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250 Arrested in Russian Anti-Corruption Protests; U.S. Ramping Up in Fight Against ISIS; Hearing Today in Fraternity Hazing Death Case; Ivanka Trump Pushes for Parental Leave Public; Penguins Repeat as Stanley Cup Champions; Game Five of Cleveland-Golden State NBA Faceoff. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired June 12, 2017 - 10:30   ET

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


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[10:31:31] POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Hundreds of people today arrested so far in these anti-corruption protests across Russia. That's according to an independent group monitoring the arrests. One of those taken into custody is a Russian opposition leader. His lawyer says he's now facing a 30-day jail term.

Let's go straight to Moscow. That's where our Jill Dougherty is. She's a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and a former CNN Moscow bureau chief.

So today was supposed to be the sort of equivalent to the Fourth of July here in the United States. It was, as you say, hijacked by these protesters. What was their goal? What were they trying to achieve today?

JILL DOUGHERTY, GLOBAL FELLOW, WOODROW WILSON CENTER: Well, they were trying to get people out on to the streets, number one, and they wanted -- they wanted 10,000. A little unclear at this point how many people specifically they got, but it was a pretty good turnout. Definitely, judging by what we saw in the thousands. There were some arrests. There were about 300 or 400 people arrested, but essentially, it went off without chaos, you know, without riots or anything like that.

I think the Moscow authorities were prepared. There had been a demonstration back in March, and they were pretty prepared. They were pretty methodical about the way they dealt with it. That said, these demonstrators were able to get their message across, and essentially, that is anticorruption, and there was quite a lot of anti-Putin. Even if most of the country supports Putin, the people at this protest do not -- Poppy.

HARLOW: You also note, Jill, and just looking at some of these images that were taken just a little bit ago there, the number of young people protesting was startling. Why?

DOUGHERTY: Yes. Well, a lot of them really are young, you know, they're like even 17, 18 years old, and they're a very interesting group because they grew up with no other president but Vladimir Putin. And you could say, so, why aren't they grateful to him? Because after all, you know, Putin, especially in the beginning, really helped Russians to live better. But these kids, these young people have grown up expecting a lot. They demand a lot, they want a lot out of their lives, and they're worried they're not going to get it, precisely because of corruption.

So that's why if they can affect and attract people to these demonstrations, it's a thing that -- it's a very powerful message, and the Kremlin still is grappling with precisely how to deal with it -- Poppy.

HARLOW: Jill Dougherty live for us in Moscow, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

The White House, meantime, is ramping up its fight against ISIS. U.S.-backed Syrian forces now moving into parts of the de facto ISIS capital of Raqqa. This as the U.S. Military is conducting its first strike in Somalia, targeting terrorists there under the new powers granted by the president. Meantime, in the Philippines, American troops are providing assistance in the country's battle against terrorism there.

Barbara Starr is live for us at the Pentagon.

Look, this is a president who said consistently, America first, America first, America first. However, much more intervention in the expanding war on terror.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It is an expanding war, Poppy. Some of it dating back to the Obama administration, but President Trump clearly moving in several directions, I think it would be fair to say. The White House saying that's part of the policy to keep America safe from terrorism.

And we're seeing it in so many places now. In Somalia over the weekend, in the Horn of Africa, the U.S. conducting that first airstrike under President Trump's expanded rules against the al Qaeda affiliate there.

[10:35:00] In Syria, we are seeing U.S.-backed forces moving against Raqqa and last week we saw a number of U.S. airstrikes in southern Syria against Iranian and regime-backed militias that had been in threatening positions against U.S. forces in the south there. Those airstrikes pushing them back.

In the Philippines, U.S. Special Forces in the southern Philippines now working to provide technical assistance to the government there in its fight against ISIS. And in Afghanistan, in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. moving against ISIS forces there. Earlier today, a U.S. Military convoy attacked in that area with small arms, and we saw three U.S. troops, sadly, killed over the weekend by a so-called insider attack.

Not clear exactly who the perpetrator was, but widely believed it was someone who was able to get inside and kill three U.S. forces there, battling several hundred militants, ISIS militants, in eastern Afghanistan. Is any of this going to be enough to put ISIS out of business?

Clearly not. But the attacks in London showed ISIS is inspiring people around the world still very much -- Poppy.

HARLOW: Indeed. Barbara Starr, thank you for the reporting at the Pentagon this morning.

Coming up for us, one of the president's most-trusted advisers, his daughter, Ivanka Trump, traveling with her father this week. They're trying to change the message and focus on jobs and apprenticeships. Also touting an issue very close to her heart -- government-funded paid leave, trying to change the game for mothers and fathers across America.

How Ivanka Trump will try to sell this to Congress is next.

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[10:41:04] HARLOW: All right, some breaking news in the case against Bill Cosby. In court right now we've just learned his defense team has rested this morning after only calling one witness. Again, the Cosby defense resting after calling one witness. That witness was not Bill Cosby. The judge asking Mr. Cosby, is it your decision not to testify? Cosby in court answered yes.

