow they might behave
inappropriately. Do you agree with her? And what is that based on?
TORRES: It's absolutely -- it is absolutely a concern that has risen to the top, based on reports of this closed social group that they have, where
CBP officers have been posting sexist remarks against members of Congress, Latina members of Congress, where they have threatened to throw food,
burritos at members of Congress who were simply doing our job, and that is, you know, to visit these facilities and conduct oversight.
So with that -- you know, if these officers engaging in these comments in what they thought was a private platform --
GORANI: Yes.
TORRES: -- created for themselves, you know what? If you're a CBP officer and you need counseling, then you need to seek mental health. You should
not be dealing with --
GORANI: Right. But that's -- I was just --
TORRES: -- young women and young girls.
GORANI: -- I was just making it clear, that's one of your concerns. Just making it clear, it's not based on any fact --
TORRES: Absolutely.
GORANI: -- or any complain specific -- OK. Thank you so much, Norma Torres, for joining us --
TORRES: Thank you.
GORANI: -- we really appreciate your time on the program.
Still ahead, scenes you may not expect in the heart of Tel Aviv. Protestors are furious over the police shooting of an Ethiopian-Israeli
teen, but authorities hope to avoid a repeat of violent demonstrations. We'll be right back.
[14:20:03] Also, after days of wrangling, two high-profile women have emerged as the nominees for two of the top jobs in the European Union.
Some people are saying, "Finally." Although others are not happy of the political leanings of one of the top candidates. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Well, there are calls for calm. Whether they'll be heeded is another question. There are new protests under way over the police
shooting of an Ethiopian-Israeli teenager.
Now, authorities, certainly, are hoping to avoid a repeat of last night's demonstrations that turned violent. Some protestors set cars and tires on
fire, others clashed with police. You're seeing the images there.
The anger now boiling to the surface has been simmering for years. Many Israelis of Ethiopian descent have long complained of racism, of being
treated like second-class citizens in their own country.
The shooting of 19-year-old Solomon Tekah in disputed circumstances has only added fuel the fire, and could be the tipping point. Let's get the
latest from Tel Aviv. Oren Liebermann joins me now, live.
What's the expectation -- first of all, tell our viewers what the original case. Why protestors are so angry this time, over what happened to that
teenager.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me show you what that anger has led to. The protests here on the street behind me, much smaller than
yesterday. Orders of magnitude smaller, I would say, whereas on Tuesday night, we were talking about more than 130 arrests. Today, that number
stands at 10 arrests.
What appears to be a few hundred protestors here, standing relatively calmly at this point, surrounded by police so they can hold the street
open. And that's how it's been here.
There has certainly been some clashes here, as protestors tried to block the street earlier in the evening, but police said, "You have two minutes
and then we're going to remove you by force." And that's exactly what happened.
A far cry from what we saw on Tuesday night, when there was a car torched not far from where we're standing right now. And it wasn't just in Tel
Aviv. There were protests across the country in terms of, as I've mentioned, cars were torched. There was vandalism. There were clashes,
much bigger clashes between police and protestors. And those, at least until this evening, were set to continue, although much calmer again this
evening.
All of this starts on Sunday night in northern Israel, when police say an off-duty police officer shot and killed 19-year-old Solomon Tekah, and
Ethiopian-Israeli.
At first, police said the officer felt his life was in danger. But soon after that statement came out, he was taken into custody and he remains
under house arrest.
But, Hala, as you pointed out, this isn't just one incident, one isolated event. This is years, perhaps even generations or decades, of Ethiopian-
Israelis feeling like they've been treated as second-class citizens. And this is one more instance of that.
So it's a frustration that was always under the surface, an anger that was always under the surface. And when you saw the shooting death of 19-year-
old Solomon Tekah and the investigation that followed, this is what you see, protests across the country as well as here in Tel Aviv -- Hala.
[14:25:04] GORANI: Thank you, Oren Liebermann.
If you don't know the name Ursula von der Leyen, you are about to. The German lawmaker is set to become one of the most recognizable political
faces in Europe. She's lined up to be the head of the European Commission, replacing Jean-Claude Juncker. Of course, she still has to be confirmed.
But -- and this is regardless of where you fall politically, by the way -- good news if you want women to get top jobs. Because she's one of two
women nominated for top jobs. Christine Lagarde, the head of the IMF, is proposed to head the European Central Bank.
Let's get more on this. Anna Stewart is here with me.
