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Brexit Rhetoric Softens After Jo Cox's Death; Iraqi Army Announces Liberation of Fallujah; Historic NBA Game 7 Finals Tonight; Russia Responds to IAAF Olympic Ban. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired June 19, 2016 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:16] BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Hello, I'm Becky Anderson. Welcome to what is a special edition of Connect the World live from London. We'll be
bringing you our program from here all week, because of one question: in or out? We are just days away from British voters facing what is a monumental
choice, whether to stay or leave the European Union.
Campaigners from both sides pulling out all the stops to get people on board with them before the vote on Thursday.
A choice, it will affect not just Britons, but the rest of Europe and the world as financial markets keep a watchful eye on the outcome of this vote.
Well, the mood, then, is tense, but more friendly than it's been as of late. Both sides, perhaps, trying to keep their words more measured in
wake of the murder of a British MP last week.
Still, facing the others' plans would lead to political and financial disaster. Here's how their arguments broadly stack up: the remain camp
thinks Britain is much better off together in the Europe club and it's biggest single market and that leaving would cost the UK big- time.
But those who want to go think the EU sets way too many rules and demands way too much cash, holding the whole country back.
Well, earlier, we spoke to some people just outside of a leave or Brexit event. This is what they said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was an atmosphere of absolute enthusiasm. And the campaigning was wonderful, and the speeches were great. One of the
speakers said that Europe, Brussels, is the most corrupt entity in the -- on the planet -- and I agree with him, it's totally corrupt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The atmosphere was absolutely electric. It was fantastic. We had so much passion on our side. There was no
scaremongering. It was all about the opportunities.
UNIDETIFIED FEMALE: I was involved in the 2014 Umbrella revolution in Hong Kong where we slept in the streets for many, many weeks. Living in the UK
and looking around, people don't care about giving democracy away. We've been putting it on a plate and hand it over to the EU.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't believe in all the scare stories. I mean, there's risk if you stay or come out. I mean, there's always a risk in
anything you do. But I think there might be a slight dip, or there might not be, so, you know, you hear all that project fear, but you've got a good
(inaudible) -- because you shouldn't be scared about these things, just because -- I'm not anti-immigration, I like the idea (inaudible) -- but I
like the idea of controlled immigration.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In election often we think our votes are worthless, because we live in constituencies where, frankly, our choice has no chance
of being elected. This is different.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, strong feelings, then, in the leave camp there. And CNN, of course, covering both sides of this debate for you. Our Richard Quest
was at a remain rallya short while ago about the same time as the leave campaign was rallying. This is what he saw.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was called the big in photographic event, bringing together up to 1,000 people in Hyde
Park to stand in outline and spell the word "in" which was then photographed from the air. A clear message of those wanting to remain
within the European Union.
But before he proceedings got underway, there was a moment of silence to remember Jo Cox, of course, who was murdered last week.
Whether or not there is any connection between the Cox murder and the referendum still hasn't been fully understood. However, both sides accept
that the tone of the debate so far has been too nasty and too vitriolic. And Stanley Johnson, whose son Boris Johnson is leading the leave campaign,
Stanley Johnson told me it was time to change that.
STANLEY JOHNSON, CONSERVATIVE PARTY POLITICIAN: I would like to see us go ahead now vote to stay in, but this is the crucial point, make it
absolutely clear that on some of these key issues, like immigration, we are going to go back to Brussels and say, look, the time take a hard
look at the free movement rules of the treaty.
They cannot, in my view, be sustained the way they are -- I'm talking about article 45 -- it has to be looked at again. But that is not a reason to
stay in, because if we have a unilateral exit, that won't help a lot of people that want to see these changes.
I happen to be the optimist who thinks we jump on back on, we help take control over the direction the ship is going.
QUEST: There's still four days before voting and that's plenty of time for the whole thing to degenerate once again into name calling and insults.
The issue here is simply vast, as Alistair Campbell, the former director of communications for the Labour Party reminded me, for Britain and Europe the
stakes are huge.
[11:05:07] ALISTAIR CAMPBELL, FRM. DIR. OF COMMUNICATIONS LABOUR PARTY: Well, look at Jo Cox's Twitter feed and look at the things that she was
saying about the debate. We have to have this argument. We have to have this argument not just about Europe, but also about what sort of country we
are in danger of becoming if we turn our backs on the world.
QUEST: Before Jo Cox's murder, the leave campaign had eked out a small, but consistent lead in all the opinion polls. Both sides now realize that
the new tone of the campaign and the time left in which to get the message across means there is very little room for error.
Richard Quest, CNN, Hyde Park, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: The remain camp, we gave you -- got you some sound from the leave rally earlier on today. Let's get you some analysis now. Let's
speak to Quentin Peel. He's an associate fellow at Chatham House, which is a think tank based here in London.
