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Gunman Opened Fire at Cinema House in Germany; Office Caesar Goodson Not Guilty of All Charges in Freddie Gray Death; Colombia's president and Leader of FARQ to Sign Ceasefire; Fighting Continues in Fallujah. Aired 11:27a-12p ET

Aired June 23, 2016 - 11:27   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(CNN DOMESTIC SIMULCAST) [11:27:42] BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Let's leave our colleagues there in the U.S. for the time being, and we begin our coverage here.

Top story, of course, out of Germany: German public television reporting that a gunman has opened fire at a cinema house. It happened in the

western town of Viernheim, which is near Frankfurt. At least 25 people are reported injured.

Dutan Raqal (ps)is the Editor-In-Chief of (Inaudible) and joins us on the line. Sir, at this point, what do we know?

DUTAN RAQAL, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, via telephone: Hi, Becky. Well as of now what we have heard from authorities in the particular state, from the

Interior Minister actually, is that the shooter is dead; he was shot by a special police unit. The unit is specialized in hostage and

counterterrorism situation. He was shot while they tried to arrest him and there were 25 injured.

From what we hear from our sources, is that he maybe has not used live ammunition but a blank gun and those high number of injuries, between 25

and 50, were probably caused by some sort of gas, CS gas, or something like pepper spray. So that people weren't actually shot, but that high number

comes from using gas within that cinema complex.

ANDERSON: And clearly, at this point, absolutely no indication as to what the motive may have been, correct?

RAQAL: That is correct; we don't know about the shooter yet. What we can say from the first things we hear about how he was equipped, that he may

have used some sort of, as I said gas, CS gas, tear gas, something like that, and that it may have been blank and that it doesn't -- for now it

doesn't really seem in line with terrorist attacks we've seen in Europe in the past. Those people were much better equipped. They used assault

rifles. They used explosives. All of that, as of now, wasn't used in this situation.

So from what we think now, it doesn't really look like an act of serious terrorism; but we don't know the identity or his motive.

ANDERSON: All right; we at this point will leave it there. We thank you very much indeed for joining us.

You're watching CNN. This is "Connect the World," live with me, Becky Anderson, out of London. We will get you the other top stories this hour

after this short break; stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:32:34] ANDERSON: And an update on our news out of Germany where sources say a gunman is dead after an incident at a cinema house that

happened in the western town of Viernheim, which is near Frankfurt. Reports suggest a number of injuries may have been sustained as a result of

tear gas. As we get more on that we will bring it to you, of course.

Moving on; a conflict that's lasted more than 50 years and cost more than 200,000 lives may be closer to ending. Colombia's president and the leader

of the FARQ rebel group are scheduled to sign a ceasefire agreement next hour. Now, that announcement came during talks in Havana. It is seen as

the last big step towards a permanent peace deal.

For more, let's bring in CNN's Senior Latin American Affairs Editor Rafael Romo from Atlanta. What do you know about this at this point? I mean,

this would be historic?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Yes, definitely historic and the ceasefire, Becky, the agreement was announced Wednesday

and both parties are supposed to sign it today, actually in about a half hour, in

Havana.

The Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, better known as FARC, have been negotiating a peace deal in the Cuban

capitol for more than three years. Today's ceasefire agreement is expected to be signed by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, Timoleon Jimenez,

he's the FARC top commander known as "Timochenko." Also at the ceremony will be Presidents Raul Castro of Cuba, Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela and

Chile's Michele Bachelet also expected to attend the ceremony. Also, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is expected to attend.

Becky, just to put it in perspective, if a final peace deal is reached it would put an end to 52 years of civil war in Colombia, one of the longest

armed conflicts in the world.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia were formed in 1964 as a peasant rebel army to repel government attacks but in later decades became an

extremely violent guerrilla movement. You may remember the '80s perpetrating terrorist attacks, kidnapping high-profile -

ANDERSON: Right.

ROMO: -- government officials and getting into, as many people know, drug trafficking as well.

