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Senate Judiciary Committee Seeks Testimony from Trump Jr & Manafort; McConnell Delays Senate Vote after McCain Surgery; Wives of ISIS Describe Life Inside Terror Group; South Korea Proposing Military Talks with North Korea. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired July 17, 2017 - 13:30   ET

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


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[13:34:06] WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: After last week's dramatic revelations about a meeting between a Russian lawyer, President Trump's son-in-law and former campaign chairman, many lawmakers are demanding answers. The Senate Judiciary Committee wants to hear from Donald Trump Jr and Paul Manafort, former Trump campaign chairman.

We're also learning the Judiciary Committee may delay a hearing planned for this week to hear from Manafort maybe next week.

Let's talk about that and more. I'm joined by a key member of the Judiciary Committee, Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono, Hawaii. She's also a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Senator, thanks for joining us.

SEN. MAZIE HIRONO, (D), HAWAII: Good to be back, Wolf.

BLITZER: As far as you know, has either President Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr, or Paul Manafort formally agreed to testify before your committee?

HIRONO: I know that both of them, I believe, have said they'll make themselves available. So I am very hopeful that Chuck Grassley, our chair, and our ranking member, Feinstein, will pursue it. And we do want to get to these people, as well as Jared Kushner.

[13:35:11] BLITZER: What specific questions, the most important ones, that you want to ask these two?

HIRONO: Basically, surrounding the meetings they had, and why it took so long to disclose who the people were, and the changing story behind why they even had the meeting, and all that. I think there will be some very pointed questions asked of all of these witnesses so we can get to the bottom of any of the Trump peoples' relationships and discussions with Russian people.

BLITZER: Does your committee already have access to Donald Trump Jr's e-mails?

HIRONO: I'm not sure. I personally don't have them. So the chairman -- I don't know. One of the reason, as a member of the committee, I certainly want to question Donald Jr and Manafort and Jared Kushner.

BLITZER: Because Donald Trump Jr has said he has nothing to hide, he's willing to cooperate, answer lawmakers' questions. If he doesn't willingly testify, do you think Donald Trump Jr should be subpoenaed by your committee?

HIRONO: I think the subpoena powers will definitely be utilized by Mr. Mueller. One way or the other, these people are probably going to be testifying under oath, either willingly or under subpoena.

BLITZER: Let's talk a little about health care, the Republican legislation that could be coming up for a vote. Your battle with the Senate bill has become a personal one. In May, you were diagnosed with, what, stage-4 kidney cancer.

HIRONO: Yes.

BLITZER: First of all, Senator, how are you doing?

HIRONO: I'm good. I just had my second surgery. It was to remove a portion of my ribs. So I now have a metal plate that's part of my rib. So this is very much the case that we're all one diagnosis away from a major illness.

And, of course, I join all of my colleagues and everyone else in wishing Senator McCain a speedy recovery.

But health care is personal. It's very critical for all of us. Which is why the more time that is spent looking at what the Senate version of the health care bill is would be good for everybody. And I can tell you right now that this bill remains a mean, ugly bill that's going to -- especially were the Cruz Amendment. I don't consider that an improvement at all. I consider that a gift to Cruz so that McConnell could get his vote. But what that amendment does is create an unworkable insurance system where you have one group of people with insurance for people who aren't going to be very sick, and then there's a whole other group who will be sick people. So even the insurance industry said this is not workable. So --

BLITZER: You are heard Senator Susan Collins, Republican from Maine, say could be eight or 10 other Republicans who have serious problems with the current Senate bill.

HIRONO: Yes.

BLITZER: I know you speak privately with your Republican colleagues. What do you hear from them?

HIRONO: Well, mainly, I get my news from watching you guys on TV. And you know, a lot of the dynamics is going on, on the Republican side, because Mitch McConnell needs every single vote in order to get this thing even procedurally on the floor. Meanwhile, the Democrats have certainly not been sitting idly by. This is a very dangerous bill that is going to hurt, especially the poorest, sickest and oldest among our -- in our communities. And so we have been reaching out. I have been reaching out to all of these groups in my home community in Hawaii, and finding out from that what going to happen if this Senate version goes through. And the fact of the matter is, that if you're young and healthy and you go for the Cruz version of what we would call a junk bill, or if you're -- have a pre-existing condition and have to pay a heck of a lot more with high deductibles, I mean, basically everybody will be screwed. That's how I see this Senate bill.

BLITZER: All right, Senator. Senator Hirono, we wish you --

HIRONO: Thank you.

BLITZER: -- a very, very complete and speedy recovery from your battle with cancer as well.

HIRONO: Thank you.

BLITZER: As we said before, Senator McCain is going through -- he's going through this recovery right now from his surgery. We wish him a speedy recovery at the same time.

Senator Hirono, thanks for joining us.

HIRONO: Thank you. Mahalo.

[13:39:39] BLITZER: Up next, a rare look inside ISIS, very rare, through the eyes of the wives and the mothers who are members of the terror group. Are they willing supporters or innocent bystanders? We'll hear dramatic stories, right after the break.

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BLITZER: Syrian officials are trying to figure out what to do with the mothers, the wives, the girlfriend of ISIS fighters. Were they willing supporters of the horrors the terrorists inflicted or innocent victims drawn in by false promises? There have been roundups as -- they've been rounded up as ISIS sympathizers, but they haven't been charged with anything in what is essentially a completely lawless area.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh spoke with several held in a refugee camp and he joins us now -- Nick?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIOAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it's rare ISIS ever let us see their places unless at a time and place of their choosing. Even more so when it came down to the women living in their midst, often kept indoors, out sight.

We had a rare opportunity to talk to some women who have left ISIS- controlled areas about what it was like inside the so-called caliphate.

