own ideals. i'm fareed zakaria, thank you for watching. hole aello and welcome to o viewers in the united states and around the world. this is "newsroom l.a." we'll start with the new polls that show the that that u.s. presidential race is tightening between donald trump and hillary clinton. a survey, clinton, 46%, trump, 43%. well-won the margin of error. >> and the polls also show more than half of u.s. voters have an unfavorable view of both candidates. >> adding to secretary clinton's

problems is her rival, bernie sanders. ahead of the state 's primary on june 7th. >> and sanders says he'll keep fighting despite lagging far behind clinton in pledged delegates. live in santa monica. >> reporter: as hillary clintoned a -- ads a sense of urgen urgency, in an interview with the associated press, bernie sanders was asked about the potential for the philadelphia convention to get messy and he replied, so what, democracy is messy and then added that he will condemn any and all violence. and bernie sanders seems to be taunting hillary clinton a bit, saying he thinks she's getting very nervous at his chances

going forward. and clinton campaign will not take part in a debate and this is something he brought up at his rally in santa monica on sunday night. >> i was disturbed but not surprised to hear a few hours ago that secretary clinton has backed out of the debate. [ crowd boos] a number of months ago, our campaign and her campaign had reached an agreement on a number of debates, including one here in california in may. but i think -- i got to tell you this. i think it's a little bit insulting to the people of california, our largest state. [ applause ] that she is not prepared to have a discussion with me about how

she will help the californians address the major crisis that we face. >> and the clinton campaign clearly turning their attention almost fully towards the general election say that they believe their time is better spent campaigning, talking to voters and preparing for the general election. >> john and isha. >> polls more than six months out from an election are usually of questionable value. but these latest numbers seem to show a problem for democrats. here with us from the l.a. newsroom. it's a trend line which a lot of people are looking at. it shows trump doing better, clinton worse. is this because he's hit a high point after the nomination and hillary clinton's really still struggling. >> that's a big part of it, but the bigger thing is the independent voters. those who don't necessarily align themselves with either

side are going to donald trump, at least in the short term. that's one of the advantages he has of wrapping up his contest early. that's the difference in these polls over a month or so ago. he is consolidating the support for voters right down the middle who weren't sure about him before and it is one of the worries the clinton campaign has that they are losing time here. they're still focusing on bernie sanders, of course and donald trump has unified them. but the independent voters in the middle that can swing all around, that is what speaks to why donald trump has closed this gap here in the last month or so, john. >> as you say, bernie sanders, he's still out there campaigning. he was holding a series of rallies in los angeles. clearly encouraged by a surge of new voters. listen to this. >> it has been an incredible, as

i understand it, an unpres dentsed surge in voter registration in california. i think today was the last day people can register. but we think there may be as many as a million 1/2 new folks registering as democrats or nonaffiliated who can can vote in the democratic primary. okay. so, sanders obviously a lot of inthuz as im. he's pushing on. so, at this point is the anything the clinton campaign can offer bernie sanders to convince him the to get out of the race? >> the short answer is no. but there is something that democratic national committee is offering bernie sanders and that hand earlier today. they gave him a third of all the seats on the party's platform

committee. the behind the scenes meetings, they'll be having in the coach. very important here, at least in terms of pushing hissishis forward. it is one of those many olive branchs that we're going to see coming his way in the next few weeks or so. he's focusing a lot of his anger at the democratic party leadership. the chairman of the party and not at pill hillary clinton herself. he's ratcheted back some of his rhetoric. there's nothing the cliptclipten campaign can offer him but they're beginning to open in the stores but those are only going to grow should he win the california primary. >> 437 delegates at stake. democrat split them proportionally. but should he win california, that's going to give him more demands at this party's

nominating convention this summer in dill deflia. >> they exual levage and hillary clinton continues to fight this war on two frungt. the trump can pain focusing again on past allegations of sexual miss conduct. listen to this. >> i was very nervous. >> no one should be subjected to it. >> it was an assault. >> he starts to -- and i try to pull away from him. >> and keep in mind, this is only may. this will not be the shining light on the hill campaign. hillary clinton today also going after donald trump about his past bankruptcies. >> he could bankrupt america, like he's bankrupted his companies. [ applause ]

i mean, ask yourself, how can anybody lose money running a casino? really. >> jeff, are these negative ads and attacks, is this a sign from both that they know they can't win, so they're going to make the other one lose? >> i think that's exactly right. this is a race to the bottom, if you will. this is an election that some voters will be deciding and figuring out to hold this. the candidates are going to be going after themselves, eachither no doubt. you saw the intugram video, you wonder why donald trump is doing that. it's the independent voters, the moderate voters whoo don't want to relitigate all these trials and trib yalgzs from a quarter century ago. they're looking for 124i7k new. as much as we hate his

negativism, it actually works. so, this will be -- not exactly an optimistic election. this will be the scorched earth question. we always knew this was going to be tight until the end. but you're right, it is only may. who knows what's going to come down the pike here. but certain lae not a sun slain and loiv light election. >> jeff,ing great to speak with you. thanks so much. >> john, thank you. and donald trump isn't just closing in on hillary clinton in the polls. he's also clarifying his stance on guns in classrooms, as he tries to rally his supporters. >> here with the details. >> reporter: skeptics predicted a donald trump ticket would mean a blowout victory for hillary clinton. >> now i'm going to start focusing on hillary clinton. >> reporter: but new polls reveal a race that's rapidly

tightening. as speculation whirls, the billionaire business man met privately with bob cork r who brushed aside concerns about joining the ticket. >> i have have no reason whatsoever to believe i'm bee being considered. and this was a meet between two people. >> allies say the foreign policy experience could be an asset, even if he doesn't make the vp short list. >> we talked bigger picture, relative to faufr foreign policy. tle it. >> reporter: meanwhile, trump is still aiming to consoldate his base and he's turning to the second amendment to rally -- >> u.s. president barack obama is in hanoi addressing the

people of vietnam. >> thank all of you for being here today. vietnamese from across this great country, including so many young people who represent the dine amism and the talent and the hope of vietnam. on this visit, my heart has been touched by the kindness for which the vietnamese people are gone kbonown and the many peopl smiling and waving, i feel the friendship between our peoples. i visited hanoi and tried some outstanding vietnamese food. drank some hanoi. but i have to say the busy

streets of the city, i've never seen so many motor bikes in my life. so, i haven't had to try to cross the street so far. but maybe when i come back and visit, you can tell me how. i am not the first american president to come to vietnam in recent times. but i am the first, like so many of you, who came of age after the war between our countries. when the last u.s. forces left vietnam, i was just 13 years old. so, my first expoesher sure cam i was growing up in hawaii with its proud vietnamese american community there. at the same time, many people in this country are much younger than me. like my two daughters, many of

you have lived your whole lives knowing only one thing and that is peace and normalized relations between vietnam and the united states. so, i come here, mindful of the past, mindful of our difficult history but focussed on the future. the prosperity, security, and human dignity that we can advance together. i also come here with a deep respect for vietnam 's ancient heritage. for a millennia, farmers have tended these lands. history revealed in the drums. at this bend in the river, hanoi has endured for more than 1,000 years. the world came to treasure vietnamese silks and paintings and a great temple of literature stands as a testament to your knowledge and yet your fate was

too often dictated by others. your beloved land was not often your own. but like bamboo, the unbroken spirit was captured. the southern emperor rules the southern land. our history is writ. and we remember the longer history between vietnamese and americans that is too often over looked. more than 200 years ago, when thomas jefferson sought rice for his farm, he sought rice from vietnam which he said had the reputation of being whitest to the eye and best to the eye. during the second world war, americans came here to support your struggle against occupation. when american pilots were shot down, the vietnamese people

helped rescue them and on the day that vietnam declared its independence, crowds took the streets of this city and hochiman says all people are created equal. among these rights are the right to life, liberty and the right to pursuit of happiness. and another time the profession of these shared ideals and our common story of throwing off colonialism might have brought us closer together sooner. but instead cold war rivalries and fears of communism pulled us into conflict. like other conflicts throughout human history, we learned once more a bitter truth. that war, no matter what our intentions may be, brings

suffering and tragedy. at your war memorial, not far from here, you remember some 3 million vietnamese soldiers and civilians on both sides that lost their lives. at our memorial wall in washington, we can touch the names of 58,315 americans who gave their lives in the conflict. in both our countries, our veterans and families of the fallen still ache for the friends and loved ones that they lost. just as we learned in america that even if we disagree about a war, we must always honor those who serve and welcome them home with the respect they deserve. we can join together today, vietnamese and americans and acknowledge the pain and sacrifices on both sides.

more recently, over the past two decades, vietnam has achieved enormous progress and today the world can see the strides tat you have made. with economic reforms and trade agreements, including with the yun united states, you have entered the global economy, selling your goods around the world. more foreign investment is coming in. and with one of the fastest growing economies in asia, vietnam has moved up to become a middle income nation. we see vietnam's progress in the sky scrapers in hanoi. new shopping centers and urban centers. we see it in the satellites vietnam puts in space and the new generation online launching start ups and new ventures. we see it in the 10s of millions vietnamese connected on facebook and instagram.

and you're not just posting selfies, although i hear you do that a lot. and there have been a number of people who have asked me for selfies. and you're raising your voices for causes you care about, like saving the old trees of hanoi. so, all of this has delivered real progress in people's lives. you've boostd fed family income and lifted millions into a middle clas. hinger, disease, child mortality, are all down. the number of people with clean drinking water and electricity, the number of boys and girls in school. and your literacy rate. these are all up. so, this is extraordinary progress. this is what you have been able to achieve in a very short time.

and as vietnam has transformed, so has the relationship between our two nations. we learned a lesson taught by the venerable who said in true dialogue, both sides are willing to change. in this way, the very war that divided us, became a source for healing. it allowed us to account for the missing and finally bring them home. it allowed us to help remove land mines and unexploded bombs, because no child should ever lose a leg just playing outside. even as we continue to assist vietnamese with disabilities, including children, we are continuing to help remove agent orange, dioxins so vietnam can reclaim more of your land. we're proud of our work together and we look forward to supporting your efforts. let's also not forget that the

reconciliation was led by our veterans who once faced each other in battle. think of senator john mccain who was held for years here as a prisoner of war, meeting general zad who said our countries should not be enemies but friends. think of all the veterans, vietnamese and american, who have helped us heal and build ties. more have done than a former navy lieutenant and now john kerry, and on behalf of all of us, john, we thank you for your extraordinary efforts. [ applause ] because our veterans showed us the way, because warriors had the courage to pursue peace, our peoples are now closer than ever

before. our trade has surged, our students and scholars learn together. we welcome more vietnamese students to america than any other country in southeast asia and every year you welcome more and more american tourists, including young americans with their backpacks to hanoi's 36 streets and the imperial city of hoy. as vietnamese and americans, we can all relate to those words written by van comp. for now, we know each other's homeland. from now, we learn to feel for each other. as president, i've built on this progress. with our new comprehensive partnership, our governments are working more closely together than ever before and with this visit we've put our relationship on a firmer footing for decades

to come. in a sense, the long story between our two nations that began with thomas jefferson more than two centuries ago has now come full circle. it's taken many years and required great effort but now we can say something that was once unimaginable. today the united states and vietnam are now partners. and i believe our experience holds lessons for the world. at a time when many conflicts seem intractable, as if they will never end, we have shown that hearts can change. and that a different future is possible when we refuse to be prisoners of the past. we've shown how peace can be better than war. we've shown the progress in human dignity is best advanced

