Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Coast To Coast Protest In The U.S. Over Family Separations; New President To Be Chosen Amid Violence; Divers Close In On Possible Location Of Missing Team; Crowd Defies Ban On Istanbul Pride March; Trump Asks Saudi's For Huge Boost In Crude Output; Messi, Ronaldo Ousted On Same Day. Aired 11-12p ET
Aired July 01, 2018 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:00:00] IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Ivan Watson at CNN's worldwide
headquarters sitting in for Becky Anderson today. From San Francisco to Chicago, Atlanta, to New York, and hundreds of other cities in between,
thousands of marchers braved the scorching summer heat to express their outrage over the Trump administration's zero-tolerance immigration policy.
They marched for miles, Saturday with this message to the White House, families belong together and it's time for action. Now, President Trump,
he signed an executive order to reverse the separation policy last week but critics say it's taking far too long to reunite families. Across the U.S.,
activists, Hollywood stars, and potential 2020 presidential candidates joined those protestors. Here's CNN's Polo Sandoval.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These are the rallying cries heard across the country Saturday. Protesters led by immigrant rights groups
marching in masses with a message for President Trump to eliminate his zero-tolerance policy calling for the prosecution of people crossing the
border illegally.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The thought that my own family would have difficulty coming across the border if they needed to seek asylum for any reason
chills me to the bone.
SANDOVAL: In New York, a mile and a half march from Manhattan to Brooklyn. A symbolic moment the head of the field paused in the middle of a Brooklyn
Bridge looking towards Lady Liberty reciting the Pledge of Allegiance
AMERICAN CROWD: I pledge allegiance to my Flag -- indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
SANDOVAL: Speakers of podiums from coast-to-coast demanding children be reunited with their parents.
LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA, CREATOR OF HAMILTON: We're here because there's parents right now who can't sing lullabies to their kids.
ALICIA KEYS, SINGER: This is all of our fight because if it can happen to any child, it can happen to my child and your child, and all of our
children.
SANDOVAL: In the nation's capital, a 12-year-old daughter of an undocumented family sent a message to children still in the care of the
government.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to tell kids at the border and all over the country not to give up and fight for their families. We are all humans. I
deserve to be loved and cared for. We are children.
SANDOVAL: Fiery Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren also spoke to the masses in Massachusetts.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D), MASSACHUSETTS: This is about babies in all across this country. This is about mamas who want their children back.
President Trump seems to think that's the only way to have immigration rules is to rip parents from their families, is to treat rape victims and
refugees like terrorists and to put children in cages.
SANDOVAL: Trump signed an executive order last week reversing his administration's practice of separating families but more than 2,000
children are still waiting to be reunited with their parents. Though protests across the country remain peaceful, first responders in Washington
treated dozens of demonstrators for heat-related emergencies.
AMERICAN CROWD: The people united will never be defeated.
SANDOVAL: For some marchers, their protest isn't over. They plan to make their voice heard come November during Midterm Elections.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want people who want to come here who want refuge in our country to know that there are many, many citizens of the U.S. who
do not agree with what is going on now.
SANDOVAL: Polo Sandoval, CNN New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: President Trump opted to spend his weekend at his New Jersey Golf Resort. But if his goal was to avoid the immigration protests by leaving
Washington, that did not work. We're not sure if he's hit the links yet but he is getting in a lot of tweeting and were also told he's mulling over
his Supreme Court pick. Sara Westwood has more from near the President's Club.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Trump spent the weekend herein Bedminster working on filling the Supreme Court vacancy that
retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy will soon lead. He had conversations with his White House Counsel Don McGahn over the weekend about potential
candidates to fill that vacancy, but outside his Golf Resort people were protesting his administration's unpopular zero-tolerance immigration policy
as they did in cities around the country. The same against the backdrop of growing calls on the left to abolish immigration and customs enforcement,
an agency that had involvement in implementing Trump's policy of separating families at the southern border. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of
Massachusetts was one of many Democrats who joined calls to abolish ICE this weekend. Take a listen
[11:05:13] WARREN: The President's deeply immoral actions has made it obvious, we need to rebuild our immigration system from top to bottom
starting by replacing ICE with something that reflects our morality.
