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CNN NEWSROOM

Iraqi Forces Trying to Seize Fallujah from ISIS; Brazil's Perfect Storm of Crises; Baby Born with Zika-Related Microcephaly in U.S.; Trump Attacks Media; U.S. Warns Americans about Traveling to Europe; Brexit Could affect U.K.'s Safety; Record Heat Wave Scorches India; Estonian Sisters a Triple Threat at Rio. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired June 1, 2016 - 02:00   ET

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


[02:00:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): ISIS is accused of using entire families as human shields as Iraqi forces try to fight their way into Fallujah.

Plus, a baby is born with severe birth defects linked to the Zika virus in what's believed to be the first case of its kind in the Northeastern U.S.

And later...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Like this sleazy guy right over here from ABC. He's a sleaze in my book.

CHURCH (voice-over): Donald Trump launches personal attacks on the media after being questioned about his donations to veterans' groups.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. And this is CNN NEWSROOM.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CHURCH: Innocent men, women and children are under threat right now in a major battle against ISIS. Military officials in Iraq say the terror group is using suicide attacks and snipers to push back security forces trying to enter Fallujah.

And in Syria, deadly airstrikes hit a rebel-held city but it's not clear who's responsible. CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Syria's youngest caught in the line of fire in Idlib. Rescue crews work desperately. A small body pulled from the wreckage. At least 23 people were killed in airstrikes, one hitting near a hospital.

The Russians deny they conducted the strikes.

Across Syria and Iraq, civilians caught in the middle as ISIS tries to defend its turf.

In Fallujah, the last major ISIS stronghold in Anbar Province west of Baghdad, Iraqi forces are pushing from the south and east, Iranian- backed militias from the north. The U.N. says there are heavy civilian casualties as ISIS callously uses them for protection.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are also reports of several hundred families being used as human shields by ISIL in the center of Fallujah.

STARR (voice-over): Iraqi and militia forces not yet in the city center. There are thousands of booby traps and mines laid by ISIS.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If they're being used as human shields as the U.N. report indicates, that means that they have absolutely no way out and they're going to be pawns in the struggle between ISIS and the Iraqi government as well as the Shia militias and it is going to be one of the worst scenes that we can possibly imagine.

STARR (voice-over): It's significant the Iraqis are staying to fight in Fallujah, not running away as the battle intensifies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think that the state of play is much improved from a year ago. You know, a year ago here in Iraq, the barbarians were at the gate. Baghdad was actually threatened and, in theory, was in direct danger of being invaded by these animals that we call ISIL. Now we've driven them back.

STARR (voice-over): But from the top U.S. commander, continuing caution.

GEN. JOSEPH VOTEL, CENTCOM COMMANDER: I am being very pragmatic in this as I think we will continue to work through more obstacles, we'll continue to see some setbacks. But I think we'll also see some continued progress.

STARR: There is another complication: Iranian-backed Shia militias are also in the fight to retake Fallujah, a Sunni town. A lot of concern that sectarian violence could break out -- Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, joining me now from Port Orford, Oregon, is CNN military analyst, retired Lt. Col. Rick Francona.

Thank you, sir, for being with us. Now we are seeing ISIS fighters in Fallujah putting up significant resistance to Iraqi forces that appear to be standing firm and not running away, as we heard there.

And we saw that a year ago, right?

So how do you expect this to play out militarily, particularly when we know civilians are being used as human shields by ISIS?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, Rosemary, I think the outcome has been predetermined. Eventually the Iraqi forces -- and that means all of them, that's these Iranian-backed Shia militias, the Iraqi police, the counter terrorism forces -- eventually they will be victorious. They will go in and take Fallujah.

The question is, at what cost?

And I think we've been hearing that the human cost is going to be tremendous here.

But also the infrastructure, if you watch the videos of what's unfolding here, you see a lot of heavy artillery being used into the city. It's bringing down a lot of buildings. We see a lot of civilians trapped under the rubble.