by dig gnnity and conflict. that's what vietnam and america can show the world. america's new partnership is rooted in basic truths. vietnam is an independent sovereign nation and no other nation can impose its will on you or decide your destiny. [ applause ] now, the united states has an interest here. we have an interest in vietnam's success. but our comprehensive partnership is still in its early stages and with the time i have left i want to share with you the vision i believe can guide us in the decades to come. first, let's work together to create real opportunity and prosperity for all of our people. we know the ingredients for economic success in the 21st century. in our global economy, investment and trade flows to wherever there's rule of law,

because no one wants to pay a bribe to start a business, nobody wants to sell their goods or go to school if they don't know how they're going to be treat treated. in knowledge-based economies, jobs go where people have the freedom to think for themselves, exchange ideas and innovatinnov. it's not just about one country extracting resources from another, they're about investing in our greatest resources, which is our people and their skills and talents whether you live in a big city or rural village and that's the kind of partnership that america offers. as i announced yesterday, the peace corp will come for the first time with an emphasis on english. a new generation of americans are going to come here to teach, and build and deepen the friendships between us. [ applause ]

some of america's leading technology companies and academic institutions are joining vietnamese universities to strengthsen mathematics, engineering and medicine. we also believe young people deserve a world class education right here in vietnam. it's one of the reasons why we're very excited that this fall the new full bright university vietnam will open in hochiman city, the first nonprofit university. there will be full academic freedom and scholarship for those in need. [ applause ] students, scholars, researchers will focus on public policy and management and business, on engineering and computer science

and liberal arts. everything from the poetry of zu. to the mathematics of cho. and we're going to keep partnering with young people and entrepreneurs. because we believe that if you can just access the skills and capital and technology you need, then nothing can stand in your way and that includes, by the way, the talented women in vietnam. we think gender equality is an important principal. from chung's sisters to today, strong confident women have always ehelped move vietnam forward. families are more prosperous whether women have an equal opportunity to succeed in work, government. that's true every and it's true here in vietnam. [ applause ]

we'll keep working to unleash the full potential of your ec e economy with the transpacific partnership. here, tpp will let you sell more of your products to the world and attract new investment. it will require reforms to protect workers and rule of law and intellectual property and the united states is ready to assist vietnam as it works to fully implement its commitments. i want you to know that as president of the united states, i strongly support tpp because you'll also be able to buy more of our goods, made in america. i support tpp because of its important strategic benefits. vietnam will be less dependent on any one trading partner and enjoy broader ties with more partners, including the united states. [ applause ] and tpp will reinforce regional

cooperation and help address economic inequality and will advance human rights with higher wages and safer working conditions. for the first time in vietnam, the right to form independent labor unions and prohibition against forced labor and child labor and it has the strongest environmental protections and the strongest anti-corruption standards of any trade agreement in history. that's the future tpp offers for all of us because all of us, the united states, vietnam and the other siginatories will have to abide by these rules we have shaped together. that's the future that is available to all of us. so, we now have to get it done for the sake of our economic prosperity and our national security. this brings me to second area in which we can work together and that is insuring our mutual

security. with this visit, we've agreed to elevate our security cooperation and build more trust between our men and women in uniform. we'll continue to offer training and equipment to your coast guard to enhance vietnam's ma maritime capabilitiecapabilitie. with the announcement i made yesterday to fully lift the ban on defense sales, vietnam will have greater access to the military equipment you need to insure your security. and looking to fully normalize our relationship with vietnam. [ applause ] more broadly, the 20th century has taught all of us that the international order is rooted in certain rules and norms.

nations are sovereign and no matter how large or small a nation may be, its sovereignty should be respected and its territory should not be violated. big nations should not bully smaller ones. disputes should be resolved peacefully. [ applause ] in regional institution like the east asia summit should continue to be strengthened. that's what i believe, that's what a what the united states believes and that's the kind of partnership. later this year when i become the first u.s. president to visit laos. in the south china sea, the united states is not a claimant in current disputes but we will stand with partners in upholding core principals. unlawful commerce and peaceful

resolution in accordance wi ana international law. and we will support the right of all countries to do the same. [ applause ] even as we cooperate more closely in the areas i've described, our partnership includes a third element. addressing areas where our governments disagree. including on human rights. i say this not to single out vietnam, no nation is perfect. two centuries on, the united states is still striving to live up to our founding ideas. we still deal with our shortcomings. too much money in politics and rising economic inequality. racial bias in our criminal

justice system, women still not being paid as much as men doing the same job. we still have problems and we're not immune from criticism. i promise you. i hear it every day. but that's scrutiny. that open debate. confronting our imperfections and allowing everybody to have their say has helped us grow stronger and more prosperous and more just. i've said this before, the united states does not seek to impose our form of government on vietnam. the rights i speak of, i believe are not american values, i think they're universal values, written into the universal declaration of human rights. they're written into the vietnamese constitution which says they have the right to freedom of the press, access to information, the right to

assembly and the right to demonstrate. that's in the vietnamese constitution. [ applause ] so, really, this is an issue about all of us, each country trying to consistently apply these principals. making sure that we -- those of us in government are being true to these ideals. in recent years, vietnam has made progress. they're committed to bringing their laws in line with international norms and their constitution. and recently passed laws, the government will disclose more of its budget and the people will have right to access more information. . these are all positives steps.

and ultimately, the future of vietnam will be decided by the people of vietnam. every country will chart its own path and we have different political systems and different cultures. but as a friend of vietnam, allow me to share my view, why i believe nations are more successful when universal rights are upheld. when there's freedom of expression and speech and when people can share ideas without restriction, that fuels the innovation economies need. that's where new ideas happen. that's how a facebook starts. that's how some of our greatest companies began. because somebody had a new idea that was different and they were able to share it.

when there's freedom of the press, when journalists are able to shine a light on injustice or abuse, that system works. when candidates can run for office and campaign freely and voters can choose their own leaders in free and fair elections, it makes the countries more stable because they know their voice counts and peaceful change is possible and it brings new people into the system. when there's freedom of religion, it allows people to fully express the love and compassion at the heart of all great religions and allows faith groups to serve their own communities and serve the poor and vulnerable. and when there's freedom of assembly, then countries can better address challenges that governments sometimes cannot

solve by themselves. it's nimy view that it's not a threat to stability, but reinforces stability and is the foundation to progress. afterall, it was a europeaniyea these very rights that brought people to throw off colonialism. and this is what so many cherish, including here, in a nation that claims to be for the people, by the people. vietnam will do it differently than the united states does and many of us will do it differently from other countries around the world. but there are these basic principals that i think we all have to try to work on and improve. and i say this as somebody who's about to leave office. so, i have the benefit of almost

eight years now of reflecting on how our system has worked and interacting with countries around the world who are constantly trying to improve their systems as well. now, finally our partnership, i think, can meet global challenges that no nation can solve by itself. if we're going to insure the health of our people and beauty of our planet, then it has to be sustainable. natural wonders, sin don cave have to be preserved for our children and grandchildren. rising seas threaten the coasts and waterways on which so many vietnamese depend. and so, as partners in the fight against climate change, we need to fulfill the commitments we made in paris and help farmers and villagers and people who depend on fishing to adapt and

bring more clean energy to places like the maken delta. it's the rice bowl of the world we need to feed future generations. and we can save lives beyond our borders by helping other countries strengthen, for example, their health systems, we can prevent outbreaks for disease from becoming epidemics that threaten all of us. and the united states is proud to help train your peace keepers and what a truly remarkable thing that is. our two nations that once fought each other, now standing together and helping others achieve peace as well. so, in addition to our bilateral relationship, our partnership allows us to shape the international environment in ways that are positive. now, fully realizing the vision that i've described today is not

going to happen overnight and it is not inevitable. there may be stumbles and set backs along the way, there are going to be times when there are misunderstandings. it will take sustained effort and true dialogue where both sides continue to change. but considering all the history and hurtles we've already overcome, i stand before you today very optimistic about our future together. [ applause ] and my confidence is rooted, as always in the friendships and shared assprations of our peoples. i think of all the americans and vietnamese who have crossed oceans, some reuniting with families for the first time in decades and who sun said in his song "have joined hands and opening their hearts and seen

our common humanity in each other." [ applause ] i think of all the vietnamese americans who've succeeded in every walks of life, judges public servants, doctors. one of them who was born here wrote me a letter and said "by god's grace i've been able to live the american dream. i'm very proud to be an american and very proud to be a vietnamese." [ applause ] today he's here back in the country of his birth because he said his personal passion is improving the life of every vietnamese person. i think of a new generation of vietnamese, so many of the young people here that are ready to make your mark on the world and i want to say to all the young people listening, your talent, your drive, your dreams in those things vietnam has everything it

needs to thrive. and your destiny is in your hands. this is your moment and as you pursue the future that you want, i want you to know that the united states of america will be right there with you as your partner and your friend. [ applause ] and many years from now, when even more vietnamese and americans are studying together, doing business together, standing up for our security and pro10tecting our planet with ea other, i hope you look back on this moment and draw hope from the vision i've shown today. and the tail of kuo. please take from me this token of trust so we can embark on our 100-year journey together.

[ speaking in foreign language] thank you, vietnam. thank you. >> a standing ovation for the u.s. president, barack obama as he addresses a group of entrepreneurs in hanoi. he focussed especially on his signature tpp, the transpacific partnership, which would see the removal of tariffs. pretty much every country in asia except for china is included in that tpp agreement. it's often called the anti-china trade. one question about that speech delivered by the president, he talked a lot about the transpacific partnership and all the benefits. how can he deliver a speech like that when the three major candidates in the election have said it's a bad idea and they

don't support it? >> it's likely a question he's been asked in the meetings he's been having today and yesterday but the president has said over and over that he remains confident that this deal can get done. he hasn't explained why he remains confident but there is some support in congress. the question is can this get done before his term is up? and what happens if, as you mention, the candidates running to replace him don't support it? it's a big question facing him in meetings here and in japan, another important member of that partnership. and there's been a lot of talk about human rights and the president did spend time talking before this audience. it was government leaders, diplomats, stud nlents and memb of the community. he says the u.s. is not going to

try to impose its values on a sovereign country and went on to say that the free exchange of ideas full innovation, companies like facebook because they fuel ideas and he said freedom of political affiliation fuels security. and jobs go to places where people are free to think for themselves. we did hear the president touch on the human rights issues. that lifting of that ban on lethal arms sales that was announced yesterday. as you said, touching on trade, touching on human rights, climate change and also touching on the developing relationship between the u.s. and vietnam. he said reconciliation was in many ways led by veterans of the vietnam war on both sides. he sited senator john mccain and of course, secretary of state

john kerry. so, he covered a lot in this speech. >> he did indeed and it was interesting the fact that he eluded to china on a number oficatiof occasions when he talked about china. once again, china looming large over everything in asia. thank you. next on "newsroom l.a." the search for clues in the egyptair. crucial pieces of evidence still missing. what's it like to be in good hands? like finding new ways to be taken care of. home, car, life insurance obviously, ohhh... but with added touches you can't get everywhere else, like claim free rewards... or safe driving bonus checks. even a claim satisfaction guaranteeeeeeeeeee! in means protection plus unique extras only from

an expert allstate agent. it's good to be in, good hands.

