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NEW DAY SATURDAY

NYT: New Conditions May Signal Shift In Trump Team's Strategy; Manafort's Lawyers Ask Judge To Shift Trial Location Dates; Pompeo In Tokyo After Meetings In North Korea; Thai Navy Official: Rescue of Soccer Team May Happen Soon; U.S. Government Says It May Need More Time to Reunite Migrant Families; Migrant Parents Describe Anguish of Being Separated from Kids; Belgium Outlasts Brazil in Quarterfinals Whiles France Handles Undermanned Uruguay. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired July 7, 2018 - 06:00   ET

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


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[06:00:17]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's low oxygen levels that now pose as grave a threat as the ever-looming monsoon deluge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don't want to pull the trigger on this difficult and dangerous rescue attempt until they know it's their only option.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we have no other option, we should take them out by diving.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can't stand being apart from my son, she says. Just give me my son.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They did not have to do this. As we sit here today, there are over 2,000 babies and kids who were ripped away from their parents, who have not been reunited.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That first deadline of those under fives, there's no indication at this point they will make that deadline.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Separating families, separating young children from their parents, it was horrific. It's not who we are as a country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Dianne Gallagher in for Christi Paul on this Saturday.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to be with you this morning. There are signs of a shifting strategy for the president's legal team as they set new conditions for sit-down with Special Counsel Robert Mueller. GALLAGHER: Yes. "The New York Times" reporting that President Trump's lawyers want two things before their client will agree to an interview, one, the special counsel's team must prove that it has evidence that the president committed a crime. Two, the Mueller team has to show they need testimony from the president to finish the Russia probe.

But these new conditions may be less of a sign that they're willing to cooperate and more of a signal that they plan to fight the investigators and focus more on the public battle of public opinion.

We want to go live to CNN political correspondent, Sarah Westwood, in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, near where the president is spending the weekend -- Sarah.

SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Dianne, President Trump sending yet another signal that he will not cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller. "The New York Times" is reporting the president's legal team made those new demands of Mueller yesterday asking that investigators proved that they've uncovered evidence Trump committed a crime.

And asking that investigators prove Trump's testimony is necessary to end the probe. Now Rudy Giuliani, one of President Trump's top lawyers told "The Times," if they can come to us and show us the basis and it's legitimate and they have uncovered something, we can go from there and address their objectivity.

Now obviously President Trump and his allies have spent months waging a war of public opinion against Mueller, arguing that this investigation is a witch hunt and pointing to text messages between two agents who have not been involved in the probe for months as evidenced that the foundations of the investigation are illegitimate.

President Trump has also said in public that he's more than willing to sit down with Mueller. So, obviously, his legal team telling the special counsel that there's now a new set of preconditions is indeed a sign that President Trump is shifting his position here.

Trump and his allies have pushed Mueller to wrap up the investigation. And yet, now, as we can see, President Trump is continuing to resist what could be one of the final steps in concluding that probe -- Dianne and Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right. Sarah Westwood for us there traveling with the president. Thank you so much.

We are also learning about a Trump campaign connection now to Paul Manafort's money laundering trial.

GALLAGHER: Now, prosecutors say that an unnamed banker helped the former Trump campaign chairman get $16 million in loans while seeking a role in the Trump campaign. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team plans to present that evidence at trial. Here is CNN political correspondent, Sara Murray with more. SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Paul Manafort's role as the former Trump campaign chairman wasn't expected to be a big part of his upcoming trials that have to do with financial charges and allegations of foreign lobbying work. But Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team decided they will to change all that putting out a new filing on Friday evening.

Now prosecutors say they need to present this information because they say Manafort applied for mortgages and then used that money as income basically as slush money. They're saying that this banker helped Paul Manafort continued to get loans even though the loan applications were dubious.

And the only way to make this all clear is to tie in this banker's personal ambition to work in the Trump campaign. Now, this comes as Paul Manafort is making requests of his own. He is facing two trials right now, one in Washington, D.C. and one in Virginia.

He's trying to have the one in Virginia moved from Alexandria, Virginia, to Roanoke, Virginia. He says Alexandria is too close to the D.C. beltway where the media market is saturated with negative coverage about Paul Manafort, and that would be impossible for him to get a fair and impartial jury.

