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Connect the World

China Extradition Bill Ignites Huge Protest In Hong Kong; Mexican President: Politics Won Over Confrontation; Race To Become New British P.M. Heats Up; Sub-Saharan African Refugees Stranded In Libya; England And Scotland To Play In Highly Anticipated Match; Opposition Calls For Civil Disobedience After Military Crackdown; Arctic Ice Shelf Threatened From Above And Below. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired June 09, 2019 - 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] RICK FOLBAUM, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Rick Folbaum in Atlanta filling in today for Becky

Anderson. I'm glad you're with us. And we begin in Hong Kong where massive street protests are taking place, one of the largest in decades.

Take a listen to this.

Organizers say more than a million people turned out and they're rallying against a controversial bill that could allow extradition to mainland

China. Chants of "shell the evil law and Hong Kong never-give-up" filled the air. Backers say it is about law and order, but critics fear is

designed to increase Beijing's power to detain dissidents.

For the very latest, let's go to CNN's Kristie Lu Stout who joins us from Hong Kong. And protests still taking place, Kristi. Talk to us about this

issue that has galvanized so many people in Hong Kong.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rick, the protest is still taking place. It is culminating here on the map, the geographical endpoint of

today's March the Legislative Council building. And imagine, this March took place -- it kicked off in Victoria Park about seven hours ago. There

are people still arriving, people still gathering here, just represents the amount of anger that there is.

Now, according to the numbers, Hong Kong police estimate that about 240,000 people to card this protest. Organizers claim that one million people plus

took part in today's March as evidences we saw that sweeping aerial video, this international city, this international financial hub being brought to

a little standstill earlier today because of the sweeping size of today's protests.

So at issue here is this controversial extradition bill that allowed the extradition of suspected criminals into additional jurisdictions. Now, the

Hong Kong government says it's necessary to cover up a legal loophole that exists. But you talk to the protesters here and any critics of the bill,

they don't buy it.

They say that this extradition bill, if passed it would allow the extradition of critics of Beijing into China. And once there, they would

not be allowed to have a free or fair trial. Now, the protest today although very massive in scope have been relatively peaceful. Police, they

have announced the arrest of at least seven individuals. Pepper spray was used on a small group of protesters earlier today.

And again, bringing us back to the destination of today's protests, the Hong Kong Legislative Council building later this week on Wednesday, June

12th, that is when Hong Kong lawmakers will again review this oddly controversial piece of legislation. The organizers of this March hope that

today's March will be able to somehow convince them to table the bill.

We have to wait and see if that happens but what is definitely true is the result today's protest march, the sheer scale of it, Hong Kong police

saying 240,000 people took part, organizers are saying more than a million people took part, this was an event that surely captured the world's

attention. Rick?

FOLBAUM: We're seeing those aerial photo -- aerial video shots that you were referring to, Kristie, give us the other side just so we understand

why do some lawmakers in Hong Kong want to give mainland China the ability to extradite people from Hong Kong.

STOUT: Well, this is what proponents of the bill say. They say that this extradition bill is necessary to cover up a legal loophole. They point to

a recent case, a grisly murder case involving the murder of a 20-year-old Hong Kong woman in Taiwan allegedly by her boyfriend. According to current

law, the Hong Kong government is not able to extradite him to Taiwan to seek justice. That is why they want to see the passage of this extradition

legislation.

But again, a lot of critics including all the protesters around them during the March that you saw earlier in the day, they don't believe it. And the

criticism is widespread. It's not just ordinary people in Hong Kong, it's the business community in Hong Kong, it's the American Chamber of Commerce,

it's even taking the attention of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who has expressed concern about the extradition bill and what it would mean for

the rule of law in Hong Kong. Rick back to you.

FOLBAUM: Kristie Lu Stout were in Hong Kong where it is after 11:00 p.m. and the protests -- protestors are still out and about. Kristie, thanks

very much. Well, it's a very busy and consequential weekend of politics here in the United States beginning with a migration deal with Mexico.

President Donald Trump's tariffs threats are now a no-go after both countries agreed on a deal to curb migration at the southern border. And a

rally Saturday, Mexico's president declared politics won over confrontation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[11:05:14] ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR, PRESIDENT OF MEXICO (through translator): As the head and representative of the Mexican state, I cannot

permit that anyone go against the economy of our country and much less that they establish an unjust asymmetry unworthy of our government and

humiliating to our nation.