...one of many pieces in my i havlife.hma... so when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my long-term control medicine. i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment with breo. once-daily breo prevents asthma symptoms. breo is for adults with asthma not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. breo won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. breo opens up airways to help improve breathing for a full 24 hours. breo contains a type of medicine that increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk of hospitalization in children and adolescents. breo is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid.

once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop breo and prescribe a different asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. do not take breo more than prescribed. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. ask your doctor if 24-hour breo could be a missing piece for you. see if you're eligible for 12 months free at mybreo.com. [ woman ] thanks. the dealership reviews on cars.com made it easy, but... [ man ] we thought it might be a little more tense. you miss the drama? yeah. [ technician ] ask him whatever you want. okay. ♪ do you think my sister's prettier than me? ♪ [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] research, price, find. only cars.com helps you get the right car without all the drama.

hello everyone. days after egyptair flight 804 went down, there are still no answers. >> reporter: as the search for egyptair flight 804 heads into its fifth day, crews are pulling more debris from the mediterranean sea, hincluding life vests, and still missing is the fusal lodge and its critical

black boxes located in the tail. >> they're up against the clock. if they don't find the black boxes within the next 30 days, the job isoing to be much harder because they may no longer be sending out a sonar ping which will help them identify it. >> a submarine is hoping to find the plane's recorders in waters nearly 10,000 feet deep. a french submarine is also listening for signals from the recorders. for the first time we're hearing from the pilot speaking with air traffic controllers about two a 1/2 hours before all contact was lost. the recording suggests a normal start to the flight. egyptian authorities say terrorism is the most likely cause but no terror group has claimed responsibility. it was about three years before osama bin laden officially

claimed respontaneosibility for attacks on september 11th. vandals scribbled the word "we will bring this plane down" about two years ago. >> it was secured per procedure of airports. whether anyone would write anything -- and yi'm not aware f that, by the way. >> reporter: and smoke in front of the plane just minutes before the crash. experts say it could mean a fire or it could mean the plane's symptoms were failing. but these still do not explain what caused the deadly crash. the cockpit voice and data recorders may contain information and audio that could. cnn, washington. well, here from cairo with the latest. ian, greek and egyptian

officials providing different accounts before it disappeared from radar. what's the latest now? >> reporter: there is this contradiction between the greek officials and the egyptians. the greeks were saying in the final minutes of this flight that the plane swerved 90 degrees, 360 degrees and they could track it as it descended thousands of feet. but egyptian officials are saying that was not the case, that this plane was cruising at 37,000 feet and once it was an egyptian control in their airspace for about a minute, then it disappeared. so, we'll have to see what comes of that. but we're also following the search in the mediterranean right now. we do have those two submarines. the egyptian one with multiple cameras and remote arms able to

manipulate things on the sea floor. and that french one is also crucial because it will pick up, as we heard, that sonar ping from the black box and that is crucial because as of now, there are a lot of theories. but when they get the black boxes, they'll have a better idea of what exactly happened. >> all right. ian joining us with the very latest from cairo. appreciate it very much. ♪ well, some people are calling this year's u.s. presidential election, a circus. >> some are. >> some are. >> unintentionally comical with characters straight out of a tv show. >> and they'll be woit "saturday night live." >> reporter: better savor it. because you're going to have to

endure most of the rest of the election season without your snl fix. >> i don't really like people. i only talk to them because i want to be the president so bad. >> reporter: just when kate mckinnen has nailed her hillary and 60-year-old daryl hammon has made a comeback as the donald. >> everybody loves me. i even have this fat piece of crap behind me now. >> reporter: and larry david manages to be himself and bernie at the same time. >> oh, hillary, i'll miss that lack of charm. >> reporter: what will be lacking is snl. no larry, no kate, no daryl. the three stooges gone. gone until the new season starts. a mere month or so. no more dancing candidates, no more reenactments of hillary's

metro card fail. and no more candidate said themselves trying to be funny. or pretending to be president. >> the president of mexico is here to see you. >> oh, donald. >> enrique. >> i brought you the check for the wall. >> reporter: who could forget val. >> hey, bar tender, keep them coming. all anyone wants to talk about is donald trump. >> donald trump. isn't he the one that's like you're all losers? >> mckinnen told times it was the greatest day of my life while hillary tweeted "a vote for hillary is a vote for four more years of kate mckinnen's impression." and as for hammon, he'll be playing the republican nominee and the aspiring first spouse. >> oh, my god. they're multiplying. >> reporter: genie, cnn, new york.

>> oh, it's been a really good season. >> fantastic. i'm going to miss it. >> live from los angeles. i'm john voight. >> the news continues with rosemary church and errol barnett, after this. don'tlive in tokyo. when you airbnb, you have your own home. so, live there. even if it's just for a night.

sorry, just getting a quote on motorcycle insurance from progressive. yeah?

yeah, they have safe rider discounts, and with total loss coverage, i get a new bike if mine's totaled. but how's their customer service? great. 24/7. just like here. meat loaf! [dings bell] just like here. anybody got a pack... that needs leadin'? serving all your motorcycle insurance needs. now, that's progressive. new biwhat are we gonna do?ys... how about we pump more into promotions? ♪ nah. what else? what if we hire more sales reps? ♪ nah. what else? what if we digitize the whole supply chain? so people can customize their bike before they buy it. that worked better than expected. i'll dial it back. yeah, dial it back. just a little. live business, powered by sap. when you run live, you run simple.

trump and clinton. they're leading the race, but new polls say they're two of the most disliked candidates in american history. >> baghdad versus isis. the iraqi army's tough battle as it tries to reclaim falluja from the terror group. >> and egyptair flight 804. >> hello and welcome to our viewers here in the united states and all around the word. i'm rosemary church. >> good to be with you, rosemary. i'm errol barnett. thanks for joining us. our two-hour block of "cnn newsroom" starts now. a new national poll shows

donald trump and hillary clinton in a statistical dead heat in the presidential race. take a look at this. an nbc news/"wall street journal" survey, clinton stands at 46% to trump's 43%. that is within the margin of error. but in a washington post/abc news poll, trump came out on top with 46% to hillary's 44%. >> trump may be the presumptive nominee, but washington state's republican convention awarded 40 out of 41 delegates to former candidate ted cruz even though he's no longer in the race. but the move is unlikely to be a game-changer since delegates are bound by the results of tuesday's primary in washington state. >> meanwhile, clinton says she will not debate democratic rival bernie sanders in california. that's ahead of the state's primary in june. sanders says he's disappointed but not surprised. >> cnn's senior washington correspondent jeff zeleny is in los angeles with the latest. >> reporter: hillary clinton is

still trying to shake bernie sanders. >> we are coming to the end of the democratic primaries. >> reporter: but when those primaries do end, the bigger question is whether his supporters will come aboard. at a speech in detroit today, clinton extending her hand, stopping just short of thanking sanders for shaping the race. >> i applaud senator sanders and his supporters for challenging us, and we are going to unify the democratic party and stop donald trump. >> reporter: but speaking to union workers, clinton making clear she's pivoted to trump. >> the only thing standing between donald trump and the oval office is all of us. >> reporter: and of course sanders. he's squarely focused on trump too, campaigning today in california. >> if the democrats want to be absolutely certain as we must be that donald trump never becomes president, our campaign is the strongest campaign.

>> reporter: a string of new polls showing a tight clinton/trump race is fueling sanders' argument that he's the stronger general election candidate. >> every poll that i have seen in the last couple of months, including a poll just yesterday, have us way, way ahead. >> reporter: the democratic race mathematically speaking seems over. with clinton holding an insurmountable lead in pledged and super delegates. >> we are going to win in november. >> reporter: but she's underwater with sanders' supporters. 41% view her in a negative light while only 38% view her positively according to the new "wall street journal"/nbc poll. and only two-thirds of sanders' supporters say they would vote for her against trump compared to 88% of clinton's supporters who say they would back sanders. their odd couple relationship a punch line on "saturday night live." >> do you mind if i just have one more drink with my old, very old, kind of dangerously old

friend, bernie? >> i'll have a beer. a new brand that people are flocking to. >> and i'll have whatever beer no one likes but gets the job done. >> reporter: on the campaign trail today, clinton was laser focused on trump. >> he could bankrupt america like he's bankrupted his companies. how can anybody lose money running a casino, really? >> reporter: bill clinton is weighing in too, taking aim at trump's signature slogan. >> make america great really means, hey, i'll make it the way it used to be. you'll be better off, and if not, at least you'll have somebody else to look down on. >> reporter: bernie sanders already getting some concessions from the democratic national committee. they are allowing him five seats on the party's platform committee. the clinton campaign gets six. it's one way of trying to smooth things over before the convention this summer, but bernie sanders is not getting out of this race yet. he's eyeing the california primary and those 475 delegates he believes he can win.

jeff zeleny, cnn, los angeles. >> joining us now, cnn political commentators tara set mire and peter beinart. tara has also been a communications director for congressional republicans and helps train republicans who want to run for public office. >> peter beinart is also a contributor at the atlantic is the author of, the good fight, why liberals and only liberals can win the war on terror and make america great again. that's a phrase we've all heard before. great to have you both with us. this first question is for you both. but tara, we'll have you go first. even though trump and clinton are tied in the current polls we're looking at, which are very difficult at predicting the eventual winner in november, trump does face an uphill battle in must-win states and more. how are you feeling about republican chances come the election? >> well, i mean the polling that came out now shows that it really is a 50/50 shot for trump, which should be terrifying for the hillary

clinton campaign considering only just about a month and a half ago, polls showed that it would be a blowout. so i think that republicans are not going to get their hopes up, but it is a 50/50 shot, which is good news for them considering that it didn't look so rosy a few months ago with trump as the presumptive nominee. but again it's may, which is an absolute eternity away from the election in november. i mean a million things could happen between now and then. and polling in may is notoriously inaccurate to predict what's going to happen in november. i mean in 1988, michael dukakis was up ten points against george bush, and that ended up being a complete blowout. so this is just a snapshot in time now. next week it could be something different, and in the fall after maybe the first debate, it could be very different from now. >> and, peter, the democrats muftd be panicking at this stage. when you look at the numbers and juf got in one of the polls there, certainly for nbc/"wall street journal," they're saying she's at 46%. trump at 43%.

there was an 11-point margin before. she's lost a lot of ground, and we're also learning that a third of bernie sanders' supporters say if she were nominated, they would not get on board with her. so there must be panic right at the heart of the democratic party right now. >> well, i think there's definitely concern that the polls are this close, and tara is right. the polls have closed significantly. but what seems to have happened is that trump has managed to consolidate the republican vote, and that's a significant accomplishment. i don't think -- i think there are many people, including myself, who had questioned about whether he could do that. but hillary clinton probably will be able to consolidate the democratic vote more than she has so far once bernie sanders does drop out. it's true that there are polls that say that bernie sanders' supporters won't vote for hillary clinton, but if you compare this moment to the moment in 2008, for instangs,

what they ask hillary clinton supporters if they would support barack obama, there was actually an even smaller percentage. the point being that in this hyperpartisan environment that we live in, voters tend to rally around the nominee of their party. we're seeing that benefiting trump. once that effect plays itself out for hillary clinton as i think it will, i think she will probably re-establish a lead although, i agree, not a big enough lead perhaps to give democrats the sense of comfort that they really would like. >> one thing that really has shocked everyone is the enthusiasm donald trump supporters have shown through the primary and caucus process. the general election is much different. but, tara, to you, where is the proof that donald trump can expand his appeal beyond working-class whites, middle class and upper class? you know, the proof that arizona is kind of a toss-up state between clinton and trump when it's consistently gone for republicans must be a warning to

trump that his alienation of hispanics could be his -- could be fatal for him. >> yeah, it's true. not only hispanics but his unfavorables with women, his unfavorables with african-americans. i mean for the most part, he has -- well, his unfavorables in general are really high, but so are hillary clinton's. but in those key demographics, he's got a lot of work to do, donald trump does. and we've never seen anyone overcome the obstacles that he has right now with his unfavorables. and, you know, hillary clinton is running a close second. particularly with women. i mean donald trump is at 74% unfavorable with women, and women outvote women and have since the 1960s. so this is an area -- this is part of the problem for the republicans, and they're concerned with donald trump as a nominee. they're kind of, you know, holding their nose and supporting him for a variety of reasons. but his unfavorables in all these demographics are considerable. even in the polling that came out recently, 58% of people said