Over the years, it's estimated that war between the FARC and the Colombian [11:35:01] government has left around 220,000 dead people in the last 52

years, Becky.

ANDERSON: So why now? Why have they agreed to lay their arms down now?

ROMO: The guerrilla group is really running out of options. The support among the peasants that used to constitute their main recruiting force is

dwindling over the years; and also we have to bring into the equation the support, the help, the military assistance that the United States has given

Colombia, especially with (inaudible) Colombia in the early 2000's, that weakened the FARC extremely.

So it is the time that the leaders probably feel to try to come up with a better solution to stop the armed conflict -- also when it comes to the

fact that they are losing a lot of their numbers, maybe, maybe they're now in a position to talk about peace with the Colombian government.

ANDERSON: Rafael, always a pleasure; thank you, sir.

ROMO: Thank you.

ANDERSON: Right here in the U.K., after months of campaigning, countless speeches and endless photo ops, the all-important day has arrived. Right

now (inaudible) making a monumental choice whether to stay in or get out of the European Union. A record 46.5 million people are registered to weigh

in.

Let's bring in our Nima Elbagir, who is just outside of a polling station for us in North London. Nima, voting ends around 10:00 local time, about

six hours to go; it's been a busy day?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, via telephone: Not as busy as you would expect given the record number of registered voters,

some 45.6 million people; that's 84-percent of those eligible to vote in this referendum went ahead and registered. We're not really seeing that on

the ground here and that has been the concern since the polls opened.

We've had torrential downpours; in fact, one of the reasons I'm talking to you on the phone is it's actually disrupted our live broadcast. That's how

bad the weather has been today. Flooding, polling suspended at some stations. Given how much is at stake here, how emotive this campaign has

been, it's got both sides of this question very much biting down on their fingernails.

So much is at stake in an issue that really affects not just Great Britain's place in the European Union but Great Britain's place on the

international stage. This is a defining referendum for Britain identity, for what will make modern Britain and to have it derailed by rainfall,

thunderstorms, it's really been quite difficult.

Some people are making it out here, I have to say; but we're not seeing the cues that were predicted, Becky.

ANDERSON: Thank you, Nima. Stay tuned to CNN all day for what is our special coverage of this historic referendum. Our reporters based here in

London and around Europe and beyond will bring you the big name interviews, the latest results and global reaction throughout the night. Plus, you can

find much more of this on our special section of the website, that's CNN.com/UKreferendum.

Some of the other stories on our radar today: the murder of one of Pakistan's most well-known Sufi singer's is prompting an outpouring of

grief. Amjad Sabri was gunned down on Wednesday in the southern city of Karachi. A Taliban faction has claimed responsibility for that attack.

A U.S. judge has found a Baltimore police officer not guilty of all charges in the death of Freddie Gray. Caesar Goodson was driving the police van

where Gray suffered a fatal spinal cord injury, the charges including second-degree murder.

Activists say air strikes in the de facto ISIS capitol of Raqqa killed 34 civilians, 150 others are injured. The activists blame Russia for the air

strikes. The U.S. backed forces and Russian backed Syrian forces are making separate pushes against ISIS in and around Raqqa Province.

Well, in Iraq, just days after the government declared Fallujah free of ISIS the fighting there goes on and people are desperate to flee. Ben

Wedeman has more on the battle for the city and humanitarian crisis that it has created.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Syrian hot dusty winds blow through the camp now home to thousands who escaped Fallujah.

Conditions here are dire, dozens crammed together for a bit of shade.

A sudden influx of tens of thousands flee the city has overwhelmed the camp set up by the Iraqi Government. More than 80,000 have come, and more are

expected. Supplies of water and food are running low; many are sleeping outside on the desert floor.

[11:40:02] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "We hope to go home as soon as possible," says this man. "This is a bad place. Tomorrow there will be sand storms;

all the children will become ill."

WEDEMAN: It may be a while before he can return home. Street by street, fighting still rages inside Fallujah; and while ISIS may have been driven

from many areas, the bombs remain.