So talk to us about Ursula von der Leyen. What can you tell us about her? Not everyone's happy that she's been nominated, but what do we know about
her political career?
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Well, I would say, first off, with Ursula, is she's a complete surprise candidate. She was not one of the frontrunners.
Of course she is a woman. It will be the first time we have a female candidate, if she gets through the next part of the process, which is with
the parliament.
She's slightly controversial. In German politics, she's considered quite a divisive figure. She creates lots of negative headlines, there have been a
few scandals there.
The Coalition Party is not happy with this. So she's part of Angela Merkel's party. Angela Merkel had to abstain from voting because her
Coalition Party actually wanted to block this.
GORANI: Right.
STEWART: So there is some controversy with her. We got to see whether this will get through the E.U. Parliament, because they're also not
particularly that none of the main party candidates which they thought would be the frontrunners, have got through either.
GORANI: She's unpopular in Germany. She's a very unpopular minister. And, as you said, she's divisive. Why was she chosen for this --
(CROSSTALK)
STEWART: Because of days of horse-trading. This is the E.U. and everything takes a very long time, and there a lots of different blocs. If
anything, I think this has really highlighted just how fragmented the E.U. is because pleasing all the different political blocs within it has been
very difficult.
TEXT: Ursula Von Der Leyen E.U. Commission presidential nominee: Current Job, German defense minister. Biography, doctor, mother of seven.
Problem, widespread criticism of her handling of defense portfolio. Key point, would be the first female E.U. Commission president
STEWART: This was someone that Macron, the French president, was OK with. It kind of met with Hungary's approval. It was one of the very few
candidates. You can see her there, she is trilingual. She's a polymath. She's hugely educated. And she was born in Brussels.
GORANI: Right. And she has seven children.
STEWART: And she has seven children. How does she -- how does she have a job?
GORANI: But it's not because -- it's not as if her husband's a stay-at- home husband, taking care of the kids. He has a full academic career.
STEWART: Yes. As a woman, I respect, admire and am frankly gob-smacked by her.
And then we have Christine Lagarde, head of the ECB. Now, this makes sense, Hala. Although she was not a frontrunner, if you have a German
heading up the top job -- the E.U. Commission presidency, it makes total political balance sense that you would have someone from France heading up
the ECB.
Controversy here? Christine Lagarde does not have any experience in central bank. She doesn't have an economics degree. This is kind of
unheard-of. It's unprecedented (ph) --
TEXT: Christine Lagarde, ECB president nominee: Current Role, IMF managing director. Nationality, French. Credentials, lawyer, not an
economist. Previous Job, French cabinet minister. Key Point: She would be the first woman to head ECB
(CROSSTALK)
GORANI: Well, she's the head of the IMF. She was an economics minister. It's not her first rodeo.
(LAUGHTER)
STEWART: It's not her first rodeo, but that's the controversy here, OK?
GORANI: Yes, yes.
STEWART: But she is, as you say, she's something of a financial rock star. She has huge presence, huge clout, I think respect on an international
stage. She'll bring a little bit of star power to the ECB.
GORANI: So we have these two -- they're still nominations, they need to be approved by the European Parliament, correct?
STEWART: That's the next stage of the process. And particularly for Ursula von der Leyen, this could be very, very difficult. July 15th is
when we expect this vote to happen.
And as you know, the European Parliament is often fragmented, more so than ever before since the last vote. We have Brexiteers in there, we've got
all sorts. And there is huge opposition to Ursula there.
GORANI: Yes.
STEWART: Now, if they reject it because it needs an absolute majority there, the E.U. leaders have to go back to the drawing table.
GORANI: We can't take any more E.U. (ph) leader shifts (ph), just give us a break --
STEWART: And when they do get here, they've got to deal with Brexit.
GORANI: -- just decide something. And then just tell us when it's done. Thanks very much.
News from the Netherlands you might be interested in hearing, Amsterdam's first female mayor is planning a massive overhaul of one of its best-known
industries. Can you guess what that is?
STEWART: No, go on.
GORANI: She, Femke Halsema, is suggesting stopping the practice of sex workers standing on display in window-fronted rooms.
(CROSSTALK)
GORANI: You've been to Amsterdam --
STEWART: Well, if that's controversial, I don't know what is. I have --
GORANI: You've been to -- and you've seen these women standing in the window. She said, though, there were no plans to outlaw prostitution
outright. Prostitution was legalized in the Netherlands in 2000 -- they just wouldn't be standing int he windows.
