the u.s. president continues his twitter tie rrirade against media. those across the aisle says it is distracting. the final push against isis in western mosul. we'll have that. plus this. >> each human they meet is either desperate to escape or the enemy. >> that story coming up here at the final push to get isis out of the city of me sul osul in i. we are live in atlanta at 5:01 a.m. eastern time. i'm natalie allen. >> i'm george howell. from cnn world headquarter "newsroom" starts right now. president trump is way from the white house this weekend, spending time at his resort in new jersey, but he returned to

washington briefly saturday night for an event at the kennedy center. ♪ >> the event at the kennedy center is the celebrate freedom concert, to honor u.s. veterans. the president used the occasion o ait c to attack one of his favorite targets, the media. >> the fake media is trying to silence us, but we will not let them. because the people know the truth. the fake media tried to stop us from going to the white house, but i'm president and they're not. [ applause ] the dishonest media will never keep us from accomplishing our objectives on behalf of our

great american people. >> mr. trump also pushed back against critics who want him to lay off twitter. one of the critics include members of the republican party. he said my use of social media is not presidential, it is modern day presidential. make america great again. here's more now from cnn's ryan nobles at the white house. >> reporter: the president of the united states started his holiday weekend early saturday by tweeting about mika brzezinski and joe scarborough, continuing his feud with the msnbc hosts. trump tweeting, crazy joe scarborough and dumb as a rock mika are not bad people, but their low rated show is dominated by their nbc bosses. too bad. the president also went on a twitter rampage accusing the media of trying to get in the way of his social media usage, suggesting that his twitter feed is among the reasons that he is currently the president of the united states.

but there are many republicans in congress that are concerned about the president's use of twitter and that it is getting in the way of his agenda, including important things happening this week, like his trip to europe for the g-20 summit and the debate over health care. still, his aids say the president is diligently working on health care. he is expected to make calls to lawmakers over the july fourth recess with the hope of coming to an agreement to repeal and replace obamacare when they return on july 10th. ryan nobles, cnn, at the white house. >> let's talk more about it with steven, the london bureau chief for the "new york times." thank you for joining us. let's look at that new tweet from president trump again, where he is tweet iing is moder day presidential, where he is rewriting the rules and he won, in part, due to social media. well, is that kind of true? >> well, it is true. there's no question he used social media in a very clever way. he used it, you know, the way

the first politicians used the radio, to appeal over the heads of experts and journalists, right to his base. that's what he cares about. i mean, he lives on partisanship. and he excites his base this way. they like his tweets. the republican leadership might not. and the news media might not, though it gives us all something to talk about. but i think for him, it is a very important part of his notion of politics, and it is very modern. >> he is defending his freedom of speech, i guess, as we, the media, whom he calls fake, continue to express freedom of speech with our work. true there, too, i guess. when it comes to legislation, needing to get into the weeds of what he really needs to accomplish as president, a tweet doesn't lend itself to that. not sure what he's going for.

are his tweets an impediment to important communication he needs to have to get his projects pushed through? >> i'm not sure. you know, one of the reasons that he's still -- has big influence with his own party is they're afraid of him. i mean, they believe that he has appealed to voters who will punish them if they push against the white house, if they push against trump. so you see this issue on the health bill, which is really quite controversial. but you also see it with this discomfort people have about the russian investigation and rumors, hints that come out of the white house that, you know, trump is going to fire robert mueller and then people pull him back from that. there's just this sense that he is using this. we are props in his play, right? >> yes. >> cnn is. the "new york times" is.