SERGEANT YOUSEF: "All of these houses are booby-trapped," says Sergeant Yousef. "They don't leave any house without first rigging it with

explosives."

WEDEMAN: On the edges of the city we met Abdel-Wahaab al-Saadi, head of Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Services; he's directing the battle, and even he

qualifies claims the city has been liberated from ISIS.

ABDEL-WAHAAB AL-SAADI, COMMANDER, IRAQI COUNTER-TERRORISM SERVICES, via translator: "If some officials said that Fallujah has been liberated," he

says, "they've meant we've reached the city center, the government complex. The battle of Fallujah has been clinched, but there are still some pockets

of resistance."

WEDEMAN: Through the rubble-strewn roads of Fallujah we went to one of the city's main hospitals; the heavy gunfire nearby yet another reminder, if

one was need, that the battle isn't over yet.

This is the entrance to Fallujah's teaching hospital; incidentally, it was also the command and control center for ISIS. Now we've come in here, the

soldiers say they've cleared this particular area of IEDs. They said there were ten in here. However, if you just go down the hall, it's no longer

safe.

And it will be some time before Fallujah is safe, and even longer before its residents can move back to the ruins that was their city.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Fallujah.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: You are watching CNN; this is "Connect the World" with me, Becky Anderson, live from London for you this week. We'll be back after this

very short break. Don't go away; more after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back; this is "Connect the World," with me, Becky Anderson, out of London for you this week, and we're going to do some

futbol. The group stages are complete, the Final 16 are set and the knockout stages now await Europe's best of the Euro 2016 Futbol Tournament.

One big surprise in the lineup? Iceland, the smallest ever nation to have qualified for the European championship, made it through to the knockouts

after scoring what was a dramatic late goal against Austria. Have a listen and look at how this Icelandic Futbol commentator lost it in the stands

when that goal was scored.

[Clip of Iceland's scoring drive aired]

[11:45:14] ANDERSON: He's just went completely nuts, didn't he; the emotion of it all.

As we countdown to the next round let's speak to CNN "World Sport's" Christina Macfarlane. The group charges, of course, have now concluded.

What have been your key takeaways today?

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the key takeaways for me have definitely been the focus on just what a success this expanded

tournament has been. We started with 24 teams; we're now down to 16. Many said it would dilute the tournament, that it was going to be too drawn out

but what it's actually done is made it more watchable. Every game has had something riding on it because they've had to compete for, not just the

first and second places, but third place as well.

I think the other takeaway has been theme of the tournament, if you like: the late goals. We've seen so many. We saw two yesterday in that Iceland

game and the Ireland game. There's been, actually, 17 in the tournament so far in the 84th minute or afterwards. It's just been an extraordinary -

ANDERSON: That what makes the games so well worth sticking with because I have to say, there have been a couple occasions I've been like, come on.

But, when late goals roll in -- look, let's get to the round of 16 then. An incredibly lopsided draw it has to be said with almost all the big

fashions in the bottom half of the draw. Does this open the way for a big surprise, do you think, as we go forward?

MACFARLANE: Well it certainly opens the way for a potential first-time finalist, if Portugal don't go further in the competition. You're right,

Becky; the fact that we've had to play out for these third positions in the tournament has led to the lopsided draw. It's not something we've seen

before. we've got five of the teams in that bottom side of the draw with 20 major titles between them and none in the top part of the draw.

Now I would fancy Croatia from that top side to go through because they've been spectacular throughout the tournament. But as for the bottom side,

well, I think England will be shaking their heads and looking on rather nervously.

The first big matchup, of course, is going to come on Monday. We've got Italy against Spain, and the winner of that could go on to face Germany.

ANDERSON: Which players do you think will come out of this looking fantastic, because at the end of the day, as we're in the summer and we get

into the transfer sort of season, this is sort of -- this is the boys marketing their wears, effectively -

MACFARLANE: Exactly.

ANDERSON: -- and there's always a couple of big stars you never heard of before.

