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Remebering Orlando Victims; Democrat Senators Filibuster Over Gun Legislation; EgyptAir Wreckage Found; Euro 2016 Fan Clashes Continue; Trump on Gun Control; Flooding in Southern China. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired June 16, 2016 - 03:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:00] ROBYN CURNOW, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: Remembering Orlando. A 15-hour filibuster in the U.S. Senate ends with a deal to consider tighter gun controls.

Search and recovery teams find the wreckage of EgyptAir 804 in the bottom of the Mediterranean.

And more clashes in the Euro 2016 Championship. French police arrest scores of football fans after running battles.

Welcome to viewers around the world. I'm Robyn Curnow. And this is CNN Newsroom.

Democrats in the U.S. Senate say there will be a vote on gun control legislation. A rare occurrence in the U.S. Congress. Now they just wrap up a 15-hour filibuster prompted by the Orlando massacre. Democrats want expanded background checks and a ban on people on the terror watch list from buying guns.

Senator Chris Murphy led the fight, appearing last hour with a picture of a young boy killed in the shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS MURPHY, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRAT: It doesn't take courage to stand up the gun lobby when 90 percent of your constituents want change to happen.

It takes courage to look into the eye of a shooter instead of running, wrapping your arms around a 6-year-old boy and accepting death as a trade for just a tiny little ditty piece of increased peace of mind for a little boy under your charge.

If Annemarie Murphy could do that, then ask yourself what can you do? To make sure that Orlando or Sandy Hook never, ever happens again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Very powerful words there. Murphy, who represents Connecticut, says he lives every day with the memory of the Sandy Hook massacre. Twenty children, six adults were killed in that shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL RYAN, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The clerk will report the title of the bill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: In the House of Representatives, democrats shouted down Speaker Paul Ryan over the lack of action on gun control legislation. Some walked out during a moment of silence for the Orlando victims on Monday. They say silence has done nothing to stop mass shootings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SETH MOULTON, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT: These military style assault weapons are really just designed to kill people. And so, some people, you know, say well, we have a right to hunt. You don't need a military assault weapon to hunt. You don't need a high capacity magazine to hunt, I guess unless you have no idea how to hunt.

So, there simply is no reason why civilians should have weapons like this. It's just too much of a risk to our communities. And the bottom line is that if that Omar Mateen in Orlando had gone into a store to buy an assault rifle and was prevented from doing so because we have reasonable laws to prevent the sale of military assault weapons, this massacre might not have happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: And take a look at this powerful message on the front of Thursday's Boston Globe. A picture of an AR-15 the kind of gun used in several U.S. mass shootings and the words "Make it stop."

Well, now to the latest on the Orlando mass shooting. Investigators are now focusing on the gunman's wife. Law enforcement official says she has changed her story. Now she admits she suspected her husband might be planning to commit the attack when he left home on Saturday.

Jim Sciutto reports on the legal action the woman may face.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN'S CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: CNN has learned that the U.S. Attorney plans to bring evidence before a grand jury to determine if charges are warranted against Omar Mateen's wife, Noor Salman.

Investigators are still collecting evidence and completing a timeline for their activities leading up to the attack. Barricaded in the Pulse Nightclub bathroom that night, Omar Mateen paused his deadly shooting rampage to make several phone calls.

One, according to authorities, to say goodbye to a friend. Another to a local television news station, CNN affiliate News 13 Orlando.

ORLANDO TORRES, SHOOTING SURVIVOR: He sounded very, very calm and collected. Very calm and collected. Not irated, not sounding like a nut job. Not sounding, you know, like he's lost it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Shooting survivor Orlando Torres who hid in a bathroom stall during the attack heard the gunman's conversations. Mateen, he said demanded that the U.S. stop bombing ISIS in Syria, and ominously claimed there were other attackers both inside and outside the club that night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[03:05:05] TORRES: In the beginning he said well, I'm here at the club, and it should be already all over the media, the news media. And that he is there with three others. And he is the fourth gunman.

And that someone I he mentioned a name or a female addressing in that sense just claimed dead with the other victims on the other side of the club. And she is wearing a bomb vest. And also that he was wearing a bomb vest. And also there was supposedly three snipers out there. And they were ready for the cops if they came.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Local news producer, Matthew Gentili was on the other end of the line for one of the shooter's calls. Gentili says the chilling phone call came about 45 minutes into the shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW GENTILI, NEWS 13 PRODUCER: He started saying I did it for ISIS. I did it for the Islamic state, again. And I didn't know what to say to him.