that donald trump is unqualified to be president of the united states. that's not a great number. so -- in that same poll, 63% said hillary clinton is qualified to be president. so there are a lot of metrics and a lot of hurdles for donald trump to have to overcome in order to be successful. but hillary has similar hurdles as well because her unfavorables with white men are quite low also. >> yeah, a lot of hurdles for both of them. the problem is that nobody seems to like them or a large portion of the voting population out there. tara and peter, a pleasure to talk with you both. >> thank you. now to some other big stories we're following for you. iraqi government forces are taking on isis in a key city west of baghdad. they're battling the militants on the southern outskirts of falluja. cnn has obtained this exclusive footage of some of the iraqi units there. falluja was one of the first

iraqi cities isis cap feuered more than two years ago. >> isis just released this propaganda video as proof it's fighting back, but iraq's prime minister insists his military will be victorious. there's also intention fighting in syria. isis is claiming responsibility for as many as nine explosions in two syrian towns. activists say at least 150 people were killed. >> both targeted cities are government strong holds, and you can see -- or i should tell you that they are both close to the isis stronghold of raqqah. >> let's discuss all of this with cnn military analyst, retired lieutenant colonel rick francona. always good to talk with you, sir. we know, of course, that isis has been in falluja for two years now. so it will be a tough mission for iraq's army to seize falluja back. how is this likely to play out, and what do they need to do

militarily to make this happen? >> well, they're doing what they need to do militarily. we've seen this before. they're going to use the model they used in tikrit and successfully in ramadi. but i have to tell you at what cost? this is going to cause tremendous damage to this city, and there will be a lot of collateral damage because there's no easy way to go into these cities. they're just rabbit warrens. they're packed in on top of each other. as you said, isis has had two years to prepare the battlefield that is taking place right now as the iraqi forces move closer in, they're going to face hundreds of booby traps, ieds, suicide bombers. this is the same playbook we saw in ramadi. eventually the weight of the iraqi military, what they're able to bring to bear, will win. but it's going to be at a tremendous price. we saw this in tikrit where a small group of isis fighters, committed isis fighters were able to hold off huge numbers of iraqi forces. and we're also seeing the iraqis bring in the right troops.

they're bringing in the national police, the special forces. parts of the iraqi army. but they're also again using these very capable iranian-trained shia militia. >> now, britain's foreign secretary insists iraq's army is showing an increase in its capability. from what you're saying there, it sounds like you would agree with that assessment. >> they're better, rosemary. they're getting better, but they are nowhere near what they're going to need to be to march up the tigress valley and liberate mosul. that's going to be a long way off. they've got to take these smaller battles incrementally. falluja is important. it's very strategic, close to baghdad. i imagine a lot of these bombs that we've been seeing in baghdad have been staged from falluja. so they've got to clean isis out of that area. that pretty much eliminates most of them in the anbar province. then they can pivot to the north and focus on the real liberation that has to take place, and that's mosul. >> and of course iraq's prime minister is urging civilians to get out of falluja and travel to

safe areas. how are they supposed to do that given isis is preventing them from leaving, and how bad could this get for those thousands of civilians that can't escape? >> yeah, and this is the collateral damage we're going to face. i don't understand what he wanted them to do. they dropped leaflets and said if you can, please leave. and if you can't, put a white flag on your house. that's just telling isis where they are. so i don't think we're going to see much of that. i think many of them are going to try and just survive and that the battle spares them. i hate to say this, but there will be civilian casualties and there will be crossfires. no one likes to do this but the iraqis have got to go in there. and when they go in there, isis is going to use them as human shields or just outright kill them. >> rick francona, we always like to get your perspective on this. we appreciate it. thanks for joining us. >> nice to talk to you. judgment officials say taliban leader mullah mansour was planning new attacks on u.s.

targets before his dearth on saturday. he was killed by a strike in pakistan near the afghanistan border. the taliban were reportedly going to hit u.s. and coalition forces in the afghan capital, kabul. it's the first time officials have cited new threats to american personnel in the city in some time. media reports and sources close to the taliban leader say that leader of an al qaeda affiliate will likely replace mansour. u.s. president barack obama says the u.s. and vietnam have come a long way since the vietnam war. his reflections on war and the progress that's been made since then, just ahead. plus we'll take a look at the challenges searchers face trying to find egyptair's so-called black boxes in the mediterranean. we're back in a moment. they sa. technology moves faster than ever. the all-new audi a4, with apple carplay integration.

hey, ready foyeah. big meeting? >>uh, hello!? a meeting? it's a big one. too bad. we are double booked: diarrhea and abdominal pain. why don't you start without me? oh. yeah. if you're living with frequent, unpredictable diarrhea and abdominal pain, you may have irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea, or ibs-d. a condition that can be really frustrating. talk to your doctor about viberzi, a different way to treat ibs-d. viberzi is a prescription medication you take every day that helps proactively manage both diarrhea and abdominal pain at the same time. so you stay ahead of your symptoms. viberzi can cause new or worsening abdominal pain. do not take viberzi if you have or may have had: pancreas or severe liver problems, problems with alcohol abuse, long-lasting or severe constipation, or a blockage of your bowel or gallbladder. if you are taking viberzi, you should not take medicines that cause constipation. the most common side effects of viberzi include constipation, nausea, and abdominal pain. stay ahead of ibs-d... with viberzi. plenty fast. but it's not how fast you mow,t?

it's how well you mow fast. it's not how fast you mow, it's how well you mow fast. it's not how fast you mow, (both) it's how well you mow fast. it's how well you mow fast. (team cheers) it's how well you mow fast. even if it doesn't catch on, doesn't mean it's not true. the john deere ztrak z535m with our reengineered deck to mow faster better. visit your john deere dealer to save 300 dollars on the z535m residential ztrak mower now until may 31st. go to ziprecruiter.com and post your job? to over 100 of the web's leading job boards with a single click, then simply select the best candidates from one easy-to-review list. and now you can use ziprecruiter for free. go to ziprecruiter.com/offer5 so yostanding up.ddle. with a friend. or you're a skier. or snowboarder. or a skier with two kids who snowboard. wait, where's your wife? there she is. you also like to work out. less intense? there we go. or you want to know your heart rate. when you're doing this.

or this. or this. or this. which means, you should probably wear this. beat yesterday with vivoactive hr. from garmin. if you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis isn't it time to let the real you shine through? introducing otezla, apremilast. otezla is not an injection, or a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. some people who took otezla saw 75% clearer skin after 4 months. and otezla's prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't take otezla if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. otezla may increase the risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. side effects may include diarrhea, nausea, upper respiratory tract infection, and headache.

tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, and if you're pregnant or planning to be. ask your dermatologist about otezla today. otezla. show more of you. make sure it's ano maintelligent one.. ♪ the all-new audi a4, with available virtual cockpit. ♪ egypt is gathering all the help it can in the search for egyptair flight 804. authorities have asked for records on the plane's departure from paris and transcripts of air traffic control calls with greece. >> france is also providing equipment in the search for the so-called black boxes. here's nic robertson. >> reporter: with egyptian authorities now have two submarines at their disposal.

they are their own one that can reach a depth of about 3,000 meters, and french officials say they now have a patrol boat out there helping egyptian authorities on board, they say, two specialist divers, a submarine that can go to a depth of a thousand meters and acoustic detecting devices. these devices are very helpful because the french officials say they can be used to help find the black boxes. the black boxes have transmitters attached to them. when they hit the water, the transmitters start sending out pings. the acoustic detectors can listen for those pings. however, what the french authorities here are not able to use their submarine yet. why? they still have to narrow and refine the area of search. they're still looking for debris. once they've done that, then they can deploy the submarine and the acoustic detectors. this gives us an indication that

the search can take days or even weeks is what they're warning about. not quite clear how the egyptian authorities are using their submarine at this time. of course the depth of the sea out there, 5,000 meters in some of its deepest places, way beyond the scope of either of these submarines. egyptian authorities here saying absolutely important to recover the bodies as soon as possible, find the black boxes. that is their priority at the moment. help give some solace to all the grieving families waiting for whatever information the authorities here can give them. nic robertson, cnn, alexandria, egypt. u.s. president barack obama reflected on the vietnam war while addressing a crowd in hanoi in just the last hour, saying he's mindful of the past but focused on the future. he also noted the very wall that divided the u.s. and vietnam became a source for healing. >> mr. obama touted vietnam's progress in a number of areas including the economy and education, and he emphasized

that the u.s. and vietnam remain committed to working together. cnn's alexandra field joins us now. president obama addressed the people of vietnam last hour. what were the other critical points that came out of this speech, and how was he received overall? >> reporter: well, rosemary, it was an incredibly wide ranging speech hitting on security to climate change to trade deals to the past relationship between these two countries and to the future. this speechd was made in front of about 2,000 people. it was an audience that was made up of government officials, diplomats, business people, also students. but he really spent a good deal of the speech talking about the history of these two nations. he reflected on the fact that while he is not the first u.s. president to visit vietnam. he is the first president to grow up in a post-war area. he talked about the heavy price both countries paid in that war and also about the remarkable progress that's been made in healing relations between the nations.

he gave the credit for that work to the veterans, the people who actually served in this war. he specifically mentioned senator john mccain from the united states, of course, and u.s. secretary of state john kerry. but he gave credit to the people in vietnam and the u.s. for doing decades of work to get to a place where relations could be fully normalized as he's been calling it. listen to this. >> at a time when many conflicts seem intractable, seem as if they will never end, we have shown that hearts can change and that a different future is possible when we refuse to be prisoners of the past. we've shown how peace can be better than war. >> reporter: president obama also spent a good deal of time reflecting on the progress that vietnam has made in the decades since the war, particularly highlighting economic growth, pointing out that this is one of the fastest growing economies in asia, pointing out trade deals, foreign investment, and also technological advances here,

rosemary. >> all right. alexandra field following the president's trip there in vietnam. many thanks to you for joining us from ho chi minh city. >> there was a short moment of fun as well. mr. obama took a quick break from zip loamcy for a culinary detail. anthony bourdain sent out this tweet including a picture of a meal he shared with the president. i thought it was worth a re-tweet. their meeting will be featured on bourdain's show here on cnn. it's plastic seats. if you're curious, the total cost of that meal, $6. and apparently bourdain says it was his treat. >> that was very good of him. well, austria has chosen a new president in a cliff-hanger runoff election. former green party leader alexander vander belen won a narrow victory decided by absentee ballots. the 72-year-old economist ran as an independent. >> his challenger, norbert hofer, was hoping to become the

european union's first far-right head of state. all right. manchester united have sacked their manager just two days after winning the f.a. cup. louie van gaal led the club to its first trophy in three years. >> and reportedly jose more reenio is set to take his place. marineio last managed chelsea, but that team fired him back in december. fifa's secretary general is out of a job. soccer's governing body announced the dismissal effective immediately on monday. an internal investigation found breaches in fiduciary responsibilities. reports say it involved a secret bonus scheme. cnn's new show, "state of the race" with kate bolduan is just ahead for our viewers in asia. >> for viewers elsewhere, stay with us. how the not guilty verdict in the latest freddie gray case could affect the next officers'

trials. and later the nfl responds to charges that it tried to influence research on concussions. back in a moment. ♪ amazing sleep stays with you all day and all night.

sleep number beds with sleepiq technology give you the knowledge to adjust for the best sleep ever. it's the semi-annual sale! save $500 on the memorial day special edition mattress with sleepiq technology. know better sleep. only at a sleep number store. real is touching a ray. amazing is moving like one. real is making new friends. amazing is getting this close. real is an animal rescue. amazing is over twenty-seven thousand of them. there is only one place where real and amazing live. seaworld. real. amazing go to ziprecruiter.com and post your job? to over 100 of the web's leading job boards with a single click, then simply select the best candidates from one easy-to-review list. and now you can use ziprecruiter for free. go to ziprecruiter.com/offer5

man 1:man 2: i am. woman: ex-military? man 2: four tours. woman: you worked with computers? man 2: that's classified, ma'am. man 1: but you're job was network security? man 2: that's classified, sir. woman: let's cut to the chase, here... man 1: what's you're assessment of our security? man 2: [ gasps ] porous. woman: porous? man 2: the old solutions aren't working. man 2: the world has changed. man 1: meaning? man 2: it's not just security. it's defense. it's not just security. it's defense. bae systems.

this is "cnn newsroom." i'm errol barnett.