And Quentin, a more muted atmosphere is how both these events were described today, perhaps
understandable given the horrible events of last week.
QUENTIN PEEL, CHATHAM HOUSE: Yes. I think this dreadful murder of Jo Cox, a bright young mother, just elected to parliament, very much on the remain
side, very keen tostay in Europe, very pro-immigration and very pro- refugees. And her murder has really cast a shadow over this entire campaign. And I think it's made people worried that the increasingly
emotional and really quite poisonous debate about immigration has been getting out of hand.
That's a problem probably more for the Brexit side than it is for the remain side, because they've been playing immigration as their biggest card
to get the voters to the polls.
ANDERSON: So, I wonder then what you read into what Boris Johnson said at the leave rally today. He is amongst the loudest voices in the leave
campaign, of course, and he's quoted as saying this earlier -- I am pro- immigration, my friends. I am the proud descendants of Turkish immigrants. Let me stun you, he said to the crowd, perhaps by saying I would go
further, I'm not only pro-immigration, I'm pro-immigrant. I'm in favor of an amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Given that we -- you've just been suggesting, this has been a highly contentious issue, immigration, and a tactic that has been used by the
leave campaign. Is this a flip-flop on his behalf, or is this a canny politician playing to a wider audience than just his own?
PEEL: I think it's a canny politicians. He's having it both ways. He has been consistent. I wouldn't -- Boris has always said I'm not against
immigration as such. But he is the biggest figure, and the most popular figure, in a campaign which has made anti-immigration, controlling
immigration, it's absolute top priority. They have the slogan, take back control. And by that they mean one thing: and that's control immigration.
So Boris is really trying to have it both ways.
ANDERSON: Talking about flip-flopping or whether a politician is just a canny politician, I want to read you something that the British prime
minister said just a few months ago. I think you might have been in Davos at the World Economic Forum back in January. I remember him saying this,
of course, he is effectively heading up the remain campaign.
He said baci in January, quote, you're never going to hear me say that Britain couldn't succeed outside the European Union. Now this isn't
exactly what he's saying now, is it?
PEEL: No.
ANDERSON: What's going on here?
PEEL: You're talking two different audiences in a way. Before his negotiations and before this, he was desperately trying to keep people like
Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, these quitters who want to leave the European Union, he was trying to keep them on board. So he was desperately
presenting himself as really quite euro skeptic.
The other thing he would say he doesn't want to do the country down. So, he doesn't want to turn around and say, oh, we'd be hopeless outside the
European Union, what he's actually saying is the process of getting from where we are now to where we will be in 10 years time could be very, very
bumpy.
ANDERSON: I thought Paul Krugman, the economist, was sort of spot on when he wrote a column in the The York Times this weekend. He said this is a
vote between bad and worse.
I don't think anybody would suggest that the European project at this point in time is the most successful project that we could possibly imagine. I
mean, full of inadequacies, isn't it? But here we are with a UK voting public being asked to vote either in or out at this point.
PEEL: Yeah. It's -- I mean, the European Union has got huge economic problems. It's a massive migration and refugee crisis, which was not of
its own making. It's facing big security threats -- Vladimir Putin in Russia is looking increasingly threatening. And so it's got a lot of
problems on its plate.
The trouble is in this whole referendum, it's in a way been incredibly negative on both sides. One side says beware of foreigners, cut back
immigration, the other side says beware of economic meltdown, if we leave it'll be meltdown. Actually, the positive stories, the story on the remain
side, which is that Europe is a peace project. If the European Union didn't exist, the countries of eastern Europe would not have been brought
in from the cold and ultimately stabilized so that they have a democratic system.
And on the positive side for those who want to get out, they should make much more of sovereignty and much less of immigration. But sovereignty is
not a popular issue.
[11:11:00] ANDERSON: With that, which that we're going to leave it there. We thank you
very much indeed for joining us. And do join us again this week. We're here all week.
Sunday, the first day the campaigns are running at full speed again -- they were both put on hold as Thursday as we have been discussing after the
murder of the British parliamentarian Jo Cox.
(MUSIC)
ANDERSON: Earlier today, this memorial service was held for Cox in the village of Birstall. People came to pay tribute to her generous life near
where she was shot and stabbed last week.
Well, Nic Robertson joins us now from Birstall where all this has been unfolding.
What, Nic, are people telling you there?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're really still here at least in Birstall coming to pay their respects and the church
service was part of that and certainly gave people a chance to, on this Sunday, come and focus. You know, you move a little further away from
Birstall, around Yorkshire, you know, life has changed. People's thoughts about the referendum have changed.