[06:05:02] Paul Manafort's other request, he does want his trial in Virginia to start until after the one in Washington, D.C., which means if the judge grants that, this saga could be going on for a while. Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.

BLACKWELL: Thanks. Let's talk about this now with Joey Jackson, CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney, and Daniel Lippman, reporter and co-author of the "Politico Playbook." Gentlemen, welcome back to the show.

All right. We've got Manafort, Mueller. I want to start with the criminal defense attorney and the president's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani told "The Times" this, "if they can come to us and show us the basis and it's legitimate and they have uncovered something, we can go from there and assess their objectivity." Is that typically how this works, Joey?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It is not. However, there is not much typical about what's going on here in Washington these days. I'll say this. This is a negotiation, right. The reality is that there is no settled law as it relates to compelling a sitting president to testify.

Many points to Nixon, I will remind everyone that Nixon dealt with the turning over of tapes. We're talking here about compelling testimony, not physical evidence. And so in as much as that goes, they're trying to negotiate so it doesn't get to an issue where it rises to a court having to decide.

If you remember Clinton, Victor, of course, that was what his testimony when he testified before the grand jury 20 years ago. That testimony was based upon a negotiated agreement between him and the special counsel at that time, in order to give that testimony by closed circuit television, not present with his lawyers there.

And so therefore, the president's lawyers can ask for anything they want, you know, a frappuccino, tickets to my favorite game. The fact is, that doesn't mean the special counsel has to concede to these demands.

In my view it's just another way of saying Trump is not going voluntarily and it could reach the court in phenyl point, that's why the Supreme Court becomes so important. You know, you talk about who is on that Supreme Court and that Supreme Court may very well make a decision as it relates to whether the president must or must not go and give testimony.

BLACKWELL: Excellent segue way there. So, let's go now, Daniel, to this, the timing of when this potential subpoena fight as Joey just suggested there is going to be important. We're four months out from the midterms. Washington is going to be going into this battle over the next pick for the Supreme Court. Just detail when this subpoena fight starts and how important that is to where it ends up.

DANIEL LIPPMAN, REPORTER AND CO-AUTHER OF "PLAYBOOK, POLITICS": So, I think it depends on Mueller's people and whether Mueller himself thinks that negotiations with Trump's defense attorneys, basically, they are in the going to go anywhere, their demands are just getting more ridiculous.

So, once they conclude that there's no point in still negotiating over this potential interview, and if they still need Trump's take on everything that went down, then you're looking into something approaching September, October when they would subpoena.

So, I think what Trump's lawyers are worried about is that he has a history of not telling the truth in these types of depositions, and just in general as a public figure. So, they're worried they could get him on obstruction or just perjury.

BLACKWELL: Joey, let's switch to the Manafort story line, and this new reporting that this bank executive who prosecutors say wanted a role in the campaign, wanted a role in the administration, subsequently got the role as an advisor in the campaign but not in the White House, helped Manafort get millions in loans. Explain the legal exposure, the potential quid pro quo for the banker, for Manafort, and you know, who is exposed here?

JACKSON: Well, put it this way, we're talking about evidence that would be introduced, Victor, in the Manafort trial. What they're attempting to do is to establish giving the jury information as to why the loans were approved.

Why they were approved is because you had a high-level executive intervene and otherwise overrule which perhaps would not be an approved loan because of the quid pro quo. Hey, I want to be a part of the campaign and as a result of that I'm going to approve this loan.

Speaking as a defense attorney and not a political partisan, I'm moving to preclude this evidence. Why should this trial be about President Trump? This trial is about, at least the first trial, there's two, the Virginia and the D.C. trial, D.C. dealing with the issue of foreign lobbying and then, of course, Virginia dealing with financial records.

This is about bank fraud, about whether or not the client submitted information to the bank that was faulty in an effort to get a loan. It's not about Trump, not about any tie in to Trump. You'll move from a defense perspective to preclude that.

If you want to charge the executive because you are saying the executive did something amiss, then that's another story and that's subject to another day. But I think what the special counsel is trying to do is tie that in.

[06:10:07] And I think the tie-in in and of itself makes it prejudicial. It will be up to the special counsel or in fact someone else to make a decision as to whether the executive did anything wrong.