Fortunately, yesterday, the politics of confrontation were imposed and I must recognize that there was willingness to seek and negotiated exit to

the conflict on behalf of President Donald Trump and his collaborators.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOLBAUM: But is this agreement really new. The New York Times reports that some parts of the deal were actually hammered out months ago long

before Friday's announcement. Meantime, its Pride Month in the U.S. but you wouldn't know it at American embassies around the world. The Trump

administration has denied multiple embassy requests to fly the rainbow flag in support of the LBGTQ community.

And we had the results from the first major test for 2020 Democrats. A new Iowa poll shows former Vice President Joe Biden with a clear lead at 24

percent, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, and Kamala Harris round out the top five. So why is this specific poll so important?

Well, the last four presidential elections when there was no Democrat incumbent running, the candidate who won the Iowa Democratic caucuses went

on to become the Democratic nominee.

We'll dig into all of these stories ahead but first, let's get to CNN's Sarah Westwood who joins us live from the White House. Sarah, good to see

you. And two days after this U.S.-Mexican deal was signed, we're still trying to figure out just how much it accomplished. What can you tell us?

SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, good to see you too, Rick. And there is some dispute over just how much new was accomplished with the

President's deal, the one that he announced on Friday.

President Trump has claimed that two of the central components of it, a widespread deployment of Mexican National Guard troops within Mexico and

particularly to Mexico Southern Border to counter Central American migration through Mexico to the U.S. and the so-called remain in Mexico

policy where migrants caught crossing the border illegally into the U.S. will be permitted to stay in Mexico and wait for their asylum claims to be

adjudicated in the U.S., those the president has claimed as entirely new accomplishments.

But The Times is reporting that both of these goals were under discussion when former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was still in

office, that the remain in Mexico policy was something she announced in Congressional testimony in December and the deployment of Mexican National

Guard troops was something agreed to with Nielson and Mexican officials in Miami in March.

Now, President Trump is disputing this reporting in a series of tweets claiming that while his administration had pursued those goals they hadn't

secured them or they hadn't fully gotten everything they'd wanted before he threatened to impose the five percent tariffs on all Mexican imports. And

he said that there are some aspects of the agreement that have not yet been revealed although he didn't say what it was.

Now, CNN has not independently confirmed the Times reporting but certainly, Democrats have seized on it and are seeking to characterize the President's

deal is nothing new. For example, presidential contender Senator Bernie Sanders appearing on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" just moments ago said that

there's really nothing new in the President's deal and he declined to characterize the situation on the border as a crisis. Rick?

FOLBAUM: Sarah Westwood live at the White House. Sarah, thank you very much. Let's bring in CNN Political Analyst Julian Zelizer who joins us

live from New York. Julian, always good to talk to you. And the president pointing at this deal as proof that he is the master dealmaker he likes to

say he is. So was this a win for him?

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it might be a win although the story is unfolding. It seems like key parts of the deal were already

in place long before this crisis happened. It's clear he was under pressure from pretty heavy hitting Republicans to back away from the

tariffs because of the bottom line impact, and it's clear that he created a sense of crisis in the last few weeks.

So the question is did he we make a deal even if it's beneficial to him or did he artificially create a situation where the pieces were already there

for an agreement?

FOLBAUM: You know, he loves tariffs. They seem to be his weapon of choice when trying to get what he wants. If he'd used this as a win for himself

and he does according to his tweets, will this embolden him to continue using the threat of tariffs whenever he doesn't like something?

ZELIZER: I think that's a good point. I think there is an escalation of using the tariffs more aggressively even within the time of his presidency

as a negotiating chip. And so regardless of the truth and how this deal actually unfolded, you could look at the Twitter feed and see how we're

probably going to have more of this in months to come as he tries to leverage these tariffs to gain different kinds of concessions from other

countries.

[11:10:21] FOLBAUM: All right, let's talk about the 20 Democratic candidates who are trying to become the opponent of Donald Trump in the

2020 U.S. election. And a lot of them are in the state of Iowa this weekend. They're hoping to convince voters there ahead of the nation's

first caucuses which take place months from now in February.

And as we mentioned a little bit earlier, Julian, there is new polling the shows that the former Vice President Joe Biden is the favorite among likely

caucus-goers at 24 percent, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, and Kamala Harris rounding out the top 5. The other 18

candidates polled at two percent or less. So Biden is in the lead but how solid a lead is it?

ZELIZER: Well, this is the first poll showing it might not be as solid as some were saying. His lead has become a bit narrower and the non-Biden

contingent especially Warren, Harris, Buttigieg, their support is growing. So this is the first indication we have through polling that it might be a

more competitive race.