STEWART: Well.
(CROSSTALK)
STEWART: There you have it.
Still to come tonight, U.S. President Donald Trump says Thursday's Independence Day celebration in Washington will be like none other.
Critics say that's exactly what they're afraid of.
And a story that has inflamed the abortion debate in America. Is this woman the victim of a crime or the cause of her unborn child's death?
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:07] GORANI: Amid the final preparations for his salute to America extravaganza, the American president, Donald Trump, is responding to
critics who say it's going to be too expensive. It will be a departure from previous Independence Day celebrations in Washington. That's for
sure, because of that, what you are seeing on your screen. Military tanks positioned across the capitol to celebrate the Fourth of July. It will
include displays of military might such as that and the presidential address, all these things certainly very unusual.
There's no official estimates of how much the event will cost. But in a new tweet, Mr. Trump declares that the price will be, "very little compared
to what it is worth." Tom Foreman takes a closer look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The iconic fireworks over the National Mall will be moved to a new spot.
All flights will be grounded at Washington's Reagan National Airport for more than two hours, and three times the usual number of National Guard
troops will be deployed for security, also President Donald Trump can be the centerpiece for D.C.'s Fourth of July celebration, giving an
unprecedented speech at the Lincoln Memorial.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to have a great Fourth of July in Washington, D.C. It'll be like no other.
FOREMAN: For all of the costly changes, that's still not precisely what he wanted early on, a grand military parade, as seen in some other countries,
such as France, Russia, and North Korea, but cost estimates for that plan quickly ran into tens of millions of dollars.
The D.C. City Council mindful of expensive street damage, howled no tanks. The Park Service has remained quiet about how much it will cost to take on
the additional requirements, and the Pentagon is not discussing the price tag for a flyover by the Blue Angels, a plane that serves as Air Force One,
some other aircraft, and a couple of tanks and troop carriers that will also be there, but simply parked near the Mall.
TRUMP: We want to bring millions of people into the city and we want people to come who love our country. Those are the people we want.
FOREMAN: The president tweeting, "The Pentagon and our great military leaders are thrilled" after asking the chiefs of every branch to stand with
him during the celebration. The Pentagon not saying which, if any, are going.
And adding to the frustration of those who claim the traditionally nonpartisan event is being hijacked by team Trump, the White House and the
Republican National Committee are reportedly giving VIP access to favored friends and colleagues.
Democrats say, on this scorching week, they are largely being frozen out. The White House response?
KELLYANNE CONWAY, COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT: This is a public event. It's open to the public.
FOREMAN: One group they may not be so happy to see. Protesters who apply the Trump baby balloon have received a permit and that will also be up in
the air on Fourth of July.
Tom foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[14:35:03] GORANI: The Trump baby, we had it here in London.
Sarah Westwood has been looking into how much all of this will cost, and also the controversy surrounding this display of tanks and other military
equipment.
So there is some concern, even from the military. The military itself and the United States is saying this is too much. We're not comfortable with
this.
SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Hala, sources do tell CNN that some military leaders aren't exactly comfortable with what could be
considered a politicized version of the July Fourth celebrations this year, with the introduction of those military demonstrations, the flyovers, the
static displays of tanks and armored cars.
And so not all of the military leaders, the chiefs of various branches of the military will be present next to the president during those
celebrations. Some will be -- about four are opting out.
I mean, overall, there has been some concerns among Democrats and among city officials and government ethics experts, about the amount of money
that is being spent on this event versus last year. This is taxpayers' money, and not supposed to be funding a partisan event of any kind.
But as you've mentioned, there is this VIP section in front of where President Trump will be delivering that unprecedented speech from the
Lincoln Memorial. And the White House has given tickets to the RNC to people affiliated with the campaign into various cabinet agencies to
distribute to friends and family, that, Hala, is lending itself to the perception that this somewhat political.
GORANI: Right. And so -- how does this work? Who gets VIP tickets?
WESTWOOD: Well, Democrats don't, Hala. The DNC tells CNN they did not receive any allotment of tickets to allocate to their donors, to people
they'd want to invite to that event. It's just the RNC, just the Trump campaign, and members of the cabinet. The White House is not specifically
saying how many tickets and how they're being allocated, only that friends and family members of the military, and these unspecified VIPs will be in
that session.
And White House Counsel, Kellyanne Conway, said yesterday that the president's speech will include him touting his administration's
accomplishments, what Trump sees as his administration's success, so there are some fears, Hala, that that the content of the speech could be
political. Trump touting his accomplishments, that could be considered inherently partisan, Hala.