by pushing this notion that we're all fake news, he is trying to undermine us when we produce real news, particularly real news that might damage him and his program. but there's no question there's a battle. we can't be in a fight with the president of the united states. that's ridiculous. we're just trying to cover him. sometimes, i think we actually add to his intent by spending so much time concentrating on his little squabbles, which seem to me quite cynical, actually. >> okay. good point. let's talk about what he's got on his plate. later today, he's talking to the chinese leader xi jinping, trying to explore things regarding north korea. he also has to somehow finesse the arms sale that the u.s. just made to taiwan. can you talk more about how

important this conferenversatio might be? >> it is very important. i mean, there's no question mr. trump candidate talked about putting 35% tax on china tariffs and that china was a currency manipulator. as a negotiator, tries to put people on the defensive. then xi jinping was his best friend in mar-a-lago. now he says he's disappointed with what the chinese have been able to do with north korea. the fact of the matter is the relationship with china is crucial. it is crucial for the united states. it is crucial for the security of east asia. our allies in east asia are very, very nervous. and so are the people in south korea. it is a bit like russia. mr. trump is trying to -- if you like reset relations with two major powers, the chinese who really are much more important, and also russia. i think for the g-20, which is

coming up next week, it'll be trump's first real sit down with vladimir putin and it'll be an important moment for xi jinping and mr. trump, also. and there are other countries in the world, including the european union, who are very anxious about what mr. trump will do and say in both of those relationships. because his relationship, the united states relationship with russia and china matters terribly for the rest of the world, especially the europeans. >> we need to focus back on the important stories here. thank you, from london, from the "new york times." >> thank you. natalie, you touched on this in your interview but this is possibly one of the most anticipated meetings coming up in the g20 summit. president trump planning to sit down with the leader of russia, vladimir putin. >> for years, mr. trump delivered conflicting messages about how well he knows mr.

putin. we get more on that from cnn's victor blackwell. >> i never met putin. i don't know who putin is. >> reporter: it is a claim president donald trump made many times during the campaign. >> i never met putin. i don't think i've ever met him. i never met him. >> you'd know it if you did. >> i think so. >> reporter: the g20 summit in germany will offer the first opportunity for president trump to meet slad leer pvladimir put face-to-face. >> have you met vladimir putin? >> yes. >> you have? >> one time, yes. long time ago. >> reporter: mr. trump didn't say during the interview when or what circumstances the two men met. days before their meeting in hamburg, there are unsettled claims about their history. the white house said they've spoken by phone at least three types since the 2016 election, but on conversations before the election, more contradictions. in july 2016, candidate trump said this.

>> i have nothing to do with putin. i've never spoken to him. i don't know anything about him, other than he will respect me. >> reporter: that contradicts what he said two years earlier. >> i was in moscow recently and spoke indirectly and directly with president putin, who could not have been nicer. >> reporter: during the campaign, candidate trump denied any relationship with putin. >> i have no relationship with him, other than he called me a genius. >> reporter: but when asked about their relationship during a 2013 msnbc interview, another contradiction. >> do you have a relationship with vladimir putin, a conversational relationship or anything that you feel you have sway or influence over his government? >> i do have a relationship. >> reporter: the g20 summit begins on friday. >> victor blackwell, thank you. the russian president is urging qatar and the king of bahrain to resolve the diplomatic crisis between qatar and its neighbors. qatar faces a monday deadline to

comply with 13 demands from several gulf arab states. >> it is unlikely the deadline will be met. qatar's foreign minister says the demands were not meant to be accepted, and he adds larger nations should not bully smaller ones. >> saudi arabia, egypt, bahrain and the uae have all cut diplomatic ties with qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism. the country denies that. >> let's go live to qatar right now. we're following the story in doha. when it comes to the mood there in doha and throughout qatar, it seems that qataris are taking a resilient position despite this pressure. >> they really are. george, it is one day before the deadline runs out. as you mentioned, it really is looking unlikely that qatar is going to agree or comply with this list of sweeping demands. it is not just something that we're hearing from government officials like the foreign minister, you're also hearing this on the ground from ordinary people. there really is this mood of

defiance and patriotism in doha. ♪ that has taught me all i know ♪ >> reporter: four years ago, this woman ended her singing career to focus on composing music, but as her country of qatar is facing an unprecedented crisis, it's time to act, she says. ♪ we may live in peace >> all of a sudden, there is this embargo and they were blockaded. i wanted to get this message of love and unity and togetherness out, and i wanted to show this, to showcase the strength and our unwavering loyalty for our leader. ♪ we stand firm above it all >> reporter: along with some of qatar's most known musical talents and a volunteer ex-patriot choir, they recorded the song "one nation." >> our home is being attacked, and we've got to stand up for ourselves. we've got to stand up for it. we've got to take ownership of