We went to the market tourist town of Harrigate. It's a spar (ph) town. It's very gentile. We talked to a lot of people there about their
opinions, about how Jo Cox's murder will affect the outcome of the referendum. There were several woman, in particular, who I talked to who
said, look, I was thinking of voting out or I was on the fence about it and this has really changed my mind. One lady told me she really felt that it
was a racist attack. And other ladies told me this made them unsure of what the out camp really was and stoof for.
So, it has changed some minds, yet there were several men I talked to there. And they told me very clearly they don't think that Jo Cox's death
will change people's opinions. It certainly hasn't changed theirs. And one man told me that, indeed -- well, they both told me that they were
voting out.
And one of them told me he was voting out because of immigration, even though he said immigration in Harrigate is not a big issue. Harrigate is
yet to even host a single Syrian refugee, that's somewhere a little bit furtehr down the line. But, for him, that was a big issue.
So, some minds have definitely been swayed by Jo Cox's death, Becky.
ANDERSON: And Nic, how are people remembering Jo today?
ROBERTSON: I think there's a sense that they recognize it will be Monday again tomorrow. And, you know, to a degree life picks up and is normal.
In Birstall here, the police took the tape down, cordoning off the area where Jo Cox was murdered. They took that
down yesterday. It was very emotional when Jo Cox's parents and her sister came here and met and hugged with emotional and again a poignant moment for
pause and thought and reflection this morning at the church. There were letters there from young Muslim children from a nearby school. They had
seen Jo Cox. She had been to talk to them a couple of days before. And they were writing how even though she was such an important figure, they
were really touched by the way she had stopped to listen to them.
And I think everyone here still is reflecting on what she brought into their lives. There's a
realty now that enters as the business of the country continues, their lives continue and that was a worry for some of the people we talked to
today.
But I think one thing I have found talking to people is they do hope and do believe and are happy because they think it's happening that the tragedy
and the awfulness of Jo Cox's death has brought a toning down of the rhetoric in the political referendum campaign. Everyone I've talked to
about that, ins and outs, they also thought that it was good that it was being toned down.
[11:15:03] ANDERSON: I think that was certainly reflected both at the remain rally in Hyde Park today and the leave rally, which was held just a
little bit further along the river from where we are today.
And just very briefly, Nic, the investigation into Jo Cox's death, where are authorities at this point?
ROBERTSON: Well the charges have been made. The next thing will be for Thomas Mair to
appear in court on Monday for a bail hearing, but given the nature of his crime, he's being charged as we know with murder, with grievous bodily
harm, with possessing an illegal weapon, other charges. It seems very, very, very unlikely that he would be granted bail.
His house now has been thoroughly searched by police. And if you go and look at it now, just 15 minutes walk up the hill from here, every door,
every window has sealed shut by the police. His house is completely locked down. Nobody will be getting in and out of there without the help of the
police.
So, at the moment, the investigation, whatever they're questioning him about and discovering, those are all details that will come out in court in
due course, Becky, and of course now he has been charged, one must be more circumspect because of the contempt of court laws in this country, of
course, about what one can say that's known about him.
But for now, at least, you know, he is behind bars and looks like staying there.
ANDERSON: Nic Robertson in Birstall for you tonight. Thank you, Nic
I'm going to bring you a lot more Brexit coverage throughout this hour. First up, though, my colleague Zain Asher is going to get you the very
latest on the other major stories that we are following for you. That is after this very short break. Back, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, everyone, you're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World. I'm Zain Asher. Welcome
back for you.
And we will have much more from London and our ongoing coverage of the historic referendum in the UK in a few minutes. But in the meantime,
here's a look at some of the other stories we are following. Security forces in Iraq are making a final push to rid Fallujah completely of ISIS.
ISIS is about to be holding out in just a few northern districts in that country -- in that city, rather. Our Ben Wedeman takes us to the front
lines in the fight to retake the city.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To save Fallujah from ISIS, Iraqi forces have destroyed vast expanses of this city,
block after block, one flattened building after another.
In military parlance, the city was "softened up" before the push into the center of Fallujah by days of heavy bombardment from land and air.
WEDEMAN: So we are in this Iraqi army Humvee, heading inside one of the neighborhoods in Southeast Fallujah. We have already heard small arms fire
crackling inside and also heard the thud of incoming artillery rounds. So we'll see what we find inside.
(voice-over): I asked the soldiers in the Humvee if daish -- the Arabic acronym for ISIS -- is still inside the city.
"No," responds Jesim (ph), a 12-year army veteran.
"There is no Daesh," and then qualifies his statement.
"There are pockets, one or two still fighting here and there."
The pockets, we soon discovered, were many and they seemed deep.
This is the Naza (ph) neighborhood in Central Fallujah. It was, until day before yesterday, under the control of ISIS.
