Taliban Has New Afghanistan Leader; Preisdent Obama Heads to Japan for G7 Summit
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: I'm Don Riddell with your CNN World Sports headlines. Real Madrid are hoping for an 11th European Cup title this weekend, but is Cristiano Ronaldo participation in doubt. He has been struggling with a thigh injury and on Tuesday he leans away from training for the third consecutive session, but he says he will be ready to play on Saturday. The path to another French Open title is much clearer for Serena Williams, the two women who beat her in the last two majors, Roberta Vince and Angelique Kerber have have been eliminated. As has arguably her biggest rival, Victoria Azarenko has been in god form lately, but in the couple of seasons she is never far from injury. And unfortunately for her a knee problem force her to abandon her round match against Karin Knapp. She was making a decent match of it but she was forced to throw in the towel four games into the decisive set. Barely a week seems to go by without further revelations of doping in Russian sports. Tuesday's news is the 14 of their athletes have failed retrospective tests from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, although we don't yet officially know the identity of any of them. The Russian Olympic Committee says they've been informed of the results by the IOC and the athletes competing in three different sports. The ROC is now working to provide the IOC with additional samples for the athletes in question. That is a quick look at your sports headlines. I'm Don Riddell.</s>BARNETT: Welcome back. We're learning about a major change in Taliban leadership. A spokesman says Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada is the group's new Afghan leader. He replaces Mullah Akhtar Mansour who was killed on Saturday during U.S. air strike in Pakistan.</s>CHURCH: In Afghanistan, 10 people were killed during a suicide attack in Khabul. The interior ministry says the bombing targeted a vehicle carrying court employees of a neighboring province. So far, no one is claiming responsibility for that attack which happened just a short time ago. Two offensives are under way against ISIS strongholds. An alliance of Kurdish and Arab forces is moving to retake the militants de factor capital in Raqqah, Syria.</s>BARNETT: An activist group said a clash took place on the northern outskirts of the city on Tuesday, the U.S.-led coalition is providing assistance and advice in those battles.</s>CHURCH: The second offense is in Fallujah where the Iraqi military is fighting to reclaim the Sunni dominated city from ISIS. Fallujah was the first Iraqi city ISIS captured in January 2014.</s>BARNETT: The U.N. is pleading for safe passage for the thousands of Iraqis trapped there.</s>LISE GRANDE, U.N. DEPUTY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR IRAQ: Our best estimate is that there could be as many as 50,000 people who are still trapped inside the city. Our understanding is that the conditions are very dramatic. We have reports from people who are on the ground from key informants who were saying that hundreds of people in the last three gates have been trying to get out of the city. They've been trying to flee along the corridors that are being established by the Iraqi security forces. We're terribly worried about what's happening to them. We're worried that they are at risk from artillery, from airstrikes and from crossfire.</s>CHURCH: And we do want to get to that aspect of the story. But first, more details on both offensives. Ben Wedeman joins us now. Ben what information do you have on the progress being made in both Raqqah or in Fallujah to seize back these cities from</s>ISIS. BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, to start with Raqqah, which of course is the de facto capital of the ISIS. That is not a battle on the offensive to retake Raqqah. It's really just to take some of the countryside to the north of the city; it's being led by the so-called Syrian democratic forces which are really dominated by the Syrian Kurdish YPG, or the people's protection units. They have been armed, supported, in some cases, trained by the United States. And includes an Arab component. And we understand from the activist group in Raqqah, a group called Raqqah is being slaughtered silently, that there have been intense clashes to the north of the city as well as coalition airstrikes. But they're also saying, this group Raqqah is being slaughtered silently, that because this is a Kurdish dominated force, and of course Raqqah is a predominantly Sunni-Arab city. That many of the residents are in a sense caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. They don't particularly like ISIS. But they're very worried about the repercussions of a Kurdish-led offensive in an area that's predominantly Arab-Sunni. And therefore, many of the residents of Raqqah, despite their problems, their qualms, and their objections to many aspects of ISIS' rule are in fact more worried about a Kurdish offensive, and therefore ISIS in the sense may benefit from their support in this case. Rosemary?