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More Calls for Donald Trump to Drop Out of 2016 Race; Mick Fanning Describes Shark Attack; Havana and Washington Officially Restart Diplomacy after 54 Years; Former Chinese Top Aide Arrested; U.S., Cuba Open Embassies. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired July 20, 2015 - 01:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:17] JOHN VAUSE, CNNI HOST: More calls for Donald Trump to back out of the 2016 race, but new polls show he's in the lead.

ZAIN ASHER, CNNI HOST: And renewed relations of Havana and Washington officially restart diplomacy after 54 years.

VAUSE: And an important announcement by FIFA's president overshadowed by a stunt.

ASHER: We want to welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm Zain Asher.

VAUSE: Great to have you with us, I'm John Vause. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

We will get to all those stories in just a moment, but we are still waiting for a news conference in Sydney, Australia where Mick Fanning, the professional surfer who survived that shark attack live on television and his good friend Julian Wilson and fellow competitor are expected to make some remarks after arriving back in Sydney from South Africa. As soon as that news conference gets under way, we will bring it to you.

ASHER: Initially he said he would be happy not to surf again, but now he is saying that he can't wait to get back into the water. Extremely brave considering what happened to him.

VAUSE: Of course, he also wants to hug his mom.

ASHER: Yes, who, watched the whole thing unfold live on television.

VAUSE: Well, in the meantime, we will go to the United States now where politics are rarely dull, especially if you have an outspoken billionaire in the mix.

ASHER: In a new nationwide poll, Donald Trump is leading among the Republicans running for president and the gap is fairly wide. Some of the polling was done after Trump's controversial remarks over the weekend where he said Arizona senator John McCain was not a war hero because he was captured during the Vietnam War. VAUSE: According to Monday's "Washington Post"/ABC News poll, 24

percent of those surveyed support Trump, almost double his closest rival. And candidate Lindsey Graham who has less than three percent says Trump's remarks were offensive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's becoming a jackass at a time when we need to have a serious debate about the future of the party and the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Other Republican candidates and John McCain's son are also jumping to McCain's defense.

ASHER: Now, many have said that Trump's words should in fact disqualify him from running.

Senior international - senior Washington correspondent rather Jeff Zeleny has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump is overtaking the Republican presidential race. For that and everything else, he makes no apologies.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not a fan of John McCain. He's done a terrible job for the vets.

ZELENY: His thought with John McCain is escalating ever since he questioned whether the former POW in Vietnam was actually a war hero.

TRUMP: He is not a war hero. He's a war hero, because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured, OK? I hate to tell you.

ZELENY: Jack McCain, the senator's son and a Navy pilot tweeted, there are lines you do not cross. Trump crossed one. He told CNN Trump disparage the service of all POW.

JACK MCCAIN, SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN'S SON: I think that is fairly inflammatory statement for somebody that is trying to be the commander in-chief of the United States military.

ZELENY: Do you it is disqualifying?

MCCAIN: Nothing in politics is disqualifying.

ZELENY: Even this?

MCCAIN: Even this. I hope that his personality has shown through, that he is whether it was an offhanded comment or not, if that's his true belief, then there needs to be some serious soul searching as to whether he's a viable candidate for president. ZELENY: Senator McCain himself took the high road.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I think he may owe an apology to the families and of those who sacrificed in conflict and those who have undergone the prison experience in serving their country.

TRUMP: He lost. He let us down.

ZELENY: Most Republicans piled on Trump and rallied to McCain's defense.

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is a legitimate hero that has served his country in lots of ways, and Mr. Trump knows that. He should just apologize.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's not just absurd, it's offensive, it's ridiculous, and I do think it is a disqualifier as commander in chief.

ZELENY: But one candidate didn't join in. Ted Cruz who visited Trump last week blamed the media.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, I recognized that folks in the press love to see Republican on Republican violence. And so, you want me to say something bad about Donald Trump, I'm not going to do it.