Again, you have the human shields being used. And ISIS is not waiting for the attack. They are counterattacking out of the --

[02:05:00]

FRANCONA: -- center of the city into some of these small towns that have been already taken by the Iraqi forces. So this is almost a repetition of what we saw in Tikrit, what we saw in Ramadi.

And if you look at what those cities look like today, they're almost destroyed. And what we're going to see, we're going to see that play out again.

But that said, this is something the Iraqis have to do. They've got to clear out Anbar Province before they have any chance of going north to the eventual liberation of Mosul.

CHURCH: What role exactly is the Iranian-backed Shia militia playing in this fight for Fallujah?

And how much does this complicate or help the fight for that city?

FRANCONA: Well, initially, we were watching to see how they were going to be employed and we were hoping that they would do like they did in Ramadi and hold them back and try and use Sunni militias.

But that's not what we're seeing. We're seeing especially from the north, we're seeing these Iranian led, trained and advised forces moving from the north. They're operating a lot of the heavy artillery.

And this is very problematic because what it looks like is that you've got this Shia army converging on a Sunni town. And as you know, the sectarian violence in this area is extremely tense.

So I think this is setting up a problem for later. But the Iraqis have no choice. These guys are an effective fighting force and they have to use the assets they have. So I understand why the Iraqis are doing it but I think they're setting up a real problem down the road. CHURCH: Yes.

It is certainly a desperate situation, isn't it?

What happens if the Iraqi government doesn't win this fight for Fallujah in the short term?

And what's the role of coalition troops right now?

FRANCONA: Well, the coalition is providing the air support. And that's complicated by the fact that we don't want to cooperate with the Iranians. But all the airpower is being done by the coalition. You see some Iraqi forces, Iraqi air force, Iraqi army aviation involved. But it's primarily the coalition.

But the Iranian angle really complicates things. And I think that the Iraqis know that. But there's not much choice they have. It's absolutely essential that they win this battle in Fallujah -- and eventually they will. They will just keep throwing resources at it until they either flatten it and take it over and, of course, with horrendous loss of life.

But for their own citizens' safety, remember the uptick in violence that we saw over the past month in the Baghdad area, all these explosions and attacks in these Shia-populated areas. That's all been staged out of Fallujah. They've got to rid Anbar Province of these guys.

Then and only then can they focus on where the real fight is and that's going to be in the north, when they have to liberate Mosul.

CHURCH: All right. We'll be watching very closely. Rick Francona, always a pleasure to speak with you. Thanks so much.

FRANCONA: Good to be with you.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CHURCH: And right now, all eyes are on Brazil as it gets ready for the 2016 Summer Olympics. They're just two months away. But many are wondering if these games are doomed before they even begin. Ivan Watson takes a look at the growing list of problems that could keep Olympians and spectators home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's hard not to be seduced by Rio de Janeiro. This spectacular city, soon to be the host of the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Two months before the start of the games, construction crews are putting in the final touches at the Olympic venues.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything is going to be ready on time. We're going to deliver the park fully commissioned the 24th of July. WATSON (voice-over): But despite Rio's beauty, the city and Brazil as a whole are facing some pretty daunting challenges. A whole series of unexpected setbacks leading some to wonder, are Rio's Olympics somehow cursed?

Just days ago a warning from more than 100 international doctors, calling for the games to be postponed or moved because the mosquito- borne Zika virus could threaten an expected half a million foreign visitors.

That view rejected by the World Health Organization, which does advise pregnant women to avoid the Olympics entirely because of the risk of severe deformities to unborn children.

And then there's the political and economic crisis. Turmoil after congress suspended Brazil's elected president in an impeachment process last month. And high-level description scandals during the worst economic recession in generations, which has left more than 10 million Brazilians unemployed.

The economic hardship aggravating Rio's endemic problems with violent crime, daily gun battles between police and drug gangs in the city's impoverished favelas, as well as a surge in robberies.

[02:10:00]

WATSON (voice-over): This month, members of the Spanish Olympic sailing team mugged at gunpoint.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we just turn around to see what was happening and we saw the pistols like this.

WATSON (voice-over): Olympic sailors also worried about Rio's notoriously polluted bay, a dumping ground for much of the city's raw sewage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't want to swim in it.