GORANI: I'm curious to see how many people will show up. Obviously, the president will want the place to be packed. But we remember the
inauguration numbers and how he obsessed over those numbers for many months after the inauguration.
And it's going to be interesting to see if people who are not fans of the president just decide not to attend this year, because July 4th
celebrations in Washington are normally kind of a fun time, you go out with family, friends, kids and everything. This has become so political. I
wonder it'll put people off.
WESTWOOD: Well, there's no question, Hala, that there is some more controversy than in years past. There is still large turnout at the moment
expected. Keep in mind, there are many -- thousands of people who are already in the nation's capital on vacation, this is a very popular time
for tourists in Washington.
But there is also a chance for thunderstorms tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be bad here in Washington. That could really affect the
turnout numbers, and as you mentioned, the president is going to be paying very close attention to the crowd sizes tomorrow.
GORANI: Also, I'm not a pyrotechnics expert, by any means, but I think when it's raining, you can't have fireworks. So we'll see if that's the
case, how it would impact that part of the celebration.
Thanks very much, Sarah Westwood. We'll speak again, hopefully, tomorrow.
Prosecutors in Alabama are about to announce their decision, in a case that has sparked outrage about abortion laws in some U.S. states. Outrage all
around the world, by the way.
An issue is whether or not to bring charges against the woman, Marshae Jones. A grand jury indicted Jones for manslaughter, after her own unborn
baby died during a fight in which Jones was shot in the stomach. So she was shocked, the baby died, and now she's being charged in connection with
the death of her unborn child.
Martin Savidge has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (vice-over): The case of Marshae Jones has become a lightning rod in Alabama and beyond.
CROWD: Shame on you. Shame on you. Shame on you.
SAVIDGE: Last December, police say Jones, who was five months pregnant, started a fight with another woman in this parking lot. Authorities say
Ebony Jemison shot an unarmed Jones, hitting her in the abdomen, killing her unborn baby. A grand jury handed down an indictment of manslaughter,
not against the shooter, but the grieving mother, alleging she was responsible for the death of her fetus by inciting the fight.
The case has outraged abortion rights advocates nationwide who say Alabama puts more value on a fetus than on the rights of the mother.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How dare you prosecute this young lady? Her life is just that important to us.
[14:40:00] SAVIDGE: Jones' attorneys are challenging the charge, calling the rationale flawed and twisted.
MARK WHITE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: How in the world could you engage in a criminal prosecution, try to charge someone with a crime that carries the
maximum sentence of 20 years, and all she was, was the victim.
SAVIDGE: But many here in part do blame the mother for the tragedy.
LORI MCCOWN, LOCAL RESIDENT: It's really just heart wrenching. I believe that if she hadn't approached who she approached, that definitely the baby
would be alive today.
TYVIS HOLIDAY, LOCAL RESIDENT: She needs to be charged with something. She did put a child in a dangerous situation.
SAVIDGE (on camera): So you think a lesser crime would be better?
HOLIDAY: A lesser crime, yes.
SAVIDGE (voice over): Whether Jones is prosecuted for a lesser crime, or even at all, now rests in the hands of the Jefferson County District
Attorney.
VALERIE HICKS HALE, CHIEF ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY, JEFFERSON COUNTY, ALABAMA: Whatever decision it is that she makes will be made with
fairness, it will be made with equity and it would be made with justice.
CROWD: We shall not be moved.
SAVIDGE: Jones' supporters say they'll be watching to see just what kind of justice Alabama delivers.
CROWD: We've got to fight to make it right. We've got to fight to make it right.
SAVIDGE: Martin Savidge, CNN, Pleasant Grove, Alabama.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: I have to wonder in Europe, how a story like that would fly. I mean, It's just would be absolutely unthinkable to charge a woman with
manslaughter if she'd been attacked and her unborn child had died as a result.
Still to come tonight, she escaped an ISIS assault, only to trade one living he will for another. We'll meet a woman who fell trade to sex
traffickers in Baghdad. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: It is a shadowy violent underworld where women disappear from the streets and forced to live in an unimaginable circumstances at the mercy of
traffickers.
Now, CNN is always dedicated in raising awareness on this form of modern day slavery. Today's report takes us to Baghdad. Arwa Damon spoke to some
women who managed to escape ISIS only to end up in another version of hell.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nadya's (ph) sentences reverberate with trauma. She survived the ISIS onslaught in
Sinjar, would spare the faith of her fellow Yazidi sex slaves, only to find herself trapped in a similar nightmare.