But, you know, there are decisions made about giving loans that are based on discretionary information in addition to the merits of whether you have credit worthiness.

BLACKWELL: Daniel, to you, the president, the White House, those who support the president say that thus far the Manafort cases have not involved the Trump campaign at all? They predate the 2016 involvement with the campaign. How does this introduction of evidence deflate at least that story line?

LIPPMAN: It makes it much harder to argue that point, especially because when you're a figure like Manafort, you're heavily involved in everything the Trump campaign was doing. So, he was the point of contact for many people trying to get into the campaign.

And he knew -- a lot of people in Washington knew about Manafort's shady business dealings before, and they still hired him on the campaign. So, that raises questions of judgment and evaluation of character on behalf of Trump and anyone else who participated in hiring Paul Manafort in the first place.

BLACKWELL: All right. Daniel Lippman, Joey Jackson, thank you both.

JACKSON: Thank you, Victor.

GALLAGHER: Right now, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Tokyo to meet with South Korean and Japanese officials. He just finished meetings with Kim Jong-un's top adviser, Kim Yong-chol. He was hammering out the, quote, "nitty-gritty stuff" of a deal between the U.S. and Pyongyang.

He says that they, quote, "made progress" on almost all of the central issues even though there are new satellite images that appear to show that Pyongyang is completing work on a new nuclear reactor.

We want to go straight to CNN Asia-Pacific editor, Andrew Stevens. Andrew, what's on the table for discussion today, but first, did Mike Pompeo address that seemingly expanding nuclear reactor?

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA PACIFIC EDITOR: Well, he was asked about it, Dianne. He sorts of skirted the issue, focusing instead on the progress that has been made at these meetings, several hours' long on Friday and Saturday with the number two to Kim Jong-un, a man called Kim Yong-chol.

Interestingly, Pompeo did not meet Kim Jong-un, and the delegation said after the meetings that there was no expectation amongst the U.S. delegations that they were preparing to meet Kim Jong-un.

Certainly, a lot of media reports have been led to believe that there were expectations that Pompeo would be meeting Chairman Kim. But Pompeo was focusing on the fact that, yes, progress was made, but looking at the areas where progress was made, there doesn't seem to be any specific breakthroughs here.

At the moment, there's no clear indication there's now been a timeline established. Mike Pompeo wouldn't address or go into details on that sort of issue. There will be further meetings next week here in South Korea, actually the DMZ, the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea about repatriating the remains of U.S. servicemen killed in the Korean War.

So, that is a step forward. They had been talking about that. Mike Pompeo, a couple of quotes, saying some that places they had made great deal of progress. In other places there is still work that needs to be done, Dianne.

The North Koreans also talked about a missile engine testing facility which -- and the two principals spoke about the modalities around the destruction of that missile engine testing facility.

But like I said, no key breakthroughs coming out of this. It's more about meetings, further meetings down the road which will be sort of headed by the working groups on either side rather than the principals themselves.

GALLAGHER: Andrew Stevens, thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: All right, now, this heartbreaking story we've all been following out of Thailand. Rescue teams are scrambling right now. The rains -- more rains are hours away. You see the radar on the left of your screen. Those boys on the right there. Will there be an attempt to get the boys out before the rain comes in? Will they try this weekend?

GALLAGHER: Plus, here at home, the Trump administration has four days to reunite children under the age of 5 that have been separated from their parents by the government. Officials say they need more time. We have more on that ahead.

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BLACKWELL: All right. The number of teams are shrinking. The tension is growing. The World Cup quarterfinals and another soccer super power is sent home. Who is it? That's coming up.

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[06:19:12]

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody is focused on getting them out, keeping them alive or getting them out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tunnels, zero visibility water, hours of specialized cave diving along guide ropes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The situation is really critical. It's nail biting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hard work. It's a scary sensation if you're not used to it. Even when you are used to it, it can be very scary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: Breaking this morning, a Thailand Navy official saying just moments ago that rescue efforts to save a young soccer team from a flooded cave may start soon.

BLACKWELL: Yes, and this is why. Let's put it up on the screen. They're trying to beat the weather that is on the way. More rains are just hours away. CNN's David McKenzie is live in Chiang Rai, Thailand. David, tell us what's happening there and how soon these rescues could start.

