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CNN NEWSROOM

Twenty Three People Dead in Historic West Virginia Flooding; EU Leader Demand Quick Divorce; Trump Takes Press For A Ride on Scottish Links; Trump Promotes Golf Courses Amid Brexit Turmoil; Obama blames GOP for Inaction on Gun Legislation; Obama Makes LGBT Raid Site a National Monument. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired June 25, 2016 - 17:00   ET

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


[17:00:04] SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

In Atlanta, breaking news now, scenes of mass destruction, rising death toll after the worst flash flooding to hit the United States in years. Here is what it looks like in West Virginia today. Entire buildings and roads literally washed away. Forty four counties now under a state of emergency as the receding waters reveal one breathtaking scene after another.

At this hour, we know at least 23 people were killed, among the victims, a four-year-old boy who was swept away, and this, one of the most surreal images, the sight of a burning home being carried away by the flood waters, the result of ten inches of rain falling in just a few hours. I want you to listen to this. This is one man who watched the destruction unfold from the roof of his house.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As you can tell, there's a fire across the street there, and I do not seen McKenzie's house at all from where I am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: McKenzie is actually the name of his daughter where we found out she is okay, but he watched her home just float away. The flooding, it's not the only severe weather threat that we are watching right now. This is out west, these are wildfires blazing out of control, this is in Southern California, 30,000 -- 30,000 acres scorched. At least two people are now dead. In some areas, home after home reduced to ashes. We're going to have more on how much of the fire has been contained in just a moment.

But first, we do want to begin with CNN's Brynn Gingras, she is in West Virginia, what is being called, Brynn, as you know, a one in a thousand year event. Brynn, President Obama just signing this disaster declaration for the state, trying to give some relief, but, clearly, this is out of control. What have you seen? What have you heard from the people who are there in that community?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Suzanne, they need that money. I can tell you as people are returning to their homes throughout the day, they are stunned, they are emotional, and then it stops right there. They are getting to work trying to salvage whatever they possibly can from inside their homes if anything is salvageable. Follow me as we zoom into this tree. This is an interesting story. This tree was cut down by this home's neighbor, and the water got so high and was so forceful that it pushed that tree into that White House.

That's the kind of flooding that we're talking about here. We've been talking to residents throughout the day, one gentleman, he washed the flood waters rise in his home, he is there with his wife and his grandchildren, not knowing if he's going to live through it. Listen to what he had to say about the experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID ROSS, WATCHED FLOODWATERS RISE INTO HIS HOME: I toughed it out on my second floor, we were able to round up enough food and drink that we were all right in that regard, but we lost our electricity, we lost our water, and --

GINGRAS: So you saw firsthand how this could take lives, and it did?

ROSS: Oh, my goodness, yes. We were in extreme danger, and all I could do was just to get my family to the second floor and hope that the foundation and structure of this house was strong enough to withstand the storm. I actually worried that it might shift off the foundation, but it did not.

GINGRAS: Thank God.

ROSS: Thank God!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS: And you can imagine being on the second floor of the home wondering if the water is going to creep up to that level, and just to give you a good idea, you're looking at a water mark on a sewage of plant right here. Now, that is probably 20 feet above the ground right now, and it's hard to describe to you, but the water in the river is about 20 feet lower than that, so that's how high the water got. That's how much water was going into these people's homes.

At this point right now, we are seeing the National Guard, we are seeing the U.S. Air Force, we are seeing federal officials here helping out trying to figure out for these residents how they are going to manage and what they can be saved at this point, 23 lives are responsible -- deaths the storm is responsible for -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Brynn, thank you so much. It is absolutely devastating, and just the scene behind you is really extraordinary. I want to bring on the phone with me now, this is Jim Alder, and he lives in Conwell, West Virginia. That is where the rushing waters actually preventing him, I believe from reaching his home.

Jim, if you can hear us, please, tell us how you and your family are doing, if you are, in fact in a place where you are safe. JIM ALLDER, CONWELL, WEST VIRGINIA RESIDENT (voice-over): Well, yes.

Right now, we're safe. We were fortunate enough not to be home when this occurred. Otherwise we'd be kind of stuck over there without a way to get off. We at least have one car away from the house, so that's good, but there are -- our bridge leading directly to our house has washed away. We were not able to access the house, all our pets were stuck there, no water, no electricity, and, you know, it was -- a little scary on one hand, but on the other hand, we couldn't help, I think how lucky we were not to be in some other people's shoes, people who lost lives, and everything they aren't.