I was just blown away. And I asked him, you know, who is this? Where are you? And he told me that's none of my f'ing business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Investigators have recovered the phone Mateen used to make those calls, but found submerged in water and blood at the scene, damage to the device is slowing recovery of data.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD HOPPER, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: The FBI is reconstructing the subject's movements going back months, day, hours and minutes before the fatal act here at the Pulse Nightclub. And that is something we're looking at and scrubbing thoroughly. It's not anything I can share with you at this time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Jim Sciutto, CNN, Orlando.

CURNOW: Chilling account there.

Well, President Obama and Vice President Biden will pay their respects to the victims and meet with their families on Thursday in Orlando.

Now the families were a major concern for the chief medical examiner who pushed to get the identifications and autopsies done as quickly as possible. He described the crime scene to Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's almost like time stopped. There was still things -- background TVs playing, lights blinking, drinks that just been poured, checks that are about to be paid, food half eaten.

And that's not even thinking about the bodies on the ground. I'm just looking around and seeing, it's like time stood still. Almost everything was gone. Everything was stopped.

Going out you see everyone lying in one place, everyone down in one place or their final positions. You can -- you can feel it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Although it isn't official protocol, Dr. Stephanie says out of respect for the victims, he had the shooter's body taken to a separate building from all those who are gunned down in the massacre.

And it will be a long recovery for the survivors if not physically, then emotionally.

Gary Tuchman spoke with two friends who made it out and are grieving for one who didn't.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Three close friends, Christian, Carlos, and Jimmy. On a happier evening at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. The same club where they all went this past Saturday night. This is Christian and Carlos.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARLOS MUNOZ, ORLANDO SHOOTING SURVIVOR: Our relationship where we're called the three amigos because we always work together, always.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: The three amigos. All three were standing next to each other when the rampage started, gunshots ringing out. The D.J. stopping the music and yelling that everyone should get to the floor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIAN ORTIZ, ORLANDO SHOOTING SURVIVOR: And then the lights went off. It was so dark. And I could see the people falling dead in front of me. I could see everything with everybody was dead. Everybody was -- like a grueling massacre or something like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: Carlos made a decision. They needed to try to crawl to a bathroom where they saw others going. He tried to hold on to Jimmy and Christian, but was only able to maintain a grip on Christian amid the flying bullets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MUNOZ: So, I just grab him by his shirt and drag him with me into the bathroom. And Jimmy stood there just lying down. At the moment, Jimmy was still alive. But he froze. He was so panicked that he froze. He lay down, facedown, and he cover his face like this.

ORTIZ: I was looking for Jimmy. I can't find him. Jimmy, where you are? Jimmy, Jimmy, but everybody was screaming and I was trying to find for Jimmy. And when I look back, that's when I saw that everybody was getting dead. He was shooting the people on the floor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: Christian and Carlos were in the dark bathroom with about 30 other frightened people.

ORTIZ: You can see the blood was coming from under the door. Like it was like water when you break a bottle of water it goes from the floor. It was the same thing, but it was blood and it was getting under the door. It was really horrible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: People in the bathroom trembling in fear as the gunshots and the screaming continued.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ORTIZ: It was like a movie, like a "Scar Face" movie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: The police then storming the club, exchanging fire with the killer. Everybody in the bathroom, including Christian and Carlos running for their lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MUNOZ: When I get out, I was looking for Jimmy, and I saw him dead on the floor.

ORTIZ: Look, and he saw Jimmy.

[03:10:01] MUNOZ: I see other (Inaudible) And everybody was dead, everybody. It was nobody alive inside that club, it can't be because nobody was moving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: As they sit here now, Christian and Carlos wonder why did they survive while the other member of the three amigos, Jimmy did not. They have survivor's guilt. You guys were so courageous that you did so much for each other and

you did your best for your friend too. I hope you take comfort for that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ORTIZ: I know, I know. But I'm going to miss him. It was supposed to be the three amigos, not two. It's just horrible that you can lose somebody you love and just let in a second. And I'm going to miss him forever for my life. And I hope that he can rest in peace. I love him very much. And I'm sorry that he died that way. That's what I can say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN, Orlando.

CURNOW: Agonizing. Well, you can learn how to help the Orlando shooting victims at cnn.com/impactyourworld. There are links to different groups including a GoFundMe campaign and the city's one Orlando fund.

Well, moving on to some other news. Egypt says it is now found the wreckage of the EgyptAir flight that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea last month. Since then, authorities have been searching for the lost air jet.

Sixty six people disappeared when it plunged into the water en route from Paris to Cairo.