ZELENY: While the GOP establishment hope Trump goes away, voters we talked to in New Hampshire and South Carolina were decidedly mixed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's not qualified to be president and his candidacy is really all about Donald.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, he's fit to run president, he just needs to watch what he's saying.

[01:05:01] ZELENY: Now, as you can hear the views of the voters are clearly mixed. A segment of the electorate is restless angry and happy to listen to someone who sounds brash and as far from politics as usual. And that's what Trump is giving them over and over, more defiance that's dividing the GOP.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Now Senator John McCain says he doesn't want an apology but that Trump should actually apologize to war veterans. Meanwhile, Trump has insisted he has nothing to apologize for and that he clearly said McCain was a war hero. Listen to what he told FOX News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: I want you to be honest. You do think John McCain is a hero. I know you do. TRUMP: I do. And by the way, I said it. I actually said it four

times, and I said it immediately after I went on stage because I was asked that question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The Des Moines register in the key state of Iowa wants Trump to drop out of the presidential race. In an editorial, the newspaper calls him quote "a feckless blow hard" and goes on to say being electable is not the same as being qualified. And Trump has proven himself not only unfit to hold office but unfit to stand on the same stage as his Republican opponents. The best way Donald Trump can serve his country is by apologizing to McCain and terminate being this ill-conceived campaign.

Well, the U.S. and Cuba have officially reestablished diplomatic ties thawing 54 years of cold war animosity and distrust. Cuba's foreign minister raised his country's flag over Cuba's embassy in Washington on Monday.

ASHER: Now, (INAUDIBLE) also shook hands with U.S. Secretary of state John Kerry. Kerry welcomed what he called, quote, "a new beginning." In Havana, the U.S. embassy was also reopened. Now, Kerry will formally raise the American flag over the U.S. embassy there when he travels to Havana in August.

VAUSE: Reestablishing diplomatic relations comes after 54 years of lingering ill will and mistrust, but the U.S. president saying it's time to leave that behind.

Representative Jim McGovern, the Democrat lawmaker has been pushing to normalizing relations and lifting the U.S. trade embargo for some time. He joins us now from Boston.

Congressman, thank you for being with us. Is it a problem that visitors in Cuba say that the regime has increase repression and detention of opponent of the government there ever since this announcement was made official back in December?

REP. JIM MCGOVERN, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT: Well, I'm a believer that the more interaction between our two countries, the more political space will be created. My first visit to Cuba was in 1979 when the Soviet Union was hear. Since then, the Europeans, Canadians, and everybody else have kind of descended on the island. I think what I would argue is there's more political space there today than there was in 1979. So I believe this is a positive step.

VAUSE: Well, the big fear a lot of Cubans who are opposed to this, the fear that they have and they've told me is that once the embassies are open, the bands have played, the flags are up, U.S. administration kind of just leave it at that, no longer continue to pressure the Castro brothers to reform Cuba, to open up, to lift up some of the repression of the Cuban people.

MCGOVERN: Well, I would argue that our policy for the last 50 years has been a miserable failure. It has made no difference in Cuba. And I believe that having an embassy and having normal diplomatic relations gives us the opportunity to communicate directly with the Cuban government concerns whether it is about human rights or about drug interdiction or migration or environmental issues, you name it. But having a direct contact with the government, and having normal diplomatic relations, I think is a positive thing, especially for human rights.

VAUSE: In terms of the American embargo, though, isn't it true that that really isn't responsible for keeping Cuba closed off to the rest of the world, the Cuban people. You said they don't have internet access because the government won't allow international telecom companies to provide it. So, it is every (INAUDIBLE), it's a police state.

MCGOVERN: Yes. Well, look. I'm not here to defend the Cuban government. I'm here to simply to defend the idea that increased relations between our two countries is good for opening up political space, good for human rights and good for a whole bunch of things. I think for the past 50 years our policy in many respects has enabled the hardliners in Cuba to be able to maintain oppressive policies. So I look at this as opening things up, and as quite frankly the interaction of the Europeans and the Canadians and so many others in the Cuban system. I think even the Pope would tell you that things, that the embargo has been a miserable failure. There's more political space in terms of religion today than there was before. So, you know, increasing relations is a good thing, and I think it will help the cause of human rights.