WESTWOOD: Now, President Trump responded on Twitter by defending ICE and saying that Democrats who oppose the agency actually oppose border
security. Democrats have obstructed some immigration reform in Congress, President Trump backed away from his previous support of immigration reform
in the House this weekend claiming he never supported a bill that he actually pushed for quite aggressively. Sarah Westwood, CNN near
Bedminster, New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: OK, I want to get some analysis now from Julian Zelizer in New York. He's a historian and professor at Princeton University. Thanks for
joining Professor Zelizer. I want to start by asking about a column you wrote a few days ago on cnn.com, it was titled Democrats Badly
Underestimated Trump. And in that, you go on to argue that "This unstable shallow television star is starting to demonstrate that he has some very
real political muscle to keep pushing forward." Why did you come to that conclusion particularly over the course of the events of the last week?
JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well I think there's two things that are front and center. One, he's really moving forward aggressively on
public policy. I think the family separation is just a very real incarnation of what his hardline immigration policies are about and the
Supreme Court vacancy is going to allow him a transformative pick to shift the Supreme Court to the right. So that combined with polls that show his
numbers are actually going upward and his support in the Republican Party is very strong, put this together he is not a president who is struggling
as much politically as I think many Democrats assumed he would be by the summer of 2018.
WATSON: So let's go to these protests that we saw on Saturday because it was in Washington where one of the youngest protesters stole the show. We
heard a bit from her just a moment ago. It was 12-year-old Leah who gave an impassioned speech about her daily fear of being separated from her
immigrant parents. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I live with the constant fear of losing my mom to deportation. My mom is strong, beautiful, and brave. She is also a person
who taught me how to speak up when I see things aren't fair. ICE wants to take away my mom from me. I don't like to live with this fear. It's
scary. I can't sleep, I can't study, I am stressed. I am afraid that they will take my mom away while she is at work, out driving or at home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: So Julian, I mean, this is powerful, it's emotional, it tugs at your heart, will scenes like this have any impact on President Trump in his
political fortunes?
ZELIZER: Well, at this point I think that's uncertain. And really what will matter is how this translates into the midterm elections. If you
remember just a few months ago we saw moving moments with the Parkland students and at least right now there hasn't been much progress on gun
control. And so the question is do those speeches move people who are sympathetic to her situation or do they ultimately sway some Republicans
and start to break the hold that President Trump has on his own party. We don't know yet.
WATSON: All right. And now I'm going to ask you to put on your historian's hat because President Trump, he has sharply criticized a number
of international institutions. He argues that things like the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Human Rights Council, G7, that they're
unfair somehow to the U.S. But the irony is that the U.S. is responsible for creating many of these institutions in the aftermath of the destruction
of World War II. So I want to ask you your thoughts about an American president attacking a liberal war world order that the U.S. was largely
responsible for creating.
ZELIZER: Yes, I think these have been institutions and alliances that have been crucial and not only did the United States help create them, they have
depended on them. I mean, part of how the U.S. has achieved its power is working through them and using them to try to preserve some kind of
international stability. There are problems with some of them and there has been criticism by both parties but the president is now trying to
withdraw from any of them or severely weaken our commitment to them and there could be high costs. Again, they are often a source of strength, not
weakness and the President disagrees with that assessment.
[11:10:17] WATSON: All right, Professor Zelizer, always a delight to speak with you from Princeton University speaking to us from New York. Thank you
very much.
ZELIZER: Thank you.
WATSON: Now, many families are choosing to leave their homes in Central America for the unknown, that is a life in the U.S. Some are facing life
or death situations and are risking everything to make the journey. CNN's Nick Valencia went to the border to meet some of these families that are
trying to seek asylum.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Through the tree brush, Border Patrol Agent Robert Rodriguez spots what he says are three smugglers preparing to
launch a raft filled with migrants. He says -- they're filming us, he says. Along with Agent Rodriguez, we followed the raft downstream. It's
there we see this six Central American migrants some of those who were on the raft. One of them traveling with his father is just three-years-old.
What are you looking for here?
He's asking for asylum.
Strangers would show up to his house, they would ask for money and they would threaten him in front of his childlike threatening to kill them.
He said they would even kill the three-year-old.
You know there's people here that are very much against illegal immigration. They don't want people like you in the United States. What
do you say to them?
He says those people don't know what I've been through. They don't know what I go through nightly. They don't know what it's like to fear death.