MACFARLANE: There are, and actually there's been a few who have stood out, even now, just after the group stages. The one for me that everyone's been

talking about is Evan Perisic, who plays for Croatia. Now he scored the late goal to defeat Spain on Tuesday, 2-1. He's been such a star, not one

we've thought of but he's been a kind of talisman of that Croatian side.

The other player, Dimitri Payet. I think he's also been -- we always knew he was going to be one of the stars coming into the competition, but he's

set the tournament alive for the word go for the French team. We're going to see more to come from him.

On the flip side, I don't know, I think we still got more to come from the big names as well. Christiane Aldo and Gareth Bayle.

ANDERSON: Yes, one would - well, I mean, Gareth has done pretty well to date, but hope we see more from him as well. Is it Payed or Payet? I can

never work it out.

MACFARLANE: Potato, potato. I always say Payet.

ANDERSON: This is the commentators telling me to say Payet, but I've got a feeling it might be Payet; you're absolutely right. Good stuff; thank you.

That's your futbol for you.

it has become such an exciting tournament, this one; leaving it here. Not a great soccer fan? You've got to buy into the sort of stories that we're

seeing, like little Iceland, you know, the ultimate underachiever, now about to play the ultimate -- the ultimate underdogs about to play the

underachievers in England; right.

This is CNN "Connect the World" live from London. We will be back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:50:28] ANDERSON: You're watching CNN and "Connect the World" with me, Becky Anderson; this week out of London for you.

One day after North Korea claimed it conducted a successful missile test, South Korea corroborated the story, warning the launch shows that Pyongyang

has, and I quote them, "significantly improved its missile engine technology."

CNN's Paula Hancocks reports from Seoul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, via satellite: North Korea is claiming a great success, putting its leader Kim Jong-un front and center. State-

run media is staying that the leader guided a test-fire of an intermediate- range missile and they say that it flew about 400 kilometers, that's around 250 miles; the same distance that U.S. and South Korean officials agree

that the second of two Musudan missiles flew on Wednesday morning. In fact, one U.S. official says it actually entered space before re-entering

the earth's atmosphere.

But in these images you can see that there is clearly jubilation in North Korea. Kim Jong-un looks delighted, even hugging one of the men around him

at one point. He's quoted as saying he can now attack Americans in the Pacific in an overall and practical way.

Now testing has been fast and furious of this missile, six attempts since April. North Korea is trying to perfect a delivery system for a nuclear

weapon that it has already claimed to have miniaturized, although how far along exactly he is in this process is not known for sure.

One North Korean official currently in Beijing for a forum also attended by U.S. and South Korean officials conveyed her country's pride at this

missile, that they call Hwasong 10.

CHOE SONHUI, GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF U.S. AFFAIRS, NORTH KOREAN FOREIGN MINISTRY, via translator: "We are very happy. The Hwasong-10 means

our transportation method has clearly succeeded. This means we can now confidently deal with whatever nuclear war the U.S. forces on us.

HANCOCKS: Washington, Seoul and Tokyo all strongly condemning the missile launch. South Korean military saying that they have significantly improved

on this technology. It really shows that the leader Kim Jong-un is clearly undeterred by ongoing condemnation, by the recent sanctions, at least up

until this point, and he's staying true to his word he will continue to test and improve his nuclear and missile program.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: With the Rio Olympics now just six weeks away, it seems Brazil is having a hard time staying out of the headlines for all the wrong

reasons. In the past few days alone, we've had a Paralympian robbed at gunpoint and a hospital shooting.

Let's go now to the States, where President Obama is speaking at the White House.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, via satellite: -- Diversity is an important value in our society and that this country should provide a high quality

education to all our young people, regardless of their background. We are not a country that guarantees equal outcomes, but we do strive to provide

an equal shot to everybody and that's what was upheld today.

Second, one of the reasons why America is such a diverse and inclusive nation is because we're a nation of immigrants. Our founders conceived

this country as a refuge for the world, and for more than two centuries welcoming wave after wave of immigrants has kept us youthful and dynamic

and entrepreneurial. It has shaped our character and it has made us stronger but for more than two decades now our immigration system,

everybody acknowledges, has been broken. The fact that the Supreme Court wasn't able to issue a decision today doesn't just set the system back even

further, it takes us further from the country that we aspire to be.