[17:05:36] MALVEAUX: Are the authorities telling you at all when you can get back to your home, at least check on your pets to see if, in fact, the pets are OK and what the situation is there?

ALLDER: We actually were able to -- the creek waters lowered enough for us to get across this afternoon, and, actually, we had a lot of help. This is kind of a scene that you're probably going to hear a lot about in this community, but we've had a lot of help from neighbors and friends who have come to help us, and we're evaluating how we can make a temporary walking bridge to at least to be able get over to the property, you know, in the meantime while we wait to come up with a more permanent solution.

MALVEAUX: And Jim, I understand that this tragedy really does hit home for you, that one of the people who actually lost their lives is a student of yours? Do you know -- what can you tell us about that?

ALLDER: Well, what I'll say about it is that, you know, yes, as you heard, there's at least 23 dead, and I teach the local high school band, and we were very saddened to hear that one of our members had been one of the victims of the flooding. He and his mother and grandfather had gone into the attic of their house as the waters rose, and the House was swept off its foundation, and they were taken downstream. Nobody knew for a long time what happened to them, but his body was recovered.

MALVEAUX: All right. I'm so, so sorry, Jim, for your loss. I know that is tough news to hear. Are you getting a sense that you are being informed, well-informed of others who either survived or who have also might have tragically been swept way.

ALLDER: I think the communication is probably as good as it can be. We are pretty close community throughout the county and names of those who are still missing are pretty communicated, I think. But there's still a lot of question marks just because some people don't know where people were to begin with. So, that makes it a little bit tough. One thing that I do want to say is, I was very happy to hear that the President Obama and FEMA are going to help our area with federal some aid.

That's really, really important for us because in West Virginia, we have a lot of people living below the poverty line, and our state is in a current budget crisis, so the resources here from a financial stand point are pretty slim. On the other hand, we've got great people, we've people who are ready to roll their sleeves up and get to work, and so I think if we have that assistance, we're going to come out of this better than before.

MALVEAUX: Jim, you are obviously a strong community and a tight knight community, and we can appreciate that certainly in a time of crisis. Jim, again, we are so sorry for your loss and for the others who are unnamed who have lost their lives as well. We will be check in with you to see how you are doing, if you can get back into your home and how your pets are as well. Thank you, Jim Allder.

CNN's Allison, she is our severe weather in our Severe Weather Center, he's following both the flooding in West Virginia, also those wildfires that are out west. Allison, tell us what you know.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Suzanne, there are two reasons why this flooding event was such a disaster. Number one, the amount of rain that came down. But the second is the topography of this area because that played a huge role in this flooding event. First, you have all the rain that came down from the sky and fell into these valley communities. Then you had all of the rain that fell on top of the Appalachian Mountains that surround it that then flowed down into those very same valley towns, essentially giving them double the amount of rain, and it was a lot of rain out there.

Take a look at some of these rainfall totals. Maxwell in West Virginia picking up over 9.5 inches of rain. White sulfur springs picking up over nine inches, and if that's the town sounds familiar, that is where the famous PGA golf course Greenbrier is located, and that tournament is expected to start in just about two weeks from now. A wider perspective of all of the rain here. Again, here's Charleston, West Virginia for a reference point.

One should go east of that city, that's where really the bulk of the rain was located, many areas picking up well over half foot of rains in 36 hours. Areas that would like to see the rain would be the southwest where they are battling multiple fires right now. The one just north of Los Angeles burning 30,000 acres, only five percent contained, and weather not going to help that out. Same thing in Arizona. The only good news is the fire in New Mexico will actually get a little help from the weather in the coming days.

[17:10:42] MALVEAUX: All right. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much, and coming up, regret over the Brexit. How the UK's historic decision to leave the EU has some Brits having some second thoughts.