>> and i'm rosemary church. time to check the main stories we've been following this hour. u.s. president barack obama says the u.s. and vietnam have made a lot of progress since the vietnam war, acknowledging the pain and tragedy of the past. he says he's focused on working together with vietnam towards more mutual prosperity. mr. obama will now travel to ho chi minh city where he will meet with entrepreneurs. the u.s. transportation security administration has removed its head of security. the change comes amid scrutiny of a mismanagement there at the tsa. members of congress want to know why the official was given $90,000 in bonuses despite long security lines at airports. u.s. officials say the taliban were planning new attacks on u.s. forces at the time of leader mull la man secure's death. mansour was killed by a u.s. air strike on saturday. the terror group was reportedly going to hit targets in the afghan capital, kabul. as we discussed at the top

of this hour, fist fighting is under way on the outskirts of falluja. this is a coalition of iraqi forces trying to retake the city from isis. cnn acquired exclusive video of troops battling the terror group. >> civilians are trying to flee, but isis is stopping many of them from getting out. the iraqi defense minister expressed his confidence in the operation. he says the battle won't last long. >> translator: the operation is going very well, more than expected. the enemy is completely collapsing. our troops' spirit is very high because of their victories and due to all of that, we think that the battle of falluja will be sealed soon. >> the coalition fighting to retake falluja is made up of a number of different groups. in isis, they have a common enemy. ben wedeman has reported on the various forces involved in this flight. he joins us live from rome to discuss what's taking place. ben, iranian-trained shiite

militias are assisting in this. they're known as popular mobilization units. the government reports they've already helped some 30 families get out, but just how risky is to use them considering the sectarian differences that exist? >> reporter: well, the risks are quite high, and we've seen in the past in areas like dee allah province where these militias were really playing the leadership role in the military operations against isis, that there are a lot of reprisal killings. that there was looting. that there were crimes committed against the civilian population that really have raised concerns. now, for instance, we were in tikrit after these forces, the pmu, went in. and they also were really one of the strongest components of the israeli forces in the battle of tikrit last spring.

we also saw that they did engage in some instances in looting and burning houses, and there are reported fairly well documented that they did, in fact, engage in revenge killings against some members of the civilian population. now, the iraqi government clearly wants to avoid a repeat of what happened in dialla and to a lesser extent in tikrit. the plan at least according to the iraqi government is to leave the pmu on the outskirts of the city, to sort of secure the surrounding areas. but those forces that will actually go into falluja will be sunni tribesmen who have been armed and trained by the iraqi government. iraqi police units and what's known as the golden brigade, which is the elite anti-terrorism unit of the iraqi army. and this is all intended to avoid the sort of consequences that we saw elsewhere.

errol. >> and we still have the possibility that this will be a prolonged and messy fight. what are the chances isis militants will use the safe package cards, all these leaflets dropped by iraqi forces to allow residents to flee. what are the chances isis may use it as cover for themselves to get out? >> reporter: in fact we've seen in the past that that is what they did. if i just go back to the battle for tikrit which we covered last spring, there were instructions according to radio communications monitored by the iraqi army to isis fighters within the city to shave off their beards, to put on ordinary civilian clothing, and to try to sneak out with civilians who were leaving. so obviously those civilians who do leave and go through government checkpoints are going to come under quite a lot of scrutiny. we understand, however, that many of the isis fighters in falluja are, in fact, natives of

falluja. so the chances that this is going to be a protracted battle are quite high. keep in mind that isis has been in control of falluja since january 2014. that's the first major iraqi city they took control of. so, yes, some may try to get out with the civilians. but we can also expect a fair level of resistance, a lot of booby traps and other deadly surprises for the iraqi forces. errol. >> they've had more than two years to dig in. ben wedeman live for us in rome this morning. ben, thanks. we'll take a short break here. but still to come, a stunning verdict in the case of a police officer charged with the death of freddie gray. find out why both sides, gray's family, and the officer, are praising the judge's decision. show me movies with romance.

show me more like this. show me "previously watched." what's recommended for me. x1 makes it easy to find what you love. call or go online and switch to x1. only with xfinity.

in a new report, u.s. congressional democrats accused the national football league of inappropriately trying to influence new concussion research. the nfl is funding a $30 million study on brain injuries, but the national institutes of health decided who would receive the grants. the investigation began with an espn article in december alleging the nfl was with holding funding because critical researchers from boston university were involved. the nfl rejected those allegations. the nih says the process was not inappropriately influenced by outside forces. there is a verdict in a case that gripped the u.s. city of baltimore and put a focus on the treatment of african-americans by police. a judge has found baltimore police officer edward near row

not guilty in the death of freddie gray, a young african-american man. gray died from spinal injuries last year, which prosecutors say were caused when he was transported in a police van without a seat belt. nero is the second of six police officers to be tried in gray's death. >> greeted by protests as he left the courthouse following the verdict, cnn's miguel marquez has more on the verdict and the reaction. >> reporter: the judge in this case read the verdict, not guilty on all counts. officer edward nero at first put his head back, took in a deep breath, and then put his head down and began to sob. great, great emotion shown. his father even saying that he wept tears of joy. his lawyer a short time after that verdict was read released a statement saying in part, the state's attorney for baltimore city rushed to charge him as well as the other five officers.

completely disregarding the facts of the case and the applicable law. his hope is the state's attorney will re-evaluate the remaining five officers' cases and dismiss their charges. this case completely revolved around whether or not the arrest -- not the detention. the initial detention of freddie gray say both the prosecutors and the defense was lawful, but it was the official arrest shortly thereafter and whether or not that was lawful or not. this is something that happens every single day in baltimore. freddie gray's family responded to the judge's acquittal today saying this. >> i found no problem with the judge's reasoning. of course the outcome of how he weighs the evidence is strictly up to him and not to us. i commend judge williams because he is one of those rare judges that disregarded public opinion. there was enormous pressure from the african-american community to get a conviction. >> an african-american judge, you're saying? >> yes, and he did not bend to that pressure.

>> reporter: and it is not over for baltimore. the next police officer to be before a judge is caesar goodson. he was the van driver. the van is where mr. gray suffered those injuries that eventually killed him. the officer, william porter, who earlier this year went through a trial that ended in a hung jury or mistrial, he will be back in court later this year. miguel marquez, cnn, baltimore. >> joining me now is paige pate. he's a criminal defense attorney and constitutional attorney. he's been watching this case closely as we all have really. thanks for coming in. six officers were initially charged in this. the trial for the first ended in a mistrial, for william porter. and now the second to face trial, edward nero, he was found not guilty. what does that tell us about what's to come, if anything? >> well, i think a lot of the officers are feeling pretty good right now because this was not a strong start for the state. but in the state's defense, this was really not their best case. officer nero was probably the

least involved of any of the officers. the case against him rested on the state's theory that simply by arresting freddie gray without probable cause, he committed a crime. and i think the judge had a lot of problem -- or problems with that theory, and he said so during his questioning of the prosecutors. >> now, there were a few dozen people outside protesting today on what they say is they're concerned about the line of questioning from judge barry williams, not linking that arrest without probable cause to criminal assault. should that have been expected, then, and if so, what do you expect to happen when the driver stands trial? >> well, i think that should have been expected. in fact, i think the prosecutor probably was too aggressive, probably jumped to conclusions early on in the case and was trying a novel legal theory because there's not a lot of precedent for charging a police officer with a crime simply for making an arrest when there was an absence of probable cause down the line. so i think that was a weak

theory to begin with. >> that was a big moment, though. the state's attorney, marilyn mosby, she was praised and criticized for charging all six officers while protests were still happening on the streets of baltimore. was there a strategy then to charge them all with the most serious crime, hoping that it would at least stick for some of them? >> absolutely. another part of that, and wee see this in criminal cases in america all the time, is that a prosecutor will charge everyone in the hope and expectation that someone will cut a deal. someone will come in, plead guilty to a lesser charge, and then testify against the other officers. but in this case, every single officer stood firm and said, we're not going to cooperate. we're all going to go to trial. and so then the prosecutor was left without any critical witnesses who were there at the time of the incident. >> what do you make the decision by edward nero to be tried by the judge and not a jury? of course this is an emotionally and racially charged case even though some of the officers charged are african-american. but each person charged does have that choice to make, right?

>> absolutely. but in this case, officer nero's lawyer said this case is so weak, the evidence is just not there. we don't want to risk the case with a jury, who may have an emotional reaction to the incident. we want to go in front of this judge, who has a lot of experience, who will hopefully -- and he did -- see through the state's theory and return a not guilty verdict. >> and also very unique that the police union and even freddie gray's family praised the judge in this decision making saying, look, if the evidence isn't there, you cannot charge that individual. >> that's right. i think gray's family recognizes they're going to need this judge going forward as the strojer cases come to trial, the driver and the other officers. i think they're reluctant to criticize the judge at this point. >> pretty fascinating. thanks for your time and insight today. >> thank you, errol. we're getting some information just in to cnn that greece has reportedly gun mobeg moving migrants out of the camp that sits on its border with

macedonia. journalist elinda labropoulou joins me from athens with more on this. why is the government deciding to do this now, and exactly where are these thousands of migrants and refugees supposed to go? >> reporter: it's something that the greek government has been talking about for a long time. but the infrastructure wasn't there until now to try and move the migrants. the government is now saying that it has built the right facilities, the kind of organized camps that people need. so they have started this evacuation process today. so far there has been no resistance. many have already gotten on buses, and these are the same people that we watched for months living by the border under very squalid conditions, usually in small tents, often in heavy rain and through the cold. but really refusing to move because this is what they have been perceiving as their last hope to get across. this is the same border that

shut very suddenly for them and stopped their travel, their route into europe. so they've been refusing to move. this is not the first time that the greek government has been trying to move them. but it's only now that it actually has the right infrastructure to really persuade people that it is time to move on. and of course as time passes, also the hope that the border will reopen is getting slowly lost. in all the times i've been there in the beginning, the question was when will the border reopen. now the question is will the border reopen. the government has decided that now is the time people are ready to move on. >> it's estimated there are some 8,000 of those migrants and refugees there. the government says they can move them all within ten days. we'll continue to watch this closely. elinda labropoulou live in athens. we're going to take a quick break here. on the other side of that break, a dangerous climb to the world's highest peak ends in tragedy. the rescue effort on mt. everest.