Well, our senior international correspondent Arwa Damon joins me now from Istanbul, Turkey with the latest. It has been a long wait for these families. What next?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this stage, the investigators and the authorities are really going to have one priority. And that is trying to get those vital black boxes and somehow extract the crucial information that they do hold various scan information at this stage, Robyn.

But we do know from Egyptian authorities that several parts of the wreckage has been found. We don't know exactly what parts or how large they are, nor do we have the specific location. That information has not been made public.

But we do hear that the Egyptians have managed to take underwater images of the wreckage, and are trying to build a map. We don't know if they will be making that public at some stage at this point.

But around two weeks ago, a French naval vessel was actually the first to detect underwater signals from the so-called black boxes, the voice recorders from the cockpit, also hopefully will be providing when they are eventually extracted crucial information as to what happened that caused this plane to seemingly mysteriously drop from the sky on May 19th.

The information that has been pieced together providing a very murky image about what transpired. The plane behaved erratically, swerving from one direction to another. Reports of smoke from close to one of the toilets. But no alarms being sounded by the pilot or by the co- pilot.

And all sorts of speculation as to whether or not this was some sort of technical malfunction or as to whether or not this may have been an act of terror that caused this plane to come down.

So, what one hopes at this stage is that these black boxes will be extracted, and that they will contain crucial information to begin to piece together exactly what happened on that night.

CURNOW: Maybe find some answers. Arwa Damon, thanks so much.

Well, the U.S. and Russia have agreed on a 48-hour extendible ceasefire in Aleppo, Syria. Humanitarian groups say hundreds of people have been killed or wounded in the city since April, and the U.N. says recent attacks have targeted two medical facilities.

The ceasefire is expected to start in the coming hours.

Anger over food and medical shortages is boiling over in Venezuela. At least 400 people have been detained in one northeastern city after days of protesting and looting.

A congresswoman says two people were shot and killed. Another died of a heart attack during the looting of a grocery store. But the state governor says the deaths are not related to the protests.

And a toddler dragged to his death by an alligator at a Disney World resort. Up next, the latest details on that investigation, tragic investigation.

Plus, Donald Trump tweets a surprising message on gun control. All of that still ahead here on CNN Newsroom.

[03:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: You're watching CNN. I'm Robyn Curnow. And it's 16 minutes past the hour. Welcome.

In France, police are trying to stop more fan violence at the Euro 2016 Football Championship. On Wednesday, 36 fans were arrested during clashes with police in the northern city of Lille.

Now 16 fans were also taken to the hospital.

The tournament started less than a week ago, but violent brawls between fans have overshadowed the matches.

Well, our senior international correspondent Atika Shubert joins us now live from Paris. Hey there, Atika. I mean, many of these images of these brawls very disturbing.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's very sad to see this violence happen again after the violence that happened this week in Marseille.

It wasn't quite as bad this time. We didn't see the kind of organized violence from Russian fans. But it still meant we had dozens of arrest, 16 injuries. And in fact, three Russians and one Ukrainian have now also been expelled from the country for participating in that violence.

It started off, you know, relatively quiet during the day. But there was a Russia-Slovakia match. Russia lost. And a lot of Russian fans had assembled in the City of Lille for that match. English fans had also arrived in the city because they have a match today with Wales and nearby Lens.

So, what you had was the meeting in those two opposing fan groups. And so you saw clashes happening there. Particularly Russian and English fans who have been chasing each other through the street, taunting each other. And that's what police were occupied with by most of the day.

By around a nightfall, they had enough of this. Particularly with a lot of the English fans that were getting increasingly rowdy and increasingly drunk. That's when they actually charged the fans, setting off tear gas, bringing in pepper spray. And that seemed to just escalate tensions even further with bottles being thrown.

So, some very ugly street scenes on the streets of Lille. And as you can imagine, very tense today as well. So, a number of schools have been closed. There are more than 4,000 police out on the streets, hoping to keep a lid on the violence, Robyn.

CURNOW: And you talk about keeping a lid on the violence. There are concerns about this hooliganism, these rowdy fans. But also within the broader context of very high security alert. Concerns about terrorism.

SHUBERT: Absolutely. Police are facing a huge challenge here. Because not only dealing with, you know, a rowdy, drunk fans, but they also have this terror alert that's ongoing.

Remember, in the midst of all this that was happening in Lille yesterday, they also evacuated the press center there because of a bomb scare. It turned out to be an unattended bag. But that just goes to show how jittery police are here, and how many different kinds of security threats they're facing.

So, it's an enormous task. And they are getting some help. They are getting, for example, British police spotters who are here as a sort of liaison offers. And what they try and do is spot any trouble makers in the crowds of fans and sort of try to de-escalate tensions before they get violent. But it's a really tough task for everyone involved.

