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Twelve Boys All Under 16 And Their Coach Began Their Nightmare Two Weeks Ago When They Got Stuck In A Cave; California Had An Extreme Heat Wave And Gusty Winds Are Fueling At Least Several Wildfires Across The State; Violent Protests In Haiti; U.S./North Korea Nuclear Talks Maybe Hitting A Snag; Donald Trump's Next Week Could Be The Most Important Of His Presidency; Trump Administration Tells A Federal Judge In San Diego It May Need More Time To Reunite Migrant Families. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired July 7, 2018 - 19:00   ET

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


[19:00:09] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

RYAN NOBLES, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ryan Nobles in New York. Ana Cabrera is off today.

It is our breaking news right now. A last resort rescue mission that is beyond dangerous. But they literally be the only way to save the lives of a boys' soccer team trapped underground.

This is a cave in northern Thailand. Twelve boys all under 16 and their coach began their nightmare two weeks ago when they got stuck in this cave. The most terrifying hours are still to come.

CNN's Matt Rivers is there.

Matt, we are hearing that rescuers have now decided to try and swim these boys out with dive gear. Do we know if they have started yet?

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No. Officially, Ryan, we have no idea if that operation has started, whether it is completely imminent at this point. But you are right in the sense that it does appear that rescuers given the urgency of the situation have kind of been forced into choosing that option of having to actually swim the kids out and getting them outfitted with dive equipment to navigate the treacherous under water passages inside that cave network.

It is becoming more urgent, Ryan over the past 24 hours or so for a number of different reasons. A, you have oxygen levels dropping inside the cave to levels that doctors will tell you are unsustainable for a long-term period. That, plus the fact that this is Thailand in July. This is the start of the rainy season. And while it has held off over the past couple of days, forecasts are calling for more and more rain which means water levels inside the cave are going to rise. And so they have been backed into a corner now in terms of having the really have the only option left would be to take these kids out via swimming and diving.

In terms of when that operation is starting, we are not exactly sure. But given the urgency of the situation, you have to expect it is going to start very soon, if not having started already.

NOBLES: And the sun starting to rise behind you. We could see, Matt, and we know that the boys have been in somewhat of a level of communication with their families. Tell us about that and does it give us any clues as to their moral down there.

RIVERS: Yes. You know, we did get a glimpse of some letters actually that were exchanged back and forth between the parents of these boys and the boys inside of the cave. They weren't able to establish a communication line but they were able to send letters back and forth. And the boys were incredibly stoic in their letters, telling their parents not to worry. One boy saying that he is just looking forward to getting some fried chicken when he gets out.

The boys collectively actually writing a letter asking their teacher not to give them too much homework when they are out. So it reminds you how painfully young these kids are. But it does appear that the morale has being kept up.

How much they know or how much they have been told about the severity of the situation or the danger that will be involved in getting them out, we are not sure. But you know, if you could just go by the letters alone, it does appear that the boys are keeping their spirits up and you could only imagine what it is like to be a parent in this situation. The parent of those kids, far be it from me to say what they are going through but the parents writing letters back, basically telling them to stay strong and that they will see them soon.

It is just a heartbreaking situation here, Ryan. And one that, you know, every single person here is just hoping ends quickly and safely.

NOBLES: And Matt, you mentioned their state of mind. The fact that they seem upbeat and in those letters. I mean, what have rescuers told you about their level of confidence for this journey? How important will that be? We know that it is difficult regardless. But do these young men need to be prepared to make this journey and in a good state of mind?

RIVERS: Yes. I mean, I think so. I mean, one thing that rescuers have been is equal parts optimistic but also realistic about the dangers of a rescue mission like this. I mean, this was always the last option. They didn't want to do this. They were hoping as of a couple of days ago that the water levels could go down in the cave that perhaps they could actually just walk out the same way they walked in but that quickly became apparent and it wasn't realistic. And so rescuers have said look. We think we could get this done but at the same time they are very well aware of how dangerous this kind of rescue mission is.

They do have international experts from the U.K., from the U.S., from Australia, but you know, you talk to these divers as we have over the past couple of days and they say this is a technical, difficult dive for even the most experienced diver and we saw a former Thai Navy SEAL who was here on a volunteer basis actually lose his life right around two days ago when he ran out of oxygen inside this cave while bringing oxygen in to the boys. So if a 38-year-old triathlete, former Thai Navy diver could lose his

life, that gives you a heartbreaking example of how treacherous this rescue could be.