Now we see lots of Iraqi troops and Humvees in this part of the town. What we are not seeing are any civilians.
(voice-over): This officer -- he asked to be called simply Abu Merien (ph) -- encountered civilians fleeing the fighting.
"They were in a bad way, exhausted," he says.
"They were suffering from lack of food and water."
Iraqi officials expected stiffer resistance in Fallujah, the first major city seized by ISIS 2.5 years ago. But Iraqi forces have managed to push
rapidly inside. Officers insist resistance is, at best, scattered.
"There's still a few snipers and we are dealing with them," says Yasin Badri (ph), "and soon, we will finish them off."
One group of fighters did manage to liberate an ISIS banner; the liberation of the city, however, is still a work in progress.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Fallujah.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Ben Wedeman joins us live now. He is back in Baghdad from Fallujah. So, just explain to us, how long is it going to take to weed out
those final pockets of resistance that ISIS is still holding out?
WEDEMAN: Zain, it could take some time. I mean, if you look at the previous experience of Iraqis forces when they've been able to retake
cities under ISIS control, the city of Ramadi, for instance, also in Anbar Province, that offensive began on the 25th of November. And it wasn't
really until the first week of February when they could say with complete confidence that the city was under complete control and ISIS had been
eliminated.
So, Fallujah is a bigger city than Ramadi. And it may take quite some time, several weeks, at least, before it is completely quiet and calm. And
it could take months given the level of destruction before people could actually begin to move back -- Zain.
ASHER: And of course after this, the next step is to move toward taking back Mosul, when do you think that will begin?
WEDEMAN: Well, there's lots of guessing, but at the moment, it's really difficult to say. Now, last week we did see a large armored column going
north on the road to Mosul. And the defense minister, Iraqi defense minister, told me that that was the plan, that that
column would join other Iraqi and Kurdish forces in the area to clear the villages and towns around Mosul before the final offensive. He said -- he
told me that ISIS in Iraq would be eliminated by the end of the year, that perhaps is somewhat optimistic, keeping in mind that Mosul has a
population, or had a population, of 2 million people. Fallujah, in comparison, at its height had a population of only 300,000. So that battle
is going to be particularly difficult.
Now American officials are in Iraq right now talking with Kurdish and other officials in
Baghdad to start the planning process, or discuss the plans under way to retake Mosul, but that's a much more difficult task. And as I said, nobody
really knows when the operations will begin.
In fact, they have already begun, Iraqi forces are taking towns and villages to the south of
Mosul, but the final push is probably months away.
ASHER: All right, so the final push is yet to begin, but focusing back on Fallujah, Ben, what's happening to those civilians who were based in
Fallujah who have been displaced now?
WEDEMAN: Many of them have been taken refuge in camps around Fallujajh and also outside
Baghdad. And we have been to some of these camps. And it's rough. I mean, these are out in the middle of the desert. There's very little in
the way of food and medicine and water, just the minimum. And according to one NGO that's working out there, there's one camp with more than 1,000
people with only one bathroom.
Now their situation as far as health goes is also a cause for concern. Keeping in mind, of course, that while ISIS was in control of Fallujah,
they didn't, for example, have a campaign of basic vaccinations that exists elsewhere in Iraq.
So the Iraqi government announced last night by Prime Minister Haider al- Abadi, is mobilizing it's resources, for instance, to vaccinate people against diseases like cholera and typhoid which are a real danger under the
conditions that many of these IDPs, and the people still stuck inside Fallujah, are threatened by -- Zain.
[11:25:37] ASHER: Yeah, it's not just about the offensive. We can't forget the humanitarian crisis that's ongoing right now.
Ben Wedeman live for us there. Thank you so much. Appreciate that.
All right, I want to bring you the other stories on our radar right now. Former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has been sentenced to life in
prison for espionage. A defense attorney says he will appeal the verdict. Although Morsi was democratically elected, he was then overthrown by the
military a few years ago in 2013.
A Syrian airforce jet crashed after taking off from an airport in Hama. A military source tells
Syrian state media it went down because of a technical problem. It's unclear now where the plane exactly went down and there is no word on
whether there are any casualties.
Rescuers in Indonesia are searching for 25 people missing in the wake of deadly storms, unusually heavy rains in central Java province triggered
massive flooding and landslides, which ended up burying dozens of homes. At least 35 people have been confirmed dead.
OK, in Belgium now, authorities say they've detained three men on terror related charges after police raids across the country. The raids came amid
possible threats to Belgium football fans who were planning to gather to watch the Euro 2016 games. Nine other people were also arrested,
questioned, and then released.
The Belgian prime minsiter says football related events will go on as planned, but with extra security.