</s>CHURCH: Yes, and Ben, I want to go back to the big concern of the thousands of civilians who were caught up, not able to get out of Fallujah because ISIS won't let them leave. What are you hearing about the situation confronting those people trying to escape.</s>WELCOME: Well, as we heard from the United Nations, the situation is dire. They've...</s>BARNETT: Welcome back to those of you watching here in the States and those of you tuned in around the globe. This is CNN Newsroom. I'm Errol Barnett.</s>CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. It is time to check the headlines for you this hour. Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico have broken up a violent crowd outside a Donald Trump rally. Officers used pepper spray after protesters set several small fires and threw rocks and bottles. At least one person was arrested and several officers were injured.</s>BARNETT: There is a new leader for the Afghan Taliban, Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada will take over the group following the death of Mullah Mansour, that's according to a spokesman. Mansour was killed on Saturday by a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan.</s>CHURCH: The Eurozone has reached what it caused a breakthrough deal to offer debt relief to Greece. Nineteen European finance ministers agreed to give Athens $10.3 billion in new funds starting with a $7 billion imbursement -- disbursement I should say, in June. The International Monetary Fund will help fund the bailout.</s>BARNETT: All right, we mentioned this at the top of the hour, democrat Bernie Sanders is refusing to step aside in the race for the White House despite his big deficit in delegates. The Vermont Senator has said the party's upcoming convention could get messy. He said that doesn't mean violent. He just expects some vigorous debate on the issues.</s>CHURCH: But frontrunner Hillary Clinton has already shifted her focus to the general election and Donald Trump.</s>CLINTON: We may have talked in the past about how we have a bully pulpit in the White House. But that doesn't mean we want a bully in the White House.</s>SANDERS: We defeat him by, in some cases, double digits.</s>BARNETT: Joining me now from Los Angeles is Seema Mehta. She is a political writer for the L.A. Times. Seema, thanks so much for joining us today. Secretary Clinton is refusing to comment on Donald Trump's tabloid accusations. She has called him a bully while speaking there to a crowd there in L.A. just hours ago. And previously, she said Donald Trump was a loose cannon. What is the campaign strategy against him as far as you see it, because to me it seems as if it still in flux for her?</s>SEEMA MEHTA, L.A. TIMES POLITICAL WRITER: I think they're still trying to figure it out, because she is, you know, sort of still at the very end of this competitive democratic primary. And she's sort of pivoting to the general election. Today, we saw Secretary Clinton go after Donald Trump about some comments he made in the mid-2000, about the housing crisis basically that if the housing crisis -- if the housing market went south he could make a lot of money on that. And she used that to sort of paint him today as this heartless guy who is not looking for what is best for the country, but instead looking what is best for his pocketbook. And I think we're going to see more of that.</s>BARNETT: And the unique position she's in is that she is fighting on two fronts. Bernie Sanders...</s>MEHTA: Right.</s>BARNETT: ... is continuing to push for another debate.</s>MEHTA: Right.</s>BARNETT: He is making the case that he is stronger in the polls against Donald Trump than Clinton is. And he already won the right to appoint what, five of the 15 member democratic panel that will create the party platform at the convention. Do Clinton supporters the democrats think this is really helpful to him as he says it is?</s>MEHTA: I'm sure many of her supporters would like to see him go away, but he has shown no signs of going away. But what's really interesting is if you look at his messaging in the last couple of days he is not going after her as hard as he used to even a week ago. In the past when he would bring up issues such as the Iraq war campaign finance, fracking, areas where they have, you know, have notable disagreements, he would use this as an opportunity to say here's what I believe. Secretary Clinton believes something else. But now he is sort of glosses over that. He is still making sort of the case that, you know, in certain polls that he fares better against Donald Trump than Hillary Clinton does. But he is notably sort of taking his step back in terms of how he's approaching her.</s>BARNETT: And if you look at democratic enthusiasm in the State of California registration is up what, 43.7 percent of overall voters compared to 27.5 percent of overall voters. That's according to the L.A. Times and it's what, up 218 percent when compared to 2012? So, is the Bernie camp accurate in saying that this debate has actually enthused the overall base?