CURNOW: Atika in Paris, keeping an eye on things. Thanks so much. And Atika was saying, a bloody weekend in the City of Marseille followed the second day of games on Saturday. British and Russian fans attacked each other with chairs and anything else they could grab.

[03:20:05] And now Britain and France are working closer together to prevent new clashes like that one.

Our Phil Black has the story.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: England football fans had strong form for rampaging in Marseille. This was during the French hosted World Cup of 1998. Bruised Englishmen clashed with Tunisian opponents and French police tried clubbing and gassing the hooligans to impose order.

All so similar to last week's street battles in the same city. The 18 years separated these riots have seen many changes to the way police try to prevent fan violence. This time it just didn't work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS HOBBS, RETIRED SCOTLAND YARD POLICE OFFICER: They were huge danger signals flashing. So, most people I think anticipated that there would be problems. What surprised everyone was the sheer scale of those problems.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACK: The focus of anti-hooliganism efforts now is stopping known thugs from attending in the first place. France says 3,000 people have been denied entry to the country during this tournament based on details supplied by other countries.

The British government says all the people on its long watch list of hooligans were ordered to surrender their passports during Euro 2016.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THERESA MAY, BRITISH HOME SECRETARY: We prevented nearly 1400 people with a history of football-related violence from traveling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACK: But not all countries compile such exhaustive lists. Even those whose fans have a reputation for causing trouble.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAY: I'm in no doubt that coordinated groups of Russian supporters bear a heavy responsibility for instigating violence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACK: Only this week after the violence in Marseille, legislation was submitted to Russia's Parliament that could ban violent fans from entering Russia stadiums or traveling to international tournaments.

It's a key issue as Russia prepares to host the 2018 World Cup. For now, the England team is pleading with its fans to behave and be careful.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WAYNE ROONEY, ENGLAND CAPTAIN: Be safe, be sensible. And continue with your great support for the players.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACK: Dougie Brimson is a reformed hooligan. I guess you're not surprised with what we're seeing in France?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGIE BRIMSON, AUTHOR: No, absolutely not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACK: He has been writing about football fan culture for decades and believes not all hooligans are equal. He says while the English get drunk and loud on match day, they're going up against what are known as ultras, who live hooliganism full-time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIMSON: If you're involved in the ultra-culture, it's kind of all encompassing. And it involves, as we have seen, training to get fit, practicing fighting, mixed martial arts stuff, all kind of things that were kind of almost alien to the English football fan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACK: For French security officials, this is all an unwanted distraction. They just hope the fans will stop kicking each other in the streets so they can get on with the much more challenging job of protecting this huge event from terrorism.

Phil Black, CNN, London.

CURNOW: Well, investigators in Florida are waiting for an autopsy to learn how 2-year-old Lane Graves died. If you remember, an alligator dragged Lane away from his family Tuesday night at a Walt Disney World resort. Police say he likely drowned.

Martin Savidge was at the scene for most of the desperate search.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Horror at the happiest place on earth. At Walt Disney World, a frantic search that went from darkness to daylight ends with heartbreak.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY DEMINGS, ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF: At about 3.30 today, we recovered the remains of the 2-year-old from the water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: The toddler identified is 2-year-old Lane Graves was on vacation from Nebraska with his parents and older sister. They were relaxing Tuesday night by the Seven Seas lagoon behind the luxury Grand Floridian hotel.

Just after 9 p.m., witnesses say, a four to seven-foot alligator snatched the child as he waded in the water in front of his horrified parents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEMINGS: The father entered the water and tried to grab the child. Was not successful in doing so. At some point, I'm told that the mother also may have entered the water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Search boats swarmed the 170-acre manmade lake. A helicopter with lights circled overhead. And teams used sonar to search below. The child's body was found intact in six feet of water just 25 feet from where he was taken.

The apparent cause of death thought to be drowning.

Orange County Sheriff Demings described to me how the family reacted when he told them the news.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEMINGS: They were very distraught. But as I said here, they were also relieved that I think at the same time that we honored our commitment to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Authorities believe they may have already caught and killed the alligator, but will keep searching.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK WILEY, FLORIDA FISH & WILDLIFE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: We're going to make certain that we have the alligator that was involved. And we remove it -- we remove it from the lake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: The number show attacks like this are rare in Florida, but two people have now died in the last year.

[03:25:04] In a statement, Disney said, "There are no words to convey the profound sorrow we feel for the family and their unimaginable loss."