VAUSE: Look. You know, I think the logic is sound that, you know, communist dictatorships or regimes that are opened up to the world change in some ways often to either be China, Vietnam, former eastern European countries . But that change is often incredibly slow. So what sort of time frame do you put on all this?

[01:09:57] MCGOVERN: Well, look. I wish I could snap my fingers and all over the world there would be no more human rights violations. But I know that's not realist. I do believe that increased relations between our two countries will help pave the way for more political space and I believe for more voices to be heard.

Look. I mean, right now our policy, even restricts U.S. citizens from traveling to the island. I mean, we're the country that is supposed to stand up for freedom, and yet, we restrict our own people from traveling to Cuba. So, look, I think tear down these walls. I believe that the American people can do more to help encourage the values that we care about than all the hardline speeches given in the United States Congress. I believe that American businesses can play a positive role in opening things up.

But I can tell you this. What I do know is that the status quo, what we have done for 50 years by any measure has been a miserable failure. It is time to leave the cold war behind, and move into the 21st century with a more mature and a more constructive policy.

VAUSE: I can't argue with that. Congressman, thank you for being with us. We appreciate it. MCGOVERN: Happy to be with you.

VAUSE: Thank you, sir.

Not everyone know happy about the U.S. restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba. And later this hour we will hear from a Cuban blogger, he is an activist and also an author. He was among dozens of protesters at the embassy reopening ceremony in Washington.

ASHER: Meantime, the United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to endorse the Iranian nuclear deal. The vote as another of level of international support for the accord. Germany has already taken steps to revise its once close trading relationship with Iran, but the U.S. Congress has not approved the agreement.

VAUSE: The European Union signed off on the deal on Monday, but it's still not clear how Iran's supreme leader will weigh in Israel is outraged.

U.S. defense secretary Ashton Carter is in Israel trying to cover his fears that this deal will lead to more funding for Iranian-back militia groups which targets Israel.

Turkey's prime minister says he will step up security measures along his country's border with Syria. The announcement comes after deadly suicide bombing on Monday.

ASHER: And we are about to show you video of an attack, but we want to warn you that it is graphic and it is certainly disturbing, but we are showing it to demonstrate the inhumanity and the horror of the bombing.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

VAUSE: Thirty one people were killed in that explosion, 100 more were wounded. And the prime minister blamed ISIS.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AHMET DAVUTOGLU, TURKISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Measures on our border with Syria will continue and will be increased. But our citizens should consider that countries experiencing tension, instability and clashes in the region could turn out to affect turkey's inner peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Now the blast happened near the Syrian border. Most of the victims were university students planning a humanitarian trip into Syria.

VAUSE: We'll take a short break here on CNN NEWSROOM. When we come back, Bill Cosby's extramarital encounters in graphic detail and in the comedian's owned words. We have his deposition.

ASHER: Plus, Chinese authorities arrest a top aide to former president (INAUDIBLE). More on the corrupt behavior Ling Jihua is accused of committing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[01:17:16] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where do we begin?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. Well, the news conference in Sydney with Mick Fanning who survive the shark attack live on television and Julian Wilson is about to begin any moment. You can see that they are now seated. This is their first news conference back in Australia since arriving just a short time ago from South Africa.

ASHER: And Fanning really escaped with nothing but a severed leash on his surfboard. Just incredible how lucky that was. For those who with as (INAUDIBLE). But he has said that, you know, despite all of that, he is willing to go back in there and still surf again.

VAUSE: Well, Ronnie Blakely who is pro-surf announcer, he is speaking. He gave some interesting details we record during the commercial break. Let's listen to what he has to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RONNIE BLAKELY, PRO SURF ANNOUNCER: And was actually helping coach him through the contest. It's a pretty unique situation there. So a lot of respect for Julian for Mick. That just made the whole situation even worse. But Julian, I'll start with you, just quickly. Firstly, Mick Fanning, what does he mean to you, and what did it mean to you to be in that situation and what were you thinking?