NOBLES: Matt, I think you crystalized it there well there, optimistic but also realistic. A long way to go for these young men trapped in the cave.

Matt Rivers live in Thailand. Matt, thank you for that report.

Since oxygen levels are dropping inside the cave, time is of the essence.

Let's go now to Tom Foreman with more on the restricted air flow and a virtual look at the layout of the cave -- Tom.

[19:05:15] TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey Ryan.

The only way that air moves in or out of most caves is by the temperature on the ground above changing. And that would be no different here. And 2.5 miles in, more than a half mile down, there would very little effect from that. And that is one of the reason why we are talking about the air in the chamber with these boys beginning to run low.

How low? They should be getting 21 percent oxygen in every breath. It is reportedly at 15 percent. That means they would have decreased stability to work strenuously and impaired coordination. They might not think clearly. They may even have some kind of decreased vision in low light. It is not permanent, necessarily. They are trying to bring oxygen into them but it is worrisome.

Meanwhile, outside they are trying to get rid of the water and they are pumping furiously. More than 400,000 gallons per hour is being pumped out of the cave. That is two-thirds of an Olympic swimming pool trying to open some narrow brief escape path.

But what we are hearing from inside is there is still a lot of areas in here that are flooded areas where absolutely these kids would have to put on scuba gear and swim through. For 20 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour, longer, we just don't know. But it is incredibly perilous and it is not getting any better.

If you look at forecast, you can see for all of the water they have cleared out, they have been in this little trough down here and more rain is coming with no relief that these pumps can keep up with it.

The main challenge here, though, for all of that, remains the simple fact that in some parts of this cave, the opening through which the rescuers must move is no bigger than one human being. They have to take off their tanks to swim through there. You can see how that imperils their ability to bring in supplies. It certainly makes it difficult to imagine bringing a frightening, confused and exhausted teenager out.

It takes six hours for a skilled diver to make the trip in alone. That is one reason some engineers are saying, look, just use this as a supply line. Just send the professionals back and forth. Keep the kids alive while you pound through from above with some sort of narrow supply tube to get them air, freshwater, food, and keep them alive until a rescue could be affected.

NOBLES: We have breaking news out of California where an extreme heat wave and gusty winds are fueling at least several wildfires across the state.

Look at these pictures from Grenada Hills, California. They are just from moments ago that is where firefighters are dousing a small but fast-moving brush fire that broke out. Meanwhile, in northern California, a wildfire is being blamed for one death and thousands more have been driven from homes. This is aided by record-breaking temperatures, in the triple-digits which has made it difficult for firefighters to control these flames. You can see them here working to keep each other safe.

In southern California, the holiday fire destroyed some 20 structures and threatened infrastructure. Today, you could see the burnt out shells of cars and homes destroyed in the blaze.

Sara Sidner joins me now from the city of Goleta. That is in Santa Barbara County.

Sara, this is normally a beautiful part of the country, still beautiful, but obviously a tremendous amount of damage as you have been joining us all day. Is there any hope in the forecast that they are going to get some relief there in California?

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For this fire, yes. But there are about 14 fires you just mentioned a new one this morning and now the Burbank hills. There is a fire that has popped up there and they are aggressively fighting that as well and warning a potential evacuation there. This is what firefighters are up against.

Look. This house burned earlier and overnight, but they keep seeing the hot spots that keep popping up. And as you sort of go over the ledge here, this was the first area we saw was a garage. Now, this is down where the house used to be. And every few minutes all of a sudden because it is so hot and because there is a bit of wind that is starting to pick up now, you are seeing the embers again sparked and again you start seeing smoke and then you start seeing flames so the firefighters would keep going back and forth to some of this different houses that are here in Goleta and knocking this down.