[06:20:07] DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Victor, the important moment from the saga lasting for two weeks now. From a Thai Navy source speaking first to CNN, there's an indication that source says that there's a high chance of extraction happening very soon here near Chiang Rai.

Through that cave system, that very treacherous journey that those 12 young boys will need to make, that they will be accompanied by Navy divers from Thailand. That same source saying, Victor, that British specialist that first found these boys alive will be instrumental in that rescue operation.

They'll be potentially accompanying the boys through a section. We learned from drivers over the last few hours that they have had some success in pulling water out of those cabin systems.

So, the water is lower than it was before. Just looking in the sky above me and the drops of rain that have been falling on and off, the rain could be coming soon, so they might have to move quickly -- Victor.

GALLAGHER: David, this is Dianne. Out of curiosity, I know that they have had some communication with the boys. They've been able to go back and see them, see the coach. They gave letters to their family members, correct? MCKENZIE: So poignant, yes, Dianne. They sent in letters from the depths of the cave handwritten notes in Thai, one boy nicknamed "Titan," he just wanted to have fried chicken. He said it was promised to him, he wants to go with his grandmother. He's just 11 years old.

Now, imagine being 11 and stuck for 15 days in this cave in the dark, knowing that people are trying to get you out, but facing the prospect of having to wear a full-face mask and be dragged through zero visibility water for a good amount of time without knowing how to swim.

That's what these rescuers are facing. We spoke to his father. He said he wants the boy out. He's kept his bedroom exactly how the boy left it. Of course, his mom said they will prepare to take him to that fried chicken joint as soon as he gets out.

You know, these are young kids. They just want to get on with their lives. They are facing this ordeal that as rescuers said, have never been attempted before.

BLACKWELL: In addition to the concerns of the coming rains, David, there are also concerns about the oxygen in this pocket where the boys and their coach have been now for two weeks. What are we learning about the amount of oxygen that's left there and the efforts they've endured over the last couple of days to try to prepare for potential extraction?

MCKENZIE: The oxygen is a critical issue. You're right, Victor. Those boys have been in a relatively small space that's concealed from outlets they believe. The oxygen levels have dropped down to 15 percent at some point. That can be highly dangerous for your long- term and short-term health.

Immediately what they've done is removed some of those rescue workers who were attending to the boys to allow the oxygen to last longer. Also, tragically, as we've bene reporting, a former Navy SEAL diver died after taking oxygen to those boys.

He succeeded in his mission, paid the ultimate price. It shows with this international effort including U.S. forces I've seen on the ground today, they are here to try to use human ingenuity and their skill as divers to somehow get these boys out.

GALLAGHER: David, I'm seeing the activity behind you. I know that we are saying that this may happen soon. The main reason, coupled with the action, though, is this incoming rain. Explain how serious these rains are at this point. I mean, we're talking about unimaginable amounts of rain in this very small space for them.

MCKENZIE: Well, in the mountains behind me, when the monsoon hits, it hits big here in Northern Thailand. If you look at the weather reports, you could have big dumps of rain directly down on this catchment area. This means the water could flood the cave all over again. The commander of the operation, Dianne, saying the boys could be constrained to a tiny piece of land where they are and even inundated. That's the worst possible scenario. Previously they thought that weeks, maybe even months because of the impending rains, they have this tight window.

We don't know exactly when they're going to attempt to bring them out, but I believe it will be soon. When they do, it will be an arduous one-by-one kind of operation. It will be many hours before we know who and how many of the boys get out safely.

BLACKWELL: All right. David McKenzie, we will check in with you throughout this day as we know this extraction effort could start very soon. Thank you so much.

[06:25:06] GALLAGHER: You know, using the option of Navy SEALs to dive out with the boys, it's dangerous. As we've seen the conditions, they're dangerous, potentially deadly even for the most highly trained divers in the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SONGKRAN YEDPUNKHAM, DIVER (through translator): It's zero visibility down there. You can't even see the face of your diving buddy. You can only do hand signals, gestures like, are you still OK. In the dark and the water, it will be difficult for the divers to communicate with the children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Scott Taylor, a former Navy SEAL and he spoke with CNN about why the options that are currently being considered to rescue these boys simply are not ideal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPRESENTATIVE SCOTT TAYLOR, FORMER NAVY SEAL: That is a very unique situation that's happening right now. It's a very dangerous one. You have this Thai SEAL, who has extensive experience. He's a professional and he died on the way out because those passages are extremely narrow, it's cold, wet, he's tired.