This mother and her 13-year-old were also in the group. Holding back tears she says, she never wanted to leave Honduras. If it wasn't for MS-13 her
son says, they would have never left.
Why are you crying?
He said he didn't want to leave Honduras that's why he's crying. He's really sorry for putting his mom in his position. He said, of course, I
would never let my son be captured there. So she's saying even though she -- it's zero tolerance was still in place, she said she would still cross.
That's how much fear they have.
From here the group will be taken to a processing center joining hundreds of others just like them, even still they're the lucky ones. Had they
crossed just last week, the parents and children would have assuredly been torn apart by the U.S. government.
The scenes that you just saw give a sense of what Border Patrol agents are up against every single day here along the U.S.-Mexico border. It also
gives us an understanding of what families are willing to put themselves through to keep from being killed in their homeland. Nick Valencia, CNN
McAllen, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: Powerful report there from Nick Valencia. Now, there is also big news on the other side of that very same border Mexico, a country long
obsessed over by Mr. Trump because right now polls are open in Mexico's elections at a time when crime and violence are also on the rise. By one
count, more than 130 politicians have been killed in the nine months leading up to the vote and our Rafael Romo has more.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Crime, corruption, gang violence, trails of blood staining Mexico as the country votes in its largest election ever.
MUNDO CARRILLO, RESIDENT, MEXICO (through translator): Theres so much violence. Many dead, so many people dying that have nothing to do with the
violence. We all worry about that.
ROMO: Organized crime in Mexico has become more deadly over the last few years. 2017 saw more than 29,000 homicides, the most killings recorded
since officials began tracking the data. And 2018 is on track to set another grim milestone. More than 20,506 have been killed since the start
of the year, others have simply gone missing. It's a gruesome trend sending some to take their chances of the border.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It's more dangerous where I live. It's more dangerous there than in comparison to what could happen
here at the border.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Well in all truth I am scared. I have come with my family to see what happens. In the end, we're going to
give it a try.
ROMO: Locals say widespread corruption has created a vacuum for cartels and organized crime to proliferate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): A lot of businesses are closing down because there is no security. The owners are scared they will be
kidnapped or murdered over the payment of extortion.
CARLOS SALCADO, BUSINESSMAN (through translator): Many companies have had losses this year. Talking to our colleagues, robberies with grocery store
owners with people in the food industry take place from three to four times a week depending on the company.
[11:15:10] ROMO: Sunday closes a brutal campaign season according to risk analysis group (INAUDIBLE). 132 candidates are politicians have been
murdered since last September ahead of an election where thousands of seats are at stake. Mexico security crisis is a central issue with the most
high-profile voices calling for more accountability.
GAEL GARCIA BERNAL, MEXICAN ACTOR: The stakes are pretty high in the moment and this is the moment to overturn things and I don't want to go
into my 40s thinking that I'm going to have systemic violence, systemic impunity in my country.
ROMOS: Rafael Ramos, CNN.
WATSON: In the meantime, yet another journalist has been killed in Mexico. Jose Guadalupe Chan was shot dead Friday night in the southern part of the
country. He is the seventh journalist killed in Mexico so far this year. According to the government's most recent report, May was the deadliest
month in Mexico since the government began releasing this data. Now, coming up next, looking for life. Why Thai rescuers think a youth football
team could still be alive after a week missing. That's ahead
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WATSON: Welcome back to the program. More than a week on, Thailand isn't giving up the search for a missing youth football team. Divers are closing
in on a spot where the team may have taken shelter. It's believed the twelve boys and their coach were trapped in a flooded cave last weekend.
Their plight has sparked an international rescue effort but heavy rains have hampered the search. CNN's Nikhil Kumar has details of this race
against time.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: More than a week after 12 boys in their football coach have been missing in a cave complex in northern
Thailand, a glimmer of hope. Divers are making progress to an elevated area inside the caves where they think the 13 missing might be seeking
shelter. So far, rescue efforts have been hampered by heavy rainfall in Chiang Rai where these caves are located with water blocking the entrances.