WATSON (voice-over): Rio's mayor warns this isn't a first-world city.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't come here expecting that everything will be perfect. We live in a country that has economic crisis, a country with lots of inequality with all the problems that we've seen concerning corruption, bribes. But the city will be much better than it was when we got the games.

WATSON (voice-over): But even one of the mayor's new infrastructure projects is now a deadly failure.

This brand-new spectacular cliffside bike path was supposed to be a showcase project for the Olympics. Instead, it became a tragic setback when the waves took out part of the trail, killing two people last month.

In the turbulent run-up to the Olympics, a virtual storm of bad news that leaves you wondering what could possibly happen next -- Ivan Watson, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And you heard there Ivan asked what could happen next.

Well, how about more trouble for Brazil's economy?

The latest GDP numbers will be released in about six hours from now and they're expected to be bleak, meaning another year of negative growth. In 2010, the country's economy grew more than 7 percent but the growth rate slowed in 2011 and 2012 and all but stopped in 2014.

Well, now the IMF says Brazil is steadily declining, dropping nearly 4 percent last year and this year.

We have heard how the Zika virus threatens to keep some Olympic athletes away from the Brazil Games. Doctors have already said pregnant women should not travel to hot spots of mosquito-borne illness. Now some suggest the Olympics be moved, canceled or even postponed.

But a top U.S. health official says people should focus on the facts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is so much travel between South America, Brazil and the rest of the world anyway that to think you're going to have a substantial impact by canceling the Olympics, I don't think is scientifically based. That's not to say you shouldn't take Zika very seriously.

And let me reiterate so that there's absolutely no confusion. If you are pregnant, you don't go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A hospital in New Jersey has delivered a baby with a Zika- related illness. The birth was Tuesday. The hospital says the mother left Honduras for the U.S. for better medical care. Doctors say she and the baby are stable and doing well.

Joining me now from Washington is CNN medical analyst Dr. Seema Yasmin.

Great to talk with you, Doctor. So this is not the first baby born with Zika virus-related microcephaly in the continental United States but this is believed to be the first such case in the Northeast.

So what do you think the significance of this is?

And what will likely happen to this particular baby?

DR. SEEMA YASMIN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Rosemary, I've spoken to experts just today, who tell me they fear this might be the new normal. We have around 300 pregnant women in the U.S. right now, who have Zika virus, who are unaware of what the outcome of their pregnancy will be.

And, as you mentioned, this isn't the first time we've heard about a case of microcephaly linked to the Zika virus in the U.S.

Just in February, the CDC reported another case. But this is the first one in the tri-state area.

We know that the mother had rash for two days in Honduras and that she didn't have any other symptoms when she came to the U.S. But she was admitted to the emergency room on Friday and delivered the baby today.

And even during pregnancy, doctors had some inkling that their baby had some issues, that microcephaly can be challenging to diagnose. And even beyond that, this baby has some other issues.

Sadly, there are some intestinal issues and also some vision issues as well. We don't know exactly what the outcome will be for this family because the clinical details are still sparse at this moment. But we do know the mother, sadly and understandably, is not dealing with this well emotionally.

CHURCH: Yes, just heartbreaking. As you mentioned, 300 pregnant women in the U.S. with the virus.

How many of these women are likely to give birth to babies with microcephaly, do you think?

YASMIN: An important question that many people are asking right now. The best that we have to go by are estimates.

So a few days ago, there was an article in the "New England Journal of Medicine," that was trying to predict what the risk is of a baby having this birth defect if their mother has the Zika virus.

[02:15:00]

YASMIN: And the scientists use all kinds of data. They put it into a model. And they estimate it could be anywhere from 1 percent to 13 percent. But these are estimates at best. They're based on older outbreaks of Zika virus that we've had and on this current huge outbreak as well.

But we have to be honest right now as doctors, when we counsel pregnant women who have the Zika virus, that they have very valid questions. Sadly, we can't answer all of them. We're still learning more about this infection.

CHURCH: Yes, understood. And, of course, they will keep records and watch these 300 women or so.