our messaging. we've got to take ownership of our narrative. we've got to get this out there. >> reporter: qataris feel the demands aim to strip it of its sovereignty. on the streets of doha, it feels like national day, with what seem to be spontaneous shows of support for the country's leadership. the latest, this wall with an iconic image, where people leave messages of support and patriotism. this 10-year-old, perhaps too young to understand the politics behind this, says she's here to express her love for her country. >> under this crisis and this blockade, it's brought us together. to see people do this from the grassroot, from bottom up, because it is not forced by the government so it's -- i don't know. it is heartwarming to be here with everyone. >> reporter: we're told the poster was put up by a qatari

businessman. >> i think our government has done well in handling the situation and in providing a continued, normal life for people, maintaining the standard of living in the country. so this is just the way for the people and for us to show our support to our government and to our leadership, who have really made us proud of them at this time of crisis. >> reporter: the sense of national pride is a sure sign that qatar will not be backing down any time soon. it's not just this mood of nationalism. there's also a certain level of anxiety and uncertainty. no one really knows what happens next. >> jonajomana, that is the ques. unclear what happens next. there are certainly consequences to bare, yes?

>> a lot of questions. no one really knows what happens next. it seems when you look at it, both sides are really digging in, you know. you have the qataris saying they won't agree to demands that infringe on their sovereignty. we heard from saudi arabia's foreign minister, saying these demands are not gaucnegotiable. the demands are only valid ten days. there's been a lot of speculation, whether there is going to be escalation or sanctions that could follow. we've heard from the qatari foreign minister yesterday saying they believe they have a lot of international supports. they are ready for whatever the consequences are going to be. one thing is for certain, george, this region, the gulf cooperation council will definitely not be the same again after this crisis. >> i believe it was described before as a parting of ways. obviously, we'll see how this

plays out moving forward. live for us in doha this hour, thank you for your reporting. the defeat of isis in mosul looks immminent. coming up, we have exclusive footage of the fighting that shows you what the iraqi army is up against as they try to push isis out. plus, an exclusive interview with a former extremist in the philippines. what he says about his old group now fighting for isis. stay with us. n't want to lie do. i refuse to lie down. why suffer? stand up to chronic migraine with botox® botox® is the only treatment for chronic migraine shown to actually prevent headaches and migraines before they even start. botox® is for adults with chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month each lasting 4 hours or more. it's injected by a doctor once every 12 weeks. and is covered by most insurance. effects of botox® may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness

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the battle for mosul. isis is on the brink of defeat in that city in iraq. the fierce fighting continues. >> a photographer, gabriel, has been on the ground capturing harrowing video of the battle. our nick paton walsh has some of that for you. we want to warn you, you're going to see some disturbing video, and it shows you just how close and dangerous this last fight is. >> reporter: from here to the river is all isis has left of mosul. this is the story of how it fell on the streets around the mosque they once held sacred but then destroyed. a brazilian photographer, gabriel, is on foot with iraqi special forces. every foot fall could hit a booby trap. an eerie silence holds in just about everything. endless soot. [ gunshots ] streets empty.

every human they meet is either desperate to escape or the enemy. in the alleyways, two men approach them. one is carrying a bomb. they rush in to help the wounded. the second man carrying a much larger device. gabriel struggles to breathe. the dust also means they can't see if there are any other bombers or where their three dead and dozens of colleagues lie. the advance continues up to and around the mosque. civilians, human shields for weeks, stoop under gunfire or are even oblivious to it.

some never leave the underground. loud, constant blasts in the darkness. unable to walk, the first man feins ignorance, but admits that isis is on the roof and lined the entire street. the interrogator tells the team he is isis. the desperate rush for life continued. the u.n. estimated 150,000 people were trapped here, but in the end, nobody had any idea, or how many lie left behind them in the rubble. water, water. i'm dying, she screams. her lips white. in crippling heat and panic, pray you never know thirst like this. or what it is like to carry your family out lifeless on a cart.

this is his mother. for god sake, help me carry him, he cries. they try running to the closest point in the narrow street a vehicle could reach. stop the blood loss, they plead. it is unclear if the boy survived. even when this dust is cleared of isis, the killing in iraq won't stop. a private hell of memories won't suddenly be washed away. nick paton walsh. cnn, mosul. >> thank you. >> goodness. in a cnn exclusive coming up monday, we will look at this war in syria. we will take you to the netherlands where we speak with a syrian mother who receives desperate messages from her daughter, who is trapped in raqqah.