JULIAN WILSON, CHAMPION SURFER: At first, I was frozen. Mick was looking at me. Big old fish popped up behind him. It was a lot bigger than him. And I froze. Honestly froze. And saw him start to get kind of manhandled by the shark. And I was kind of freaking out. I wasn't moving. I was trying to weighing out the situation, what was going on, and he was getting wrestled off his board and then a wave came between us, and I just started paddling to him, fearing for his life. And I came over the wave, and I was like, just kind of praying that he was going to be there and not under water, and there wasn't, you know, blood everywhere and just worst-case scenario that you see in your head and obviously seeing what I saw before the wave came over us. But he was away from his board. The shark had kind of bitten through his leg rope. And the board was like, 15, 20 meters away in him. And then I just went into straight panic mode, like he doesn't know. He's just a sitting duck now. You know, and I felt like I had my board still, and if I could just get to him, and I was, just, felt like I wasn't moving at all. And I just, and I felt like I couldn't get there in time. And I was just waiting for him to kind of get manhandled again from beneath, you know, like what I was seeing when he was on his board, and I was just praying that I wasn't going to see that same thing. And even seeing him just disappear under water, and I was just kind of thinking that maybe by the time I got there that I'd be swimming down to find him or something, like I was just, it was such a hard, horrific feeling. But, you know, obviously, that's all I could do in that moment. And I was just so, I was just fearing that I wasn't going to be there in time. And I also felt like I couldn't see the shark.

So I also felt like at any chance it could come up on my left side, you know, from the angle that Mick started on, and, you know, having got me as well. But I just wanted to try and get my board to mick, and if he was wrestling it or whatever, because he's turned around, waiting for the thing to come up for him. And if I could get there with my board, I had a weapon, and I had some sort of something that could help. And yes, I don't know how he got on those skis and -- I didn't know until we got on the boat that all limbs are intact, and he was fine. It was somewhat of a miracle, for sure. Still really can't believe it at all.

[01:20:20] BLAKELY: Obviously, we spoke directly after the incident, you had a bit of time to regroup. And I think for everyone there, there was obviously initially that relief, and then just the gravity of the situation, and just how intense it was for you really came out when we spoke on the broadcast. And I just wanted you to get, again, touch on Mick as a person and why it meant so much to you.

WILSON: For sure, I think, with Mick being out there in the water was not even, for sure, when it first happened, I was frozen. I wasn't expecting that. It was the furthest thing from my mind. But as soon as I realized the danger and what was going on, I couldn't, you know, obviously I couldn't get there quick enough. He's an amazing human being, and he's a great friend and a great role model. And like I said, I was just so panicked that I wasn't getting there in time for him.

And I felt like I had to hold it together for Mick. We got on the boat and kind of celebrating and touched the sand, and we were kind of like, you know, adrenaline was still flowing through us and kind of high-fiving and hugging and, you know, and then we got in the car and they brought us back to the contest, and a bunch of our friends and Mick's close friends were there. And the emotions started flowing and Mick, you know, the tears started coming out, and I was still all right. I feel like I kind of had to be strong at the moment. And we got back to the contest. And it was all, you know, everyone was emotional, like everybody working on the contest, everybody watching what went down. Everybody was crying. It was really an emotional scene. And yes.

And then once Mick had done his interview with you and left, kind of left the beach and all of a sudden I kind of, and you asked me a question, I decided to replay what happened in my head, and I couldn't even talk. And I think it's going to be hard for a little while. But just really, really happy that he's sitting right there, and we just flew back, and he's happy, you know, healthy, ready to go, and all good.

BLAKELY: Michael? Mate? I just, I think that everyone here just initially wants to hear from your own mouth that you're doing OK.