What more then needs to be done by federal agencies like the Centers for Disease Control?

Are they doing enough to help fight the Zika virus?

YASMIN: The CDC is actually doing work here in the U.S. but also in Brazil. They've actually been there for a few months. They're investigating different aspects of this outbreak, everything from mosquito control to child health and pregnant women's health as well.

What's really important at this point, Rosemary, is that we have the funds that can help. People like the physicians and scientists at the CDC, the World Health Organization, all across the board, they need the resources to do their job.

And, sadly, here in the U.S. that isn't happening as planned. Congress has now gone on recess just a few days ago. They'll be gone for a week, maybe a little bit more than that. And they've gone to recess without allocating sufficient funds to the fight against Zika.

So it's really important that we move away from this being a political issue, a political fight to realizing these are people's lives at stake. These are children being born with a birth defect that could have a really huge impact on their life, their families' lives.

And, as I said, the scientists I've spoken to believe this could be the new normal. This is the first case of microcephaly linked to Zika that we're seeing in the tri-state area but many public health experts fear that we'll see many more in the coming months.

CHURCH: Let's hope more is done about this. Dr. Seema Yasmin, great to talk with you. Thanks so much.

YASMIN: Thank you.

CHURCH: We'll take a very short break here.

But a news conference turns combative. Donald Trump hurls insults at reporters who questioned his donations to veterans. We'll have the details when we return. Stay with us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

[02:20:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, Donald Trump called a news conference to clear up questions about the millions of dollars he's raised for veterans' groups. But it turned into a tirade against the media, with the presumptive Republican nominee accusing reporters of stirring up controversy to damage his campaign.

Jim Acosta has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was supposed to be a day for Donald Trump to salute the nation's veterans and highlight the $5.6 million he's raised for their causes.

TRUMP: This is my check for $1 million.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Trump ticked off the more than 40 groups he claims are receiving donations, some in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, from the Fisher House Foundation to the Bob Woodruff family Foundation and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

But clearly furious after months of questions about exactly where the money is going, Trump engaged in some verbal combat of his own against a target he's attacked before.

TRUMP: You know my opinion of the media. It's very low.

ACOSTA (voice-over): The news media.

TRUMP: Instead of being like, thank you very much, Mr. Trump or Trump did a good job, everyone's saying who got it, who got it, who got it and you make me look very bad.

ACOSTA (voice-over): So Trump took aim at the reporters asking the questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you keep calling us the dishonest press. It seems as though you're resistant to scrutiny, the kind of scrutiny that comes with running for President of the United States.

TRUMP: I like scrutiny.

But you know what?

When I raise money --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You raised money for veterans --

TRUMP: Excuse me. Excuse me. I've watched you on television. You're a real beauty.

What I don't want is, when I raise millions of dollars, have people say like this sleazy guy right over here from ABC. He's a sleaze in my book.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Trump went on to say he never wanted any credit for helping veterans' causes.

TRUMP: But I didn't want to have credit for it. Now, actually, though, what I got was worse than credit because they were questioning me.

ACOSTA (voice-over): But it was Trump who launched his fund-raising drive as a major media event, rivaling a GOP debate in Iowa he was skipping.

TRUMP: We actually raised close to 6 to be totally honest. But -- and I have to say, a lot more to come. ACOSTA (voice-over): The presumptive GOP nominee also fired off on the questions being raised about Trump University, the real estate school he founded that's being sued by former students, who say it's nothing more than a fraud.

Newly released documents in the case reveal some of the program's aggressive sales techniques, including a playbook that focused on how to market more expensive courses to students. Trump has questioned the motives of the judge handling the case, noting his ethnicity.

TRUMP: So what happens is the judge, who happens to be, we believe, Mexican, which is great, I think that's fine.

ACOSTA (voice-over): When asked why he highlighted the judge's heritage, Trump didn't answer the question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why mention that the judge is Mexican?

TRUMP: Because I'm a man of principle. And most of the people that took those courses have letters saying they thought it was great essentially.