Plus, the scramble to keep other countries from following suit. We have a team of reporter across Europe. And Donald Trump drew parallels between what's happening in the U.K. and the United States. I'm wondering, is he on to something?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I think it will be a good thing. You're taking your country back. Let people that you want into your country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:14:22] MALVEAUX: It was the breakup heard around the world. Today's newspaper headlines showcasing a wide range of reactions to the U.K.'s decision to leave the European Union. Take a bow. The birth of a New Britain. American papers also citing upheaval and shock waves sent through financial markets after the Dow plummeted more than 600 points on Friday. The UK's decision is dumping European Union triggering the world's messiest divorce, if you will, heaps of global financial turmoil, EU leaders meeting earlier today to discuss breakout terms, this comes as many people in the UK voice doubt over the leaders met to discuss breakup terms, and many voiced doubt over the referendum's outcome, feeling of regrets, if you will.

An online petition with nearly two-and-a-half million signatures calls for a second referendum on EU membership. I want you to take a look at this. Some of the most Googled questions in the U.K. after the polls closed, what is it mean to leave the EU, and what is the EU? We have a team of reports covering the story.

CNN's Nima Elbagir, she is in London. David McKenzie in Scotland, and Will Ripley in Paris. So Nima, first to you, the EU says it is urgent that the U.K. chose a new Prime Minister. This is as anger as building among these younger voters, to believe that the older generation stir them wrong on this one. What are you hearing?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the British Prime Minister has indicated that he doesn't believes he's the man for the job, that he doesn't want to lead the key negotiations to leave Britain, so that, of course, is triggered a leadership contest, so believe it or not, the British public will be dealing with the ramifications of Brexit.

And then a leadership fight, all within months of each other, and so that means at the very least, it could be October before article 50, the official -- the official infrastructure to leave the European Union before that is triggered. And then it could be much, much longer because article 50 is complex, it's drawn out, and we could be looking potentially at something at the very minimum of two years, and you can appreciate that that's why the financial markets are not feeling particularly happy right now -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Yes. Some people are not. David, you're in Scotland, they voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU, well now Scotland leaders says, they are likely going to seek an independence, seek its only independence from the U.K., but they tried to split from them once before, that it actually failed, so are they more likely to succeed now this go around now that this happened?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been a game changer, this referendum in the U.K., with the, you know, a tight victory for those in the Leave campaign, but here in Scotland, a very different story Suzanne of course. Twenty four percent edge with those who wanted to stay in the European Union. Scotland already had a great deal of autonomy from England and Scottish government had the first minister saying that she wants to have another referendum or at least put it on the table to have one to have a voice to go independent and by that route, maybe stay within the EU. She says, it's undemocratic not to listen to the voice of the voters here in Scotland. And certainly, you know, on the streets of Edinburgh, we've been listening to a lot of nervous people, many of who say they want to stay in the EU.

MALVEAUX: And, Will, some worry in France that might try to hold its own referendum leaving the EU, tell us about France's President, Francois Hollande big meeting today.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he runs the socialist government. He heads the socialist government here, Suzanne, and they are very much trying to get front and center to convince the public that staying with the European Union is right for France and right for Europe. But it's a tough sell, especially with the leader of the far right national front party that's been very popular outside of Paris in the rural areas.

Marine Le Pen, is the leader of that party, she met with President Hollande at the -- France's Hollande at the White House, and he says earlier today, and it did not go well, apparently, according to Marine Le Pen who told reporters that essentially when she asked for a referendum, the President said it was not going to happen. He said, the people here in France are being treated like a third wheel, and her party is gaining popularity, that message resonating with more and more people who feel left behind by the sluggish economy here and other factors including terrorism -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. It will be very interesting to see how this unfolds in the days and weeks to come.

Nima Elbagir in London, David McKenzie in Bergen, and, of course, Will Ripley in Paris, thank you so much. All of you.

Coming up, Donald Trump gets a global stage during his trip to Scotland, but instead of the Brexit, he focused on his golf courses. The wild ride he took the press on today. And is the U.K. vote a gift for the GOP?

Our political panel weighing in on the parallels between the Brexit and the rise of the Donald Trump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:22:56] MALVEAUX: Welcome back. Donald Trump took the press for quite a ride today. As he continued a trip to Scotland to promote his golf courses, presumptive Republican nominee gave a rolling press conference, you will, to look on a golf cart as reporters try to keep up.