But many wonder why signs along the Disney Lake only warn guests not to go swimming, leaving out any mention of the real life danger lurking beneath the surface in a land famous for make belief.

The family has issued a statement. They thank the public for their prayers. They also thank law enforcement for their efforts and they ask to be left alone to grieve privately. A number of investigations will continue to push forward, both on the

county level and also Florida Fish and Wildlife will continue to make sure that they have euthanized the right alligator.

And then there is an internal report expected by Disney itself. And many Disney insiders expect that there will be changes made as a result.

Martin Savidge, CNN, Orlando.

CURNOW: Thanks, Martin.

Well, Disney's CEO, Bob Iger released a statement. "As a parent and a grandparent, he wrote, my heart goes out to the Graves family during this time of devastating loss. My thoughts and prayers are with them, and I know that everyone at Disney joins me in offering our deepest sympathies."

And this incident has certainly alarmed many. But animal attacks, even though they happen in the U.S., are rare. Sharks, alligators, bears are responsible for about one fatality a year. That's according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control compiled by the Washington Post.

Snakes and lizards are also responsible for a handful of deaths and cows actually kill about 20 Americans each year. Bees, wasps and hornets kill 58 people in the U.S. each year on average.

Well, coming up, with a week to go until the vote, the fight over Brexit is getting more intense.

Our Richard Quest is touring England asking people whether they want to stay or go.

Plus, we'll see why more republicans on Capitol Hill are keeping their distance from Donald Trump. Lots to talk about. Stay with us.

[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Welcome back to viewers around the world. I'm Robyn Curnow at the CNN center. Thanks for joining me. Let's update you on our top stories.

In France, police have arrested 36 football fans during clashes in the northern City of Lille. Sixteen others were taken to hospital. Fan violence has surrounded the Euro 2016 championship, and authorities are deploying thousands of extra officers.

The Egyptian government says it's found wreckage of EgyptAir flight 804 that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. The airbus jet disappeared with 66 people on board as it flew from Paris to Cairo last month. Authorities have not specified the size or location of the parts that were found.

Democrats in the U.S. Senate have ended their 15-hour filibuster demanding action on gun control. That's a procedural tactic usually to delay a vote or to force some kind of action.

Senator Chris Murphy says there will be a vote on expanded background checks and bans on gun sales to people on the terror watch list.

And a growing number of U.S. voters say they do not like Donald Trump. A Washington Post/ABC News poll shows 70 percent of those surveyed have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, the highest since he announced his bid for the presidency.

Fifty five percent view Hillary Clinton unfavorably as well. Among Hispanics, 89 percent have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, 34 percent for Clinton.

And Trump is renewing his calls for surveillance on U.S. mosques in the wake of the Orlando attack. Here is what he had to say Wednesday in Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We aren't vigilant and we aren't smart. (AUDIO GAP) We have to maybe check respectfully the mosques. And we have to check other places. Because this is a problem that if we don't solve it, it's going to eat our country alive. OK. It's going to eat our country alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: And its comments like those that have republicans on Capitol Hill literally running away from Mr. Trump.

CNN senior political reporter, Manu Raju has more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Donald J. Trump!

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: There is one person republicans on Capitol Hill do not want to talk about, Donald Trump. They'll duck into offices.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got a quick...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you do.

RAJU: Cut off interviews.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't think we're doing any Trump questions this week.

RAJU: And they'll avoid uttering his name.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I'm not going to be commenting on the presidential candidate today.

RAJU: Trump has been the presumptive nominee since May. But some hill republicans seem to be in denial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RAJU: Why have you not endorsed Donald Trump?

LAMAR ALEXANDER, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: I'm going to endorse the republican nominee when we have one. The republican convention in July. It's the job of the convention to nominate a President of the United States. .

RAJU: You don't think that he may be the nominee?

ALEXANDER: I'm not sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: The anxiety shows how badly divided the party is. While Hillary Clinton gets daily support from democratic leaders, there is a deafening silence from Trump's own party.

And the GOP pushback to Trump's often controversial comments has been fierce. The latest doubling down on his demand to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL RYAN, U.S. SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I do not think a Muslim ban is in our country's interest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Senate republicans in difficult reelection races are keeping their distance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Are you feeling any more comfortable with the prospects of Donald Trump as your nominee?

PAT TOOMEY, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: Oh, I wouldn't say that is necessarily the case.

I'm going to see how this plays out and see if Donald Trump can earn the support of republicans like me.

RAJU: Are you concerned about his rhetoric? Donald Trump's rhetoric?