ACOSTA (voice-over): As Trump told reporters today, his combative style isn't about to change, even at White House press conferences.

TRUMP: It is going to be like this, David. If the press writes false stories like they did with this --

ACOSTA: Trump also wrote off the odds of a third-party challenge in the upcoming general election, describing Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson as a fringe candidate -- Jim Acosta, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Joining me now from Los Angeles is CNN senior reporter for media and politics, Dylan Byers.

Great to talk with you.

Now of course, Donald Trump targeting political reporters, calling them dishonest. We've seen this before from other politicians.

But is Trump taking this to a whole different level?

DYLAN BYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he absolutely is. You know, anti-media rhetoric has been a feature of Donald Trump's campaign for the 10 months that he's been running. He always rails against "the dishonest media." He's called the media scum. He's even targeted specific reporters.

But what we saw today really took it to a new level. He was unable to sort of withstand --

[02:25:00]

BYERS: -- even the most basic level of scrutiny about the amount of money he's raised for veterans.

And, you know, this was an issue that may have just sort of fizzled out and been forgotten had it not been for pressure from various media outlets, including "The Washington Post" and CNN and others.

And the fact that he was so resistant to this questioning and seemed to be so angered by the fact that the media didn't just sit around and laud him for raising $5.6 million was really telling about what his attitude toward the press is.

CHURCH: And, of course, CNN's Jim Acosta confronted Trump and suggested he was resistant to scrutiny.

Have we ever seen a presidential candidate as resistant as this?

And will voters even care?

Or could it become his Achilles heel perhaps?

BYERS: Well, it's too soon to say if it will become his Achilles heel. But you're absolutely right. We have not seen a presidential candidate who has been so resistant to the media.

Usually what happens -- we've always seen Republican candidates who are able to go against the media. And that's sort of red meat for their base.

But at a certain point, candidates run up against the accountability issue.

When it comes to tax returns, to fund-raising, to money, to their past, to statements they've made, statements they've made now that may contradict statements they've made in the past, you've found candidates in the past, whether it's Mitt Romney or John McCain, running up against this issue, where they do feel like they have to answer the media's questions. And they sort of buckle under pressure.

If there's one thing we know about Donald Trump, he doesn't buckle under pressure. He's very much calling the shots in this regard. And he's very content to sort of charge straight through the media inquiries and go after us and really make this less of a story about his own controversies and more of a story about Donald Trump versus the media.

And, again, that plays very, very well to his base.

CHURCH: All right. Watching it very closely, Dylan Byers, always a pleasure to chat with you. Thanks so much.

BYERS: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: CNN's "STATE OF THE RACE" is just ahead for our viewers in Asia. And coming up for everyone else, one of the world's most renowned thinkers weighs in on the proposal to pull Britain out of the E.U. Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:00]

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CHURCH (voice-over): And a warm welcome back to you all. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church. Let's update you now on the main stories we have been following this hour.

(HEADLINES)

CHURCH: The United States is issuing a travel alert, warning Americans of the risk of potential terrorist attacks across Europe in the coming months. There isn't a new specific threat. But the State Department wants travelers to be on guard and alert. More now from CNN's Elise Labott.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: The last time the State Department issued a continent-wide travel warning for Europe was in late March after the Brussels attacks.

But now the State Department is saying that with the large number of tourists traveling to Europe this summer, this presents a target of opportunity for terrorist groups like ISIS, who may be planning attacks at public locations, especially those that are hosting large events, where lots of tourists could be traveling.

Now they're singling out the European soccer championships in France and also the Tour de France in June and July. And they're also singling out the Catholic Church's Youth Day in Krakow, Poland, in late July.

Officials say they don't have any particular or credible information about plots at any of these events. But they say these are the kinds of events that terrorists could be looking for where large numbers of people are gathering.

And they're just calling for Americans to be vigilant, to make sure that they are aware of any security precautions and to just be aware of their surroundings. Officials say that they're not discouraging Americans from traveling to Europe. They just want them to be on alert -- Elise Labott, CNN, the State Department.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Migrant deaths in the Mediterranean Sea have risen significantly since last year. The U.N. Refugee Agency says more than 2,500 people have drowned on the dangerous journey to Europe so far in 2016. At least 880 migrants died in a series of shipwrecks in the last week alone.

