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Report: Dying Child's Parents Say, We've Been Put Through Enough; Trump Not Likely to Talk Meddling with Putin; Kidnapping Suspect Appears at Missing Girl's Vigil. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired July 3, 2017 - 15:30   ET

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


[15:30:00] DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we have heard from the White House they have been in contact. The question is how much good can that actually do when this has gone up such a long legal chain? It's never even been the cost. They've crowdfunded a huge amount of money. It wasn't about that. It's now the decision is in the courts' hands, not in the pope's, not in president Trump's, and the British courts have decided the way they have. Even if president Trump reaches out to the family, it's unlikely to make much difference.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Our thoughts are with that little boy's family. Please stay on the story for us. Thank you so much.

Coming up next, President Trump and Russian President Putin will finally come face-to-face this week at the G-20 summit, but one key topic unlikely to be discussed. We'll be joined live by the former ambassador to the Ukraine on what the message sends.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:35:00] BALDWIN: We're back. You're watching CNN. President Trump is working the phones today speaking to the leaders of jenny, Italy and France ahead of the G-20 summit. It's there on the sidelines he will have this first face-to-face meeting with Russian President Putin. The White House says the unstructured style of the meeting will allow the two men to talk about whatever they would like, but officials say president Trump is not likely to address election meddling, the key issue here at home. Joining us to discuss is Steve Pifer, senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, who served in both the Clinton and Bush administrations. Thank you so much for joining me.

STEVE PIFER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Thank you for having me.

BALDWIN: So, the plan, this is according to Trump administration officials is to focus this discussion on Ukraine and Syria, and as I mentioned, as of now, not rebuke Russia for influencing the Presidential election. Sir, what message does that send to Vladimir Putin? If he doesn't go there?

PIFER: No, I believe it will be a big mistake for President Trump not to raise Russian election interference in the U.S. election, first of all the members will be it doesn't matter and they may take it as an invitation to do it again, but once word gets out, he will simply fuel the questions in Washington about what kind of context there might have been between the Trump campaign and the Russians back in 2016. It would be a huge mistake not to raise the question.

BALDWIN: Could be on a table, could be an add, as you read further, according to the official the open-endedness is concerning some members of the national security team, who fear, the way they put it, his penchant for distraction and distaste for mega-preparation could allow Vladimir Putin to drive the agenda and context, remember the The Oval Office meeting with Lavrov and Kislyak when President Trump divulging the classified information. So, are they right, A, to be concerned? And B, what could they do about that?

PIFER: You could be certain that Vladimir Putin will come in very well prepared. He will have his agenda to push, and I think the president needs to be careful here. What I would hope they could do would be to look at ways to contain tensions, endorse the channel that's been set up between Secretary Tillerson and Lavrov, the president could put down markers, but this will not be a meeting for big deals. You want to set in motion a process and begin to generation small progress, which hopefully may lead to bigger progress down the road.

BALDWIN: What will you be listening for? Presumably, they'll be posturing. What will you be listening for from either president to show progress or lack it?

PIFER: To my mind it would be useful if they define the channel. I would also hope they could set up a channel between Secretary Mattis and the Russian defense minister to talk about how to deflect not only military practices in Syria, but now you have increasing encounters with planes and ships in the Black and Baltic seas. The relation-does not need a collision between a Russian and American military aircraft, and put down some markers.

[15:40:00] The president should reiterate we're looking for Russian policy to change, and if Russia begins to implement the agreements to settle the conflict, that can open the door to not only an easing of sanctioning, but begin to move the relationship in a better direction. But again, we're setting the stage hopefully for progress that's going to take a long time to develop. It's taken us several years to get the relationship to this low point, it's not possible to get out of this hole overnight. It's going to take a lot of time and serious work.

BALDWIN: Knowing President Putin, quickly which leader do you think has the upper hand walking in?

PIFER: I hope President Trump is preparing and doing his homework. He's going to find in President Putin somebody who commands the facts, comes in with a game plan, and has a -- an idea in mind for how he wants to use this meeting. It may not be to our advantage.