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[13:45:05] PATON WALSH (voice-over): Don't kid yourself. They saw the videos. Girls, mothers, some who married into ISIS who knew what they were about, but still came. Now jailed in a refugee camp, stuck in limbo as ISIS collapses, trying to go home. They want your pity and that you believe them when they say, it was all, all of it, a mistake.

(on camera): They use women for sex.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. It's very disgusting.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): Three Indonesian sisters say they paid thousands of dollars to get here, lured with a promise of free health care and schools, but ended up selling off their jewelries and paying thousands to get smuggled out. It wasn't the caliphate they expected.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They say they want to jihad for the sake of Allah, but what they want is only about women and sex. Oh, it's disgusting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard that, if you marry, your daughter off, get thousands of dollars.

PATON WALSH: Single-women arrivals like them kept in a commune while they look for husbands.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The men and women inside the dorm is very different. Very far from Islam. Harsh manner, gossiping, shout at each other. Backbiting and fighting between the woman and - oh, I was very surprised when I see that.

PATON WALSH: She explains the dorm is a bit like tinder.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): when the woman arrives in this dormitory she makes a sort of C.V. But down her age, name, how her personality is like, what he looks like in a man. Men also post their C.V.s.

PATON WALSH (on camera): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): Yes, it's dating. You meet, talk for 15, 20 minutes and then it's a yes or no. If they both agree then they get married. It's very quick.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): She says she came for charity work but her husband was killed the second time they tried to flee. She's not as appalled by the Paris terror attacks as she was by the coalition bombing of Raqqa and just wants to go back to France.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): I love life. I love to work. I love my jeans. I love my makeup. I love my parents. The only thing I want is to go back. I'm not far from the beach. I used to go to the beach every weekend in a bikini.

PATON WALSH (on camera): In a bikini?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): Yes! In a bikini.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): This Syrian English teacher, whose first husband was killed by a sniper in Homs, says she was traveling to Turkey when she was waylaid in Raqqa where she met and married a Moroccan, Belar.

(on camera): Were you looking for a man when you went to Raqqa?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

PATON WALSH: How come you found one --

(CROSSTALK)

PATON WALSH: You moved into a house and, oh, who's this guy next door?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think God sent him to me.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): She says ISIS spokesman, Abu Mohammad Anoni (ph) knew Belar and allowed him not to fight. He's now in jail.

She is disapproving of less pure love stories.

(on camera): Did you hear other stories of women who came looking for husbands?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They look for European men that are here. And ISIS, they are strong men. You know? With guns. And they can protect them. It's an idea that's just like movies. Many of them were very shocked because when they got married to a man, three, four days. One month and they, divorced. I know a woman married six times and, after three days, she go to court and ask the judge to divorce her from him. And when the judge ask her, why you want divorce? And that meant, say that she prevent him from making any, you know -- sexual, you know --

PATON WALSH: I see.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And she said, I can't accept him. All the time thinking of my dying husband. And the judge asked her, why you get married from him if you don't want him? He say, I will send you to the prison, because you -- she was crying, oh, no, it's the last time, I promise.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): The husband was once arrested for smoking by the religious police. And because they won't talk to women she had to literally enter a man's world to get him out of jail.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you know what I do? It was crazy idea. I just put my husband clothes. His shoes and his, you know, that -- covered my eyes with black glasses. But, with that black -- glasses, and put -- a gown from my neighbor. Take it from there and take my boy, let's go to the police.

PATON WALSH: Do your man voice now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)

PATON WALSH: That's how men sound?

(LAUGHTER)

PATON WALSH (voice-over): The stories decide their fate here, whether they stay in limbo or go home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that you don't believe me. You don't? You know? Speaks a language more than mouth. Not you feel there's a trust in my eyes?

PATON WALSH (on camera): Yes.

Your husband, what if you never see him again?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want someone to kill me, because I can't kill myself. It's suicide and I can't commit suicide. Just kill me.

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[13:50:11] PATON WALSH: Wolf, spent time amongst a group of women who frankly had a positive idea of about the caliphate before they went there, and startling to realize they are, in fact, trapped in limbo. Between those Kurdish fighters, who are kicking ISIS out of what they used to call their caliphate, and their home nations, who pretty much adopt want to see them come home again in a hurry -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Nick Paton Walsh, excellent reporting, as usual. Thank you.

Coming up, new overtures from South Korea to North Korea. Seoul proposes military talks in an effort to try to defuse nuclear tensions. We have new information. Details when we come back.

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BLITZER: South Korea is proposing military talks with North Korea in the hopes of ending what Seoul calls "hostile acts" between the two countries and escalating military tension. So far, there's been no reply from Pyongyang.

CNN's David McKenzie has the latest from Seoul -- David?

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[13:55:00] DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRSEPONDENT: Wolf, the talks proposed by the South Koreans is certainly a move to try to ease riding tensions in this region. They're proposing military-to- military talks to happen as soon as Friday in the Demilitarized Zone, as well as Red Cross talks to discuss the reunion of people split up by the Korean War.

Now, this is definitely seen as a gamble by many of President Moon Jae-in in South Korea. He's staked his reputation on trying to ease tension with the North. This, despite the fact of that recent missile test by Pyongyang, and the Trump administration pushing towards further sanctions against Kim Jong-Un's regime.

But there is hope here in South Korea amongst the people that perhaps this is a small window towards some kind of normalcy. But they do need the North Korean, of course, to agree to the talks -- Wolf?

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BLITZER: David, thank you. David McKenzie reporting from Seoul.

That's it for me. I'll be back 5:00 p.m. Eastern in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

The news continues right after a quick break.

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