These tragedies are captured in one powerful and haunting photo. It's one you may, of course, find disturbing. This baby's lifeless body was pulled from the sea last week. The

German humanitarian group, Sea-Watch, says it released the photo to send a message to European politicians that more needs to be done.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CHURCH: One of the world's greatest scientific minds is warning Britain not to pull out of the European Union. Stephen Hawking says Britain would be safer and more financially secure if it stayed in the E.U. Britons will vote on the E.U. referendum in three weeks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN HAWKING, PHYSICIST: Gone are the days we could stand on our own against the world. We need to be part of a larger group of nations, both for our security and our trade. The possibility of our leaving the E.U. has already led to a sharp fall in the pound because the markets thought that it will damage our economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Security is a top concern for many Britons right now, especially after the terror attacks in Brussels and Paris. It's also dominating the debate on whether Britain should stay or get out of the E.U. CNN's Clarissa Ward spoke with leaders on both sides of the issue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROB WAINWRIGHT, EUROPOL: In some areas, such as access to the Schengen --

[02:35:00]

WAINWRIGHT: -- Information System, which is the largest security database in Europe and something which British border officials use every day to identify suspected offenders coming over, I think it would be very unlikely that the U.K. would continue to have access, because there would be no precedent for a country, the U.K. within find yourself being in having -- being granted access to that system.

Other arrangements like Europol would mean that it would have a rather indirect relationship with us, still useful, but not, overall the point is Britain's relationship with the European Union just wouldn't be quite as effective in securing itself from these threats.

MICHAEL HOWARD, FORMER BRITISH HOME SECRETARY: There are some specific, undeniable ways in which we're less safe because we're members of the European Union.

WARD: What are those ways?

HOWARD: They all have to do with the European Court of Justice, which is supreme. I don't know what Americans would think of that, making your Supreme Court subordinate to a North American court of justice sitting in Mexico City. That's the position we're in. The European Court of Justice has said we can't stop European citizens

who are involved in terrorism from coming into our country. It said we can't have systematic checks of E.U. citizens' passports.

Today, scores of people have been arrested in Greece for forging passports. We know a lot of the passports are forged. European Court of Justice said we can't have systematic checks.

And it's even going to decide, in a few weeks' time, whether the surveillance regime, passed by our Parliament, is consistent with the European Charter of Fundamental Rights.

And it may well overrule an Act of Parliament that's been established in the United Kingdom. So the European Court of Justice, which has the last say on the arrangements we can make, as long as we remain members of the European Union, is indisputably making our country less safe than it would otherwise be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The Organization of American States is calling for an emergency meeting on the crisis in Venezuela. The group's leader is asking whether Venezuela broke democratic rules under the OAS charter. That could lead to the nation's suspension from the group.

Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro fired back, saying the OAS leader could, quote, "shove that democratic charter wherever it fits."

Venezuela is suffering from a daunting economic and humanitarian crisis, including food and medical shortages and one of the highest inflation rates in the world.

Police in Ohio are investigating the actions of the family of a young boy who slipped into a gorilla's enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo. The ape was shot and killed after zookeepers determined the child's life was in danger. The boy had minor injuries. And police say their inquiry is not related to the operation or safety of the Cincinnati Zoo.

Wildlife officials in Thailand are at odds with Buddhist monks over a local tourist spot. It's a battle that's been going on for years and now, at the center of it all, tigers are running loose. Kristie Lu Stout reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Calm turns to chaos at a Buddhist temple in Thailand as wildlife officers armed with tranquilizer guns try to capture dozens of tigers held there in captivity.

Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Temple, known as Tiger Temple, is a popular tourist spot a few hours from the capital, Bangkok, where visitors pay to stroke and to feed the chained-up tigers.