MICK FANNING, CHAMPION SURFER: Yes. BLAKELY: So how are you? ? Yea

FANNING: Yes, I'm doing OK. You know, it sort of goes through waves and stuff. And you know, hearing Julian recount it and, you know, just waiting messages and stuff, it sort of brings up emotions like, you know, it was so close. Yes, I'm doing OK. I'm like, you know, I haven't got a scratch on me, or yes. It's just sort of more of an emotional, mental sort of trauma right now. And it will probably take, I don't know, couple weeks, months, I don't know how long it's going to take, but I'm just lucky. I've got really good people around me and great friends to, yes, just pick me up.

BLAKELY: Pretty unique situation. And we all know exactly what happened. But what, what did you experience that the cameras didn't catch from your position in the lineup, Julian has just ridden the first wave of the final, surfed it reasonably well. You are out next just sitting at the back and waiting for a wave, then what?

[01:25:01] FANNING: Yes, you know, I was ready. I was calm, and, you know, we're there for the final. And the last thing on my mind was, you know, having a shark. But yes, it was sort of like, I was sitting there, and I didn't know if I was going to move down the point and be closer to Jules or just sit where I was, but I felt like I was just about to start moving towards him. And then all of a sudden I just felt something, you know, just a presence or something behind me. And that's when I sort of jumped on my board. And then it just sort of just came up and went for the tail of my board.

But I don't know. I don't know why, why it didn't bite or whatever. My board's fine too. Yes, it just kept, like, coming back and just, you know, I was on top of it, trying to put my board in between us. And then, and then, yes, I guess you saw that footage before the wave went, and as the wave went, it, my board was sort of off, and I was trying to get to my board. Then all of a sudden it came back again, and that's when, you know, I just tried to position myself away from it, to the side of it, and it just was right there. And that's when I, you know, I don't know if I punched it hard or it was little baby punches.

I just sort of, you know, fought him off. And then, so, from there, my board, I started getting dragged under water by my leg rope. And that's when my leg rope broke. Just as it started going away, and I was, like, do I get off of my board? Or do I swim for sure? At that stage I was just screaming and telling Jules to get in and, you know, but warriors coming after me, you never know what you're going to do in that situation. And, you know, you just showed his true integrity.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: We've been listening to Mick Fanning relating of some of the details of that weekend shark attack. Also his good friend and fellow competitor Julian Wilson. They always have a lot to say. We will keep it close to you on it. And if there is anything that comes out of it, we will bring it to you later here on CNN.

In the meantime, we'll take a short break. And we'll be back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:30:55] ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: Outgoing FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, is setting up a special task force to deal with corruption and bribery allegations against the organization. But before he can make the announcement, a British prankster threw a stack of fake cash at Blatter. Despite the interruption, people came to take him away. But despite that interruption, Blatter went on to explain who will make up the task force.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEPP BLATTER, FIFA PRESIDENT: And we have decided to have a task force. 11 people, 10 players and a coach. He will be an independent person personality. We will decide within the confederation who will be this personality to chair the reform task force.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Blatter also announced his replacement will be announced during a special election. FIFA has been in crisis since May when 14 officials were indicted for money laundering, racketeering and wire fraud.

Zain?

ASHER: Let's go to China where a former aide to a president Hu Jintao is facing prosecution over alleged corruption. Authorities arrested Ling Jihua after expelling him from the Communist Party.

Our senior international correspondent, Ivan Watson, is joining me live in Beijing.

Ivan, thank you for being with us.

How high up is Ling within the past year, and what exactly is he accused of specifically?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He was incredibly a powerfully placed official in the previous administration, the previous president, Hu Jintao. He was effectively that president's chief of staff. So he could control access to the leader of the country at that time. And he was also, of course, a member of the Communist Party and held positions in a number of other different communist organs.

Now he's been stripped of his Communist Party membership. He's been under investigation since December and now he's been arrested. The charges against him include accepting huge bribes on behalf of himself and his family, of violating Communist Party discipline and rules, of trying to use his position to help his wife's businesses. And in a sharp contradiction to trying to support his wife, he's also accused of, quote, "committing adultery with a number of women and trading his power for sex" -- Zain? ASHER: So bribery, and as you mentioned, adultery as well. Is there

any sort of political motivation for President Xi Jinping to get rid of ling?