But a break in the rains has helped the rescue teams to move ahead. Oxygen times have been installed at 25-meter junctures for the divers and a big
water pumping machine has been deployed to make it easier for them to swim to this elevated area. The boys aged 11 to 16 and their coach is 25 went
missing on the 23rd of June after they ventured deep into the cave network past signs that warn people not to enter during the rainy season which
starts in July. More than a thousand rescues, most of them Thai but also team from the U.S., the U.K., China, Australia are now involved in the
effort to find them. The rescue operation has been dominating the news in Thailand. The search is all over the T.V. and in the newspapers there. At
the site, a number of different approaches are being used to try and find the missing. They've been trying to pump the rainwater out of the cave and
they've also been exploring the possibility of drilling down into the caves from above. The message from the rescue teams is clear. They're not
giving up yet in the search for these boys and their coach. Nikhil Kumar, CNN New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:21:00] WATSON: Well, to get more on this race against time, Josh Morris is the Founder of the Chiang Mai Rock Climbing Adventures Group and
that's a company that's helping out in the rescue effort and he joins us now via Skype from Thailand. Good to see you, Josh. Before we go, I want
to show our viewers exactly where we are talking about. This is a cave system surrounded by hilly terrain and heavy forests and it's in the middle
of a national park in northern Thailand. Can you tell me more about these caves? Is this an important destination for tourists? Has there been any
precedent to people getting lost in these caves before?
JOSH MORRIS, FOUNDER CHIANG MAI ROCK CLIMBING ADVENTURES GROUP: Well, caves in Thailand have a special place in society. They give huge
religious significance. But in addition to that, caving has always been really fantastic in Thailand because it's typically warm weather. If you
compare the average temperature inside of a cave in Thailand to that of North America or Europe, it's much warmer. You can in a t-shirt and shorts
in Thailand versus sometimes wearing dry suits in wetsuits in other countries. And the entire region is basically limestone from 300 million-
year-old coral reef that used to stretch from southern Australia into China. So there's tons of caving but typically people don't go on big
caving expeditions. There's a small niche of people who are doing that. This cave is actually quite interesting because it's ten kilometers long
and it's got a very big river passage and it's been surveyed quite recently to become the fourth longest cave in Thailand.
WATSON: Would there have been guides there? Would people have had to pay for admission? Would there have been I don't know, ropes for kind of
lights inside to help guide people along?
MORRIS: So some caves in Thailand have that and they have significant investment to have concrete pathways and lighting in the cave. I actually
am not 100 percent familiar with this cave. I'm going up to the site tomorrow to join the effort but I do know there is a concrete staircase at
the entrance but a lot of times it doesn't go beyond the entrance. Some caves have tourist guides that you hire, some don't. I don't believe this
one has a guided system.
WATSON: And I believe a couple of people from your company are helping with the rescue effort. Have they told you anything about some of the
challenges they're dealing with?
MORRIS: Sure, I've spoken with them but really we have one guy who's been there since Saturday evening and basically they are part of the team that's
looking for alternate entrances outside the cave to be able to maybe bypass the flooded sections of the cave and get to the same spot that the divers
are trying to get to but using ropes instead of diving. And that's actually quite difficult because the cave is quite big and quite high so
you have to scavenge around the hillside looking for possible entrances that are covered with vegetation and it's muddy and it's raining so it's
really hard to find those entrances but those guys are working around the clock dropping down into different holes calling through trying to find
maybe that one hole that can pop through and get into the dry section of the cave.
WATSON: It sounds like a massive and potentially risky rescue effort. Josh Morris, Founder of Chiang Mai Rock Climbing Adventures in Thailand,
thanks so much for joining us. Now for more on this, check out our Jamie Tarabay's piece on cnn.com where she breaks down the grim timeline of the
past week and how the search unfolded. Just ahead, the U.S. President makes a big request of the Saudi King and says the King agreed. But that's
not quite accurate. We'll explain what's going on. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WATSON: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Ivan Watson. I'm going to go back to our top story this hour and that is the immigration debate in
the U.S. A hard-line stance on immigration has been a big rallying point for Trump supporters since day one of his campaign. CNN's Ed Lavandera
went to the U.S.-Mexico Border to find out if supporters there are still standing by President Trump on this issue.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SERGIO SANCHEZ, RADIO HOST: Welcome to the wall.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With that kind of introduction, it's no surprise immigration is the hot topic for Sergio Sanchez's radio show in
the South Texas Rio Grande Valley. He's a staunch Trump Republican and credits the President with taking a tough approach to border security.