ALEXANDER: Yes, I am. I don't think you can go around the country saying that we need to keep people out of the country based solely on their religious belief. And expect to be president of the United States. But hopefully he'll change that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: And one reason why republicans are keeping their distance from Donald Trump, is they believe that will be the best way for them to try to actually keep control of their seats in the United States Senate and the United States House. Now republicans actually had a private meeting earlier in the day

where they talked about their own 2016 re-election hopes. But interestingly, one person they did not discuss in that meeting was Donald Trump.

[03:35:06] Manu Raju, CNN, Washington.

CURNOW: Well, let's get more on all of this from Matt Lewis. He is a CNN commentator and senior contributor to the Daily Caller, a conservative web site.

Thanks for joining us, Matt. So, you just heard republicans essentially running away. How long can they keep this up for?

MATT LEWIS, CNN COMMENTATOR: Well, I think that Donald Trump has post amazing problems for republicans. And it's really, you know, it's going to be interesting to see if they can keep it together.

You know, this is a candidate that history doesn't prepare you for, you know. Republicans have won elections. They have lost elections. But Donald Trump is really kind of a game changer. It puts republicans in awkward positions.

There is, you know, examples of him -- you know, where is he on guns, for example? Where is he going to be on issues like gay marriage, what he said in the primary versus what he is saying today? It could be two different things.

CURNOW: Well, I do want to bring up -- talking about guns. I want to bring up a Twitter message that he posted. He said "I will be meeting with the NRA and who has endorsed me about not allowing people on the terrorist watch list or the no-fly list to buy guns."

And again, to your very point, is there a concern, and has this always been the concern that the man who is the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party might not be representing republican values?

LEWIS: Absolutely. This is a prime example of the guy who is now the republican standard bearer who is not with republicans on defending the Second Amendment. I know the terrorist watch list, it sounds like common sense. It sounds like a great idea.

But really what we're talking about is the government unilaterally depriving American citizens of their constitutional rights, and then not having to tell them about it. There is no due process involved ,there is no way to get yourself off the list. If you are erroneously placed on the list, there is no way to appeal to get off of it.

So, it sounds like a great idea. Donald Trump, who isn't really, you know, thoroughly schooled in the nuances of conservative politics might not pick up on the dangers here. But this is not -- it's certainly not on message for a republican politician.

CURNOW: Not on message for politicians and also for donors.

LEWIS: That too. Absolutely. It actually -- the interesting thing is in a way, the fact that Trump is unmoored from conservative philosophy maybe makes him a better politician, you know. This is probably going to be popular. It sounds like a common sense moderate thing.

So, Trump's new position on guns might be popular with the American public. But if you're a conservative who cares deeply about political philosophy, about protecting the Second Amendment, and the constitutional right to bear arms and due process and all sorts of things like that.

And you've given millions of dollars, let's say if you're a donor to that cause, having a republican nominee who doesn't support that, who is sort of providing ammunition, I hate to use that term, but basically giving fodder to the anti-gun, the anti-Second Amendment crowd.

I mean, that's not why you've invested from politics for all these years.

CURNOW: So, then the big question is, how much does Mr. Trump need the Republican Party? And of course how much -- and what impact will Mr. Trump have on the Republican Party at large? And this is what Mr. Trump had to say today about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Our leaders have to get a lot tougher and be quiet. Just please be quiet. Don't talk. Please be quiet. Just be quiet to the leaders. Because they have to get tougher. They have to get sharper. They have to get smarter. We have to have our republicans either stick together or let me just do it by myself. I'll do very well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: How is that going to go down? He is essentially calling republican leaders weak?

LEWIS: Well, I think that they are weak. And I think that -- look, Donald Trump is now the presumptive nominee there's talk, there is talk, there is grumbling about still finding some last-ditch effort to keep him from being, actually being the nominee at the convention in Cleveland this July. But that's highly, highly unlikely. So, it's Donald Trump's party.

CURNOW: Well, some are calling it the Brexit battle of the Thames. The rival flotillas that face-off in Central London on Wednesday.

Nigel Farage who backs his speech from the E.U., sailed up the river with dozens of fishing boats only to trade insults with remain -- with remain supporters rock star and activist Bob Geldof.

[03:40:03] Also, Wednesday, British Prime Minister David Cameron argued in parliament that Britain is better off in the E.U., while our Richard Quest found a very different sentiment on a visit to one English town.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN'S QUEST MEANS BUSINESS HOST: It's market day in Boston in Lincolnshire. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, this town square is overtaken by local traders.

Three for a pound!

QUEST: And it doesn't get much more British than the bulldog. When you talk to the owners, not surprisingly, the views were firmly British-based.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, I'm out.