WATSON: Well, since Xi Jinping took office, he's embarked on this anti-corruption campaign or crusade. Just last month you had the former head of domestic security chief, he was sentenced to life in prison. You have a man who was described rival to Xi Jinping who has famously been brought down in a trial over the course of the last two to three years, and a number of other top officials, military generals. You know, every week you see in the state-run media another government official who's being investigated for corruption.

Now some would argue that Xi Jinping is going after his former rivals. Others say that he's trying to bolster the image of the Communist Party, which has been sullied in the eyes of some Chinese who associate top officials or their children of being tied to immense wealth. In the case of Ling Jihua, he gains notoriety in 2012 when his son was killed in a car accident while driving a Ferrari here in Beijing, wounded two women passengers in the vehicle. That sports car, that luxury symbolizes the vast wealth of the top cadres in the Communist Party and their families have amassed in the past decades -- Zain?

[01:35:28] ASHER: Xi Jinping's motivation, it sounds like both an anti-corruption campaign and also perhaps he's trying to purge rivals as well.

Ivan Watson, live for us in Beijing, we appreciate that.

The U.S. state of Massachusetts says it will use dozens of billboards to help identify an unknown toddler whose body was found in Boston Harbor last month. So of the billboards are already in operations, offering tip lines to phone or text along with a computer-generated image of the little girl named Baby Doe. Investigators have followed up on hundreds of leads but they still don't know the girl's identify.

VAUSE: The FBI and Texas Rangers are treated the mysterious death of a woman in Texas as murder. Police say 28-year-old Sandra Bland hanged herself in her jail cell last week. She was arrested after an altercation with a police officer over failing to indicate while changing lanes. But family and friends say she wasn't suicidal. Surveillance footage from outside the woman's cell shows no one entering or leaving before her body was discovered.

ASHER: One Egyptian policewoman is taking a hard line against sexual harassment. She was on duty outside a Cairo movie theater on the final day of celebrations marking the end of Ramadan.

VAUSE: IN a video, which has gone viral, she's seen dragging a man into the theater and then shocking him with an electric rod and slapping him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING) (END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: The details of the man's alleged crimes are not clear but reports say some praised the use of force against harassment others question it since the suspect appeared cooperative.

VAUSE: The U.S. and Cuba re-opened embassies in each other's capitols for the first time in 50 years. Coming up, hear why one Cuban blogger is opposed to the U.S. restoring ties with Havana.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:40:51] VAUSE: The reopening of the embassies in Havana and Washington cap a remarkable change in U.S. policy toward Cuba, but it is not without critics.

Armando Pardo is a blogger, writer and political activist and was protesting outside the embassy on Monday and joins us now from Washington.

Armando, what is to be gained by Cuba maintaining that policy of continuing on with the diplomatic deep freeze?

ARMANDO PARDO, BLOGGER, WRITER & POLITICAL ACTIVIST: I don't want to sound skeptical but little has been gained for the Cuban people. The Cuban government basically has stated they are not given any kind of freedoms or independence in Cuba, that the press will keep under the control of the state. I was there in the State Department today where the ministry of foreign affairs of Cuba and the secretary of state of U.S., John Kerry talked and it was really shameful because the Cuban counselor was saying that Cuba has gained in many ways and the U.S. needs to give everything back, including Guantanamo, and when they, he was asked by a correspondent about freedom, he said freedom arrived in Cuba in 1959.

VAUSE: In the grand scheme of things, hasn't history shown that no communistic dictatorship can maintain the status quo once it opens up to the outside, whether it be Vietnam, China, eventually, things will change. May not happen as fast as you'd like it, but eventually it will happen.