Iowa has been very important in democratic competitions. And so you can see from those numbers Biden might not have this locked up. And voters are

much more enthused about the non-Biden candidates than they are about him which is also important for voter turnout.

FOLBAUM: What are the messages that are resonating do you think with Democratic voters when you see the numbers for Warren and Buttigieg on the

rise?

ZELIZER: Well, I think part of it is they like a fighter. I think they like candidates who are saying more than they are electable and really are

willing to go after President Trump for all of his various weaknesses and for his policy stands.

And I think some of them like candidates like Warren who stand for more than Biden is willing to stand for big issues, big ideas and they're

willing to go bold and there seems to be some appeal to that in the Democratic electorate even though all we really hear about these days is

electability.

FOLBAUM: Another story that we mentioned, the Trump administration rejecting requests by U.S. embassies around the world to fly the rainbow

flag in honor of Pride Month. The source says that the Embassy in Berlin received an e-mail from the State Department refusing to grant its request

to fly the flag but the U.S. Ambassador to Germany says he plans to hang a huge banner on the side of the embassy anyway and hosts multiple Pride

events throughout the month.

President Trump has tweeted in favor of the gay-lesbian community. What's going on here?

ZELIZER: Well, he has sent mixed messages on this issue. He's often been very opposed to key issues coming from the movement including on

transgender issues in the military. So it's hard to see this as anything but politics. This is a message to some of the base despite his other

statements.

But I think this is the kind of issue that really in some ways generates us anger and opposition from Democratic voters because they see what's at

stake. It's symbolic of course, but this stands for a social rights movement that has shaped the last 20 years of American politics. So this

is a message he's sending to that movement through the embassy.

FOLBAUM: Thanks, Julian.

ZELIZER: Thank you.

FOLBAUM: Julian Zelizer joining us from New York today. Good to talk to you as always.

ZELIZER: Thank you.

FOLBAUM: Well, the race is on in the U.K. as 11 candidates there are fighting to be that country's next leader. Theresa May is now out as head

of the Conservative Party which has the majority although she will stay on as prime minister until the party chooses a new leader. But it seems that

the contest is already full of drama.

Six of the eleven candidates, more than half have admitted to past drug use from cannabis, to cocaine, to opium. CNN Salma Abdelaziz joining us from

London with more on this. And what is the context for all of these candidates admitting to prior drug use?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER: Well, as you said, it is a crowded field. And today a lot of them are taking to the Sunday talk shows, taking to the

newspapers, pitching their platforms and in all this competition. And Tory leadership contests are notorious for being very bitter in the level of

competition. Some of the past abuse has come out, some skeletons are coming out of the closet.

Michael Gove of course has admitted to several times using cocaine about 20 years ago and the charges is that he's a hypocrite because he wrote -- he

wrote against the use of drugs as a journalist. So take a listen to what he said when he was confronted with this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[11:15:02] MICHAEL GOVE, SECRETARY OF STATE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS, UNITED KINGDOM: Yes, it was a crime. It was a mistake. I deeply

regret it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should you have gone to prison?

GOVE: Well, I was -- I was fortunate that I didn't, but I do think that it was a profound mistake and I've seen the damage that drugs do. I've seen

it close-up and I've also seen it in the work that I've done as a politician. And that's why I deeply regret the mistake that I made.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many times did you take cocaine?

GOVE: I took it several occasions on social occasions more than 20 years ago when working as a journalist.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was it a habit?

GOVE: No, I don't believe it was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: But let's move past who smoked what a couple of decades ago and let's talk about the issues or really the issue which is, of course,

Brexit. We have 11 candidates, a very crowded field. Among those candidates, there's three really top contenders. Among them is Michael

Gove, of course, a key face of the Vote Leave Campaign, Boris Johnson, the frontrunner, the former mayor of London, a very controversial figure as

well when that's been likened to Trump and that President Trump has called a friend, and Jeremy Hunt, the current foreign secretary.

And when you look at those three, they really reflect to the entirety of the group, and that is that their positions are by and large the same,

which is will go back to Brussels, I will try to negotiate a better deal, and if I cannot find a better deal, then I will leave with no deal at all,

which was Prime Minister May's position as well.

So you're in a position now where you have this group of candidates that are catering to a very small base, 160,000 conservative party members,

they're the only ones who are going to have the right to vote on the two candidates that will be whittled down to at the end of this process. They

make up less than a quarter of one percent of the population. They will be determining who the next prime minister is.