[11:29:52] SERGIO SANCHEZ, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, KURV: With President Trump, we have someone who is making a serious attempt to enforce rule of law and
enforce border law and enforce our sovereign border with Mexico and get hold of the situation.
LAVANDERA: Cristina Garfield has lived along the border all her life. She comes from a family of Democrats. But she, like Trump, sees a threat in
the flow of illegal immigration.
CRISTINA GARFIELD, YOUNG REPUBLICANS, HIDALGO COUNTY: My biggest concern with the people that are coming over our borders is safety. Safety is a
huge deal down here.
LAVANDERA: Trump is far from popular here in Hidalgo County, Texas where much of the zero-tolerance policy attention has been focused. He only won
28 percent of the vote. But there is an undercurrent of conservative Latino voters who kind of defy conventional political wisdom. They're
unfazed by Trump's rhetoric that undocumented immigrants are in using Trump's word here, invading the country.
GARFIELD: He doesn't sugar-coat anything. I think that people of the United States appreciate that, also. I don't think it's a bad thing.
LAVANDERA: When you hear people talk about that the way he talks about this issue, that they comes off as racist to them, what do you say to that?
SANCHEZ: Yes, well, that's their problem. They hear what they want to hear, and they say what they want to say. It's "Hey, it's a free country."
They can believe in that.
LAVANDERA: Joacim Hernandez is president of the counties Young Republicans chapter. He walks us through the produce distribution warehouse where he
works as the human resources director. He says the president needs to compromise on immigration.
JOACIM HERNANDEZ, PRESIDENT EMERITUS, HIDALGO COUNTY YOUNG REPUBLICANS: When you hear about -- you know, families being separated. Zero-tolerance,
zero-tolerance policy thing -- you know, where the family of, you know where the party of the family -- you know, family pay for freedom. And you
think about families being separated in it doesn't look very civil.
LAVANDERA: But Hernandez is also exhausted by Trump's divisive.
HERNANDEZ: There are some things that he says that sometimes he kind of -- you got a cringe and be like, "How may I got to defend that?"
LAVANDERA: You're tired of sticking up for him.
HERNANDEZ: I don't get anything for having to stick up for him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For Mr. Donald J. Trump, and --
LAVANDERA: There are plenty of Trump supporters willing to fight that fight even in South Texas, where there aren't many around. Ed Lavandera,
CNN, McAllen, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: Listen to Turkey now, because officials there have once again banned the gay pride march in Istanbul. But that's not stopping a flood of
people from gathering anyway. They're proud and refusing to be silenced in their calls for more rights. My friend, Jomana Karadsheh is there in
Istanbul. And she joins us with the latest -- I see, police officers. Behind you, Jomana, what's going on?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ivan this is an area you probably know very well from spending years and reporting out of Turkey.
We are right off of its Istiklal Avenue, the main shopping street and commercial district in Istanbul. And that is where the participants -- in
participants in this LGBTI Pride March were supposed to gather and march down Istiklal Avenue.
But the organizer said that the Istanbul governor -- his office told them that they are banned for a fourth year in a row from holding this event.
So, what we have seen over the past hour or so is, first of all, it was a gathering of members of the LGBTI community here in a very vibrant and
colorful festive meeting here. They were dancing, they were singing, they were chanting for freedom and equal right. And they were basically blocked
into one side street by security forces.
As you can see there is a real heavy presence of police forces, special police forces, plain-clothed security, and they are all over this area of
Istanbul. And right now, they've been asking these participants to disperse.
And Ivan, the last time this took place, and it was allowed to go forward was back in 2014, which I believe you covered. And Amnesty International
estimated that 90 thousand people took part in that event.
But since then, authorities here in Istanbul have banned them from going ahead fighting in the past security concerns things. Security threats from
some radical groups and then also that it coincided with the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
Members of the LGBTI community say it is very important for them to hold this event, despite the ban. Because they want to remind everyone in this
society that they say, discriminates against them. That they are here and they are demanding equal rights.
And at the same time, Ivan, some feel that this is also a reflection of what we have been seeing in Turkey in recent years. It's clamped down on
civil society, freedom of expression, and diversity.
WATSON: And Jomana, I'm really glad you brought up that historical context because I was based in Istanbul for years. And the pride parades had gone
on for 12 years, and they were kind of unaccepted occurrence. Though, you did not see scenes of those police.