>> reporter: you've never seen your grandson before? >> translator: no, i haven't seen him. my dear, i wake up in sadness. i go to bed in sadness. i don't know any other emotion than sadness. every day, i live in fear of tomorrow. >> you'll hear more of those desperate messages, the response of hope from her mother. that story only on monday, only here on cnn. >> like to cling to the word hope after all of that. >> yeah. the defeat in mosul appears imminent for isis, but isis is expanding beyond the middle east. it's brought groups like abu sayyaf under its black banner, now waging war in the philippines. >> ivan watson spoke to a former abu sayyaf member.

in a cnn exclusive, he detailed the group's bloody history. >> reporter: what was the attraction in those days to join an armed militant group? >> to us, it was a noble publication, to take part in jihad. >> reporter: what was the justification at that time for killing people? >> first, we thought that the organization is for religious purpose. it is for the propagation of islamic teachings. it is to establish the sharia. we never thought that the group would resort to kidnappings, bombings and many other

atrocities. >> $15 million in ransom for the release of 20 of 21 hostages kidnapped four and a half months ago. >> especially during the start of the group, the foreign connection, foreign support is very important. >> what kind of things did these men teach you? >> they provided us with their experience in afghanistan. how to conduct an ambush and what are the things needed during warfare. >> reporter: did you use the islands and boats to smuggle people and money and weapons? >> yes. it was very easy for us.

the people can just come in using fast speedboats. they can easily transport firearms and money very easily. >> reporter: how much money would be on a boat? >> millions. this has never happened before. that militant groups in the philippines have come together. >> reporter: do you feel any guilt about your time with the -- >> yes. >> reporter: -- militant groups? >> i resent having joined this kind of organization. having known people who brought this destruction. >> from ivan wattness -- pwatso in the philippines. many venezuelans are heading across the border to try to find food. that's coming up next. plus, as president trump

ma makes controversial comments, we'll take a look at how his wife and daughter are reacting. and later this hour, amazingly well-preserved ruins discovered while digging for a new subway line underneath rome. ray's always been different. last year, he said he was going to dig a hole to china. at&t is working with farmers to improve irrigation techniques. remote moisture sensors use a reliable network to tell them when and where to water. so that farmers like ray can compete in big ways. china. oh ... he got there. that's the power of and.

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yeah, and i can watch thee bgame with directv now.? oh, sorry, most broadcast and sports channels aren't included. and you can only stream on two devices at once. this is fun, we're having fun. yeah, we are. no, you're not jimmy. don't let directv now limit your entertainment. xfinity gives you more to stream to more screens. welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. you're watching cnn "newsroom." good to have you with us. i'm george howell. >> i'm natalie allen. the headlines this hour, the holiday weekend isn't keeping president trump from not wishing the news media a happy fourth. the fake and fraudulent news

media is working hard to convince republicans and others i should not use social media. but remember, i won the 2016 election with interviews, speeches and social media. i had to beat fake news and did. we will continue to win. the former israeli prime minister has been released from prison. the 71-year-old had his sentence cut by a third last week. reduced sentences are common practice in israel for prisoners not committing violent crimes. he was serving a 27-month sentence for corruption. the rift between qatar and several gulf states could deepen. the foreign minister says a list of 13 demands from its neighbors is intended to be rejected. he's urging dialogue at monday's deadline approaches. saudi arabia, egypt, bahrain and the uae all cut diplomatic ties with qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism. qatar denies that.