Our senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta watched the rather unusual scene play out. And, Jim, yes, I've never quite seen anything like this before, but he was questioned about focusing on the golf properties during the presidential campaign, and what is he talking about today? Is he changing the subject? Is he pivoting the Brexit? What does he think? JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: He's trying to keep

it on the fairways, Suzanne, it is not always working out that way, but Donald Trump is on his way back to the U.S. tonight after touring his golf properties here in Scotland just as Britain's Brexit from the European Union has sending shock waves around the world, Trump did take questions as you said, Suzanne, from reporters during what was a rolling press conference across his golf course here in Aberdeen, Scotland, he did sound very confident that this financial panic that was unleashed by the Brexit would subside in time. He also defended his trip here in response to those GOP critics back in Washington who say he should be tending to his campaign back home. He told CNN earlier today, he did spent part of this visit here working on his vice presidential process. Here is what he told me earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: How is the process coming along?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Good. A lot of people that want it. I will tell you one thing, I'm getting calls from a lot of people. Only people that say they don't want it are people that were not asked. I'll see somebody said, they don't want it, they were not it. But we have a lot of people that want it, that slot.

ACOSTA: And if we have the video to show this, here is something you don't see everybody day, Trump earlier this evening made time for dinner with Rupert Murdoch before leaving to go back home to the U.S. He actually personally drove the media mogul around in his golf cart across this golf course here in Scotland before they went back inside and had dinner together. Now, we should mention the presumptive GOP nominee earlier today, he suggested that he is softening his position on temporarily banning Muslims coming into the U.S.

He said in response to one reporter's question that he would welcome a Muslim from Scotland, for example, and perhaps welcome Muslims from other, what he described as nonthreatening countries, not a lot of details from the campaign as to whether or not this is a full reversal, this is a softening of his position, they simply just are not putting details to what Donald Trump said earlier today here to reporters in Scotland, but he'll have plenty of opportunities to do that next week, Suzanne, and as I said, he is heading back home right now, and we're expecting to see him out on the campaign trail next week -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. Jim, we certainly expect that you and many others are going to be pressing for these details about that potential change --

ACOSTA: That's right.

MALVEAUX: -- in his position regarding Muslims. Thank you so much, Jim, I appreciate that.

And coming after the break, political panels breaking down Trump's visit to Scotland and whether the Brexit is a big win for him and the GOP.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:24:13] MALVEAUX: Donald Trump arrived in the U.K. mere hours after his historic Brexit vote, but with the world at attention, the presumptive Republican nominee chose to talk golf over politics. The moment has been labeled both bizarre and absurd by some, and now Hillary Clinton is seizing on the opportunity to attack releasing this mash-up using clips from Trump's speech in Scotland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We've taken the lighthouse, which is a very, very important building in Florida, I mean, in Scotland.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are now in unprecedented territory.

TRUMP: The golfers stop and they'll go and get something to eat and then they'll go into the tenth deep --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dow opening lower by about 500 points.

TRUMP: The pound goes down, they do more business. And when the pound goes down, more people are coming to turn them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[17:30:00] MALVEAUX: Joining me now to talk about the impact the Brexit will have on the race here at home, political editor at WhiteAlerts.com and Trump supporter, Scottie Nell Hughes; Democratic strategist and Clinton supporter, Maria Cardona; and CNN political commentator, Tara Setmayer.

Scottie, starting with you, seeing the mash-up and ad there, and there's political pundits and Republicans who looked at Trump's initial response and were dumbfounded, thought he missed the opportunity here to present himself as a leader on foreign policy, to take hold of a situation that some even argued would benefit him in arguments that he's made about taking America back and making America great again, and what took place in the U.K. Was he not prepared, did he not have that foreign policy team really kind of giving him what he needed to make that statement on the ground?

SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES, POLITICAL EDITOR, WHITEALERTS.COM & DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: Well, listen, Winston Churchill said, unsuccessful intervention in the affairs of another country is generally agreed to be a mistake. And I think Mr. Trump was taking his advice because when you go into this, he's setting an example, letting the people of one country make the decisions for themselves. And he expects the same type of republic for America when he's in the executive office.

Now, if he wanted to hide from anything, he would not spent the last two days with reporters going everywhere, to every golf hole, and everything, asking questions open ended and him responding. Hillary Clinton can sit here and take her sound bites and mash-ups but the truth is after talking about the golf course, that he was there to support his family, like we go to support our children at baseball game and recitals, he talked, at end, and answered openly, all the questions reporters asked unlike Hillary Clinton since she's opened up herself to the public in scrutiny as well.