And whoever goes to number ten next will face those same challenges that Prime Minister May did, which is that parliament is in deadlock. There's

no consensus there and Brussels have said time and time again we will not renegotiate what we just spent three years negotiating.

And when you take a look at those hard realities, you realize why so many analysts have called this the most difficult political crisis the country

has faced since World War II, Rick.

FOLBAUM: Salma Abdelaziz joining us from London with the very latest. Salma, thanks very much. Still to come, caught in the middle. An

exclusive look at the plight of thousands of migrants and refugees in Libya as Tripoli becomes a battleground between rival governments. Plus,

showdown on the red clay in Paris. We'll have the very latest on the men's French Open Final as Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem tussle for the Roland

Garros Crown.

Plus, we'll have the latest action from the opening week into the Women's World Cup in Paris. Stay with us. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:20:00] FOLBAUM: And welcome back. And now to Libya and to CNN exclusive. Thousands of sub-Saharan-African migrants and refugees are

stranded in that country. Libya was their gateway to a safe haven in Europe, but it is in chaos as rival factions battle for power and has been

that way since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi eight years ago and the migrants are caught in the middle.

Europe won't take them in and going home is not an option. Freelance cameraman Gabriel Chaim gained exclusive access to a detention center but

as CNN has Ben Wedeman reports, their pleas for help are falling on deaf ears.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A priest leads prayers in a makeshift church. Eritrean refugees in Libya, strangers they

are in a strange land, caught in a war not of their making.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today is holy day Sunday.

WEDEMAN: They drew their own icons, crafted the crucifix. Freelance cameraman Gabriel Chaim gained access to this Detention Center home to

around 900 people on the outskirts of the capital Tripoli. Most are refugees and migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. The United Nations warns

that more than 5,000 migrants and refugees and similar centers in Tripoli are in danger as the city has become a battleground between rival

governments.

In April, gunmen with the so-called Libyan National Army led by warlord Khalifa Haftar broke into one such detention center south of Tripoli.

Images recorded by eyewitnesses vividly convey the chaos and carnage as gunfire rings out. The attackers killed two men and wounded nearly three

dozen others. Sami, from Eritrea, recalls what happened.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At praying time, some of our sisters and brothers, they were praying, the soldiers immediately open fire. I don't know what

happened. So immediately opened the fire.

WEDEMAN: The residents have been moved to safer ground but some still have open wounds from that attack. The thousands of migrants now caught in

Libya are perhaps the world's most vulnerable people stranded in a land at war where human traffickers and slave traders appear to have free reign.

Europe won't take them in and many faced persecution or death if they return home. Here the milk of human kindness has evaporated.

Zachariah Abdulla from Darfur, Sudan says the fear, uncertainty, and privation have taken a toll.

You look the eyes of these people how are they look -- how are they look because they are living. There is malnutrition, there's no good medical

treatment, there is no good water, there's no food We are just alive, we are just living.

WEDEMAN: Just living, he says. 21-year-old Muhammad Hafiz also from Darfur has a simple reminder to anyone who will listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are human beings too.

WEDEMAN: No one, however, is listening. Ben Wedeman, CNN Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOLBAUM: What a difficult situation that is. Let's dig deeper into the story. Matthew Brook is the U.N. Refugee Agency's Deputy Chief of Mission

in Libya and he joins us now from Tripoli. Mathew, glad to talk to you. You're there on the ground joining us from Tripoli. What can you tell us

about the conditions that migrants are facing?

MATTHEW BROOK, DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION, U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY: Thank you, good afternoon. Yes, indeed the conditions are extremely difficult in the

detention centers. We have about 5,000 refugees and migrants which are in these detention centers. We're particularly concerned for about 3,500

refugees and migrants which are in detention centers that are either on the front lines or very close to the front lines.

So as you indeed mentioned in your report, we do have an initiative ongoing to relocate those that are in the most dangerous parts of Tripoli to safer

parts of Tripoli. We've actually relocated about 1,500 so far within Tripoli. But beyond that we're also working to relocate or evacuate

refugees outside of Tripoli, outside Libya.

That effort is ongoing. We have so far evacuated 1,200 this year and are seeking to increase that as slots become available.

[11:25:20] FOLBAUM: Matthew, can you give us a sense of how bad the situation is in terms of numbers of migrants that are coming into this war-

torn country trying to escape terrible circumstances in their home countries and finding a whole new set of problems in Libya, and whether or

not that is causing there to be a slowdown at the number of migrants who are coming into Libya.