She says, "She came to Baghdad with a man she trusted who told her he knew a parliamentarian who could help her family apply for asylum in the U.S."
TEXT: He greeted me, I said, "hi, uncle." They looked at each other and smiled. He said, "You are mine now."
DAMON: For months, she says she was imprisoned in a room. Every night, she says, they would give her an injection, every morning she would wake up
naked surrounded by empty alcohol battles and in pain. The pain of multiple men raping her.
TEXT: I lost my life. I was destroyed. For three months, they tortured me. Everyday a shot. By the end, I wanted the shot. The days they
wouldn't give me a shot, I wanted to tear my flesh out.
[14:45:25] DAMON: Once she was beaten so badly that her captors brought another woman to take care of her. Another one of their victims.
TEXT: She would smoke and laugh and say, "You will be like me, you will stay with them." I looked at her, she lifted her shirt, her stomach was
scarred. She said, "I had two little children." She said, "They took them and sold them, and they took organs from her body."
DAMON: A lose organized sordid trade is thriving in Iraq, whose tentacles even reached into the Iraqi government. Its targets, vulnerable, desperate
populations displaced by ISIS and the fighting that ends to it.
It belies the vibrant scenes in the Iraqi capital. Those we spoke to unaware of the scale of the crisis where stigma and fear of retribution
silences the majority of the victims.
TEXT: The little breath I have left in me, it's to send a message to those like me to be a voice for them.
DAMON: Dr. Ali Akram al-Bayati part of the government's own Human Trafficking Commission says they can't do much other than speak to the
media.
DR. ALI AKRAM AL-BAYATI, IRAQI HUMAN TRAFFICKING COMMISSION: If you are talking about human trafficking, of course, when you investigate, and you
will see some of the officials involved on that.
DAMON: "To name them would be pointless. They are two powerful," he says. Those that could hold them accountable like his own commission, too weak.
And then there are the constant threats. Iman al-Silawi is the head of one of the few NGO's trying to help human trafficking victims.
The location of your NGO is a secret. And there are still so much fear around everything. Why?
She says it's because of the death threats from Mafias and militias.
Ahlam's voice shakes. Her slender body trembles under the black fabric she's wearing to conceal her identity.
TEXT: Is this what humans are? Merchandise that gets sold in the market?
DAMON: Ahlam was easy prey for traffickers trolling Baghdad streets. Lost, scared, overwhelmed in such a big crowded city, the likes of which she had
never seen in her home province. She hailed a cab, but had no idea where to go. She poured her story out to the driver, telling him how she ran
away from home, that her older brother was an ISIS emir who beat and locked her up, and threatened to kill her after she spoke out.
The taxi driver offered to help.
TEXT: He said, "I will take you to my relative. Maybe she can find work for you."
TEXT: Didn't you suspect anything?
TEXT: No. I was in the streets with nowhere to go. He came like a savior.
DAMON: He took her to a woman's house where he promised she would be safe.
TEXT: She sold me to someone else who works in prostitution in a known area of Baghdad. I cried over my fate. She would bring men into the
house. She forced me to have sex with them.
DAMON: With little support and no justice, she is left only with her pain.
TEXT: What is my future? I can't get married. I can't have a family. Who would want to be with someone like me?
DAMON: Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: So, so sad.
We've been focusing on the point of migrants today. I want to return to efforts to stem the flow across the U.S. Mexican border. Mexican returns
69 migrants from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador to their home countries on Tuesday.
But as Amara Walker reports, El Salvador is also taking action.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMARA WALKER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In office just over a month, El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, is trying something
new to address the plight of migrants leaving his country. He is taking responsibility.
NAYIB BUKELE, PRESIDENT OF EL SALVADOR: They fled El Salvador. They fled our country. It is -- it is our fault. We haven't been able to provide
anything, not a decent job, not a decent school.
WALKER: It's a rare admission among Central American leaders, whose citizens leave by the thousands to make the perilous journey to the United
States, a dangerous gamble for a chance of a better life that often ends with detention or death.
[14:50:02] This photo of a father and his daughter from El Salvador, laying face down in the Rio Grande River, once again, highlights the desperation
of those forced to leave home.
BUKELE: People don't flee their homes because they want to, people flee their homes because they feel they have to. Why? Because they didn't have
a job, because they are being threatened by gangs, because they didn't have basic things like water, education, health.