BALDWIN: Sure. Sure. Ambassador, thank you. That meeting is supposed to happen later this week in Hamburg, Germany. The world will be watching, thank you, sir. The suspect in the disappearance of an Illinois graduate student is in

court today for the first time. The FBI says he searched abduction web sites, this is as the university is confirming he was spotted in this photo. He went to her vigil.

[15:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Federal authorities say a man's abduction fantasy may have led to the death of Yingying Zhang. She up and disappeared last month. The FBI says they have reason to believe she is dead, because her accused abductor was caught on tape actually talking about this kidnapping. He appeared in court today. But said very little and did not make a plea. But the FBI says he frequented an online forum known as Abduction 101. Where apparently you can look at threats with headings such as perfect abduction fantasy and planning a kidnapping. The University of Illinois confirming the suspect in the abduction showed up at the student's vigil last week. Officials say he is the man in the top right corner.

Let me bring in Dr. Carl Sophy, a psychiatrist. Thank for you coming in. What sort of sick, demented world would you want to kidnap a woman, do who knows what, and the should show up at the vigil?

DR. CARL SOPHY, A PSYCHIATRIST: This is somebody who as really poor social skills and inabilities to interact appropriately. Secondly, they like the power. They're sneaky, they need power, the only way get is to overcome somebody. That is why it is a fantasy to be able to fulfill that. Where they finally find power over somebody. You'll see it in the vigil where he's standing off to the back. He didn't do society well. He's always an observer, but then he attacks in a sneaky way for power.

BALDWIN: What about these web sites, Dr. Sophie? I was reading about some of them, and some of them are just for consenting adults who like to get their -- how do I say this -- enjoyment, you know, role playing abductions, but apparently this website has been cited in criminal complaints, so obviously people with nefarious intentions use these, why?

DR. SOPHY: Well, because they basically, like you said, they find it for their enjoyment, jollies, whatever it is, because they're seeking out power. They don't know how to handle themselves. They want power and go about it --

BALDWIN: This is about power?

DR. SOPHY: A lot of it is about power. That's why you take somebody when they're not aware, a young woman needing help, in a weaker position, and he takes over. It's a way to get over on people, because either it was done to them or it was something they get off on. Usually it's been done to them and they've been a victim at one point in their life.

BALDWIN: What does it say about people who take time and visit these web sites? DR. SOPHY: It says that people are not getting the help they need,

obviously, to struggle and clear up the conflicts within them. They're feeding them by looking at the web sites and fantasizing, it keeps getting to be a greater need and desire for them to do it.

BALDWIN: This whole story is so tragic. You think of her family and parents. Police have reason to believe, apparently, according to audio from him, that she is dead. He's behind bars. What is he thinking right now when it comes to whether or not he wants to reveal information?

DR. SOPHY: Well, I think he's probably aware enough and with it to know that if he does tell the truth, he's going to spend the rest of his life somewhere where he doesn't want to. He's trying to decipher, should I tell the truth and own up to it, or try to get away with this? Really, he should --

BALDWIN: Hopefully he cooperates and gives up all the information.

DR. SOPHY: I hope so.

BALDWIN: Thank you, doctor.

Up next, the White House commenting on President Trump's tweet encouraging violence against reporters say it did not come from Reddit. We will dig into how the video was made and how it made rounds on the internet.

[15:50:00] But first let, me tell you about the original series I'm looking forward to "The 90s" starts this Sunday night at 9:00 pm.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of my favorite shows up all time aired in that decade.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't talk about the '90s without so many monumental bands. Nirvana gave the record industry a wake-up call.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gangster rap starts to take hold.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: While 90s represented so much growth, we still had so much to do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rodney King, 1992m exposed some of that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: O.J. was a guy who felt like he was above race.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Columbine. The bombing in Oklahoma City, the Davidian compound in Waco, something dark was moving in the society.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something is happening outside. The skies over Baghdad have been illuminated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Bush took the loss hard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was turning the corner to a different time. There was scandal, scandal, scandal, scandal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's christened the comeback kid.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bill Gates' game plan was world domination.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The war in Syria is expected to a main topic of conversation when president Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin meet this week. On the ground ISIS-controlled territory is now just a blip on this map of Iraq and Syria. Its coalition forces retain territory in both Iraq and Mosul. Yet for the thousands of families still trapped in those cities, the situation is desperate. CNN has an exclusive interview with a woman who has been getting devastating voice h messages from her daughter as she struggles to survive in Raqqa.