The reason for this, obviously, is because they do not want to see this spread yet again to yet another home, to another neighborhood. And we are here in the hills right now. These were beautiful homes. People spent their life saving to keep these homes up and now some of them have been destroyed. About 20 structures according to fire officials, we are going to get an update very shortly now. In fact, officials are talking now saying that look. This particular fire looks like it is about 80 percent contained which is good news. It was five percent at one point this morning. But it has already done a lot of damage. The burnt out car you are seeing here and the heat is incredible. You

could tell -- take a look at that. That was something that stood up on to jump in the car. It is melted and it is metal that melted. So extremely hot temperatures from these fires. And firefighters also dealing with this heat. Imagine working in this heat with full gear on. You see them there. They have been doing an incredible job to try to keep what is not yet burned safe while they are trying to tamp down some of these other areas that they just simply couldn't save because it was too hot, too fast, too fierce and it caused danger for them as well as the people who lived here.

There are about 2500 people that have been evacuated here in Goleta alone. And again, 14 fires burning all across California, even to the Oregon border - Ryan.

[19:11:00] NOBLES: Sara Sidner in Goleta, California. Sara, thank you for that report.

Just ahead, breaking news out of Haiti. American tourists trapped in a hotel in the capital after violent protests over rising fuel prices fuel over. Details in minutes.

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:15:34] NOBLES: Breaking news. Violent protests in Haiti. They have trapped about 120 Americans in a Port-au-Prince hotel. The violence erupted over rising fuel prices which the Haitian government has said they have now put on hold. Reports say at least three people have been killed since yesterday. And Americans in Haiti are being sheltered -- or I'm sorry, have been advised to shelter in place.

This video taken in the capital shows cars on fire and smoke billowing throughout the city. At least three U.S. airlines have canceled all flights into Haiti. So far there are others expected to follow. There are several reports of American missionaries stranded in Haiti right now unable to get to the airport due to the dangerous travel conditions.

Now, earlier today, I talked with an American trapped inside of the Oasis Hotel.

Stacy Librandi Bourne told me the violence escalated quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STACY LIBRANDI BOURNE, AMERICAN STAYING AT OASIS HOTEL IN HAITI: Things escalated pretty quickly, I mean. You know, and I think that it is understandable sometimes when people have a difficult time (INAUDIBLE) in a place like that. But it sounds like the government is doing everything they could to compromise to try to get things back to restore calm and we're seeing more calm right now. There is still a lot of rioting going on. But I think it is possible that right now some peace might be restored by the prime minister that he would delay things on the gas. (END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: I want to bring in CNN national security analyst, Sam Vinograd. She has unique inside into this because she consulted with the White House during the Arab Spring in getting Americans to safety.

And going back to that interview with Stacy, Sam, I was struck by the fact she -- even though, speaking very calmly talked about the fact that there was a threat that some of the protesters could actually break into this hotel that she was in and they would be in some sort of risk for being victims of violence in this case. This is still an ongoing threat for them. I mean, what can the U.S. government do to help out these Americans that are in this difficult situation?

SAMANTHA VINOGRAD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: It is an ongoing threat. But interestingly to date we have seen no indication that the threat is actually against American citizens. And that is something that the state department flagged in their last announcement. And these kind of situations there is something called a regional security officer at the embassy who is in-charge of working with the ambassador and really getting messaging out to American citizens about what they should do. So in this case, stay where you are. Don't try to go into the streets. Don't try to get to the airport. It is shut down.

And the embassy has been using social media to push out those messages. There is postings on twitter for example. So the embassy and American government right now are trying to figure out what American citizens are in the country and how to reach them while concurrently trying to define the threatened environment.

Is this threat going to continue? Are the protests going to go on for several more days? And will this threat at any juncture transition into something that is targeting Americans.

NOBLES: And let's read the statement put out by the state department.

It says quote "we are aware of the reports of a best western hotel in Port-au-Prince that was surrounded by demonstrators and vandalized. At this time, we have not received any reports of U.S. citizens injured or killed in the incident. The U.S. embassy advises U.S. citizens to take the following actions, which Sam mentioned, shelter in place, do not attempt to travel at this time, avoid protests and any large gathering of people and do not attempt to drive through road blocks."

One of the things we asked Stacy was, and Stacy was pretty honest. She said she knew that the government had warned her ahead of time. That there was leady a travel warning in place and that they wouldn't be able to guarantee their safety. But how will someone like Stacy know that the U.S. government feels that it is safe enough to leave the hotel and get out of the shelter in place situation.