So, right now I'm going to play a segment from my report in 2014 when the authorities in Turkey allowed and tolerated LGBTI Pride Marches in that
very part of Istanbul. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[11:35:24] WATSON: I'm joined by some pretty remarkable people here. Today's a party, is it an important day for you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes, of course, it's important for all of us.
WATSON: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because we have no gay rights in Istanbul, in Turkey. We have to take it, and that's why we have to use our hands, our needle.
That's why we are making every year of end of June, the biggest pride ever in Istanbul. And everybody is coming supporting for us, supporting for our
Turkey. We want gay rights all around the world. We want gay rights in Istanbul!
WATSON: And there you get a little bit of a scene here. It's a big party. There is a significant police presence nearby because protests have not
really been tolerated much in Istanbul over the last year. So far, this parade has been peaceful. There's a giant flag up here. American.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're American. An American in Istanbul. I love you.
WATSON: Thank you very, very much. And strangely, the Pride Parade is coinciding with the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. And they're all fast-
breaking Iftar meals being organized not far from where we are. And that gives you a sense of what a diverse society Turkey is.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: A very different scene there. But then, a year later, Jomana, that diverse society, those kind of very different both pious communities
and the LGBTI kind of celebration, morphed into water cannons and riot police. Let's listen to our colleague Arwa Damon, who was there in 2015,
at that very first banned LGBTI Pride map march.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No one expected it to be this way.
It's unclear why, this year, the riot police are pushing people back. Please sir, I got a gas.
Riot police not just firing water cannons, but also rubber pellets, tear gas, and pepper spray.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not a crime! We're just LGBT (INAUDIBLE) is not a crime! Come on! Why you are doing this!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Silence, shut up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You cannot say silence --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shut up! Shut up!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't silence, shut up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is -- this Turkish problem. I don't like -- you take a seat there. I don't like.
DAMON: And that clearly is one of the key issues that the LGBT community and activists are still facing. They may have won a very significant
victory in the United States, but in so many other countries, there is still such a battle ahead of them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: OK. So, there's a look at 2015 when a crackdown on these pride parades began in Istanbul, after 12 years. Jomana, I see the treatment by
authorities of minorities. Whatever kind of minority they are, as a kind of canary in the coal mine for the health of a Democracy. So, what are you
seeing there, kind of moving forward now after years of these marches being banned?
KARADSHEH: Well, I mean, Ivan, this is -- the interesting bit that I have to mention right now is our colleagues who were here last year and covered
this said that there was really no tolerance whatsoever for any kind of gathering during the pride march. And you would basically see this cat-
and-mouse game where you would have the participant running around inside streets, raising their flag and being chased by police.
But surprisingly, what we saw today, even though it was just for about half an hour's, so, they were allowed to gather a few hundred of them in this
side street blocked off by security forces, and they were told to disperse.
But for a brief time, they were allowed to -- you know, dance, and chants, and really express their views. And as you mentioned nothing compared to
previous years. But, of course, all that we are seeing taking place in Turkey right now. There's a lot of concern about whether it's the
treatment of minorities or the -- when it comes to freedom of expression treatment of journalists.
There's a lot of concerns about the situation in Turkey, and the feeling that Democracy in this country is under threat. Especially, when it comes
to freedom of expression in a country that it is Constitution guarantees the right for everyone to protest and to take part in these sorts of
marches without prior notice, without requiring any sort of permission, but keeping in mind, this country is under a state of emergency and has been
for nearly two years since that failed coup attempt.
[11:40:29] WATSON: That's right, a state of emergency since the deadly failed coup of July 2016. Jomana Karadsheh, great to see you. Thank you
for providing that important perspective. We have time for a quick break right now. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WATSON: Welcome back everyone. When was the last time you filled up your car? Did you notice the price of gas? Well, for people here in the U.S.,
they're forking over more cash to fill up their tanks.
The cost of a gallon of gas has been higher on average than at any time since late 2014. And if that trend continues, it could potentially become
a political problem for the White House this fall.
So, President Trump is asking Saudi Arabia to do something about it. Namely, to dramatically increase its oil production by as much as 2 million
barrels a day. Now, our emerging markets editor John Defterios, he joins us from Dubai to explain why this is significant.