I would be very concerned about the children and their state of mind. What they're trying to do is put a full-face mask on them teaching them how to use that dive. But that stuff takes a really long time to really get proficient at it.

Again, the biggest problem -- one of the biggest problems that they would have coming through is panic. So, you know, I'm not going to try to armchair quarterback what's going on there with the professionals on the ground. You're talking about very bad options all around right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: You hear that and think of those young boys in there. Those conditions, our Gary Tuchman went along with a team of cave divers for an up-close look at the style of treacherous conditions the divers in Thailand are facing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I walk in 40-degree water with two of the preeminent cave divers in the United States, Sergeant Wendell Mope, is the trainer of the Utah Department of Public Safety dive team. Richard Lamb is a civilian who is part of the team.

We're in Northern Utah's Logan Canyon. At a cave system geographically similar to the cave in Thailand where the young boys and coach are trapped, and it's similar in other ways too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This cave is flooded with snowmelt water. The cave in Thailand is flooded with monsoon water.

TUCHMAN: Both men begin their scuba voyage into the cave with our cameras, to give us a look at the dangers and show us why you absolutely never do anything like this without cave diving certification. Just getting into this nearly half-mile long cave system requires squeezing through a narrow tunnel. This is not the narrowest tunnel they will face in waters that go as deep as 90 feet.

(on camera): Are you scared sometimes when you go in a cave like this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have at times been afraid when something unexpected happens.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Something unexpected includes equipment failure, changes in water depth, and falling rocks and boulders that can leave you trapped.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My greatest fear is running out of air before I make it out of the cave. The truth is I've been stuck in this cave.

TUCHMAN: Stuck for about six minutes, Richard Lamb says. It crossed his mind that he was in serious trouble. He was rescued by Sergeant Nolan. To become cave diver certified, one of the requirements is you must be at least 18 years old due to the difficulty and skill needed, which raises another concern for those boys in Thailand, some as young as 11 and several who can't swim.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In my perception, it is a last resort, but it is a viable means of providing them an escape route.

TUCHMAN (on camera): If it's the only resort.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it's the only resort.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Officials in Thailand are pumping water out of the caves around the clock. A much better option says this master diver.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe if the rain were to subside enough that the pumps could draw enough water out of the cave, that would be an optimal scenario.

TUCHMAN (on camera): This frigid watery cave is so inherently dangerous, we've been told that more people have walked on the moon than have navigated through this. Our two experts tell us, in addition to themselves, they know of only five other people who have gone through here.

(voice-over): The circumstances for the boys and their soccer coach in Thailand remain life-threatening and extremely challenging. These Utah experts have faith in their diving colleagues on the scene.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When a human being is faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges, we seem to rise to that challenge.

TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN, Logan Canyon, Utah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: All right. Our thanks to Gary there. We'll continue with this breaking news. The Thai Navy is saying that the rescue operations to try to get those 12 boys and their coach out could start very soon. Stay with us.

[06:30:01]

After the break we're going to speak with a Finnish rescue diver who actually is part of these operations. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:00] DIANNE GALLAGHER, CO-HOST, NEW DAY SATURDAY: Breaking news. A Thailand Navy official saying just moments ago rescue efforts to save a young soccer team from a flooded cave may start soon.

You're looking at live pictures from outside that cave right now. A few moments ago, we saw some Buddhist monks being taken in there, they may be walking out right now.

But again, we're not really sure what soon means at this point, just close. And you can actually see them going in again --

BLACKWELL: Yes --

GALLAGHER: Right now here in Thailand.

BLACKWELL: This is a video of them walking up to the mouth of that cave. Now, they had been holding vigil outside that cave every night. This is now day 14, let's go now, we have Mikko Passi; a Finnish diver part of this rescue operation has been there for some time now who can give us an idea of just the job ahead for these teams and these boys and their coach trying to get out.