As forces continue in Raqqa, Syria, somewhere in this city a daughter records messages for her mother a world away in the Netherlands.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: : As coalition forces circle the ISIS capital of Raqqa, somewhere in the city the daughter records messages, she begs for help, whispers for rescue from ISIS and airstrikes. Her mother weeps as she listens.

WOMAN TRAPPED IN RAQQA (through translator): Get me out of this horrible situation. I am tired. My son is exhausted. Get me out of here! I beg you!

SHUBERT: Watha is not the mother's real name. She does not want to be identified fearing ISIS will target her daughter. But her voice and enough to understand the horror of life in Raqqa.

WOMAN TRAPPED IN RAQQA, (through translator): when you go to the market to buy food and other things, you see a hand here, a leg here, a head there that ISIS has left. We used to drink coffee there. Now it's full of bodies.

SHUBERT: Watha has already lost one daughter to the sea when she fled for Greece. The boat sank and the little girl drowned. She was two and a half years old. Her body washed up on the shore months later, now buried on the Greek island of Chios. Now Watha is determined not to lose her eldest daughter in Raqqa, to get her out. The 23-year-old had tried to leave, but ISIS arrested her, then beheaded, her husband. Her son, Watha's first grandchild, is almost two years old.

WOMAN TRAPPED IN RAQQA, (through translator): I'm exhausted, mom. I can't bear this life anymore. My son is sick, and there's no medicine or clean water or anything for my child.

SHUBERT: You've never seen your grandson before.

MOTHER OF WOMAN TRAPPED IN RAQQA (through translator): No, I haven't seen him. My dear, I wake up in sadness. I go to bed in sadness. I don't know any other emotion than sadness. Every day I live in fear of tomorrow.

SHUBERT: But when you see those photos and you get those messages, it gives you hope that it might be possible.

MOTHER OF WOMAN TRAPPED IN RAQQA (through translator): When I see the pictures, my heart breaks into pieces. There is no hope. The only hope is their voice. The only hope I have are their voices.

SHUBERT: You cannot see her face, but Watha weeps as she talks. She clutches at her phone and her heart, filled with hope and dread at every new message. She doesn't respond straightaway, but only once her voice is steady.

MOTHER OF WOMAN TRAPPED IN RAQQA (through translator): Sweetie, the most important thing is that you take care of yourself. And god willing, as I promised, I will come and get you. God will come and get you and we will see each other again. Stay strong.

SHUBERT: A mother's plea only one voice of so many struggling to be heard amid the terrifying noise of war.

WOMAN TRAPPED IN RAQQA (through translator): We moved to another place today, I don't know when I'll be able to get online again. The army is all over the place.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[16:00:00] [BALDWIN: Thank you so much for telling her story. Just before I go, I want to show you some pictures just in to us of a very emotional Venus Williams. Tennis star Williams breaking down at a press conference, when asked about the wrongful death lawsuit she's facing. The lawsuit follows the death of 78-year-old man in a car crash in which Venus was involved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VENUS WILLIAMS, TENNIS STAR: There are really no words to describe how devastating and -- Yes. I'm completely speechless and it's just -- I mean, I'm just -- I need to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The accident happened in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Williams is scheduled to play her second-round match at Wimbledon Wednesday. We'll follow the story for you there. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for being with me. I'll be back for your Fourth of July. In the meantime, stay right here. Jim Sciutto is in For Jake Tapper. "The Lead" starts now.