BROOK: It's very difficult to say because we don't have access to many parts of the country because of the ongoing conflict. What I can speak to

or the detention centers to which we have access and in that case as mentioned, we are very concerned that those that are in the detention

centers are in a situation of serious risk to life.

In addition to, of course, the conditions in the detention centers themselves being difficult to start with.

FOLBAUM: This is not a new issue. What needs to be done, Matthew, finally to solve it and what are your operational needs at this point?

BROOK: Well, firstly we call for an end to detention. This is not something that we support. Secondly, we call for increased possibilities

for evacuations out of Libya. There are some positive developments. We've had two flights for example recently evacuation flights to Italy. We've

also had a flight to Niger from where refugees are able to go to other locations. These would be the two specific points that I would make.

FOLBAUM: Well, it looks like you have your work cut out for you there. We appreciate you joining us and giving us an update on this very important

story. Matthew Brook, the U.N. Refugee Agency's Deputy Chief of Mission in Libya joining us live. Thank you again, sir.

BROOK: Thank you.

FOLBAUM: This is CONNECT THE WORLD. Coming up, two tennis greats battling it out at the French Open will Rafael Nadal take home the title for the

12th time. We'll have the latest action from Roland Garros coming up next. And later, the threat that is melting the Arctic ice from above and also

from below and how it's affecting us all.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:31:25] FOLBAUM: All right let's talk sport now and there are two major tournaments that are underway, both of them in France. We have the French

Open men's final, the Women's World Cup.

Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem, facing off right now on the clay. Nadal is vying for a record-extending 12th Roland Garros crown, and it's opening

weekend for the Women's World Cup. Brazil just defeated Jamaica 3-0. And the second of three matches that will be played today.

Don Riddell, joins us now with all the latest on this and there is a match underway, Nadal and Thiem, how is it going?

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: It's a great match.

FOLBAUM: Yes.

RIDDELL: Not going so well for Dominic Thiem in the last few minutes. Nadal is 2-1 up. He's leading by two sets to one. And, of course, Rafa

Nadal, he's been known as the king of clay for so long. And he's just, I mean, the guy is just almost impossible to beat on this particular surface.

And nobody has ever beaten him in the French Open final. He's won 11 of them before. As you say, it would be a record-extending 12th.

Dominic Thiem is one of those players with a good chance of doing it.

FOLBAUM: Yes.

RIDDELL: He knocked out Novak Djokovic in the semi-final. But crucially perhaps his semi-final was played only yesterday and Nadal has had an extra

day to rest. This match is being played at very, very high intensity. The standard of the tennis is very, very high.

Thiem took the second set by seven games to five, and you thought all this is good. Team is getting back into it. But the next set was all over in

the blink of an eye. Nadal just thrashed him by six games to one. So, clearly, Nadal has the edge and the momentum at this point.

Dominic Thiem may well win the French Open one day. But he might -- he might have -- might perhaps have to wait until Rafa Nadal gets out the way,

but it's a great match.

(CROSSTALK)

FOLBAUM: It doesn't appear that it's going to be today.

What is it -- what is it about Nadal's game that makes clay as the surface so effective for him?

RIDDELL: Well, he just knows it so well. I mean, he's played on it for his entire life. It's always been his favorite surface. And just the

style of his play, the way he has the ball, the way he serves the ball, the way it comes back up off the court when he serves it.

You know, Thiem has been trying to figure out today where exactly does he stand behind the baseline or on the baseline? It's very, very difficult

for him and you can see him trying to figure it out as the match progresses. But yes, the king of clay was still reigning at this point.

FOLBAUM: All right. Let's talk about Ashleigh Barty, she has been crowned the women's champ and talked to us about her match.

RIDDELL: Yes. Well, her match, and her story, and her career. I mean, amazing. She won the Wimbledon junior championship at the age of 15. And,

of course, when a player does that, you think they've got an amazing future ahead of them.

But he actually got to a point where life came at her so fast, and tennis and the pressure of it was so much for her that she actually quit the

sport. She went up to play cricket in Australia for a couple of years.

FOLBAUM: Wow.

RIDDELL: She came back in 2016, and has been steadily improving since then. And here she is now, the champion of the French Open, winning her

first major title she easily beats Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets in the final on Saturday. Here she is celebrating an incredible story and one

suspects that this won't be the last major championship for good for.