CHARLES MICHEL, BELGIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The message that
we want to pass is one of determination, a message of serenity, a message of calm, all the scheduled events in the coming days will go on, with added
security measures or with adapted security measures.
So the message is that the security council as well as the security services, are extremely vigilant. We are monitoring the situation hour by
hour and we will continue to conduct this battle with great determination, this battle against extremism, radicalism and terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: And we are weeks away from the opening of the Olympic games. And it appears likely that no athletes from Russia will be throwing shotputs or
running sprints, that's because the track and field team has been barred from competition over a far reaching doping scandal. And Russia is of
course not very happy about it.
Here's our Matthew Chance with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Russian president has now condemned this unfair, a ban on Russian athletes
competing in the Rio Olympics.
Vladimir Putin was reacting to the decision of the IAAF, the world athletics governing body, which ruled on Friday that it could still not
trust Russia's anti-doping procedures. The Russian sports ministry has issued its own impassioned response as well, saying it was extremely
disappointed and that banning even clean Russian athletes from the Olympics would shatter their dreams.
IAAF officials, though, say the doping problems in Russia are so deep, it's not clear who is clean and who is not, something that's bound to anger the
many Russian athletes who have never tested positive for banned substances. Some have even vowed to mount a legal challenge amid growing public anger
at the Olympic ban.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's wrong when athletes use doping and banned substances and they probably think that everyone everywhere
takes it here. That's why they made this decision.
We do not understand them. And it's a pity that it happened, especially as some of our famous athletes just returned to sports and wanted to compete
in the Olympics.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): I view this decision as a violation of Russia's rights and a violation of our interest in sports. I completely
disagree with it. I will probably be crying all night.
CHANCE: But Russians still apparently believe they have a chance of convincing the International Olympic Committee, the IOC, to allow at least
some of its athletes to compete.
In a statement, the Russian sports ministry appealed to the IOC to consider not only the impact on athletes but also that the Olympics themselves will
be diminished by Russia's absence.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Live from CNN Center, this is Connect the World. Coming up next, what Hillary Clinton is doing now to increase her likability and Donald
Trump's plea for money.
Plus, the Brexit campaiging resumes first time since the murder of a British member of parliament. How Jo Cox's home district is remembering
her. that's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
[11:33:55] ASHER: All right, let's get you caught up on some U.S. politics now. Some Republican delegates are trying to block Donald Trump from
becoming their party's Republican presidential nominee. That's part of a coalition that wants to quote, unquote, Dump Trump at the party's
convention in July. But Trump, of course, is extremely confident. He does not seem to be worried.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, 2016 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is an insurgent group, you know, the same group that I beat is insurgent. There are a
couple of guys who are trying to go to Cleveland -- they're trying to get delegates. I thought they already tried that.
I mean, I could give you names, but I won't, because it's meaningless. First of all it's illegal, second of all you can't do it, third of all we -
- not me, we, got 14 million -- almost 14 million votes in the primary system. So that's more votes than ever received in the
primaries in the history of the Republican Party.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: I want to show you the scene at a rally yesterday where protesters actually blew up this giant inflatable mock-up dummy I guess of Trump at a
protest outside his rally in Arizona. This inflatable Trump, if you look closely there, is actually wearing what appears to be a Ku Klux Klan, KKK-
style, robe, standing next to a sign saying "Make America Hate Again." The anti-Trump movement is still in full effect there.
The race for the White House, as you know, has been extremely unusual when you consider the
fact that neither presumptive nominee is especially popular.
CNN's chief U.S. correspondent John King explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: Crooked Hillary.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Temperamentally unfit.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR, "INSIDE POLITICS": If you listen to the rhetoric on the campaign every day, it is rock-em, sock-em robots. Crooked Hillary,
dangerous Don. But if you're in a battleground state, turn on your TV. Hillary Clinton is on the air, and the ads, they're pretty soft.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For Hillary, it has always been about kids. And when millions couldn't get health care, this first lady worked with Republicans
and Democrats to fix it.
KING: Why is Hillary Clinton doing that? Well, here is one reason, she knows, both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have sky-high unfavorable
ratings. Record high. Fifty four percent of Americans in the latest Bloomberg poll say they view Hillary Clinton the presumptive Democratic
nominee unfavorably. They think they don't like her. Sixty six percent, two-thirds of Americans say, they view Donald Trump unfavorably. So, if
you're both of these candidates, five months to Election Day, you need to change this.
She is on the air with these soft ads saying Hillary cares about children, Hillary cares about health care. Hillary is fighting for you. And she is
doing it in important places, places like Colorado, places like Nevada, places like Ohio. Interestingly, North Carolina. Romney won that in 2012.