that's next. vo: across america,

people are taking charge of their type 2 diabetes with non-insulin victoza®. for a while, i took a pill to lower my blood sugar. but it didn't get me to my goal. so i asked my doctor about victoza®. he said victoza® works differently than pills. and comes in a pen. victoza® is proven to lower blood sugar and a1c. it's taken once a day, any time. victoza® is not for weight loss, but it may help you lose some weight. victoza® works with your body to lower blood sugar in 3 ways: in the stomach, the liver, and the pancreas. vo: victoza® is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. it is not recommended as the first medication

to treat diabetes and should not be used in people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. victoza® has not been studied with mealtime insulin. victoza® is not insulin. do not take victoza® if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to victoza® or any of its ingredients. symptoms of a serious allergic reaction may include itching, rash, or difficulty breathing. tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. serious side effects may happen in people who take victoza®, including inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). stop taking victoza® and call your doctor right away if you have signs of pancreatitis such as severe pain that will not go away in your abdomen or from your abdomen to your back, with or without vomiting. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you have any medical conditions. taking victoza® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. the most common side effects are headache, nausea,

diarrhea, and vomiting. side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. if your pill isn't giving you the control you need ask your doctor about non-insulin victoza®. it's covered by most health plans. right now, rescuers are searching for two indian

climbers missing on mt. everest. >> it comes after a deadly weekend on the world's highest peak. sunni ma udas has the story. >> reporter: it's the ultimate achievement, scaling the top of the world, mt. everest, at 8,848 meters. almost 30,000 feet. but the deaths of four climbers in as many days as shaken the mountaineering community. phurba sherpa fell to his death while fixing the route. dutch climber eric arnold, a triathlete died from a suspected heart attack. he was on his way down after a successful summit. australian national maria stride emdied from altitude sickness at base camp four, the final stop before the summit. and on sunday, indian climber sa barb paul also died. dak in inherent here. more than 250 mountaineers have

died since the first official ascent in 1953. still hundreds every year are drawn to it willing to take the risk. the air is so thin, the oxygen level is a third of what's available at sea level. the wind is vicious. the weather, erratic, and the terrain deadly. kenten cool is a guide who has climbed everest 12 times. >> winds are very brutal on everest, and they can make what would be a relatively amenable summit day into something quite the opposite. >> reporter: climbing had been halted for the past two years after a deadly avalanche in 2014 that killed 16 sherpas and a devastating earthquake that struck nepal in 2015. a lot was riding on this year's climbing season. the nepally government hoping to revive tourism in a country still reeling from the earthquake.

authorities say some 400 climbers summited everest this year. but this is a tragic end to yet another climbing season. >> it's not considerably dangerous. it is very, very dangerous. and you do need the depth of experience. you do need the understanding and the skill set to be able to operate and even survive at such altitudes. >> reporter: a reminder of just how dangerous scaling the highest mountain in the world can be. sa nima udas, cnn. >> so spectacular, but so daunting for so many in this situation. >> very true. all the top stories from around the world in the next hour of "cnn newsroom." that's right. we'll take you live to cairo for the latest on the search for that egyptair jet. plus many of the day's other stories as they develop. do stay with us here on cnn. every day you read headlines about businesses being hacked

and intellectual property being stolen. that is cyber-crime. and it affects each and every one of us. microsoft created the digital crimes unit to fight cyber-crime. we use the microsoft cloud to visualize information so we can track down the criminals. when it comes to the cloud, trust and security are paramount. we're building what we learn back into the cloud to make people and organizations safer.

if you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis isn't it time to let the real you shine through? introducing otezla, apremilast. otezla is not an injection, or a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. some people who took otezla saw 75% clearer skin after 4 months. and otezla's prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't take otezla if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. otezla may increase the risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history

of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. side effects may include diarrhea, nausea, upper respiratory tract infection, and headache. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, and if you're pregnant or planning to be. ask your dermatologist about otezla today. otezla. show more of you.

on the attack. donald trump and hillary clinton trade insults as new polls show their anticipated matchup is too close to call. a growing mystery. conflicting reports on what happened in the final minutes of egyptair flight 804. and a new era ushered in. barack obama talks about growing cooperation and human rights in an address to the vietnamese people in hanoi. hello and welcome again to our viewers in the united states and all around the world. i'm rosemary church. >> and i'm errol barnett. thanks for joining our second hour of "cnn newsroom." new polling shows the race

for the white house could be quite a nail-biter. in an nbc news/"wall street journal" survey, clinton stands at 46% to trump's 43%. that is within the margin of error. but in a washington post/abc news poll, trump came out on top with 46% to clinton's 44%. >> and, yes, indeed there is an 11-point swing there. while trump continues to gain momentum in the polls, he wants to clarify his stance on guns in classrooms. cnn's sara murray has more. >> reporter: skeptics predicted a donald trump ticket would mean a blowout victory for hillary clinton. >> now i'm going to start focusing on hillary. it's going to be so easy. >> reporter: but new national polls reveal a race that's rapidly tightening as speculation whirls over who trump might choose for a v.p., the billionaire businessman meant privately with senator bob corker today who brushed aside questions about joining the ticket.

>> i have no reason whatsoever to believe that i'm being considered for a position like that. i'll say that until i'm blue in my face. again, this was a meeting between two people who didn't know each other except over phone calls. >> reporter: trump allies say corker's foreign policy experience could be an asset to the first-time presidential candidate, even if he doesn't >> we talked bigger picture, really relative to foreign policy, domestic issues that matter a great deal to our country. >> reporter: meanwhile, trump is still aiming to consolidate his conservative base, and he's turning to a potent issue. the second amendment to rally voters. >> i don't want to have guns in classrooms although in some cases, teachers should have guns in classrooms. >> reporter: but he's delivering a muddled message, saying he doesn't want to see guns in classrooms. >> i'm not advocates guns in classro classrooms. >> reporter: then in the next breath, suggesting trained teachers should be armed.

>> trained teachers should be able to have guns in classrooms. >> reporter: in the latest signal of trump shifting positions, trump the candidate mocks the concept of climate change on the trial. >> so obama is talking about all of this with the global warming and the that, a lot of it's a hoax. >> reporter: but trump the businessman isn't so dubious, according to politico, trump's company applied for a company to build coastal protection for a sea side golf resort. the reason, rising sea levels and other effects of climate change. tonight donald trump is making an effort to clarify his position on guns, telling cnn that he would not eliminate all gun-free zones in schools. only in some cases, and clarifying that he believes school resource officers should be the ones who are trained to use guns. sara murray, cnn, new york. >> meanwhile, hillary clinton says she will not debate democratic rival bernie sanders in california ahead of the state's primary in june. sanders says he's disappointed but not surprised. >> cnn's senior washington correspondent jeff zeleny is in

los angeles with the latest on that. >> reporter: hillary clinton is still trying to shake bernie sanders. >> we are coming to the end of the democratic primaries. >> reporter: but when those primaries do end, the bigger question is whether his supporters will come aboard. at a speech in detroit today, clinton extending her hand, stopping just short of thanking sanders for shaping the race. >> i applaud senator sanders and his supporters for challenging us, and we are going to unify the democratic party and stop donald trump. >> reporter: but speaking to union workers, clinton making clear she's pivoted to trump. >> the only thing standing between donald trump and the oval office is all of us. >> reporter: and of course sanders. he's squarely focused on trump too, campaigning today in california. >> if the democrats want to be absolutely certain, as we must

be, that donald trump never becomes president, our campaign is the strongest campaign. >> reporter: a string of new polls showing a tight clinton/trump race is fueling sanders' argument that he's the stronger general election candidate. >> every poll that i have seen in the last couple of months, including a poll just yesterday, have us way, way ahead. >> reporter: the democratic race mathematically speaking seems over. with clinton holding an insurmountable lead in pledged and super delegates. >> we are going to win in november. >> reporter: but she's underwater with sanders' supporters. 41% view her in a negative light while only 38% view her positively according to the new "wall street journal"/nbc poll. and only two-thirds of sanders' supporters say they would vote for her against trump compared to 88% of clinton supporters who say they would back sanders. their odd couple relationship a punch line on "saturday night live." >> do you mind if i just have

one more drink with my old, very old, kind of dangerously old friend bernie? >> i'll have a beer. a new brand that people are flocking to. >> and i'll have whatever beer no one likes but gets the job done. >> reporter: on the campaign trail today, clinton was laser focused on trump. >> he could bankrupt america like he's bankrupted his companies. how can anybody lose money running a casino, really? >> reporter: bill clinton is weighing in too, taking aim at trump's signature slogan. >> what make america great really means is hey, i'll make it the way it used to be. you'll be better off and if not, at least you'll have somebody else to look down on. >> reporter: bernie sanders already getting some concessions. they are allowing him five seats on the party's flat form committee. the clinton campaign gets six. it's one way of trying to smooth things over before the convention this summer. but bernie sanders is not getting out of this race yet.

he's eyeing the california primary and those 475 delegates he believes he can win. jeff zeleny, cnn, los angeles. >> joining us now is cnn political commentators tara set mire and peter beinart. tara has been a communications director for congressional republicans and helps train republicans who want to run for public office. >> and peter beinart is also a contributor at the atlantic is the author of the good fight, why liberals and only liberals can win the war on terror and make america great again. that's a phrase we've all heard before. great to have you both with us. this first question is for you both. but, tara, we'll have you go first. even though trump and clinton are tied in the current polls we're looking at, which are very difficult at predicting the eventual winner in november, trump does face an uphill battle in must-win states and more. how are you feeling about republican chances come the election? >> well, i mean the polling that

came out now shows that it really is a 50/50 shot for trump, which should be terrifying for the hillary clinton campaign considering only just about a month and a half ago, polls showed that it would be a blowout. so i think that republicans are not going to get their hopes up, but it is a 50/50 shot, which is good news for them considering that it didn't look so rosy a few months ago with trump as the presumptive nominee. but, again, it's may, which is an absolute eternity away from the election in november. i mean a million things could happen between now and then. and polls in may is notoriously inaccurate to predict what's going to happen in november. i mean in 1988, michael dukakis was up ten points against george bush, and that ended up being a complete blowout. so this is just a snapshot in time now. next week it could be something different, and in the fall after maybe the first debate, it could be very different from now. >> and, peter, the democrats must be panicking at this stage. when you look at the number and you've got in one of the polls

there, certainly for nbc/"wall street journal," they're saying she's at 46%. trump at 43%. there was an 11-point margin before. she's lost a lot of ground, and we're also learning that a third of bernie sanders supporters say if she were nominated, they would not get on board with her. so there must be panic right at the heart of the democratic party right now. >> well, i think there's definitely concern that the polls are this close, and tara's right, the polls have closed significantly. but what seems to have happened is that trump has managed to consolidate the republican vote. and that's a significant accomplishment. i don't think -- i think there may be people, including myself, who had questions about whether he could do that. but hillary clinton probably will be able to consolidate the democratic vote more than she has so far once bernie sanders does drop out. it's true that there are polls

that say that bernie sanders supporters won't vote for hillary clinton. but if you compare this moment to the moment in 2008 for instance when they asked hillary clinton supporters if they would support barack obama, there was actually an even smaller percentage of hillary clinton supporters who said they would support obama. the point being that in this hyperpartisan environmental we live in, voters tend to rally around the nominee of their party. we're seeing that benefiting trump. once that effect plays itself out for hillary clinton, which i think it will, i think she probably will re-establish a lead, although i agree, not a big enough lead to give the democrats the sense of comfort they would like. >> one thing that has shocked everyone is the enthusiasm donald trump supporters have shown through the primary and caucus process. the general election is much different. but, tara, to you, where is the proof that donald trump can expand his appeal beyond working-class whites, middle class, and upper class? you know, the proof that arizona is kind of a toss-up state