Great to see you, John. And you know, as usual, we learned about this move from the White House from a presidential tweet. President Trump wrote on
Saturday, "Just spoke to King Salman of Saudi Arabia, and explain to him that because of the turmoil and dysfunction in Iran and Venezuela, I'm
asking that Saudi Arabia increased oil production may be up to 2 million barrels to make up the difference. Prices too high! He has agreed!"
John, has Saudi Arabia agreed? And can it crank up oil exports to 2 million barrels?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: You know, first and foremost, Ivan, welcome to the world of geopolitics and oil. In this case, they
don't mix the owners are clearly as the White House sees it on Saudi Arabia to produce more crude.
We know they had a phone conversation. Confirmed, we know in fact, that they talked about oil and Saudi Arabia's capacity confirmed. But then, we
see them hitting the fork in the road and what the interpretation was from Donald Trump, and therefore, afterwards by King Salman.
As the president's suggesting he agrees with King Salman that prices are getting too high. They could release 2 million barrels a day. Then, three
hours later the White House put a statement out. Obviously, after influence from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, suggesting, yes, they talked
about Saudi Arabia's production capacity, the ability to eventually add two billion barrels a day. But that the kingdom would do so prudently not
releasing 2 million barrels all at one whack. And I don't even think they have the capability.
But first and foremost, Saudi Arabia, Ivan, likes to have the market in balance. Prices too low kills off investment by the oil companies. Then,
you have prices spiking higher because there's a shortage of supply. If prices go too high, as you were suggesting in your lead-in here, that it
kills off demand by consumers. So, the sweet spot for the Saudis is between 60 to $80.00 a barrel.
That's why they just signed this OPEC agreement. And, in fact, because there's a shortage right now, Saudi Arabia's going to add 200,000 barrels a
day in the month of July, to a record 11 million barrels.
The International Energy Agency of Paris is suggesting the Saudi Arabia could eventually add 2 million barrels but let's be blunt here, it's never
tested that level. Those in the industry think they could add 500,000 to 700,000 thousand barrels in the second half of the year, not 2 million.
But Donald Trump getting ahead of himself, putting a lot of pressure on the U.S. ally, which has to also balance all the forces within OPEC, 14 members
of OPEC. And the other 10 in the non-OPEC agreement.
Ivan, so you can see the politics here. The president putting pressure on Saudi Arabia. They're going to release some oil when needed, but not 2
million barrels a day. Clearly, not 2 million barrels a day.
[11:46:15] WATSON: Yes, Saudi Arabia has other partners to kind of coordinate with. And you mentioned politics. Is this just about politics?
Is this President Trump wanting to help his constituents be able to do road trips at an affordable price for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday in the
U.S.?
DEFTERIOS: I think that's at the heart of the Donald Trump concern right now. He gets very twitchy and tweety, if I could put it that way, as well.
Ivan, when the oil gets around $80.00 a barrel for the international benchmark which is North Sea brand. At $80.00, it translates into about
$4.00 a gallon in the United States. So, yes, to your point, he is trying to drive gasoline prices lower.
But the dirty secret here is, is not a secret within OPEC. The responsibility for the surge over the last 13 percent over the week, or 20
percent since his first tweet back in April is on Donald Trump. He tore up the agreement in May with Iran, for example, which drove prices $6.00
higher within a week.
He's put sanctions on Venezuela. Venezuela has already lost a half a million barrels a day of production through April. They're likely to lose
another half a million if not more by the end of 2019.
When it comes to Iran, he says he wants to wipe out their exports by November of this year just before the midterm elections, that's 2 million
barrels a day that would create a shortage. And he was hoping Saudi Arabia would fill that void.
That's certainly not the case, Ivan, but because of his geopolitical maneuvering here, he's driving prices higher and asking the Saudis the bail
amount.
WATSON: Wow, that's probably not what he intended to do, right? OK, John Defterios, our emerging markets editor, live from Dubai. Thank you very,
very much.
And live from Atlanta, this is CONNECT THE WORLD. Coming up one of the surprises of this year's World Cup faces off with a traditional heavyweight
in the knockout round. The host, Russia take on Spain, that's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:39] WATSON: All right, you see those fans? They are celebrating Uruguay's dramatic victory, Saturday at the World Cup. Uruguay defeated
powerhouse Portugal 2-1 with both goals coming from striker Edinson Cavani. Now, Uruguay advance to the quarterfinals, but it's the end of the
tournament for Portugal. The knockout round of 16 at the World Cup means its win or go home for every team.