FOLBAUM: Well, good for her.

RIDDELL: Yes.

FOLBAUM: And she should stay off the cricket, that should be --

(CROSSTALK)

RIDDELL: I think she's done with cricket.

FOLBAUM: He's stick to the tennis court. All right, let's talk about Women's World Cup. I love that these two major events are taking place in

the same city. All eyes on Paris.

RIDDELL: Yes.

FOLBAUM: A couple of matches here, Australia, Italy.

RIDDELL: Yes.

FOLBAUM: An upset.

RIDDELL: An upset sure. Italy won this game. Italy haven't even been in the World Cup since 1999. A 20-year hiatus for them. They came back, they

beat Australia who ranked higher than them and they did it this way. This goal coming from Barbara Bonansea very, very late in injury time. She

headed in at the 94th minute and the 39-second mark that is the latest winning goal in the history of the Women's Cup.

You can see what it did frustrate has to withstand. Great scenes for Italy. What a return for the World Cup scene for them.

[11:35:21] FOLBAUM: Wow. Down to the wire.

RIDDELL: Yes.

FOLBAUM: And, of course, there is a Brazil in Jamaica as well that has taken place, and Brazil won that match.

RIDDELL: Yes, 3-0, they beat the Jamaicans. Historic with that goal coming from Bonansea so late. History marked in a number of ways in this

game. So, Formiga, as you can see there, she's holding up seven fingers. This is her seventh World Cup tournament. Can you believe that? She

played her first one back in 1995, she's also at the age of 41 the oldest woman to play in the World Cup. No less than 150 players in this

tournament weren't even born when she played her first World Cup in the '95. So, that is extraordinary.

We also had history because that's Christiana completing her hat-trick in this game. She scored all three goals for Brazil today. She is 34 and now

the oldest scorer of a hat-trick living this World Cup.

FOLBAUM: Wow.

RIDDELL: Great stuff for that.

FOLBAUM: Love it, love the history. Don Riddell, joining us. Nice to have you out here. Thanks very much for coming.

RIDDELL: All right. Good to see you.

FOLBAUM: OK. So, longtime rivals, England and Scotland, they too will face off in the football tournaments next match that starts in about 30

minutes. The highly anticipated contest has many excited including our own Amanda Davies.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ANCHOR: I vividly remember being here in Paris back in December. And England-Scotland was one of those

matchups that brought groans from inside the auditorium when their names were drawn in the same group.

People didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Scotland's first World Cup appearance. England looking at their best chance in a long time.

Neighbors, such post rivals in the same group, and fighting against each other for a place in the last 16.

As we got closer, excitement has only grown ahead of Sunday's matchup in Nice. England will be the favorites with a real mix of youth at experience

in their squadron. Having won the invitational she believes cup, beating Japan and drawing with the USA earlier this year.

Ellen White was one of the players that scored in that tournament and she scored against Scotland at Euro 2017.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELLEN WHITE, ENGLISH FOOTBALLER: I went to Euro 2004 in Portugal with my family and we went to watch England play against Croatia. Rooney scored a

screamer, and yes, I think that was, you know, exciting to be watching a major tournament and it involved in the crowd be a super, super like

excitable fan, and seeing like England play a live game. And I think that was really exciting with my family, you know, ultimately you want to play a

major tournaments. And I think that almost gave me the buzz of wanting to be on that pitch. So, yes that potentially did give me a little bit of

push to be like go, go be a footballer.

It's a huge transition obviously, a new manager, it's nearly been a year now. And I think, you know it takes a while to embed a philosophy, a game

plan how he wants us to play. And we've had like a four year to develop that and gain an understanding as not only as a team squad but also as

individuals as well.

So, I think, you know, it's definitely bought in -- you know a different philosophy, you know, the standards, you know, the mentality, you know, I

think that's really important. That we go into every game with so much humility for every team that we play. Not that we never did, but I think

this more emphasis on it. And we want to play football, we want to win games. And so, you know, its exciting things to come.

Obviously, I got to go out to the group. And then, we'll go from there. But ultimately, you know, we're going to have -- you know, six months to

prep after Christmas. You got to put everything we have to win that World Cup. We came so close in Canada and yes, I think, we want to go one step

further.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DAVIES: White and England teammates know that this is being talked about as their best chance yet. So, win a World Cup to improve on that third-

place finish in Canada four years ago. They really need to lay down a marker in their tournament opener. But have no doubts there is no chance

of Scotland playing nice in Nice. Amanda Davies, CNN, Paris.