Mikko, thank you so much for joining us. Give us an idea -- we're told this could happen soon. Your biggest concern having gone from what we understand a little more than a half mile into this cave. MIKKO PASSI, DIVER: Yes, that's true, yes. Yesterday, we went to the

chamber number seven to bring some tanks and space tanks, supplies for the kids for their return.

GALLAGHER: What is your biggest concern about this rescue operation, Mikko?

PASSI: Well, at the moment, I would say the weather, you know, as long as we have very good hopes here, the weather level is very low at the moment and getting lower. We're installing lots of pumps, more pumps than ever and it's going down very fast, but the weather is turning in a little bit dark, rainy clouds on the horizon that might affect the outcome if it has to rain hard like in monsoon time year.

That will put a lot of -- a lot of water into the cave system in about three hours. So that will be one of the biggest concerns.

GALLAGHER: And Mikko, explain just how -- sort of how this goes about? You were talking about how because the space is so small, only a few divers can actually reach the boys?

PASSI: Yes, there's very small restrictions like passage ways where only one guide can go and you need equipments(ph) squeezed through. And heavy traffic in those tunnels will impede the visibility for us, if you meet another team in the dark tunnel like that, that will create a risk of getting tangled or disoriented or other ways you have to back off or it's going to get -- even get confused.

So, it's been limited, only minimum amount of divers in the cave system at once.

BLACKWELL: But then you've explained to David McKenzie the challenges of such a tight space. And you're professional rescue diver. Some of these boys --

PASSI: Yes --

BLACKWELL: As we know, do not even know how to swim much less dive. What are your concerns for their ability to get out and quickly and without becoming anxious?

PASSI: Well, there's a lot of concern of course with the -- with trying to approach the most simple and solid way of doing it like rescuers taking care of their children on the way.

GALLAGHER: And you volunteered to do this, correct? I mean, you volunteered to come in and help with this rescue mission. Has it been something that you have been able to -- you feel like you've been able to use the resources that you have --

PASSI: Yes --

GALLAGHER: I mean, there are a lot of skilled divers there.

PASSI: I'm trying to start it so that -- I've been living in Thailand for almost 20 years now, and we have done this before. We or part of the rescue team and we have a little history and the (INAUDIBLE) divers, we are special like in technical diving and we got the gear, specialized gear for this cave diving.

And we -- I started organizing equipment when I was trained in Malta in Europe and one thing led to another and I was called over because of the special equipment that I had and the training for this little equipment that brought all the things.

So that led me to come over here and it's been escalating from there.

GALLAGHER: So Mikko, what, you have a dive school, explain that. I mean, the likelihood of being able to teach these boys how to dive is almost none in this amount of time.

So how exactly are they going to be able to dive out with them then? I mean, how can they -- how can they get these boys out with zero -- as Victor was saying, ability to swim with some of them and definitely no diving instruction?

[06:40:00] PASSI: I didn't quite hear the whole question, but it's not that -- if I said that many people might think that it's barricade all the way, but there's some restrictions. But then there's lots of -- now water levels are going down, more and more of the cave system is becoming like a river.

Though there are air pockets, about a 100-meter long air pockets, and then you have to dive a little bit and you come to another air pocket that can be -- yesterday they were very good because of hundreds of meters, not submerged caves anymore, but the surface on top, and you can actually float and wait(ph),so that makes it much more easier.

And like I said, the level of -- level of the water is dropping fast all the time.

BLACKWELL: Right --

PASSI: Hour-by-hour, we are looking at more space to swim instead of dive.

BLACKWELL: Mikko Passi, Finnish rescue diver who has been part of this operations, thank you so much for helping us understand what you're seeing and doing there from your vantage point.

On the right of your screen, you've got live pictures here, taking them full just outside that cave. Over the last few minutes, there's been an increase in activity there and we're told by the Thai Navy, by an official that the rescue may happen soon because they're racing the weather.

GALLAGHER: Yes --

BLACKWELL: There's more rain on the way which could make this even more difficult to try to get these boys and their coach out. We, of course, will continue to follow this breaking news as now day 14 since these boys first went into that cave, this could be the day that they come out. GALLAGHER: Let's hope, we have still to come here on Cnn. The Trump

administration has until Tuesday to reunite children who are under the age of 5 that were separated from their parents by the government.