VINOGRAD: Well, it does appear that right now communications are not down in Port-au-Prince in the capital so Stacy was able to call in. Extensively (ph), a lot of American citizens have access to the internet and to the state department web page and the embassy web page which is pushing out information. And other embassies from other countries are also working on this issue.

So I would imagine that the U.S. embassy is in close contact with the embassy of France for example, which has a large presence in Haiti to try to coordinate on what is going on. What the response is. And if this continues are other security assets needed to try to protect Americans and potentially to try to remove them from the capitol.

NOBLES: All right. We are going to keep a close eye on this. Things calm because the prime minister announced at least a temporary freeze on this hike in fuel prices. It is only temporary. So certainly, the opportunity that this could crop up again. So we will keep a close eye on it.

Sam, thank you.

Coming up, one side said there was progress, the other side said it could all fall apart. The new diplomatic back and forth over getting North Korea to denuclearize. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:24:49] NOBLES: Breaking news. The U.S./North Korea nuclear talks maybe hitting a snag. The north accusing the U.S. of making a quote "unilateral and gangster-like demand for total denuclearization." And yet secretary of state Mike Pompeo is sounding optimistic after two of negotiations citing progress in productive conversations.

I do want to point out that Kim Jong-un did not meet with the secretary of state even once during Mike Pompeo's four-day visit.

Let's talk this over with CNN global affairs analyst Max Boot. He is a senior fellow on the council on foreign relations.

Max, secretary of state Mike Pompeo's lack of face time with Kim Jong- un, just how significant is that?

[19:25:31] MAX BOOT, SENIOR FELLOW, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: I think that is pretty significant because on each of his two previous visits to Pyongyang secretary Pompeo did get to meet with Kim Jong-un. That was of course before the Singapore summit with President Trump when Kim Jong-un was trying to make sure the summit took place. And now that it has taken place and Kim has gotten essentially what he has wanted, which is relaxation of sanctions and legitimacy on the international stage, he is not really that interested in meeting with secretary Pompeo which suggests that the north is not really going to make the concessions that it has promised.

NOBLES: Now that seems a little bit different than the promise or the claim that President Trump made after the summit. This was a tweet on June 13th that read quote "everybody could now feel much safer than the day I took office. There is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea.

Max, the President's pronouncements now appear to be wildly off base, you know. What can secretary of state Pompeo do to turn things around. BOOT: Well, the President's pronouncements appeared to be wildly off

based the second he made them because it was clear that Kim Jong-un had not actually made any real concessions at the Singapore summit. He just delivered the same empty promises about denuclearization that they have been making for decades. I'm not really sure that there is anything at this point that secretary Pompeo can do to turn things around because it really depends on what is the intent of North Korea if they don't have any interest in denuclearizing and all the evidence suggest they don't, there is not much the U.S. could do to force them. And at this point, the U.S. really doesn't have many options anyway because the maximum pressure policy of sanctions is essentially defunct because China has already relaxed sanctions. So there is very little pressure on North Korea to make good on the promises from the Singapore declaration.

NOBLES: Is there value in continuing the conversation then? Could that make things worse if they just summarily decide that this isn't worth it any more?

BOOT: I mean, that is a interesting and complex question. I think that you could argue that there is some value in continuing the negotiations if they at least preserve a freeze on nuclear and missile testing and ramp down tensions. But I think the danger here is that the U.S. will continue to be taken to the cleaners, that Kim will have his regime strengthened without giving up nuclear weapons and the United States will be made to look like a fool.

You know, President Trump often said that people are laughing at the United States in the past which is not the case at all. But I would say right now people in fact are laughing at President Trump because he is been so easily hood-winked by this dictator in North Korea.

NOBLES: Max, you are a longtime Republican, at least you were a longtime Republican. Your op-ed in "the Washington Post" is grabbing some attention this week because you are saying that you have decided to leave the party and you want Democrats to take over.

I want to read from your op-ed. This is what you said.

Quote "I left the Republican Party, now I want Democrats to take over. Like post-war Germany and Japan, the Republican party must be destroyed before it can be rebuilt."

I mean, Max, let's get serious here. Are you OK with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi leading Congress in the liberal policies that they could potentially pursue? That sounds like a better prospect than what we have.