FOLBAUM: Live from CNN's worldwide headquarters, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. We're going to take a quick break and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:42:07] FOLBAUM: You're watching CNN. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Rick Folbaum. Welcome back.

In Sudan, citizens say that they're living in a state of terror. And the pro-democracy movement is calling for disobedience following a military

crackdown on protesters. Many streets in the capital were already empty after the violence. And now, the opposition is encouraging people to not

go to work.

The move comes after security forces attacked protesters last week. Nearly 120 people have been reportedly killed since then. Demonstrators are

demanding a civilian government after the military ousted dictator Omar al- Bashir, back in April.

And with all of that going on, communication in and out of Sudan is very difficult at the moment. But, just about an hour ago, I managed to get a

connection up with Sudanese activist and journalist Reem Abaas, who joined us live from the capital of Khartoum. And began by asking her about the

situation on the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REEM ABBAS, FREELANCE JOURNALIST, SUDAN: Last week was very, very difficult. They dismantled the city in a vicious way, using live

ammunition, sexual assault, they were beating people. People were hiding for hours in the area around the city, and they were basically stopping

doctors from going to hospitals, and they attacked, at least, three hospitals that were treating wounded protesters.

But since then, people have not gone quiet. They have been protesting. And today is the first day of the civil disobedience. And so far, I would

say, it's successful.

FOLBAUM: Tell us about that. The call for civil disobedience. I mean, obviously, the military is using violence. So, what is the aim of the

protesters?

ABBAS: Yes. Actually, yes, so, the RSF militia, or the TMC, the military council is kind of trying to get people to use violence. But using the

civil disobedience, which is one of the nonviolent tactics, is just another way to reinstate and reiterate that this uprising has started peaceful, and

the protesters will continue using peaceful tactics.

So, the civil disobedience is just to get people to basically completely put the country at a standstill. So, people have not gone to work today.

Shops are closed, the markets are closed. Banks -- most banks are closed except very specific branches. Many industries are completely shut down.

And many people responded to the civil disobedience.

FOLBAUM: This has got to be so difficult for the people of Sudan. I mean, after surviving and living through decades of rule under a dictator to

then, suddenly have him removed from office, and to have some hope that perhaps there's going to be democracy in Sudan, all of a sudden the

military doesn't seem to want to give up control.

[11:45:03] ABBAS: Yes, yes. The military establishment is very admittable wants to power. And RSF, I would say, is the main legacy of the -- of the

Omar al-Bashir era. This is the legacy of his era, militias that are uncontrollable. That are using tactic -- the same tactics that they have

used in the conflicts in Darfur, and any other parts of Sudan.

But, people are still hopeful. They still feel that they have not been defeated, there -- they have been protested even, even though the RSF

militias are roaming the streets and terrorizing people. But people have been on the streets every day for the past few days protesting.

I mean, I'm completely surprised by how it just took just a few hours for them for the people of Sudan to bounce back from the -- this vicious attack

and just get back on the streets actually and continue protesting.

FOLBAUM: Reem, what is the way forward here?

ABBAS: The way forward is just more I would say, pressure on the transitional military council. National pressure or internal pressure

through civil disobedience, more protests, and more peaceful tactics, but also international pressure.

Because the way because if this situation continues to basically to exist it's just not going to hold the transitional military council is a very

weak structure right now. It could collapse any minute because there are already major divisions within it. And also, just more violence is going

to breed more extremism and more fundamentalism. And Sudan will enter -- you know, a very difficult, and more difficult time, I would say.

So, immediate pressure from the international community and more pressure internally to make sure that the transition to the civilian government is

done basically as soon as possible.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOLBAUM: Let's get you up to speed on some other stories that are on our radar right now. And there is 100 firefighters -- there are 100

firefighters that are fighting to put out the flames in an apartment block in East London. Firefighters are saying that there are no reports of any

injuries.

The U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has held a private meeting with China's Central Bank governor on the final day of the G20 Finance Ministers

summit in Japan. Mnuchin tweeting that the meeting was constructive and candid. It's the first time both nations have met since trade talks broke

down last month.

Palestinian officials are slamming provocative remarks by the U.S. ambassador to Israel. Daniel Friedman telling the New York Times that

Israel has the right to annex parts of the West Bank. Palestinian officials say it's more evidence that the Trump administration and its

peace plan will be heavily biased in favor of Israel.