MALVEAUX: Scottie, I'm sure a lot of people relate to supporting their children, clearly, in activities, but was there not a risk of him sounding provincial when talking about the details of the resort and lovely things going on, and, you know, very specific to him and his family, and despite the fact that he's running for office, he's running for president.

HUGHES: Well, which one do you want it to be? On the one hand, people criticize him for being a businessman and, on the other hand, showing off what great things his business accomplished and what he produced, you say, why not talk about other things? Listen, it was a great job of mixing them together as well as showing the pride he has in the family for what they are doing as a group together.

And it's not like this is any other golf course. This is a golf course with his name on it. And he brought the entire press with him so it was not like he was hiding from anybody. He opened himself up at all times for questions and never said no to anything.

MALVEAUX: Tara, weigh in on this, what you made of that moment, and how that played out on the national and international stage that he was there at the time that something profoundly in Europe was changing the market and relationships potentially around the world.

TARA SETMAYER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Right. A historic global event, and Donald Trump was there talking about the sprinkler systems on the golf course. I mean, this is crazy. You're running for president. This thing about, oh, supporting his children, they are grown adults, these children, OK. We're not talking about the first Christening of his grandchildren or something. Give me a break. And running for the president of the United States. You're not a businessman anymore. So it's very difficult for people to look and take the candidacy seriously when he's promoting a golf course that's, A, losing money, but he claimed he was making money on it in the financial disclosure form. Discrepancies there. He's rivaled in Scotland. He promised 6,000 jobs would be created as a result of his golf course there. There's 150.

It's an example of overpromises and under-delivering, which he's done in many businesses overseas. That, you know, the Clintons will jump right on that. He's an opportunity, was an opportunity for him to demonstrate how, what a brilliant businessman he is, such a big brain. Why didn't he talk about the financial markets, the implications for the United States, the importance of sovereignty and liberty, and what actually happened with Brexit in a cogent, mature way? But, no, he used the opportunity, A, pay for it with campaign funds, which is clearly a business trip. Running around, having the media following him on the golf course, making a special of it. He blew an opportunity to capitalize on what was a good week for him, considering the last month and a half was a disaster. Total blown opportunity.

MALVEAUX: Maria, bringing you into the conversation here, because we're talking about Hillary Clinton and she -- Trump found a way to hit here over Brexit. He tweeted this, saying, "So funny Crooked Hillary Clinton called it incorrectly, and now she's the one to deal with the U.K., all talk, no action."

Was there an opportunity in some way for her to respond to that criticism or to in some way show her own knowledge over what was taking place?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Oh, I think she's done that plenty in the last month, especially given the contrast of what we saw with Donald Trump during this press conference.

And I couldn't agree more with what Tara said, saying it looked like an information commercial for the golf channel than a presidential candidate overseas. It represented two things. One, business is first for Donald Trump. Donald Trump has been about himself, and that continues to be the case. Americans looking for someone to stand up for them for solutions on how they are going to make the next president making their economies better. They are not hearing that from Donald Trump because Donald Trump is talking about thread counts, talking about sprinkler systems, luxury hotel rooms. So I think in the face of what happened that was so impactful from a global perspective, and he did have an opportunity to exhibit knowledge on the financial end here, and he blew it.

[17:36:08] Secondly, he in not talking about that. Remember, not too many days ago, he did not know what Brexit was when he was asked about it from a reporter. Then he Googled it, found out something about it from the advisers, and when asked if he's going to talk more to his foreign advisers, foreign policy advisers about it, he said there's nothing else to talk about. That underscored the second thing, which was that this is a man who not only has dangerous rhetoric and dangerous policies, but that he is completely unfit to be president, unprepared, and wholly unqualified. And November, the American people are going to be voting for Trexit.

MALVEAUX: Scottie, get the last word here, and address the criticisms from Tara and Maria, and how does Trump change the narrative that is the pound goes down, "I" do well, to something that has a "we" or "us" in it.

SCOTTIE: Absolutely.

First, I want to say, thank you, Tara. This probably the first compliment I've ever heard you say. I think that's a great thing, that Mr. Trump had a good week.