BOOT: Absolutely. I mean, there is not much chance that Democrats on the hill could actually pursue very liberal policies as long there is a Republican in the White House. But I think it is imperative to have the opposition party gain control of Congress because President Trump has s shown himself to be a menace to American democracy. He has mounted an assault on an unprecedent and assault on the rule of law from firing director Comey on down. He has vilified immigrants in the most egregious terms as animals and who infest and breed. He has catered to white supremacists and engaged in racist rhetoric, He has launched ruin as trade wars. He has insulted our allies. He has kowtowed the dictators and talked about North Korea. He has also kowtow the Russia.

And so, and the Republican party it has been OK with that. The Republican party have been his enablers and that is why I think it is essential, even if I disagree with Democrats on some issues, I think it is essential for Democrats to win in November to act as a check and balance on Donald Trump which the Republicans are unwilling to do.

NOBLES: How are your fellow conservative responding to the op-ed. I know that - I talked to quite a few Republicans, friends that I know, many of them not necessarily supporters of Donald Trump but did vote for him who are very happy with some of the things that he has been able to do including the fact that he is going to be able to appoint another conservative to the Supreme Court on Monday. Does any of that make you pause before making a declaration like this?

[19:30:34] BOOT: No, not in the slightest. I think it is a horrible tradeoff to say that Donald Trump will deliver the judicial branch to conservatives and therefore, conservatives should be OK with everything that he is doing in control of the executive branch as most powerful man in the world.

I argued today in an op-ed in "the Washington Post," that the damage from Donald Trump in control of the executive branch far outweighs any potential benefits from conservatives in control of the judiciary. I mean, he is really doing great damage to American standing in the world. He is doing great damage to race relations at home. You know, he tried to separate families and lock up children in cages for the misdemeanor offense of being in the U.S. illegally.

None - you know, the harm being perpetrated by Donald Trump vastly outweigh any benefits even if he appointed nine Antonin Scalia's clone to the Supreme court.

NOBLES: All right, Max Boot. You did not hold back just like you did in that op-ed and we appreciate it, sir. Thank you for being on with us today.

BOOT: Thank you.

NOBLES: A U.S. service member is dead in what appears to be an insider attack in southern Afghanistan. The victim is yet to be named by authorities. The attack took place on Saturday on an Afghan army base. Two others were injured and are in stable condition. The incident comes a year after three U.S. special forces were shot dead by one of their afghan colleagues.

And just ahead, Donald Trump's next week could be the most important of his presidency. And at the top of the list as we just talked about with Max, his Supreme Court pick. We will have details next live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [19:36:09] NOBLES: For President Trump all the world is a stage. For the next nine days, he is on the verge of a high-profile globe- trotting blitz put again squarely at the center of attention on a global stage. Trump's moment in the spotlight begins with the countdown to the unveiling of the new Supreme Court nominee. That is on Monday. Next up, Trump slated to attend the NATO summit next Tuesday. Then, the President visits the U.K. where he has a highly anticipated meeting with the Queen. And finally, the following Monday, President Trump's face-to-face meeting with the election meddler, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

I want to zero in on President Trump's agenda, his Supreme Court pick.

Let's bring in CNN political analyst and senior political correspondent for the hill, Amy Parnes and CNN Supreme Court reporter Ariane De Vogue.

Ariane, let's start with you. We are supposed to find out who is Trump's choice is on Monday unless something leaks out earlier. What are your sources telling you about the top contenders?

ARIANE DE VOUGE, CNN SUPREME COURT REPORTER: Right. Well this is the frantic last weekend. The White House council office has been working on this. They are looking for somebody younger and more conservative. Top on that list is judge Brett Kavanaugh. He is 53 years old. He is a judge here in the D.C. circuit. He has about 300 opinions on the books, many of them the ones that conservatives love. Executive power, for instance, religious liberty.

There are some concerns with him, though. He spent his life in Washington, D.C. Some people think that the President said he wanted to drain the swamp, go outside and look. And he also has an abortion opinion. He ruled -- his court ruled in favor of an undocumented teen who was pregnant and sought an abortion, he dissented but some thought he should go farther. So he is at the top.

And right behind him is Judge Ray Kethledge. He is only 51 years old. He is on the sixth circuit court of appeals and here is important because he has a big record. A lot of conservative opinions. Never won on abortion but his supporters said look. He is Gorsuch 2.0 because he has the same judicial philosophy as Neil Gorsuch and Anthony Scalia and they think that he will look at cases down the road in ways that favor them.