A Russian investigative journalist known for reports on official corruption has been released from jail and placed under house arrest. His employer,

the independent news site, Meduza says that Ivan Golunov has been charged with intent to sell drugs in large quantities. But critics accuse

authorities of fabricating that case.

And coming up, the world's climate is changing. And so, is our understanding of what's going on. Ahead, we find out what lessons are

being learned as the frozen Arctic warms up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:50:41] FOLBAUM: Climate change is threatening the world's most fragile ecosystems. The most dramatic consequences is how fast the Arctic ice

shelf is melting? And it's not only rising air temperatures that are a threat. As CNN's Arwa Damon reports, there's also a threat from below.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's spring in the Arctic. Nature is waking up as the sea ice melts warmed by 24 hours of

sunlight. This year saw a record loss of sea ice in April across the Arctic, and this is where that ice comes to die. But the story of ice loss

is more than just warming air.

TILL WAGNER, POLAR OCEANS PHYSICIST: I would lean to have trying to keep going a little further in.

DAMON: We're in the Fram Strait far north in the Arctic Circle.

MATTIAS CAPE, BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHER, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SCHOOL OF OCEANOGRAPHY: So we're choosing this area because this is an area where we

have this warm water meeting the ice edge.

DAMON: Biological oceanographer Mattias Cape is one of a small group of scientists headed by Polar physicists Till Wagner. The warm water they are

talking about is the fast-moving Gulf Stream originating in the Gulf of Mexico.

WAGNER: This actually -- this warm water -- this (INAUDIBLE) of surface as it comes up, and then it drops under the ice as it goes into the Arctic

Ocean. And that layer that's under the ice that has been coming up close to the surface and melting the ice for a moment.

DAMON: We know the oceans are taking the brunt of global warming we have caused. But the team wants to understand how the way the ice and water are

interacting affects our changing world.

WAGNER: What we're trying to do is find ice that's representative of the area.

DAMON: And ice that doesn't risk breaking apart under our feet. With a polar bear guard on watch, the team works on the ice floes day after day.

There are so many challenges when it comes to really understanding our planet's changing climate. It's a bit like trying to put together a puzzle

whose pieces are constantly changing. Changing faster than the science and the studies can keep up with.

The team drills through the ice to measure thickness.

WAGNER: So, we're starting to get a fairly good idea and it has definitely thinned. This, in this area as well, it's basically thin everywhere.

DAMON: Extracting ice cores that hold frozen clues.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, look at this. Beautiful.

CAPE: That about a meter of ice core right here. And inside, this piece of ice actually has little microscopic pores.

DAMON: Greenpeace ship, the Arctic Sunrise is converted into a floating lab.

CAPE: All right. Now, I can grab the first one.

DAMON: Melted ice core samples come to life under the microscope. A kaleidoscope of algae and phytoplankton.

CAPE: So, these sea ice algae and phytoplankton in general, tremendously important for carbon drawdown. These -- they photosynthesize, takes in

carbon dioxide.

DAMON: Phytoplankton don't just store carbon dioxide, they jumpstart the cycle of life. Feeding on the phytoplankton under the ice or zooplankton,

which in turn feed small fish feeding the bigger fish all the way up the food chain including us.

WAGNER: Really exciting. Yes, yes, there's a lot there and this is very different than we've always seen so far actually, in terms of just the

diversity of things that I've met.

DAMON: Initial data from hundreds of samples confirmed the team's expectations. Plankton that critical source of ocean food concentrates

where the freshly melted ice is.

WAGNER: This is crazy how strong. This is 14 milligrams per liter.

CAPE: Yes.

WAGNER: Really strong bloom.

CAPE: Yes, yes. Located right at the ice, said -- I mean, we did have icy ice around at that station, right?

WAGNER: Yes, this is like the hot devil water sits at the bottom is just waiting to come up.

DAMON: Increasing ice-melt is wearing down the cycle of life here, and undermining nature's carbon stored system. And that's bad news for all of

us.

This water in this region is among the most productive when it comes to the building blocks of ocean line.

[11:55:15] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it is.

DAMON: It is polar bear track. Increased melting of glacial and land ice from above and from below have recently led to doubling previous

projections of sea level rise to two meters around the world by the end of the century.

That coupled with the loss of sea ice is not only going to deprive us of magical moments like this. Beluga whales would rely on the food under the

ice to survive. It will also deprive us of the riches the ocean now holds, riches we all depend on. Arwa Damon, CNN, the Arctic.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOLBAUM: I'm Rick Folbaum. That was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thanks so much for watching.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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