Just to lay out some basic facts that sometimes get lost in what can be an emotional debate: since I took office, we've deployed more border agents

and technology to our southern border than ever before. That has helped cut illegal border crossings to their lowest levels since the 1970s. It should

have paved the way for comprehensive immigration reform and, in fact, as many of you know, it almost did.

Nearly 70 Democrats and Republicans in the Senate came together to pass a smart, commonsense bill that would have doubled the border patrol and

offered undocumented immigrants a pathway to earn citizenship if they paid a fine, [11:55:02] paid their taxes, and played by the rules.

Unfortunately, Republicans in the House of Representatives refused to allow a simple "yes" or "no" vote on that bill. So, I was left with little

choice but to take steps within my existing authority to make our immigration system smarter, fairer and more just.

Four years ago we announced those who are our lowest priorities for enforcement: diligent, patriotic, young dreamers, who grew up pledging

allegiance to our flag, should be able to apply to work here and study here and pay their taxes here. More than 730,000 lives have been changed as a

result. These are students. They're teachers. They're doctors. They're lawyers. They're Americans in every way but on paper, and fortunately,

today's decision does not affect this policy. It does not affect the existing dreamers.

Two years ago, we announced a similar, expanded approach for others who are also low priority foreign enforcement. We said if you've been in America

for more than five years, with children who are American citizens or legal residents, then you too can come forward, get right with the law and work

in the country temporarily without fear of deportation.

Both were the kinds of actions taken by republican and democratic presidents over the past half century. Neither granted anybody a free

pass. All they did was focus our enforcement resources, which are necessarily limited, on the highest priorities, convicted criminals, recent

border crossers and threats to our national security.

As disappointing as it was to be challenged for taking the kind of actions that other administrations have taken, the country was looking to the

Supreme Court to resolve the important legal questions raised in this case. Today, the Supreme Court was unable to reach a decision. This is part of

the consequence of the Republican failures, so far, to give a fair hearing to Mr. Merrick Garland, my nominee to the Supreme Court. It means that the

expanded set of commonsense Deferred Action policies, the ones that I announced two years ago can't go forward at this stage, until a ninth

justice on the court to break the tie.

I know a lot of people are going to be disappointed today but it is important to understand what today means. The Deferred Action policy that

has been in place the last four years is not affected by this ruling. Enforcement priorities developed by my administration are not affected by

this ruling. This means that the people who might have benefited from the expanded Deferred Action policies, long-term residents, raising children

who are Americans or legal residents, they will remain low priorities for enforcement.

As long as you have not committed a crime our limited immigration resources are not focused on you but, today's decision is frustrating to those who

seek to grow our economy and bring a rationality to our immigration system and to allow people to come out of the shadows and lift this perpetual

cloud on them. I think it is heartbreaking for the millions of immigrants who made their lives here, who have raised families here, who hoped for the

opportunity to work, pay taxes, serve in our military and more fully contribute to this country, we all love, in an open way.

So, where do we go from here? Most Americans, including business leaders, faith leaders and law enforcement, Democrats and Republicans and

Independents, still agree that the single best way to solve this problem is by working together to pass commonsense bipartisan immigration reform.

That is obviously not going to happen during the remainder of this Congress. We don't have a Congress that agrees with us on this, nor do we

have a Congress that's willing to do its most basic of jobs under the Constitution, which is to consider nominations.

Republicans in Congress, currently, are willfully preventing the Supreme Court from being fully staffed and functioning as our founders intended;

and today's situation underscores the degree to which the Court is not able to function the way it's supposed to. The Court's inability to reach a

decision in this case, is a very clear reminder of why it's so important for the Supreme Court to have a full bench.

For more than 40 years, there has been an average of just over two months between a nomination and a hearing. I nominated Judge Merrick Garland to

the Supreme Court more than three months ago but most Republicans, so far, refused to even meet with him.

END