Obama won it in 2008. So, Hillary Clinton was on early advertising trying to stretch the map. We would like to show you a Donald Trump ad countering
that. But he is not running any. And that has a lot of Republicans frustrated.
55 percent of Americans right now say they have a favorable view of President Obama. That is pretty good. He is above water, if you will. Above
50 percent. If you put him on this chart, it would be 43 percent have an unfavorable view of President Obama. So, these are the two people who want
to replace this guy. He is doing okay. That tells you, these two have a lot of work to do. So, if you are watching this election, one of the questions
you get a lot when you travel to countries, what about the libertarians? What about some third party candidacy? Is that possible? Because as we just
noted, these two candidates dislikes so much.
It's a problem for her, it's a crisis for him. We are in that very critical phase right now. And again, the Clinton campaign has unity in the party,
has resources in the bank. He's beginning to use those resources to try to change these bad numbers. And a lot of Republicans were saying, Mr. Trump,
Mr. Trump, you have to do things differently. His answer has been, I did it in this way in the primaries and it worked for me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:37:58] ASHER: That was our John King reporting there.
In the meantime, Trump's campaign actually released an emergency fundraising email Saturday
after Hillary Clinton's campaign had its very first general election attack ad earlier this week. The message from Mr. Trump actually read, "right now
we have facing an emergency goal of $100,000 to help get our ads on the air. We need your contribution by 11:59 p.m. tonight. Crooked Hillary" --
as he likes to call her -- "is about to invade your TV with ads attacking Mr. Trump, but we are prepared to fight back."
The urgent email is particularly notable because Mr. Trump has repeatedly over and over again insisted that he is self-funding his campaign, hmm.
Four more days to go before Britain votes on whether or not to stay or leave the European Union. I want to go back now to our Becky Anderson who
is in London for us.
So, Becky, as he was discussing earlier, the tone of the campaigning has become more muted and that is of course appropriate. But it could indeed
become more and more aggressive as Thursday approaches.
ANDERSON: Yeah, I think so, Zain.
As we mentioned earlier in the show, we've seen a lot more of a muted tone coming from both sides of this Brexit debate since campaigning resumed
today all out of respect for Jo Cox, of course, who was murdered on Thursday last week.
I want to bring in Jonathan Gibbs at this point, the Church of England bishop of Huddersfield. He's been in Birstall with Nic. This is the Right
Reverend Jonathan Gibbs.
And thank you, sir, for joining us.
I know that you spoke to my colleague Richard Quest just about 24 hours ago, and you have
discussed the atmosphere and how people are remembering Jo and how they have been affected. So, 24 hours on, how would you describe the scene and
the atmosphere there now?
[11:40:01] RIGHT REV. JONATHAN GIBBS, CHURCH OF ENGLAND: Well, I think the scene here in the town is as if life is beginning to return to normal in
some ways. There has been a steady stream of people here at the memorial and all of our churches in the area have reported something of an increase
in people attending this morning.
But I think many people are taking pause to reflect probably on their own at home and talking with friends.
ANDERSON: I spoke to Nic earlier on who's been reporting from there. And we were discussing how Jo's death has affected the way that people perceive
this campaign. How do you think you would describe that and whether things are changed since her murder?
GIBBS: Obviously over the last day or two, things have been on hold. And no one has been campaigning. And it's going to be very interesting to see
how that resumes from now on. I was in a church not too far away from here this morning. And I think the expectation of people there, and the hope
from people there, is that the rhetoric is going to be much more moderate, that people will speak passionately about the issues. But also speak with
greater respect of one another.
ANDERSON: And would you agree that the rhetoric has been really quite divisive, some have described it as vile when it comes to the issue of
immigration. And there's been sort of tagged up or sort of run it up, hasn't it, with the Brexit campaign. And do you think that's fair?
GIBB: I think there's been concern about the nature of political rhetoric in this country for some time. That was certainly the case at the last
general election. And that's been focused even more during the referendum campaign.
Obviously, because it's in or out, it really does polarize opinion one way or another. But I think Jo's death, whether it is connected with a wider
debate or not, certainly has focused in people's minds the importance that if we're going to nurture a healthy democracy in this country, we do need
to think carefully about how we speak to one another.
ANDERSON: Yeah. And I know that you've been speaking to people in the community. I know that you've been speaking to Jo's family.
What do you think that her legacy, they would want her legacy to be, sir?
GIBBS: Well, I think everybody speaks of Jo in incredibly positive terms. The bravery of her family and their dignity at this time has been
absolutely amazing. Jo already in the 15 months she was MP began to make a significant contribution, in particular in the areas that concern her with
regard to the vulnerable in the world and in particular the flight of refugees.