Another one is Thomas Hardiman. He is out of Pennsylvania. And what is interesting about him is that he was the runner-up the last time around. And President Trump really liked his life story. He was the first in his family to graduate college. He drove a cab for a while. And he has a second amendment opinion that conservatives really like.

And finally, there is Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Now, she is a Trump nominee and she is only been on the lower court for just a short time. But she has a long record as a teacher, a lot of writing at Notre Dame. She has written a lot about religion. And during her confirmation hearing, Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein kind of went after her religion. And she said something like the dogma lives loudly in you. And after that hearing a lot on the right said that Dianne Feinstein had been unfair. She was looking for a litmus test. And that really rose up Judge Barrett. And a lot of people, social conservatives hope she might vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. So those are the top contenders right now, Ryan.

NOBLES: All right. Thanks, Ariane. Let's talk to Amy about this.

Amy, I know the answer to the question. Are there any Democrats that -- are there any of the nominees that the Democrats will support because probably, we know the answer to that.

AMY PARNES, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Right.

NOBLES: We probably know in terms of majority.

PARNES: Yes.

NOBLES: But are anyone of these candidates are pliable enough for some of this red state Democrats up for re-election in Trump states in the fall.

PARNES: That is the big question. And what Democrats are trying to do right now is keep their caucus together. If they can keep themselves together like they did on tax reform, on the fight over Obamacare, they feel like they could win this fight. It is a matter of, you know, banding together.

But they have to walk a very tight rope right now. Because a lot of people are up, people like Joe Donnelly up in Indiana, Joe Manchin in West Virginia, they are facing really tough races and so it is a bit of a tricky place for them to be in right now.

[19:40:17] NOBLES: Right. And we saw Jon Tester, the President's visit to Montana putting out a full page ad talking about the bills that he supported that President Trump signed into law. And speaking of ads there is an ad blitz going on from both sides. Let's take a look at one example.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Senator Susan Collins could be the deciding vote on the Trump pick for justice. She claims to support a right for abortion and why won't she rule out voting for Trump's anti-choice picks. Call senator Collins and tell her to keep her word.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like they did before, extremist who rely on the attack of nominee. But don't you fool. President Trump's list includes the best of the best. And with your help America will get another star on the Supreme Court.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: So Ariane, we talked with Amy about the possibility of Democrats crossing over, but there is a chance that some of the Republican moderates may also oppose this nominee. Is this a sign of the division right now in Washington? DE VOGUE: Well, there is an interesting division between the

Republicans here who have been sort of jockeying behind the scenes this whole week. On one side you have social conservatives and they really care about Roe v. Wade. They care about some of the issues where justice Kennedy provided the swing vote for the liberals.

On the other hand, you do have some more traditional conservatives and they care more about issues like the administrative state for instance and separation of powers. And that is why we have seen this behind the scenes jockeying all week long of the two sides as they fight between these different candidates. So that will be something that President Trump will answer a lot of questions when he gives us the name of the nominee on Monday night.

NOBLES: And of course it seems, Amy, that the President does not forget when you cross him. He is still bringing up the fact that John McCain voted against the plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. We know senator McCain likely wont vote on this nominee because of his health situation but, I mean, can Republicans afford to lose even one vote here?

PARNES: No, they can't. And that is why there you see President Trump and the White House trying to call all of these red state Democrats and that is their plan right now. If they can get them to move over, if they can pressure them into thinking, you know, your voters are not going to like this, then they can, you know, court them over to their side.

And so both sides are kind of doing a weird dance where they are trying to, you know, attract the other side. The Democrats want to convince Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins to come over to their side. These, you know, pro-choice Republicans. So both sides are kind of, you know, crossing over and doing a little bit of courting.

NOBLES: Yes. And it will be interesting to see. The countdown is on before that pick on Monday night we'll be watching.

Ariana de Vogue, Amy Parnes, we appreciate you being with me tonight.

Coming up, the Trump administration tells a federal judge in San Diego it may need more time to reunite migrant families. This is as we see more emotional reunions between separated parents and children.

We have a CNN exclusive when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:47:43] NOBLES: Welcome back. A federal judge has given the Trump administration until the end of the day today to provide a list of all of the children under five years old who have been separated from their parents at the border. That comes ahead of a bigger deadline. Three days from now to actually reunite those children with their families.