More than 2,000 wildlife officials and police descended on the temple on Monday to seize some of the 137 tigers and take them to a refuge. But they say when they arrived at the temple, many of the animals had been set free from their chains.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We had to resort to legal measures by obtaining a court order, which the temple cannot obstruct. But they still managed to obstruct through other means, such as letting the tigers run free in the cage to make it much harder for us to work.

STOUT (voice-over): Authorities have already taken away eight tigers and say they will continue to remove the rest. Thailand's wildlife conservation office says the tigers pose a danger to visitors and that they were being mistreated.

The temple's vice president denies that they're doing anything illegal or dangerous and the temple says it is a sanctuary for wild animals and warns that losing the tigers will impact the local economy.

But Thailand says it is starting to take a tougher stance on animal welfare after increasing international pressure to take action against wildlife trafficking and the mistreatment of animals -- Kristie Lu Stout, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: All right. We'll take a very short break here.

But still to come, India's scorching heat wave is breaking records and proving to be deadly. We will see when the country could get some relief. That's still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM. Do stay with us.

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[02:40:00]

CHURCH: A massive heat wave has killed hundreds of people in India. But many people are forced to battle record-breaking temperatures or risk starvation. Sumnima Udas has more now from New Delhi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's simply unbearably hot. You can't really see it, but you sure can feel it. And it feels like you're sitting in an oven, with hot wind blowing at you from day to night.

"It's very hard to work like this. It's sweaty. Sometimes we get dizzy. Every summer I get seriously ill," Muhammad Zaka (ph) says.

But he has no choice. His family depends on him. So he cycles, earning less than $5 a day.

UDAS: I've only been walking for 10 minutes right now and I'm already been soaking. It's hard to imagine how daily wage laborers, who have to work in the sun all day and don't have access to modern amenities like air conditioning, fans and, many times, even water, how they deal with it.

UDAS (voice-over): Most Indians live in villages, where some 300 million don't have access to electricity. Many don't have running water, either, which means long walks in scorching heat.

In rapidly expanding cities like Delhi, pollution and the sheer number of people only making things worse.

And the worst affected are the daily wage laborers, toiling away in the sun, with no labor laws barring them from doing so in such punishing temperatures.

"What can we do?

"We have to work to fill our stomachs. This is our karma, I guess," --

[02:45:00]

UDAS (voice-over): -- he says.

India recently recorded its highest-ever temperature, mercury in one town shooting up to 51 degrees Celsius or 124 degrees Fahrenheit. Even when the sun sets, for the hundreds of thousands of homeless like Zakir (ph), there's no respite.

The only hope now: the much-anticipated monsoon rains, due in June and, thankfully, this year, it's expected to be above average -- Sumnima Udas, CNN, New Delhi.

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CHURCH: Our meteorologist, Derek Van Dam, joins us now.

Of course, we heard the mention there of the monsoonal rains.

But they're going to be late, aren't they?

So that relief is going to be slower.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Unfortunately, it's the monsoon rain that breaks the heat in India. Everyone looks forward to it. It's just that it appears that it's going to be seven to 10 days late, as you mentioned. Not good news, considering we've come off of two years of a deficit in terms of rainfall for the monsoon season.

Check this out. We've put it into a graph just so you can understand this a little bit better. There's 2014 and 2015, the overall deficits they've had to deal with.

But according to the India Meteorological Department, we are expecting an above average season, which is synonymous with a La Nina weather pattern that this part of the world tends to feel from that type of a weather pattern. Now look at the past five years. They have had three years of

deficits. It's only 2013 and 2011 where there was actually more rain than average.

You heard in Sumnima's package just a moment ago that the typical start of the monsoon begins right now, the first of June, today in India across the extreme southern sections and progresses across the northwestern sections of the subcontinent through the rest of June and into the early parts of July.

It's just that we're anticipating this to be about a week to 10 days slower in that advancement of the rains. New Delhi, Hyderabad and Nagpur temperatures above average for the most part.

It is extremely hot. I wish I could take some of this rainfall they've had in excess across Europe and bring it into India to break that up heat wave.

Take a look at Paris, France. This is the Seine River, a very popular destination. I have walked rights along these rivers, as I'm sure many of you have. There's the Notre Dame Cathedral in the background.