WALKER: The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol say the number of families from El Salvador apprehended at the border, has nearly tripled since last year.
Bukele hopes to stem that flow by pledging to make El Salvador safer, a tough challenge for the 37-year-old president whose country has tens of
thousands of gang members and one of the highest murder rates in the world.
The United States recently cut hundreds of millions of dollars of aid to El Salvador, along with Guatemala and Honduras over the migrant crisis.
Bukele says he wants to improve relations with the U.S. and warns people not to make the journey to America where they will not be welcomed.
BUKELE: Here in El Salvador, you have to cross three frontiers, rivers, et cetera, just to get into a country that will not treat you well. If you
don't have papers, you will be called an illegal.
WALKER: With so little time on the job, only time will tell whether El Salvador's new president can make good on his promises and make his country
a place where families like those who have already lost their lives, aren't afraid anymore.
Amara Walker, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: More to come including sports, anguish for the English and jubilation for the U.S., who will face the reigning champs in the women's
World Cup final? We'll have that coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: In Japan, people have been ordered more than one million of them to leave their homes in preparation of heavy rains in the south of the
country. A month's worth of rain is expected to fall on the island of Kyushu on Thursday which could cause landslides and flooding.
But despite officials strongly urging residence to leave, only a fraction, about 1,700 have done so, so far.
There are a lot of broken hearts in England here, after the failure to reach a football World Cup final for the second summer in a row. The USA
came out on top in a thrilling semifinal in the women's World Cup last night.
There was a dramatic penalty save in the final minutes and that clinched it. The women's World Cup is smashing viewing records this year.
Tuesday's match was the most watched T.V. program of the year here in the U.K.
Tonight, it's about Sweden versus the Netherlands. One of them will join USA in Sunday's final. Amanda Davies is at the stadium in Lyon. Amanda?
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT CORRESPONDENT: Hala, the Netherlands and Sweden just one win away from a place in the 2019 Women's World Cup final.
Both of these sides really represents the new goal, the closing of gap on the traditional powerhouses of the game, fighting for the right, of course,
to be back here on Sunday, taking on the USA.
So, how is it going to go? Both these sides traditionally have very colorful fans. How do you think it's going to go?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tonight?
DAVIES: Tonight.
[14:55:00] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it won't be busy. Sweden is a very good team. I think at the end, it will be two-two. And then extra time
and then penalties, and that's unfortunately, six-five for Holland.
DAVIES: So it's nothing like a tense night. Are you ready? Is your heart going to be able to take it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope so. But we have trained against Japan. It was difficult, or Italy. So we trained too.
DAVIES: And, sir, your daughter is part of the Swedish squad?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, she is.
DAVIES: Tell us -- what's your daughter's name? Is she expected to start?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know. At 7:75, we will know. And her name is Julia Roddar (ph).
DAVIES: And how confident is the Swedish camp? Have you spoken to her today?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have spoken to her today, and they had a couple of nice wins. So it's a team that want to win. Yes.
DAVIES: Because it's really interesting then Miedema said she didn't think, even though Holland, European Champions, she didn't think he Dutch
would be here in the semi-final.
(CROSSTALK)
DAVIES: Did you expect to be here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no, no. We didn't expected to -- no. NO, I don't. It's a big surprise. In Japan when she said it was a very
difficult match. But it's growing and growing and growing, and Miedema is growing, Martens is growing, and Groenen is growing. The whole team must
be good to win from Sweden and to win from USA. Then they must be tough, tough, tough.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
DAVIES: Holland is growing, Sweden is growing, the women's game is growing, and this is a real sense of the atmosphere of this women's World
Cup. How have you found the France experience?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very good actually, because we've driven -- we've started with wine tasting in (INAUDIBLE) this morning. So I mean, that's
the way you do it.
DAVIES: And so, how is this evening going to go in your opinion?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Either way, it'll be a fantastic evening, I think. It doesn't really matter, they're all winners at this point. We just hope for
a good match.
DAVIES: Good luck. Enjoy the evening. The atmosphere inside this stadium was fantastic last night.
But judging from what we've seen this evening, I don't think we'll be struggling a couple of hours from now, Hala.
GORANI: Amanda, thanks very much. Amanda is in Lyon.
All right. Thanks to all of you for watching tonight. There'll be a lot more ahead on "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS." I'll see you next time with all the
top stories of the day on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