PARDO: Eventually, things will change. Fidel Castro is 89 years old. Eventually, they will pass away. And eventually their sons and daughters maybe will take control of the country, and then we will have the dynastic succession. I am not protesting or criticizing the opening of the embassy. As I told you, we were trying to put on the table the several issues that are very important to my people, including the situation of the exiles. Exiles are somehow being erased out of the equation. They should be considered Americans, and they, I don't know if you know that they cannot return to their country, they can't go to Cuba unless as tourists.

VAUSE: Would you agree with the fact that Cuba is no longer a security threat to the United States? Quick yes or no?

PARDO: I do not know. I would say that Cuba is not planning to invade militarily the United States.

(CROSSTALK)

VAUSE: Not a military threat. So the bottom line is, the U.S. has diplomatic relations with many countries around the world who have questionable human rights why should it be any different?

PARDO: I think it's good that they have relations that the United States decides, the fact is that diplomatic relations shouldn't be only with a regime, with a person that has never been elected by the Cuban people. They should at least pressure the Cuban government to democratize the country. Castro, the Castro regime is not ashamed at all to Castro-fy the hemisphere. It's a delicate situation.

VAUSE: Orlando, we appreciate you coming in. It's a good voice to hear. We appreciate your opinions. Thank you so much.

PARDO: Thank you so much.

ASHER: It took an extra day and a playoff round, but American Zack Johnson came out on top at golf's British Open.

VAUSE: At the close of regular play, Johnson was in a three-way tie at 15 under par. The play went to a four-hold playoff. Johnson finished 1 under par to win by a single stroke and claim his second major title.

[01:45:03] ASHER: To weather now.

(CROSSTALK)

VAUSE: How's your golf?

IVAN CABRERA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Terrible, terrible. I do better on bicycles.

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: Tour de France is going on, did you know that?

VAUSE: Of course.

They're taking a break on Tuesday.

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: I am recording it. I'm about four stages behind. Don't tell me what happens.

VAUSE: The guy in the yellow jacket, he's in front.

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: She wants to get to the weather.

ASHER: I want to get to the weather. CABRERA: I think that's a good idea.

Let's talk about that. Let's talk about the storms that have been hitting Iran, which is --

(CROSSTALK)

VAUSE: We don't have much news out of Iran.

CABRERA: Not this time of year.

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: They are supposed to be in the dry season, but we have images out of the region showing the heavy rains. Impressive stuff. Look at this. We also have a haboobi (ph). You know what happens, just like in the southwestern U.S., you get thunderstorms that form and then the outflow boundaries or gust fronts that come out of it can pick up the sand as well. Look at this in Tehran. Case in point, there you see, that's not a storm cloud. That is sand getting kicked up by the thunderstorm development that we had. A little further to the north here with torrential downpours. Upwards of 166 millimeters of rainfall. 80 kilometer per hour winds, and we continue with a little more activity here. In fact, that, in the next 24 to 48 hours, we could be seeing another thunderstorm pop up. And look at this dip here, July and August, typically, they don't get any rainfall, and then it ramps up toward the latter part of the year, but an unusual pattern, no question about it.

We do get storms this time of year. And sometimes it does interrupt the Tour de France in Europe. That's a ping-pong sized hail coming out of the clouds. Close to hurricane force here. The storm track is well to the north. Yes, we're going to get storms to the north. But that means that the south is stuck with this heat and bubble of high pressure, temperatures well into the 30s and 40s. We're talking 90s here in Fahrenheit. And we continue with more storms to the north. So we'll watch that closely, and the heat continues. So where we don't need it, temperatures have been incredibly hot, and no relief in sight as I see it.

VAUSE: 2015, we'll break a record, what's the bet?

CABRERA: For the entire planet, absolutely. Yes, with el Nino going on?

VAUSE: We're on he same page.

CABRERA: We're on the same page, that's right.

VAUSE: For the next three weeks.

CABRERA: Three weeks.

ASHER: And you can enjoy John interrupting you a lot more.

(LAUGHTER) VAUSE: Yes, indeed. Part of the fun.

All right, thanks.

CABRERA: Thanks.