And right now, we're in injury time in the match between hosts Russia and Spain, and it's tied 1-1. Russia went behind early on due to a known goal,
but they leveled the score with a penalty before half-time. So, we may be about to see extra time for the first time this year.
Now, one super fan has undoubtedly been watching this match closely. His name is Manolo, and he's becoming an icon for his drumming. He's followed
his team to 10 World Cups, and he says it's cost him businesses.
Manolo was set to be on hand for today's match, but it's not clear if he was allowed to bring his instrument. Regulations have prevented him from
drumming along at this tournament but Spain has taken this up with FIFA.
Two of football's biggest stars have now been eliminated from the World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were both knocked out, Saturday,
in the round of 16. I've got a cite a tweet, I saw, "Don't cry for three Argentina." That made me giggle.
For a look at those matches and what this means for the tournament, here is CNN's Patrick Snell.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: It was absolutely enthralling, Saturday at the World Cup in Russia where both France and
Uruguay have become the first two nations to book their places in the tournament's quarterfinals. And (INAUDIBLE) this for just a moment or two
Saturday, June the 30th will now go down as the day both little Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo went out of the World Cup on the very same day with
neither still having ever scored in any of the tournament's knockout games.
While Ronaldo and Portugal are facing Uruguay, and the Uruguay is there off to a great start with Luis Suarez find Edinson Cavani. That the perfect
cross, the PSG forward obliging with the perfect finish. Although, be it possibly up a combination of shoulder and face too.
After Portugal had level of Cavani again providing these sublime moments of the game of breathtaking curled fish superb skills just past the hour mark.
2-1 Uruguay. Heartbreak for Portugal and their star talisman as well. Cristiano Ronaldo look at his visibly moved by the outcome and its wonder
at 33 had he now possibly played for the last time at the World Cup. We shall see.
All right, earlier in the day we witnessed pure theater. A seven-goal thriller of the game between two-time world champions Argentina and France
much have been laid about Argentine disunity in whether the squad had lost faith in manager Jorge Sampaoli. Angel Di Maria stunning equalized.
Though, I fear to indicate otherwise, you know, that selectively.
And especially, when Lionel Messi, shot is deflected in by teammate Gabriel Mercado, the 2-1 (INAUDIBLE). It looked like Argentina's could be in for
the big win, but they blurred dug deep to turn this match on its head. The young Stuttgart defender Benjamin Pavard with a brilliant goal for the
French, what a moment he will never forget.
And then, it really was for Kylian Mbappe, show. You know, he won't earn 20 until December, showing (INAUDIBLE) way beyond this years for his birth.
He didn't run riot putting his country 4-2 up, becoming the first team now to score two goals at the World Cup since the great Pele, six decades ago.
All right, here's a look at the drawer then. France and Uruguay, the first teams through and they'll play for a place in the semis on Friday, Sunday.
We'll see two more teams punching their ticket to the next round when Spain faced the host nation, Russia. Croatia, kicking off against Denmark. And
that is your FIFA World Cup update, I'm Patrick Snell.
WATSON: A wise man once said, "If you can't beat them, eat them." Or something like that. Or at least, that's the spirit of one restaurant in
St. Petersburg. The chef, he's cooking up Pizza featuring the faces of some of football's biggest stars.
Customers can bite into their own Cristiano Ronaldo or Luis Suarez. Each pizza portrait takes almost two hours to create. The chef, says if Russia
wins this year's tournament, he will cook eight heats a portrait for each member of the national team. Do the math. That will probably take many,
many hours.
[11:55:15] WATSON: All right. As some teams are crashing back down to earth after brief moments of World Cup glory, so is one little rocket.
Wow, that was a pretty spectacular failure for the Japanese rocket company as its prototype barely left off the launch pad. The MOMO2 was supposed to
go a hundred kilometers straight up. It looks like it went a few feet, 30 meters.
I'm hearing before the engine quit and gravity took over, it was an embarrassing setback. The company's first test rocket, the MOMO1 reached
an altitude of 20 kilometers, last July, before plunging into the ocean.
I'm Ivan Watson. That was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thanks for watching. I'm going to go plunge somewhere. Take care.
END
END