QUEST: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I remember when Britain used to be a community. And we're no longer in control.

QUEST: everyone I spoke to was of same and similar mind.

Leaving?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Out.

QUEST: Out, leave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Out.

QUEST: They want out of the European Union, and they blame immigration and the loss of sovereignty. What's the driving force for you for this out?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, one is immigration. And the other, it's just to take back our own country, you know. And have it for what we want to do, not being ruled in, you know, by other countries.

QUEST: Our forefathers fought and died to keep this country free. And now we're going back to Germany.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't mind immigration, as long as it's -- as long as it's organized. I don't think -- we don't want people just flooding in.

QUEST: The irony of course in all of this is the international nature of something like fruit and veg. So, here we have New Zealand jazz apples. You have Spanish oranges and peaches. The strawberries come from The Netherlands. And these peaches come from Greece.

In fact, on this market day, it was pretty hard to find anyone who was prepared to say they wanted to remain in the E.U. We persevered.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the overwhelming balance of the argument favors us benefitting from the economic advantage of being part of the E.U. We gain, we gain, we gain. We gain all the time.

QUEST: Along West Street, many shops have "Euro" in their name. The owners and the employees are mainly from Eastern Europe, particularly the Baltic States. You'll not be surprised that they are concerned at the result of next week's vote.

Boston may not be typical. The level of immigration here is much higher than elsewhere in the U.K. But the views that we heard are to be found in many parts of Britain. But it's these people that are now seemingly in the lead.

CURNOW: And remember, you can head to our web site, cnn.com/ukreferendum for full coverage of the decision, big decision facing British voters.

And next on CNN, heavy rains are causing all sorts of problems in Southern China. We'll have our weather update. Stay with us.

[03:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Welcome back.

Watch as these cars are washed away by floodwaters in Southern China. Torrential rain is drenching parts of the country and reportedly leaving many residents trapped in their homes.

Well, let's get more on this from Derek Van Dam. I mean, this is going to be something historic flooding we're looking at.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: They're saying some of the worst flooding this part of China has seen in around 20 years. People are bracing for even the potential of more flooding as rivers continue to swell over their banks and heavy rain continues to inundate this region.

Let's show that video one more time. Because it is really compelling, Robyn. Because if we put this into perspective, it only takes 15 centimeters of rushing water to lift an individual, swipe them off their feet.

It takes just a half meter of rushing water to lift an entire vehicle and sweep that down a flooded roadway. This particular individual very fortunate. He clung to the top of his car. Fortunately, we learned that he did make it out safe.

Very, very terrible flooding across Southwestern China.

Let's take a look at what's happening. Let's look at this rainfall totals. Over 130 millimeters in some locations. And by the way, the majority of that rain fell in a six-hour period.

So, we're talking about a significant amount of precipitation in a short amount of time that leaves to flash flooding and scenes just like that.

The heaviest rainfall at the moment really just north of Hong Kong and just south of Shanghai. Running in a line from the west to the east. And it continues to fall over this region that is going to bring an additional 100 millimeters over the next 24 hours. That means landslides, mud slides and flash flooding still possible. Shanghai current conditions. Partly cloudy skies for you. Actually not

a bad day in Shanghai at the moment from the three-day forecast, it actually gets better from here. Temperatures warm up a few degrees by Saturday.

And then our next chance of rain comes back on Sunday with thunderstorms in this region. I want to show you one quick video coming out of just north and west of Shanghai.

Extremely large hail. The size of eggs, believe it or not, falling and breaking people. You can see this putting that in perspective for you. Breaking the back wind screens of people's vehicles.

Can you imagine the insurance claims that they're having to deal with this in part of the world? Unbelievable. Scary stuff too. You wouldn't want to be feeling one of those hail eggs falling from the sky, I should say.

Go back to my graphics. Let's talk about another part of the world that is dealing with the chance of severe weather. That is Central Europe. And all eyes are focused on France at the moment, of course, with the Euro 26 taking place, 2016, I should say.

Large hail, damaging winds. That's over the eastern sections of France. Paris, you have a good chance of rainfall going into your match later this afternoon.

I got to show you this. Do you hate your job? Well, we've got some answers here for you. NASA has just released this retro recruitment posters.

And, Robyn, I love this stuff. Because, I don't know, they kind of made a fun way to recruit for the potential of positions on Mars going forward. And as you see, one of them says work the night shift on Mars. I think you and I got that covered here.

CURNOW: Yes. And you know, no matter what, whether you're on Mars or Earth, it's bedtime.

DAM: I agree.

CURNOW: Derek, thank you so much.

DAM: Love it.