The Trump administration now conceding it may not be able to meet the July 10th deadline for children under the age of five or even the July 26th deadline for older children in custody. And so that begs a simple question about the HHS secretary Alex Azar whose department is responsible for caring for these children. What was he thinking when he said this less than two weeks ago?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXANDER AZAR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: There is no reason why any parent would not know where their child is located. I could at the stroke of -- at key strokes, I have sat on the ORR portal with just basic key strokes within seconds could find any child in our care for any parent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: Basic key strokes, turns out that is not the case.

CNN Miguel Marquez joins us now from Texas with a story of one migrant mother desperately trying to get her son back.

And Miguel, you have an update to the story you that have been following from just tonight.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The more we learn, Ryan, the more we realize how confused this entire mess is. Yes, if they are in custody as the secretary of health and human services says, he could find the parents and he could find the kids if they are both in custody. If they have been deported, the parents and the kid are still here, if the kids have been deported, if the parents have been bonded out, which is now starting to happen for many, many individuals. We know of 16 in just this area of south Texas in the days that have gotten bond or will make bond and be out.

We have talking to this one woman, Lesbia (ph). She is 39. She is from Guatemala. She just got out about 72 hours ago. She show knows her son is in the facility in Brownsville, Texas. She came here today hoping to take him home with her. They let her see him for an hour. She came out and talk to us afterward. I tried to get a word about how her son is doing. Here is her response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE )

MARQUEZ: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

[19:50:03] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUEZ: I cannot get into a question to this woman without her - she is wrecked emotionally. Her son, she says, is wrecked emotionally. They had a very good hour chat in there. She says that they are telling her that it will take 30 days, at least 30 days to get her son back.

Essentially what the it government is saying is that even though we separated you when you cross the border, even though you came across as a family, even though we said we knew where you were, who you were and who your kids were, once you are out on this end, once you bonded out, we are going to treat your son as an unaccompanied minor, as though he came across the border himself. And now you, 39-year-old woman from Guatemala who doesn't have any documentation, you have to prove to us this is in fact your son. That is a process that takes on average about 30 days. If this is the first person who got in to see her son and it's going to take her 30 days. There's nobody that's gotten out right now that is going to see their kid before that 26th deadline much less next Tuesday. So it sounds like the administration wants to put those that are in detention now together and keep them in detention somewhere. The others, it's just going to be a crap shoot -- Ryan.

NOBLES: And Miguel, I'm sure you don't have the answer to this question. But I mean, how is it that these families that are attempting to abide by the laws as they exist but then when the laws or the status of the children that they are trying to be reunited with changes through no fault of their own, how can they possibly get into a situation where they can be reunited with their children? It seems so difficult.

MARQUEZ: It is a bureaucratic shell game. The government separated them at the beginning of the process. They never seemed to have any way to prove what parent went with what child. they put them in separate facilities all over had it country and then told us all the way along there was a process to reunite them. But now that they are out, there is no process. They are saying you have to apply just like anybody else who has an unaccompanied minor in our care. No questions ask.

Now, there's a lot of legal (INAUDIBLE) and there is a lot of politics happening behind the scenes. So that may change. Stay tuned.

NOBLES: All right. Miguel Marquez, thank you for your excellent reporting. Obviously a lot more of this story that needs to be told. Thank you, sir.

Even as health and human services officials say they may need an extension on their deadlines to reunify families, there are some heart wrenching reunions taking place.

CNN have cameras rolling as a mother and daughter found each other in Boston after some two months apart.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

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[19:59:20] NOBLES: In the state of Texas more than 40 percent of kids that go to jail will be back within 12 months. But this week's CNN hero is looking to stop that revolving door by allowing young offenders to serve meals instead of time.

Meet Chad Houser (ph).

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I remember consciously thinking that the system is rigged based on choices that were made for him, not by him. The color of his skin. The part of town that he was born into, the schools that he had access to. And I just thought it's not fair. He deserves every chance that I had. And I said if you are not willing to do something yourself, then you're being a hypocrite. So either put up or shut up. And that was it for me.

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[20:00:05] NOBLES: To learn more about this story or to nominate someone you think should be a CNN hero, log on to CNNheroes.com.