Unfortunately, the Seine River flooded its banks. And many of the other tributaries across this area of Central France have also flooded. There's major flooding just south of Paris with a high threat of flooding continuing.

And, in fact, this has disrupted play at the French Open this week. They've had seven of the last 10 days disrupted by rainfall. In fact, Monday's matches were completely canceled. That's the first time in 16 years that they've had to do that.

There's, unfortunately, more showers coming. I'm going to leave you with a bit of news from Germany because they've had to deal with a massive cleanup effort from flooding as well. Take a look at this town in Southwestern Germany. That was a flash flood event.

You can just see the horrendous power of Mother Nature -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes. Such a mess that it's left behind for sure. OK. Thank you so much, Derek. We'll talk again next hour.

VAN DAM: Absolutely.

CHURCH: Thanks.

Well, a young stowaway from China made it all the way to Dubai, hoping to make a fortune on the streets. But instead he is under arrest. Chinese state media say the 16-year-old boy slipped into a plane's cargo hold in Shanghai, hid there for 9.5 hours, then got caught by police after landing in Dubai.

The report says the teen thought he could make thousands of dollars panhandling on the streets there. Now he's facing charges and will likely be sent back to China. All right. Let's take another short break. But still to come, Estonia is a small country. But when it comes to the Olympics in Rio it could be packing a triple threat. There's a hint there. Back in a moment.

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CHURCH: Brazilian football legend Pele had such an illustrious career he won three World Cup medals. Now he's putting them up for auction, along with 2,000 other souvenirs. The priciest item on the block is Pele's replica of the original World Cup trophy. He received it after winning his third world title. It's valued at $600,000.

How about that?

Pele's memorabilia is expected to fetch more than $5 million, with some proceeds going to charity. The online auction runs from June 7th to June 9th.

Well, the upcoming Rio Olympics will be the first ever held in the South American city. But that's just one of many things that could make the games unique. CNN's Rhiannon Jones explains.

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RHIANNON JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Being triple: these three sisters from Estonia hope to make history running in Rio this summer. With their blonde hair, blue eyes and matching outfits, it's easy to see Leila, Liina and Lily Luik are identical triplets.

There have been twins at the Olympics before but these marathon- running sisters aim to be the first set of triplets to compete in the games.

LEILA LUIK, ESTONIAN RUNNER: We love dancing. We love swimming. And maybe that's why we love to be so active. That -- it pushed us to easily to professional sports.

JONES (voice-over): The triplets came to the sport late at 24. They're now 30. They train together regularly and say they root for each other in competition.

LILY LUIK, ESTONIAN RUNNER: I am happy when my sisters are doing well and win some competitions. Then I'm also happy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's boring when you're alone. And when sisters are together I feel that I have more energy maybe and support each other. JONES (voice-over): And when asked if they expect to medal --

LIINA LUIK, ESTONIAN RUNNER: We would love that. It's like our dream also.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. But we know that we have to be in reality and we know that it's very hard to compete against being on --

[02:55:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- Ethiopian runners.

JONES (voice-over): Regardless, this trio to Rio says their goal is to finish together, set personal bests and end the race with a smile -- Rhiannon Jones, CNN.

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CHURCH: We'll be watching to see how they go, right?

Well, hip-hop producer Timbaland is developing a personal bass system that allows listeners to feel the music. It's called the Subpac. The backpack-shaped device vibrates, sending low frequencies into the body. Timbaland says people will get a better listening experience while protecting their ears.

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TIMOTHY MOSLEY, "TIMBALAND": The frequency level has changed from the '90s to now. So this is actually for real going to save hearing because EDM stuff is -- it is high pitched. It's getting more pitchier.

But it sounds great. But you're going home with these headaches from these shows. If you notice the headache gets more intense or this stuff starts to impair, you don't even know. You think it's something else. So this is going to save everybody's eardrums and still get the feeling of explosion.

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CHURCH: OK. We like the sound of that.

Thanks for watching this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church. More after this very quick break. Don't go anywhere.

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