ASHER: Thanks, Ivan.

VAUSE: Harper Lee's "Go Set a Watchman" was one of the most anticipated books and now it's one of he fastest selling as well.

ASHER: The follow up to her classic "To Kill a Mockingbird" sold more than a million copies the first week in the U.S. and Canada and has set a record for the publisher. It's not just anticipation that marked watchman but also controversy as well. Many readers are upset that Atticus Finch, the beloved father in "Mockingbird, is now portrayed in this new book as a racist.

VAUSE: OK. We'll take a short break here on CNN. When we come back, hackers are targeting a website which helps married people cheat. And now they're threatening to do a lot, something that has people sweating. Those details coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:52:32] ASHER: Welcome back, everyone. The search for intelligent life elsewhere in the universe is getting a major boost. Tech investor, Uri Milner; physicist, Stephen Hawking; and astrophysicist and cosmologist, Lord Martin Reese, are joining together to launch the breakthrough initiative.

VAUSE: They'll invest $100 million to offer scientists powerful technology, including the world's best telescopes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN HAWKINGS, PHYSICIST: Recent experiments have changed the game. We now know there are so many worlds, and organic molecules are so common, that it seems quite likely that life is out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Well, the data collected will be available to the public, and the software will allow telescopes around the world to join the search. We wish them well, because there's not a lot of intelligent life down here right now.

(LAUGHTER)

ASHER: Not in this NEWSROOM right now.

(LAUGHTER)

VAUSE: Our NEWSROOM is the exception.

ASHER: One of the golden couples, excuse me, of country music are calling it quits. Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert announced Monday they will divorce after four years of marriage.

VAUSE: Shelton is a judge on the reality television show "The Voice." In a statement, the pair said they would move forward separately and asked for privacy, which I'm sure they'll get.

OK. They say you can find absolutely anything on the Internet. There's even a website that will enable you to cheat on your spouse. That website is called Ashley Madison. And it was just hacked.

VAUSE: Yeah, and the big question, of course, is, will the hackers expose all the cheating spouses. It's not just credit card information at stake here.

CNN's Jeanne Moos has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Ashley Madison website for people who want to cheat --

ANNOUNCER: Life is short, have an affair.

MOOS: -- is known for its catchy slogan. Now members are worried they'll get caught thanks to hackers who taunted the company with "Welcome to your worst bleeping nightmare. Close down the site or else."

(on camera): The hackers are threatening to release customers records, including secret fantasies, not to mention real names and addresses.

(voice-over): The writer who broke the story says the hackers contacted him and, for an hour and a half, the accounts of several thousand individuals were viewable online.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whether they're interested in sex with multiple partners or with partners of the same sex.

[01:55:11] MOOS: This, after the website boasted of its security and discretion.

(SINGING)

MOOS: I signed up as a guest with the user name Dolly Madison 5 to check out profiles from Sexy Side Dish Two to the Pork Chop Queen to Busty for Lusty, all probably sweating bullets that they'll get busted for infidelity. But their online escapades could be exposed like Anthony Wiener's.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: You would know if this is your underpants.

ANTHONY WEINER, FORMER CONGRESSMAN: The question is -- I appreciate you considering the (INAUDIBLE)

MOOS: Ashley Madison, a site that loves to provoke with billboards like, "Your wife is hot but so are ours," are now in the hot seat, saying, "We have been able to secure our sites and close the unauthorized access points."

The suspicion is that --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is someone with an ax to grind against the company, probably a former employee.

MOOS: Spilling sex secrets isn't your usual hack job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can change your credit card number. You can't change your fetishes and sexual proclivities

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not Best Buy or Home Depot.

MOOS: No. This is home wrecker.

Dolly Madison 5, CNN, New York.

(SINGING)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: It's difficult to feel bad for them, given what they're going through, it's difficult to sympathize.

Thank you for watching, everyone. I'm Zain Asher.

VAUSE: I'm John Vause.

Errol Barnett and more news up next.

Stay with us. You're watching CNN.

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