That information coming to us from our Lawrence Crook and Jean Casarez in court. We'll have much more on that in a moment.

Meantime, right now a hearing is under way to decide if 18 Penn State students will stand trial in the hazing death of their fellow student. The parents of 19-year-old Timothy Piazza walked into the courthouse in Pennsylvania this morning. That is where the judge will decide if there is enough evidence to charge fellow students in their son's death. Their son died after a binge drinking ritual hazing at a fraternity house in February.

Our Sara Ganim is outside of the courthouse. And Sara, what will we see in court today?

SARA GANIM, CNN INVESTIGATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Poppy, the most significant thing that could happen this morning at this hearing is that prosecutors could decide to show that surveillance tape from inside the fraternity house that details the 12 hours after the hazing incident in which Tim Piazza struggled and declined, eventually turning ashen and unresponsive. His parents, who I'm told will be in the courtroom, do plan to leave for that part of the hearing. They do not wish to see this video. That's according to the family attorney, Tom Kline.

Now this is a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to move forward to a trial. These 18 defendants, plus the fraternity, will go before a judge who will decide if the evidence is strong enough for them to go to trial. Two of these defendants have already waived, but the rest of them, 16 members of the fraternity, plus the fraternity itself, will all be in the courtroom together for this hearing. Attorneys for the defendants have been mostly tight-lipped since these

charges were announced, but some of them did tell me they do plan to fight this. One attorney telling me this, "The government assumes that these young men, many of whom were intoxicated themselves, should have been able to differentiate symptoms of extreme intoxication from symptoms of a life-threatening head injury. That is an impossible burden to place on them."

Of course, that's the view of the defense attorneys. We'll see what the judge has to say after viewing that surveillance tape after this hearing today -- Poppy.

HARLOW: Sara, we will stay on it. Thank you very much, Sara Ganim.

Ahead for us, Ivanka Trump gets another ally in her fight for paid family leave -- her dad. But can she convince Congress? Next.

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[10:47:53] HARLOW: Ivanka Trump back in the spotlight this week. She joins her father on the road. They're making a push for apprenticeship programs and other legislative priorities. She has been the driving force as well in the West Wing behind a government- funded paid leave program. That's right, government-funded in a Republican administration.

So she sold her dad on it. Can she sell Congress?

Joining us now, CNN Money senior writer Heather Long and Aparna Mathur, the scholar at the right-leaning think-tank American Enterprise Institute. She co-authored the report on parental leave that just came out that Ivanka Trump liked so much she tweeted about it.

So thank you both for being here.

And Heather, let me just begin with you. This is a big ticket item. This is a $25 billion government-funded program that Ivanka got her father to get on board within the budget. What are the nuts and bolts?

HEATHER LONG, CNN MONEY SENIOR WRITER: Well, this is her signature program and the key here is she wants new moms and new dads to be able to take time-off and still get paid for that time-off. And so her plan calls for six weeks of paid leaves for new moms and new dads whether you -- the child came through birth or through adoption. So that's a big change.

HARLOW: Funded by a tax in part.

LONG: Sort of. So the Trump play on they cut some money in the budget, as you know, big-time budget cuts, we've talked about that before.

HARLOW: Right. LONG: So that's how they get some of the money for that $25 billion

price tag over the next 10 years. They also want to run it through the state's unemployment insurance. So a lot of people used that after the great recession when they lost their jobs.

HARLOW: Aparna, I should note the U.S. is the only developed economy in the world that doesn't have this already, right? We're way behind. But this is the first time a Republican administration has gotten on board to push it. You are from a right-leaning think tank and you liked this as well. What's the plan that you guys came up with that Ivanka Trump is so happy about?

APARNA MATHUR, CO-DIRECTOR, AEI-BROOKINGS PROJECT ON PAID FAMILY LEAVE: That's right. So we are looking what we call the AEI- Brookings based on these projects we have engaged with people from the left and the right, and just a lot of experts who wrote on this area for a long time. And we believe that the U.S. needs to (INAUDIBLE) some policies at the federal level. We do have some state programs that are really not universal, that are not benefiting, and really don't allow access to a lot of low-wage workers.

[10:50:08] So we have come up with our own plan which offers eight weeks of paid parental leave also funded through a tax but again in combination with budget cuts so our plan is budget neutral but would be open to parents.

HARLOW: Right. Because Ivanka Trump came out and said that -- her aides have said, I mean, that this needs to be, and they want it to be deficit neutral, not add to deficits. You were just, Aparna, at the White House. You met with them. What did they say to you? Are you on board with this eight weeks funded, you know, in part through additional taxes?

MATHUR: Yes. So we are very happy because we showed them the report and they seemed very open to the idea of the compromised plan that we offer in our report. In fact they went so far as to say that they would not stuck with the design that they had campaigned for, with doing it through a state unemployment insurance. So we -- you know, we feel that there was a positive reception to the report and we hope that they can get behind it and, you know, other Republicans can get on board as well.