between clinton and trump when it's consistently gone for republicans must be a warning to trump that his alienation of hispanics could be his -- could be fatal for him. >> yeah, it's true. not only hispanics but his unfavorables with women, his unfavorables with african-americans. i mean for the most part, he has -- well, his unfavorables in general are really high, but so are hillary clinton's. but in those key demographics, he's got a lot of work to do, donald trump does. we've never seen anyone overcome the obstacles he has right now with his unfavorables. you know, hillary clinton is running a close second. particularly with women, i mean donald trump is at 70, 74% unfavorable with women. and women outvote men and have since the 1960s. so this is an area, this is part of the problem for the republicans, and they're concerned with donald trump as a nominee. they're kind of, you know, holding their nose and supporting him for a variety of

reasons. but his unfavorables in all these demographics are considerable. even in the polling that came out recently, 58% of people said that donald trump is unqualified to be president of the united states. that's not a great number. in that same poll, 63% said hillary clinton is qualified to be president. so there are a lot of metrics and a lot of hurdles for donald trump to have to overcome in order to be successful. but hillary has similar hurdles as well because her unfavorables with white men are quite low also. >> yeah, a lot of hurdles for both of them. the problem is that nobody seems to like them or a large portion of the voting population out there. tara set mire and peter beinart, a pleasure to talk with you both. >> thank you. u.s. president barack obama is now on his way to ho chi minh city, vietnam, the second stop of his week-long trip to asia. before leaving, he addressed a crowd in hanoi, reflecting on the vietnam war and the progress that both countries have made

since then. >> he emphasized that the u.s. and vietnam remain committed to working together while urging vietnam to uphold human rights for its people. mr. obama also said the disputes in the south china sea should be resolved peacefully. >> cnn's alexandra field joins us now live from ho chi minh city. alexandra, it was a wide-ranging speech. the president, though, was more forceful in pushing for human rights improvements there. what did he say, and how well was it received? >> reporter: right. this was a big part of the sweech that was made in front of about 2,000 people in hanoi. human rights groups have of course criticized vietnam's record on human rights for things like jailing dissidents, and stalled political reforms, but the president did take this opportunity to promote human rights. he did say very clearly vietnam is a sovereign nation and no other nation can impose its will on vietnam. but he talked about the value of human rights.

he talked about certain things that he called universal goals and ideals. he talked about the shared values between the u.s. and vietnam of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of demonstration, and he also said that freedom of thinking fuels innovation, which leads to job creation and boosts economies. and of course economic cooperation between the u.s. and vietnam is a key goal of this trip. but this trip is also about boosting security cooperation between vietnam and the u.s. to that end, you point out that the president did reference the disputes in the south china sea. we know that neighboring countries here in asia and in southeast asia have raised concerns about china's territorial claims in the south china sea. the president did lay out the u.s.'s position this way. >> the united states is not a claimant in current disputes, but we will stand with partners in upholding core principles like freedom of navigation and

overflight and lawful commerce that is not impeded and the peaceful resolution of disputes through legal means in accordance with international law. and as we go forward, the united states will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, and we will support the right of all countries to do the same. >> reporter: the president making that statement just a day after announcing that the u.s. would drop its ban on arms sales to vietnam. that's a headline moment in this trip. he has refuted suggestions that that deal is about countering china's growing strength in the region. instead he says it is really about deepening defense cooperation with vietnam. errol. >> alexandra, we had that lifting of the arms embargo yesterday. a push, vocal push for human rights today. what's next for the u.s. president? >> reporter: right. the president is on his way from hanoi. he'll be coming to ho chi minh city. he will be touring the pa go da,

one of the tourist sites here. and visiting an incubator. he was promoting this idea of freedom of thinking and s. he talked about it as being one of the fastest growing economies in asia. so he is here to promote entrepreneurship and innovation. the visits in ho chi minh city will be in line with that. he also has spent some time on this trip reflecting on not just the future of the relationship between vietnam and the u.s. but also talking about the past. he spent a good part of his speech today really thanking the veterans in both vietnam and the u.s. for being at the forefront of efforts to repair the relations between vietnam and the u.s. that have made a visit like this possible today. >> a packed agenda as usual, and he keeps referencing when he's no longer president. so he's probably looking forward to time as a private citizen. alexandra field live for us in

ho chi minh city. thanks. it has been two years since isis captured its first important iraqi city. now the iraqi government wants it back. the battle for falluja. that's next. burning, pins-and-needles of beforediabetic nerve pain, these feet played shortstop in high school, learned the horn from my dad and played gigs from new york to miami. but i couldn't bear my diabetic nerve pain any longer. so i talked to my doctor and he prescribed lyrica. nerve damage from diabetes causes diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is fda approved to treat this pain, from moderate to even severe diabetic nerve pain. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling or blurry vision. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs, and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery

until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. now i have less diabetic nerve pain. and these feet would like to keep the beat going. ask your doctor about lyrica. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, it could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs.

call now to request your free decision guide. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him. [ male announcer ] you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and virtually no referrals needed. see why millions of people have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp. don't wait. call now.

greece is reportedly moving thousands of people out of the makeshift migrant border camp. in an interview on greek television, a government spokesman said just a short time ago that this operation began early in the morning. >> he also says more than 2,000 migrants have been moved in the past week, but thousands more remain. migrants have been stranded in dire conditions at the camps since macedonia shut its border in early march. >> the death toll is climbing in syria after a series of bombings across two government-held cities. as many as nine explosions struck on monday. the syrian observatory for human rights says nearly 150 people were killed. >> the group believes that death toll will rise with hundreds of people injured. an eyewitness described the carnage.

>>. >> translator: i got here, and once i parked, the explosion happened. i was standing here. there was a car behind me that got burnt. i saw martyrs on the ground. i couldn't get my car out or anything. thank god after all, but this is not destiny. these are terrorist acts. >> russia, which of course is a strong ally of the syrian government, called the attacks a brazen challenge to the ongoing peace efforts. an intense battle is going on right now for the first major iraqi city captured by isis. government forces are fighting the militants on the outskirts of falluja. this is exclusive video obtained by cnn showing some of the clashes. >> the terror group says it's pushing back and has released this propaganda video as proof. iraq's prime minister is urging citizens in falluja to flee to safe areas if they can. >> translator: we have instructed citizens and

civilians of falluja and other areas to go to safe corridors, and we hope that they will be able to reach these corridors. but if they could not, they can stay in their houses and stick to their houses. >> falluja is just 60 kilometers west of the iraqi capital of baghdad. some say its liberation could pave the way for an offensive to push isis out of mosul, which is further north. >> the coalition fighting to retake falluja is made up of a number of different groups. but in isis they have a common enemy. our ben wedeman has reported extensively on the various forces involved in this fight, and he joins us now live from rome. hi there, ben. so how will those various groups work together to try to rid falluja of isis, and how will they likely help get those thousands of civilians out trapped by isis? >> reporter: well, we understand that of course the iraqi government, the defense ministry, is overseeing the

operation. so we believe in this particular operation, the iraqi army, which really was crippled after the fall of mosul in june 2014, is going to lead the operation and try to play a bigger role than it has in the past. now, these iraqi forces are comprised first of all of course the iraqi army, the golden brigade, which is the special anti-terrorism unit, elite anti-terrorism unit of the iraqi military, plus what's known in arabic as the popular mobilization units which are predominantly shia, in some cases iranian-trained, armed, and even advised forces which in the past in places like tikrit have played the leadership role in these operations. so it's a diverse force. of course they're going to have be to be very careful when it comes to iraq's very sensitive

sectarian balance keeping in mind that, of course, falluja is a traditionally sunni town where there is a good deal of resentment, and there has been for quite some time against the shia-dominated government in baghdad. so the actual spearhead of the operation when it comes to fighting within the city will probably be done largely by the anti-terrorism unit and sunni militias which have been trained and armed by the iraqi government. now, as far as civilians getting out, that's a very touchy topic because it's an active war zone, and there's a very good chance that there will be a high level of civilian casualties given that according to the iraqi government itself, there are as many as 70,000 civilians still left inside the city. and there's no real safe corridor for them to leave at this point although the iraqi

prime minister did say yesterday when he was visiting front-line positions that the enemy, in his words, is collapsing. rosemary. >> our ben wedeman reporting on the situation in falluja, iraq. and speaking to us there live from rome. many thanks to you. you can go to cnn.com to find out more about the battle for falluja and why the iraqi city is so important in the country's fight against isis. still to come this hour, a race to find answers. next, the search for egyptair's wreckage and the deadline investigators are facing. there's a stunning verdict in the case of a police officer charged in the death of freddie gray. but even more surprising may be the reaction. find out why both sides, gray's family's attorney and the officer, are praising the judge's decision. we're back with that in just a moment.

a warm welcome back to those of you watching here in the states and all around the world. it's your last half hour of "cnn newsroom" with us. i'm errol barnett. >> and i'm rosemary church. time to check the headlines for you. u.s. president barack obama says the u.s. and vietnam have made a lot of progress since the vietnam war, acknowledging the pain and tragedy of the past. speaking in hanoi just a short time ago, in fact, he urged vietnam to uphold human rights and said disputes in the south china sea should be resolved peacefully. right now, greece is moving thousands of stranded migrants out of the border camp. a government official says more than 2,000 migrants had been moved in the past week. thousands more remain. conditions have been dire at the camp since early march when

macedonia shut its border. donald trump is stepping up his attacks against hillary clinton. he's taking aim once again at her husband, former president bill clinton and his past infidelities. clinton responds by going after trump's checkered financial history. new polls show the candidates in a statistical dead heat in the u.s. presidential rate. egyptair flight 804 went down days ago, but there's still no firm theory on what exactly went wrong. >> a frantic search is under way to try to locate the plane's so-skauled black boxes. brian todd reports investigators are working against time and a challenging search area. >> reporter: the french patrol ship scours part of the mediterranean, searching for the fuselage of egyptair flight 804. the vessel has a small submarine

and acoustic detection systems specializing in finding pings, crucial signals from the plane's black boxes. >> it's critical for the investigators to get those devices in the water and start searching. the batteries in the pingers are only good for 30 days. >> reporter: searchers call it the acoustic clock. when the batteries on the pingers run out, it will become much harder to find the egyptair jetd's recorders. an egyptian submarine is searching but experts say its ability to actually find the plane is limits. the water is almost two miles deep in some parts of the search area. veteran searchers tell cnn it's critical to get listening devieded like pinger locators into the water. >> if these devices are not towed if they're single deployed devices, it's kind of like looking in the grand canyon at night with a flashlight for a dime. >> reporter: egyptian officials say they spotted egyptair flight 804 on radar for about a minute while it was inside egyptian airspace. they say there was no radio

contact with the cockpit. after about a minute on radar, they say, the plane disappeared. meantime, chilling audio has been released. the pilot of flight 804 making one of his last calls to air traffic control. as he speaks to a controller in zurich, the conversation is routine. nothing to indicate anything's wrong onboard. >> thank you so much. good day. good night. >> reporter: a short time later, the plane is lost on radar. new questions tonight about possible technical causes. transmission data indicates smoke alarms went off minutes before the crash, and alarms for the heating systems on the windows. are the thousands of airbus a 320s at any given time safe? >> the safety record is excellent. one takes off anywhere around the world. it's been the work horse of the industry, exceedingly safe as is the boeing triple 7. >> there's a haunting co-insz dense surrounding this plane. "the new york times" reports the very same egyptair jet which

crashed was the target of vand als about two years ago. there was a message on the underside saying quote we will bring this plane down. they believe that graffiti was not linked to terrorism. >> brian todd reporting there. for the latest on the investigation, we want to bring in ian lee. he is live from cairo. so, ian, what are we to make of some of this new information that we're learning on the lost plane? >> reporter: well, there's a lot to take into account here. first off, when we look at the plane's final moments, the greeks initially came out and said that the plane swerved left and then swerved 360 degrees, and the egyptians are saying that that isn't a fact. that it was cruising at 37,000 feet. it was in egyptian airspace for a minute, and that's when it disappeared. these are all pieces of the

puzzle, though. but the real clues are going to become -- and the facts are going to come from those black boxes to determine what the pilots were saying at the time, if that will offer any hints, but also what the instruments were reading on that plane. and there are submarines in the mediterranean right now. there's that one from france that is -- it cannot go as deep as the wreckage is believed to be, about 10,000 feet, 3,000 meters. but it can pick up the ping from those black boxes and the egyptians also have a remote-operated vehicle down there with cameras and arms searching the wreckage. that can go up to 10,000 feet, 3,000 meters. so that would be able to retrieve those black boxes. but also they are in the process right now of trying to get those -- the bodies, the body parts identified. they have asked family members here in cairo to provide dna

samples so that they can start that process as well. so there's still a long ways to go in this investigation in the aftermath of this crash. >> yeah, and that is a gruesome part of this, of course. and authorities leaving all possibilities on the table. nobody knows at this point what caused this plane to crash. ian lee joining us live from cairo, many thanks to you. if you've been traveling through u.s. airports, perhaps you've experienced some very long security lines. well, the u.s. transportation security administration has now fired its head of security. this follows a congressional hearing about mismanagement there at the tsa and its handling of big increases in air travel. members of congress asked why the official was given $90,000 in bonuses despite his agency's forcing passengers to endure those long hours at security lines at major airports. not guilty. that was the verdict in the case of a police officer charged in the death of freddie gray.