But I have to wonder what other press conferences were you watching? What I saw, yes, he referenced the golf course, but answered every question concerning the markets and about the markets that were why they were dropping and his response to it, and how he would have handled it. He did a good job. We spent 48 hours talking about Mr. Trump in Scotland, every story, so don't tell me he's not talked about markets and the business because, every chance he's got, he's opened himself up to the questions, and they have come, and he's answered them correctly. Now, as for, you know, whether or not the temperament -- you're just

assuming, you are assuming, which I don't like that, when you assume he did not know what the Brexit is. He referenced it several times.

(CROSSTALK)

CARDONA: He said it himself.

HUGHES: No.

(CROSSTALK)

SETMAYER: Read the "Hollywood Reporter." He didn't know what it is.

CARDONA: Yeah, he didn't know what it was.

HUGHES: Did he say that? I didn't hear that. He said we're going to see how it happens. Removing himself, letting the people make the decisions.

(CROSSTALK)

CARDONA: It's one of the biggest global stories happening right

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SETMAYER: -- one of the biggest global stories happening right now.

CARDONA: I was just embarrassing for him.

(CROSSTALK)

HUGHES: -- to think he doesn't know, the man watches more news than anything else, probably watching this right now.

(CROSSTALK)

MALVEAUX: Ladies, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, we're going to have to leave it there. Ran out of time. And we'll continue the debate and this conversation.

We appreciate all of you. Scottie Nell Hughes, Tara Setmayer and Maria Cardona, thank you.

(CROSSTALK)

MALVEAUX: We'll continue this again.

Now, to this week's "CNN Hero," this is a man who overcame a serious neurological disorder to get into law school and then dedicated his life to helping kids who were just like himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CNN HERO (through translation): I have cerebral palsy. A doctor told my mom I would amount to nothing. What we've been able to accomplish through o work is to change that story. We have transformed the lives of thousands of children with disabilities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:43:10] MALVEAUX: President Obama's pressuring Republicans over gun control while on the campaign trail. Here he is last night in Seattle at a fundraiser for the governor of Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Think about what just happened in Orlando a few days ago. We can protect more of our kids, our people from the horrors of gun violence. Just a couple of weeks after the worse mass shooting in modern history, Republicans in the U.S. Senate blocked any new gun safety reforms. Republicans in the House wouldn't even allowed a vote on them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

I want to bring in our correspondent, Chris Frates, who is joining us from Washington, D.C.

And so, Chris, president's remarks come after house Democrats held a day-long sit-in earlier in the week. What do we expect looking forward?

CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, we expect Democrats to keep making a lot of noise about this. You know, they really kind of will go back to their home districts and they are going to make a lot of sound, a lot of furry, but nothing's really changed so far.

And let's break it down how this went down on Capitol Hill. The Senate debated measures to prevent suspected the terrorists from buying guns and tighten up background checks. All of those proposals, and there was a bipartisan compromise, they all failed.

On the House side, Republicans refused any gun control measures for a vote making House Democrats angry. They staged a 25-hour sit-in on the House floor to protest, led by John Lewis, the legendary civil rights leader who organized segregated lunch counters during the civil rights movement. He led the protest. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN LEWIS, (D), GEORGIA: Do we have raw courage to make at least a down payment on any gun violence in America? We can no longer wait. We can no longer be patient. So today, we come to the well of the House to dramatize the need for action. Not next month! Not next year! But now! Today!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[17:45:24] FRATES: Now President Obama also weighed in on Twitter saying, "Thank you, John Lewis, for leading on gun violence where we need it most." Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan accusing Democrats of creating

chaos and threatening democracy with their political stunt.

In the middle of the night, Republicans adjourned for a break to last until July 5th.

Suzanne, Democrats say they are going home, continuing to get energy and get behind the constituents -- they'll get their constituents behind this and they'll return for a big fight in July.

MALVEAUX: Yeah. Chris, I talked to the people outside, the supporters outside of that, and they say they are coming back July as well. The fight is far from over.

Chris, thank you for your excellent work I appreciate it.

FRATES: Absolutely. Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

Coming up live in the CNN NEWSROOM, a watershed moment as President Obama designates the first national monument to LGBT rights.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: That all of us are created equal is the star that guides us still just as it guided our forbearers through Seneca Falls and Selma and Stonewall, just as it guided all the men and women, sung and unsung, who left their footprints along this great mall to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:50:11] MALVEAUX: It's a big weekend for the gay, lesbian, and transgender community in New York City. Tomorrow's Pride march expected to be the largest ever. And just today, President Obama made the Stonewall Inn a national monument, the first ever dedicated to LGBT rights. Police raided the Stonewall Inn back in 1969 and the response changed history.