CURNOW: Well, after a year of U.S. presidential debates, we're fairly attuned to the candidates' unique speech making styles. But what happens when a Chicago teenager offers his interpretation of all the White House hopefuls. We'll show you that right ahead.

[03:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello. I'm Lynda Kinkade. And this is your Road to Rio update.

Let the games go on. That's the word from the World Health Organization. They say there is a very low risk that the Zika virus will spread any more as a result of the Rio Olympics. The WHO claims there is no need for general restrictions on travel to territories with active Zika transmission, including the Olympic cities.

The Brazilians mint has unveiled the Olympic medals. The mint is producing nearly 5000 of them. They'll be made of gold, silver, and bronze and include additional metals derived from recycled electronics.

The medals feature laurel leaves, a symbol of victory in ancient Greek mythology. Each leaf representing the link between the force of nature and the Olympians.

Rio has also announced the 2016 Olympic motto, it's "A new world." Olympic organizers say it represents the values of unity, respect for diversity, and the will for change.

Suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff says she will attend the Olympics at any cost.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DILMA ROUSSEFF, SUSPENDED BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (TRANSLATED): I intend to be invited to attend the Olympic Games. If I'm not invited, I will climb a tree and watch through my binoculars.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: The acting President, Michel Temer said he would not object to her attending the opening ceremony alongside him.

And that's your road to Rio update. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Here is a story for you. An American couple had to look twice when they got the sonogram images of their unborn baby. Instead of the expected outline of a thumb-sucking fetus, well, they saw an addition to their family they could perhaps only dream of. And of course, our Jeanne Moos has the story.

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you're the type that sees faces in clouds or the Virgin Mary in grilled cheese, then you'll understand why the parents-to-be saw this sonogram and knew they were having a baby car? Even if the ultrasound tech didn't get it.

MIKE ROBERTS, SAW CAR IN ULTRASOUND: They said that look like a sports car. And she's like, what?

MOOS: Mike and Rina Roberts were so amused that Mike posted the sonogram on Reddit, where everyone began guessing what kind of car Rina is having. Congrats on your new Nissan 370 Z. Hate to break it to you, but that's a PT Cruiser.

MIKE ROBERTS: Yes, that's not a good one.

MOOS: Mike thinks of the baby as a Bugatti, one of the world's most expensive cars. It is a boy? Is it a girl?

RINA ROBERTS, SAW CAR IN ULTRASOUND: We know it's a boy car.

MOOS: So what if this is actually an image of the baby's femur thigh bone being measured. The Missouri couple is savoring the posted pun.

MIKE ROBERTS: Just remember to tell your wife when she is delivering to make sure to give it one last Porsche.

MOOS: Posted another joker. So that's where cars from. It doesn't take an ultrasound tech to detect a fetus making gestures. There have been gestures of babies seemingly making the peace sign or giving a thumbs-up, while other ultrasound images are ultra-creepy. Do you remember your very first words when you laid eyes on this thing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably, oh, my God, or something like that. This is freaky.

MOOS: This Canadian neurologist is referring to the sonogram of a testicular tumor removed and found to be benign, though, ghostly resembling both Mini Me and Humpty-Dumpty.

As for the less than two pound baby car parked in Rina's garage, there is one nickname mom calls priceless. The all new Ford fetus.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

[03:54:59] CURNOW: Oh, that was great. Well, anyway, let's move on. Every graduation is a special moment. And for one eight grade student near Chicago, his moment was one people will never forget. Here is Jack Aiello channeling the presidential candidates for his graduation speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK AIELLO, ARLINGTON HEIGHTS SCHOOL GRADUATE: We've had so many great experiences here. You know, one of those would have to be starting foreign language.

We're learning languages from Spain, from France, from Germany, and China! And you know, you know, people say I love China. I mean, I love China. I mean, I have so many terrific friends in China.

Thanks to our teachers, we have all the tools we need to succeed in this next chapter of our lives, and they all deserve a big round of applause.

(APPLAUSE)

But we start with the lunches. They are delicious. Things like pizza and tacos and chips, you name it. And some of the best cinnamon rolls I've ever tasted. I do have one improvement for them, though. We need to make them free!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Jack says he might like to be president one day himself, and he certainly is off to a good start.

Now, the real Donald Trump celebrated his 70th birthday on Tuesday. To mark the occasion, NBC's The Tonight Show put together what it said was Trump and his closest friends singing happy birthday. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me happy birthday dear Donald Trump, happy birthday to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: That does it from me. I'm Robyn Curnow. Thanks for joining me. There is more news after the break with Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong.

[04:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)