Officials though say still may need a little more time. All the uncertainty is just tormenting these migrant parents who simply want to see their children again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I can't stand being apart from my son, she says, just give me my son.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: A court order gives the Trump administration until 5:00 p.m. today to provide a list of all the children under 5 years old who have been separated from their parents, they also need to provide reasons why they believe they need more time to reunite those migrant families.

GALLAGHER: The administration has until Tuesday to reunite all those children who are five and under with their parents now by July 26th. All of the children must be reunited, but officials say they need a little more time to track down the dozens of parents who are no longer in custody including the 19 who have already been deported.

So all of this confusion and uncertainty is just continuing to prolong the anguish of these separated families.

BLACKWELL: Yes, one Guatemalan mother has not seen her son since May and has no idea when she will see him again. Cnn's Miguel Marquez has her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIQUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Les Via(ph), she's 39 from Guatemala, she may be the first separated parent to get out of detention after going through a normal immigration process after President Trump signed an executive order ending the separation of families as part of his zero-tolerance policy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I can't stand being apart from my son she says, just give me my son.

MARQUEZ: Les Via(ph) hasn't seen her 10-year-old son Yudam(ph) since May 19th. She even wrote him a letter, she believes her son is in the same Brownsville facility visited by DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen last week.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The deportation officers told me I had to leave and go to Florida to be with my family, she says, but I am not leaving without my son. Her uncertainty about how to get her son back is a sign that parents

who are released even by the administration don't have a clear process for reuniting with their children.

A woman named Adda(ph) being held at Port Isabel Detention Center in South Texas says in a phone call to Cnn she's not sure where her son is and the promise of two calls a week have never happened.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): No one has called, she says. Social workers don't answer our calls, I am desperate, I want to know how my son is, I want to talk to him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GALLAGHER: And that was Miguel Marquez reporting by federal judge's order. The Trump administration had until yesterday to put detained parents in regular contact with their kids. Parents and lawyers representing them say that most have had at least one phone call by now.

Some do speak regularly, others not at all. And it's not clear if the administration is going to meet the other deadlines at this point.

[06:50:00] BLACKWELL: Still so much to sort out there. The World Cup finals -- the quarterfinals I should say -- not rush it, and another soccer power falls in the World Cup. We're talking about some of the best teams in the world battling out for just two spots. Sports coming up next.

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BLACKWELL: Another favorite has fallen in the World Cup.

GALLAGHER: Yes, you know, Kristina, still Brazil to Belgium and Brazil tried to catch up and just couldn't make --

KRISTINA FITZPATRICK, CNN SPORTS: Oh, yes --

GALLAGHER: It happen.

FITZPATRICK: It was an exciting one and this was really a match-up of the two biggest favorites left in the field. Brazil with its deep history of success and Belgium one of the most talented teams in Europe.

[06:55:00] The stands were packed with thousands more squeezed together outside, it will be Brazil who put themselves down early, giving up an own goal in the first half. You could see the ball goes off the Brazilian defender's arm, the goalkeeper never had a chance.

Belgium goes up 2-0, later in the first on this stinger by Kevin De Bruyne from outside the penalty box. Now 2-1 in injury time, a last gas from Brazil off the right foot of their star Neymar, but Belgium's goalkeeper gets just enough on the shot sending it away.

The party huge back in Belgium, fans cheering on the big win, Belgium moving on to the semifinals for the first time since 1986.

To the earlier game, France and Uruguay, France's star simply outshined the under-manned team from South America, one of their key players sitting out with an injury, France goes up 1-0 late in the first half on this great header from Raphael Varane off of a free kick.

Two minutes later, just before half, France keeps the lead with a diving save, and that was spectacular, just put, gut-wrenching for Uruguay and its fans, the ball bouncing right off the glove of the goalkeeper and into the net.

Another look, you can see the ball dipped right before it got to him. Uruguayan players breaking down as minutes run out. France wins 2-0. The other two semifinal spots will be decided today, first it's Sweden and England at 10:00 Eastern and then Russia and Croatia at 2:00 p.m.

GALLAGHER: All right, Kristina, thanks so much.

FITZPATRICK: Thank you, guys.

BLACKWELL: Next hour of your NEW DAY starts after a short break.

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