HARLOW: I think -- I think that's the key. Other Republicans. I mean, I'm just imagining this going in front of the House Freedom Caucus. But then I'm also reading comments from, you know, Republican Congressman Peter King who told the "New York Times" just a few weeks ago, "We're supposed to stand with the party for traditional values. Well, the traditional family is now a working mother with kids. I just hope Republicans don't just jump into this lock-step, knee-jerk reaction of another crazy program."

Give me a reality test, Heather Long. Is there any chance something like this gets through Congress?

LONG: Yes. There is huge bipartisan support for this. Poll after poll shows from the Tea Party on the right all the way to progressives on the left, the American public supports this, supports the idea of helping out new parents.

HARLOW: Republicans --

LONG: Now Republicans --

HARLOW: -- agreed for more taxes for this?

LONG: Well, that's the key. The key -- everybody agrees we should do something. People like the idea of around a month or six weeks, some say more, of course, but it's how do we pay for it.

HARLOW: And that's the big thing. I mean, the part that you point out, low-wage workers, and you know, it's stunning how many people, mothers and fathers who work hourly wage jobs, who make, you know, from $7.25 up to, say, 12 bucks an hour, have to go back to work, some mothers, after just 10 days and some sooner, they can't afford to not be working. Companies like ours and so much of corporate America pays us, gives us months of parental leaves. The issue is the low-wage workers. Are you confident they will be helped equally and enough in whatever you think might make it through Congress?

MATHUR: I think that is the key, improving access to low-wage workers, and that's why our plan is relatively targeted. We allow for a 70 percent wage replacement trade but with a cap of $600 per week in terms of benefit. We want this to be employee-funded so that it's an earned benefit and employers don't get -- you know, don't get the sticker shock of paying for these leaves. So we do think, you know, this is an opportunity to expand access to these workers, to enable them to take the needed weeks off.

HARLOW: Yes.

MATHUR: Instead of the situation which we have today as you pointed out. You know, a lot of people are running back to work. Sometimes we heard even up to four days of giving birth and that's the situation we need to change.

HARLOW: And there's an economic argument for it.

LONG: There is. And Poppy, this is just a way that the world is going. The United States is the only country in the world, a developed country, that doesn't offer any paid leave right now.

HARLOW: Yes.

LONG: Most of our competitors like Canada, and in Europe, are offering a year to new moms, up to a year they can take off. And so there's real momentum behind this. And I think we need to remember that.

HARLOW: Yes.

LONG: And then you look at companies like Netflix.

HARLOW: Sure.

LONG: I mean, you must have Netflix at home. They offer unlimited paid leave to their moms.

HARLOW: And when you give new parents the chance to acclimate, to be parents, they are more likely to come back to work and that will add to the economic, you know, growth of this country. So we'll see if it actually can get through Washington.

Guys, thank you very much. Heather Long and Aparna Mathur, we appreciate it.

Coming up next, back-to-back wins, Pittsburgh Penguins make history as the Stanley Cup champion. I have some friends who are very excited about that one. The "Bleacher Report" is next.

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[10:58:08] HARLOW: The Stanley Cup is going back to Pittsburgh. The Penguins, back-to-back champs, in a thriller in Nashville. Coy Wire has more on the "Bleacher Report."

I have some friends who are very, very, very, very excited about this one.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: There's a lot of yellow. We've been down here in Atlanta, too.

Good morning to you, Poppy. I'm a Pennsylvania guy myself so yes, Pittsburgh is rocking and Sid Crosby and the Penguins proving too much for Nashville. But you have to give credit for the fans of Nashville. A sea of humanity there on the streets. An estimated 50,000 fans, shoulder-to-shoulder, packing Broadway, looking at the game on big screen monitors, outside the arena. So Nashville had country star Luke Bryan there to perform for them because they couldn't get in inside.

That affair was just as electric. Look at Faith Hill with the national anthem, and her husband Tim McGraw waving the towels, and then Brad Paisley waving a catfish, because that's customary there at Predators games. But it would be former Predator, Patrick Hornqvist, spoiling the party for Nashville. He was traded to Pittsburgh just three years ago and he broke the scoreless tie with just 95 seconds to go in regulation.

The Penguins going to win 2-zip, send, Sid "The Kid" Crosby hoisting Lord Stanley's cup for Pittsburgh. The NHL's first back-to-back champs in 19 years. And Crosby named Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP for the second straight year.

King James in Cleveland may have the Warriors exactly where they want them. After a 21-point win in Cleveland on Friday, they're down 3-1 just like last year before King James led Cleveland over the Warriors there for their first ever NBA title. They're going to try to win tonight in Oakland.

Our friends at "Bleacher Report" have a fun depiction of how Steph Curry and the Warriors might be reminded of the 3-1 comeback everywhere they look. Little sports, little James Brown for you there, Poppy, this morning.

It's going to be a big game. That game tonight in Oakland at 9:00 Eastern.

HARLOW: There you go. Coy Wire, thank you, my friend. We'll see you tomorrow.

Thank you all for joining us. I'm Poppy Harlow. "AT THIS HOUR WITH KATE BOLDUAN" begins right now.