</s>MEHTA: It certainly -- I mean, it certainly has, you know, you go to his rallies you see thousands of people every day going to his rallies. people who are saying that they've never been involved in the political process before. But the numbers are little bit confusing, because, a, in 2012, there is not a competitive race from the democratic side because President Obama is running for reelection. So, democrats were not as enthusiasts about turning out them. Plus, we don't know what's motivating the people who are registering. Whether it's enthusiasm for Bernie Sanders. You also have other groups, like Latino groups who are really active in registering voters in opposition to Donald Trump. So for many voters the question is, is it enthusiasm for Bernie Sanders, is it wanting to get out there and voting against Donald Trump. In terms of women, you know, the Hillary Clinton campaign has certainly been targeting the, you know, women voters of, you know, of saying that this is a historic moment for you to vote for a woman for president. You know, are they registering for that? And that's something we wouldn't know until Election Day. But one bad sign for Bernie Sanders is that, California has an open primary. Sanders has tend to do well in open primaries. But in California, if you're declined state voter or no political preference voter and you're a male voter you need to request a democratic ballot. And very few numbers of them have. And if that doesn't change that's a real problem for him.</s>BARNETT: Fascinating. Still fascinating to watch all of this unfold. Seema Mehta with the L.A. Times political writer. Thanks for your time today.</s>MEHTA: Thank you.</s>CHURCH: U.S. President Barack Obama is now on his way to Japan where he will attend the G7 summit.</s>BARNETT: He left Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam early after a town hall meeting with the young leaders. When asked how Vietnam can be preserve Mr. Obama urged the crowd to fight climate change.</s>BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRESIDENT: We have to think about beautiful areas that need to be preserved. But we also have to recognize that no matter how well we preserve one or two areas in each country, if the overall climate patterns change radically then we're all going to be in a really difficult situation.</s>CHURCH: And CNN's Alexandria Field joins us now live from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Alexandra, we mentioned there and we heard there from the president he held that town hall meeting earlier with young members. What were some of the other headlines that came out of that meeting?</s>ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Rosemary, this trip has had so many headlines from the decision to drop the ban on arm sales, to Vietnam, to the president coming here to promote human rights. To him talking a lot about the evolution of the relationship between the U.S. and Vietnam. But this morning he actually sort change the departure from that moment, there was a little bit more lighthearted where he really did entertained a lot of questions from the young people in Vietnam. And he actually got a lot of laughs, he's being quite funny with the crowd. There was one moment I think stick out for a lot of people when a young rapper got up and asked the president a question, in response he asked her to question which was to rap for him. So, listen to what happened next.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been a crazy day. My name is sue boy, by the way.</s>OBAMA: Well, that was great.</s>FIELD: All right. She stole part of the show, but actually even before she started rapping the president offered to beat box for her and he gave her some of that. So that was certainly a crowd pleaser. And then he did pivoted at another point when a young person asked him a little bit about his future and the future in the U.S., the president took a couple of minutes to reflect on the race for president going on back to the United States, and here is what he said about that.</s>OBAMA: In terms of American politics, I tend to be positive and optimistic about American politics. I think sometimes other countries look at our election system and we think and people think wow, what a mess. But, usually we end up doing OK because the American people are good people.</s>FIELD: All right, and he ended it on an optimistic note there. Certainly the U.S. presidential candidates have not been far from mind over the course of this trip, because as we know that President Obama has been out here to promote what he hopes the signature trade deal, the transpacific trade deal, the TPP. That is something that has stalled in D.C. But Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump has said that they oppose it. So, the future of that uncertain. So, certainly people have been wondering about it as the president continues his move out here, Rosemary.</s>CHURCH: Yes, indeed. Alexandria Field joining us, it is about 2.39 in the afternoon there in Ho Chi Minh City. And now of course, the U.S. president heading to Japan. And we'll see what happens on that leg of the trip. Many thanks.</s>BARNETT: Major developments in the sex assault case against comedian Bill Cosby. He is now facing a trial. Details coming up.