I think her family, as they've said themselves, are very keen that we should build on that legacy and take the positive commitment that Jo
brought to politics forward in terms of those issues taht she's cared so passionately about.
ANDERSON: Right. And stay with me, becuase I think we do have just a statement that Kim, her sister, read on the family's behalf. And let's
just have a listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIM LEADBEATER, JO COX'S SISTER: There's some things in life you should never have to do. Last night, I had to go and identify my sister's body.
Yes, this was Jo Cox MP. And she was many things to many people in her too short life, but she was my sister, my only sibling, her parents' first-born
child, a wife and a mom.
This is a really surreal situation. My parents and my partner and I are quite private people, and Jo, in true character, the public respected our
wish to remain out of the public eye. But I could not continue to watch the overwhelming outpouring of genuine grief, sympathy and love that there
has been since this horrendous incident occurred without speaking on behalf of Jo's family.
From a very young age, all Jo ever wanted was for everyone to be happy. We were brought up to see the positive in everything and everyone, and have
endeavored to do so all our lives.
Our parents instilled into us a real glass half full mentality. And whilist I sometimes tend to add a large measure of Yorkshire cynicism to
this, Jo generally did not. She only saw the good.
We have to continue with strength and solidarity in the days, months and years to come. That's Jo's legacy.
And to focus on, as Jo would say, that which unites us and not which divides us.
For now our family is broken. But we will mend over time. And we will never let Jo leave our lives. She will live on through all (inaudible) in
the world. Through Brendan, through us, and through her truly wonderful children who will always know what an utterly amazing woman their mother
was.
She was a human being. And she was perfect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That was Jo's sister.
I have the Right Reverend Gibbs still with me. And, sir, what has been evident over recent weeks has been the sort of ratcheting up of rhetoric
and divisive language as we've been discussing associated with the leave campaign, its tactics been very much the focus on what has been the sort of
highly contentious issue of immigration.
Would you be disappointed after what we've seen as been the sort of lull in the rhetoric, as it were, would you be disappointed to see the ratcheting
up of that once again and this sort of -- this aggressive rhetoric going forward, given that we still have four-and-a-half, five days of campaigning
to go.
GIBBS: I would indeed personally be very disappointed to see that. And it's my estimation that the British public with their huge sense of
fairness would be -- would react very badly to that. Just to be very clear, that rhetoric has been ratcheted up on all sides of the debate.
And I would certainly hope -- and I think most of the people in this country -- would hope that
the debate will be conducted in a more civilized manner over the coming days in Jo's honor.
ANDERSON: And with -- and with that, we'll leave it there. We thank you very much indeed for joining us.
Well, that's it, viewers, for our Brexit coverage from London state. We'll be here all week long covering the referendum.
We'll be in London, 7:00 p.m. in Abu Dhabi, of course. I'm going to hand it over to Zain
Asher to bring you more news after this short break. Don't go away. And stay with us all week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Right, you're watching CNN and this is Connect the World. I'm Zain Asher. Welcome back.
Game 7 of the NBA finals tips off in just a few hours from now. And it looks to be just as heated and high stakes as far as finals go.
Steph Curry has MVP, the Golden State Warriors, this far yet again. But on game six, he
flared up, frustrated and he got thrown out.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are hungry. Their city, get this, has not won a major championship in any sport in more than five decades, that's way back
in the 1960s And the Cavs have clawed their way back from three losses.
Let's go now to World Sport's Don Riddell. He joins us live now from Atlanta.
So, this would be historic no matter who wins?
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah, I can't tell you what's going to happen, but I can guarantee you that it will be historic.
Well, look, I can give you a hint as to who might win. I mean, historically, statistically, game 7s have by far and away gone in favor of
the home team, 15-3. So the Warriors certainly have a massive, massive advantage tonight.
But let's look at the history and how it's going to play out. So, of course, the Warriors have had a phenomenal regular season, an historic
regular season winning 73 games, losing only nine. That was better than the Chicago Bulls team of the mid-1990s. But, of course, that kind of
means nothing if you don't end up with a title at the end of it. And they always knew that.
So here they are with this chance to go for a second consecutive title tonight. And they kind of need it to validate this historic season they've
already had.
On the other hand, the Cavaliers have clawed their way back from 3-1 down in the series. Nobody in NBA finals history has ever come back from 3-1
down to win it. So, that would be historic if they can see it through tonight.
But I think probably more importantly, and the thing they really care about amongst the Cavaliers fans, and certainly back home in the city of
Cleveland, is this extraordinary statistic you have already given us, 1964 was the last time that any big sports team from Cleveland won anything.
ASHER: So, they are hungry;
RIDDELL: It is -- I mean, they're desperate. I mean, it's been an absolutely nightmarish drought. It's -- you know, they have become the
butt of jokes nationally here because of their fame here in the sporting arena.