>> yeah, he is the second of six officers to be tried in a case that some say shined a spotlight on police treatment of african-americans. cnn's miguel marquez reports the verdict sparked some protests but also praise. >> reporter: when the judge in this case read the verdict, not guilty on all counts, officer edward nero at first put his head back, took in a deep breath, and then put his head down and began to sob. great, great emotion shown. his father even saying that he wept tears of joy. his lawyer a short time after that verdict was read released a statement saying in part, the state's attorney for baltimore city rushed to charge him as well as the other five officers. completely disregarding the facts of the case and the applicable law. his hope is the state's attorney will re-evaluate the remaining five officers' cases and dismiss their charges. this case completely revolved around whether or not the arrest, not the detention -- the initial detention of freddie gray say both the prosecutors

and the defense was lawful, but it was the official arrest shortly thereafter and whether or not that was lawful or not. this is something that happens every single day in baltimore. freddie gray's family responded to the judge's acquittal today, saying this. >> i found no problem with the judge's reasoning. and of course the outcome about how he weighs the evidence is strictly up to him and not to us. i commend judge williams because he is one of those rare judges that disregarded public opinion. there was enormous pressure from the african-american community to get a conviction. >> an african-american judge is what you're saying? >> yes, and he did not bend to that pressure. >> reporter: and it is not over for baltimore. the next police officer to be before a judge is caesar goodson. he was the van driver. the van is where mr. gray suffered those injuries that eventually killed him. the officer william porter, who earlier this year went through a trial that ended in a hung jury or mistrial, he will be back in

court later this year. miguel marquez, cnn, baltimore. >> joining me now is page pate. he's a criminal defense attorney and constitutional attorney. he's been watching this case closely as we all have really. thanks for coming in, mr. pate. six officers were initially charged in this. the trial for the first ended in a mistrial, for william porter. and now the second to face trial, edward nero, he was found not guilty. what does that tell us about what's to come if anything? >> i think a lot of officers are feeling pretty good right now because this was not a strong start for the state. but in the state's defense, this was really not their best case. officer nero was probably the least involved of any of the officers. the case against him rested on the state's theory that simply by arresting freddie gray without probable cause, he committed a crime. and i think the judge had a lot of problem or problems with that theory, and he said so during his questioning of the prosecutors. >> now, there were a few dozen

people outside protesting today on what they say is they're concerned about the line of questioning from judge barry williams, not linking that arrest without probable cause to criminal assault. should that have been expected, then, and if so, what do you expect to happen when the driver stands trial? well, i think that should have been expected. in fact, i think the prosecutor probably was too aggressive, probably jumped to conclusions early on in the case and was trying a novel legal theory because there's not a lot of precedent for charging a police officer with a crime simply for making an arrest when there was an absence of probable cause down the line. so i think that was a weak theory to begin with. >> that was a big moment, though. the state's attorney, marilyn mosby, she was praised and criticized for charging all six officers while protests were still happening on the streets of baltimore. was there a strategy, then, to charge them all with the most serious crime, hoping that it would at least stick for some of them? >> absolutely. and another part of that, and we

see this in criminal cases in america all the time, is that a prosecutor will charge everyone in the hope and expectation that someone will cut a deal. someone will come in, plead guilty to a lesser charge, and then testify against the other officers. but in this case, every single officer stood firm and said, we're not going to cooperate. we're all going to go to trial. and so then the prosecutor was left without any critical witnesses who were there at the time of the incident. so she's tried to cut deals. that didn't work. for officer nero, she immunized, she basically forced another officer to come in and testify, and that backfired against her. >> what do you make of the decision by edward nero to be tried by the judge and not a jury? of course this is an emotionally and racially charged case even though some of the officers charged are african-american. but each person charged does have that choice to make, right? >> absolutely. and it's rare. most of the time a defendant's going to say, i want my case heard by a jury because they're going to assume that the jury, especially with a police officer, is going to be

sympathetic to the officer. they're not just going to look at the cold law. they're going to try to use compassion and reason and common sense. but in this case, officer nero's lawyer said this case is so weak, the evidence is just not there. we don't want to risk the case with a jury, who may have an emotional reaction to the incident. we want to go in front of this judge, who has a lot of experience, who will hopefully -- and he did -- see through the state's theory and return a not guilty verdict. >> and also very unique that the police union and even freddie gray's family praised the judge in this decision-making, saying look, if the evidence isn't there, you cannot charge that individual. >> that's right. and i think gray's family recognizes they're going to need this judge going forward. as the stronger cases come to trial, the driver and the other officers. so i think they're reluctant to criticize the judge at this point. >> pretty fascinating. criminal defense attorney and constitutional attorney page pate. thanks for your time and insight today. >> thank you, errol. we'll take a short break here. but when we come back, a rescue effort on mt. everest after a

tragically deadly weekend. that story still to come. my lineage was the vecchios and zuccolis. through ancestry, through dna i found out that i was only 16% italian. he was 34% eastern european. so i went onto ancestry, soon learned that one of our ancestors we thought was italian was eastern european. this is my ancestor who i didn't know about. he looks a little bit like me, yes. ancestry has many paths to discovering your story.

get started for free at ancestry.com

austria has chosen a new president in a cliff-hanger runoff election. former green party leader alexander van der bellen won a narrow victory decided by absentee ballots. the 72-year-old economist ran as an independent. >> his challenger, norbert hofer was hoping to become the european union's first far right head of state. rescuers are searching for two indian climbers missing on mt. everest. >> it comes after a deadly weekend on the world's highest peak. sumnima udas has the story. >> reporter: it's the ultimate achievement. scaling the top of the world, mt. everest, at 8,848 meters, almost 30,000 feet. but the deaths of four climbers in as many days has shaken the mountaineering community.

phurba sherpa fell to his death while fixing the route just a few meters from the summit. dutch climber eric arnold, a triathlete died from a suspected heart attack. he was on his way down after a successfully summit. australian national maeeia strydomed died fromald tud sickness. and on sunday, indian climber subash paul, also died. danger is inherent here. more than 250 mountaineers have died since the first official ascent in 1953. but still every year, hundreds are drawn to it, willing to take the risk. the area is so thin, the oxygen level is a third of what's available at sea level. the wind is vicious. the weather erratic. and the terrain deadly. kenton cool is a guide who has

climbed everest t12 times. >> winds are very brutal on everest and they can make what would be a relatively amenable summit day into something quite the opposite. >> climbing had been halted for the past two years after a deadly avalanche in 2014 that killed 16 sherpas and a devastating earthquake that struck nepal in 2015. a lot was riding on this year's climbing season. the nepali government hoping to revive tourism in a country still reeling from the earthquake. authorities say some 400 climbers summited everest this year. but this is a tragic end to yet another climbing season. >> it's not considerably dangerous. it is very, very dangerous. and you do need the depth of experience. you do need the understanding and the skill set to be able to operate and even survive at such altitudes. >> reporter: a reminder of just how dangerous scaling the highest mountain in the world can be.

sumnima udas, cnn. now we will lighten the mood for you coming up after the break. us u.s. political junkies will now have to find another source for our campaign comedy as "saturday night live" dances off into the sunset for another season. but we will bring you this year's funniest moments after the break.

too little, too late. that is the message manchester united sent to their manager when the club sacked him just two days after winning the f.a. cup. >> you see, it was the club's first trophy in three years. but louie van gaal is done and reportedly jose more evenio is sit to take his place. mourinho last managed chelsea, the team that fired him in december. some people are calling this year's u.s. presidential election a circus, unintentionally comical. >> and now american audiences will be without one of their most possible outlets for political satire. we are of course speaking of

"saturday night live." seas jeanne moos reports. >> reporter: better savor it because you're going to have to endure most of the rest of the election season without your "snl" fix. >> i don't really like people. i only talk to them because i want to be the president so bad. >> reporter: just when kate mckinnon has nailed her hillary and 60-year-old darrell hammond has made a comeback has the donald -- >> everyone loves me. i even got this fat piece of crap behind me now. >> yes, sir. thank you, sir. please, sir, may i have another. >> reporter: and larry david manages to be himself and bernie at the same time. >> oh, hillary, i'll miss that lack of charm. >> reporter: what we'll be lacking is "snl." no larry, no kate, no darrell. the three stooges of "snl" political impersonation gone? gone until the new season starts. >> i'll leave. >> never. >> reporter: a mere month or so.

for election day, no more dancing candidates, no more reenactments of hillary's metro card fail. >> it's been a while. >> reporter: no more crawling over the turnstile. >> i'll take a cab. >> reporter: and no more candidates themselves trying to be funny. >> you used to call me on the cell phone. >> reporter: or pretending to be president. >> the president of mexico is here to see you. >> ah, donald. >> enrique. >> i brought you the check for the wall. >> oh, that's so wonderful. >> reporter: who could for goat val? >> hey, bartender, keep 'em coming. all anyone wants to talk about is donald trump. >> donald trump? isn't he the one that's like, you're all losers? >> reporter: mckinnon told time the skit was the greatest day of my life while hillary tweeted, a vote for hillary is a vote for four more years of kate mckinnon's impression. as for darrell hammond, when he returns next season, he'll be playing both the republican nominee and the aspiring first

spouse. >> my god, they're multiplying. >> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn. new york. >> don't despair. they're back in october, right? >> we're going to miss them in the meantime, though. >> absolutely. >> that's awesome stuff. u.s. president barack obama took a short break from diplomacy to grab dinner with our own anthony bourdain. the celebrity chef posted this picture on instagram showing the two sharing a meal at a small restaurant in hanoi. >> noodles and beer for a total cost of $6. bourdain says he picked up the tab. their meeting will be featured in a september episode of bo bourdain oh show here on cnn. >> thanks for joining us. i'm errol barnett. >> i'm rosemary church. remember to connect with us anytime on twitter. "early start" starts now for our viewers in the u.s. >> have a great day.

. . .

the newest ripple in the race for president. bernie sanders with a new warning about what could happen at the democratic convention. it could get messy as donald trump and hillary clinton fire off against each other. and we're live with what the president had to say. happening now, u.s. forces helping iraq take back a key city from isis. we have the latest from the battle field. it will be a complicated battle. good