JoDee Winterhof, from the Human Rights Campaign, joining us now from Washington.

JoDee, tell us, first of all, what is the president's acknowledgement of the struggles of the community mean?

JODEE WINTERHOF, HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN: It is a tremendously powerful statement for our community, to recognize these brave and courageous individuals, who stood up to unfair and unjust treatment. And frankly, it really helped the LGBTQ movement at that time.

MALVEAUX: And the president said this was important, in more, to help and preserve and share this as a part of American history. Explain a little bit about that moment. WINTERHOF: Certainly. I think prior to these rights, you know, these

folks who had gathered and try to have safe space at the Stonewall Inn, for many years, were harassed, were bullied. Were not left alone to just live their lives and love who they loved. And so, it built up for a long time. And many people in our community at that time were in the closet and were isolated from people. And so having these safe spaces to community were tremendously important. And so prior to that time, as we celebrate Pride this month, all across the country, and frankly, all across the world, those Pride marches didn't really happen prior to the Stonewall riots. And so it really was a time to ignite this change in the community and really help us move forward into a new day.

MALVEAUX: And let's talk about tomorrow's Pride parade. There's going to be tens of thousands of folks who are participating, millions of spectators in New York. Give us the message.

WINTERHOF: Well, I think the message is that everyone should be able to live their lives freely and openly and love those who they love and celebrate their lives. And so, that's really the message of Pride. I also think, as a community, we are still grieving and mourning those 49 lives that we lost as a community and those who were allies in Orlando. And so, we will probably do both. And I think the outcome of that combination of things, of celebrating, yet grieving and acknowledging our losses, makes us even more determined to work towards full equality in our country.

MALVEAUX: And, JoDee, do you think -- there was such a tragic, you know, scenario that played out in that night clean up, that so many people were killed and were of the gay community, that it was a gay club where you could feel safe and celebrate, but do you think this country is changing. Do you think that horror, that massacre has changed some hearts, the way some people feel about the gay community?

WINTERHOF: I do think it's changed some hearts. I also think we all have to acknowledge, and we also, as a community, have to acknowledge that hate does exist, and that that hate is often created in this country. Not just overseas, as some people like to say, and that there are people who turn that hate into violence towards a particular community. And that's what we saw happen in Orlando. I have to tell you, I was down there for a few days after the tragedy, and one of the things I started to notice is that some people were trying to erase the LGBTQ community from that tragedy. We will not stand for that. We will not stand by and watch that happen to those individuals. And frankly, we will continue to fight for full equality and full rights for all Americans.

MALVEAUX: All right. JoDee Winterhof, thank you so much. It's a pleasure to have you on. Thanks again.

WINTERHOF: Thank you so much, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [17:58:13] MALVEAUX: In today's "Fit Nation," it is man versus machine at the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic in Colorado. Not only do cyclists face two 10,000-foot mountain passes, they race a train. That's right, a train, over nearly 50 miles. But for one competitor, it's nothing compared to the challenge he faced after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

We have his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, a grueling 47-mile race through the mountains, against a train.

JOE WILLIAMS, IRON HORSE BICYCLE PARTICIPANT WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE: To ride the Iron Horse, you have to have the mind-set that you are going to suffer. It's the same for me, the same as it is for everyone else.

GUPTA: But for Joe Williams, it's not the same. What he faces every day is far more challenging.

WILLIAMS: Receiving the diagnosis was shattering. The chief neurologist came out, Williams, you have Parkinson's disease.

GUPTA: The left side of his body would freeze up, but soon he discovered he could reduce the symptoms of Parkinson's by cycling.

WILLIAMS: Today, I'm 66, and I should have declined physically, but each year, I believe my health is improving.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, Joe, go!

(CHEERING)

WILLIAMS: I won. I beat the mountain today. I didn't beat that train. I'll never beat that train. But today, of all days, I'm normal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Coming up in the 7:00 hour of CNN NEWSROOM, what is now being called a once in a thousand-year event. 23 people now dead after historic flooding hits West Virginia. Entire homes swept away by water. We're going to get a live report from one of the hardest- hit areas.

Thank you for joining us. I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

"Smerconish" starts right now.