ASHER: LeBron James has played so well. He's played phenomenally. So, he could actually get MVP even if the team loses.
RIDDELL: Yeah. I mean, that's going to be of no comfort to him if that's the way it plays out. But that is certainly an indication of how well he's
been playing. I mean, the last two games when they had to dig themselves out of that hole, he's scored 41 points in both of those games. He has
absolutely put this team on his back, as he has done for so many years.
You talk about who is kind of really feeling the pressure and who is really motivated, of course, James wants to get it done. That's why he came back
to his hometown from Miami to try and help them win this title. But if it goes wrong for him again tonight, then his personal record in the finals is
going to be 2-4, winning two, losing four. He'll be 0-3 with Cleveland. I mean, that is not a legacy that he wants at all.
So, you know, that he's going to be motivated. But, you know, the Warriors are feeling the pressure, too. I mean, we saw Steph Curry in the last
game, you know...
ASHER: Throwing his mouthpiece.
RIDDELL: Throwing his mouthpiece...
ASHER: It hit a fan.
RIDDELL: Yeah, being ejected as a result. I mean, that's not the Steph Curry we're used to seeing. He seems to be usually such a cool, calm
customer and phenomenal shot maker and this amazing player that we've really all growing to enjoy watching over the last couple of years.
So, we're not used to seeing that side of Steph Curry. It was the first time he'd been ejected all season.
But I think it's going to be a terrific game. And we'll see.
ASHER: And TV ratings are expected to be huge for this?
RIDDELL: Well, there's so much interest. I mean you've got the two best players in the game right now going head to head. Of course, James really
the best player of his generation and you've got Steph Curry in the last couple of years who -- I wouldn't say he's come from nowhere. He's always
been a good player, but with the success of the Warriors in the last two years, he really has achieved global fame because he's just such a
thoroughly entertaining guy to watch.
So, you're absolutely right. Huge interest in this for all of the reasons we've just discussed.
ASHER: Yeah. And Golden State, though, do have that home team advantage. We'll see what happens.
Don Riddell, live for us there. Thank you so much. Appreciate that.
And coming up, we don't typically report on eighth grade graduation speeches, but this kid is different. Hear why he is going viral, coming up
after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:55:06] ASHER: You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World. Welcome back. I'm Zain Asher.
A middle school valedictorian in the United States brought Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders to his graduation ceremony, well, kind
of. Here's our Jeanne Moos explaining.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He may not have the polish of a professional impersonator...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the bigger hands.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't really like people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All our nukes are huge.
MOOS (voice-over): But 14-year-old Jack Aiello gave a hugely popular graduation speech at his suburban Chicago middle school. It began in the
voice and with the gestures of Donald Trump.
TRUMP: We are going to start winning on every front. We're going to win so much.
JACK AIELLO, 8TH GRADER: We will win and we will win and, believe me, we will win.
MOOS (voice-over): Jack even pounced on how Trump pronounces...
AIELLO: China.
TRUMP: China.
China.
China.
China.
China.
China.
China.
China. China.
MOOS (voice-over): Jack then detoured briefly to Ted Cruz.
SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: God bless the great state of Maine.
AIELLO: God bless the great school of (inaudible).
MOOS (voice-over): In response to which Cruz tweeted, "OK, this kid is funny."
He then dabbled in cross-gender impersonation.
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to run a campaign of unity, a campaign of inclusivity.
AIELLO: And they've given us the skills we need to get through 6th grade and from 7th grade and through 8th grade.
MOOS (voice-over): Jack's dad says his son wants to be either president or a comedian.
(on camera): But Jack really went on a roll when he started talking about the school's cinnamon rolls in the voice of Bernie Sanders.
AIELLO: Let me start with the lunches. They are delicious. And some of the best cinnamon rolls I've ever tasted. We need to make them free. What we
need is a cinnamon roll revolution.
MOOS (voice-over): Just as long as they aren't Communist rolls made in...
TRUMP: China.
MOOS (voice-over): -- Jeanne Moos...
AIELLO: China.
MOOS (voice-over): -- CNN...
TRUMP: Hey, by the way, I love China.
MOOS (voice-over): -- New York.
AIELLO: I love China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: I see in Emmy in that kid's future.
OK, well, the Connect the World team is always looking for many stories -- more than we can actually fit into the show. Check out the other things
that we are following. Just go to our Facebook page, that's Facebook.com/CNNconnect. And you can also get in touch with me directly on
Twitter. Tweet me @ZainAsher. I am a Twitter addict. And I will try my best to respond to all of you.
All right, I'm Zain Asher, and that was Connect the World. Thank you so much for watching. You're watching CNN.
END