capital of syria, a suicide car bomber escaped authorities who were chasing him. syrian state tv said he blew himself up at the square in central damascus, killing and wounding several people there. authorities also chased two other suicide car bombers. they intercepted them and destroyed the bombs at an entrance to the city. we are learning more. four more people have been killed in venezuela as outrage grows against that government. it's been almost three months since demonstrations, demanding that president maduro step down. the rallies are becoming dangerous. the death toll stands at 86 people. >> that is as the country continues to face a devastating economic crisis. people are standing in lines for hours as grocery stores run out of food and water and medicine is scarce. the latest protest involved ortega, a well-known critic of president maduro. she's been banned from leaving the country and her assets have

been frozen. many venezuelans are turning to its neighbor, columbia, for basic needs. >> cnn has the report from the border. ♪ >> reporter: a very busy and quite festive scene here in columbia, where flows of people come to the border of columbia and venezuela to buy very basic goods. tens of thousands of venezuelans cross the border into this town to find a basic good they cannot find in their home country. and inside the stores here in columbia, venezuelans know they can count on this. they can count on store shelves to be filled with the basics. pasta, rice, cooking oil, diapers, things they cannot find in their home country of venezuela right now. cnn, columbia. president trump, again, commenting about a female cable news anchor. those comments bringing up his

long history of sexist remarks. >> that puts a spotlight on all of the women in his own life. our jason carroll takes a look at how some of the women are reacting during this latest controversy. >> reporter: while the administration looks toward trying to turn the page on the debate over the president and his comments about women, three women close to the president have stood by him. the first lady, senior white house adviser kellyann conway and his daughter ivanka. >> policies that allow women with children to thrive should not be november lties. they should be the norm. >> reporter: ivanka trump, the most vocal member of the administration, promoting and empowering women, noticeably silent on her father's latest tweet about msnbc host mika brzezinski, a tweet lawmakers on both sides of the aisle viewed as sexist. this silence from a woman whose twitter bio reads, wife, mother, sister, daughter, entrepreneur and advocate for the education

and empowerment of women and girls. ivanka trump in the past has defended her father's treatment of women. this past april, trump was met with boos when she explained her reasoning to a women's panel in p berlin. >> he's been a tremendous champion of supporting families and enabling them to thrive, in the new reality of -- >> you hear the reaction from the audience. i need to address one more point. some attitudes toward women your father has publicly displayed in former times might leave one questioning whether he's such an empowerer for women. what's your comment on that? >> i think the thousands of women who have worked with and for my father for decades when he was in the private sector are a testament to his police chibe solid conviction in the potential of women.

>> reporter: white house adviser, kellyann conway, publicly defended the president's latest tweets. >> large parts of the media are covering personal insults about the president. this invective and really denying america's women their rightful knowledge on what he's doing for them on tax -- >> it wasn't -- he hasn't come out with a plan but that's besides the point -- >> you keep interrupting me, george. fairly, to the american people, particularly women who tune into these shows to get information about what's going on for them. >> reporter: then there is the first lady, who threw a spokeswoman, defended her husband. as the first lady stated publicly in the past, when her husband gets attacked, he will punch back ten times harder. that reaction surprised her critics, who expected a different response from someone who has made cyberbullying a signature priority, and one who says she calls out the president for tweeting. >> if he does something that you think crossed a line, will you

tell him? >> yes. i tell him all the time. >> all the time? >> all the time. >> does he listen? >> i think he hears me, but he will do what he wants to do in the end. >> reporter: or ivanka trump, her silence comes after her own observation about the, quote, viciousness in politics. >> it is hard. and there's a level of viciousness that i was not expecting. i was not expecting the intensity of this experience. >> reporter: yjason carroll, cn, new york. ahead here on "newsroom," above and beyond the call of duty. >> cnn remembers the hot shots, firefighters who lost their lives four year as ago in one of the deadliest fires in u.s. history. be the you who shows up in that dress. who hugs a friend. who is done with treatments that don't give you clearer skin. be the you who controls your psoriasis with stelara® just 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses.

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yeah, and i can watch thee bgame with directv now.? oh, sorry, most broadcast and sports channels aren't included. and you can only stream on two devices at once. this is fun, we're having fun. yeah, we are. no, you're not jimmy. don't let directv now limit your entertainment. xfinity gives you more to stream to more screens.

wildfires fueled by gusty winds and high temps are sweeping through a number of u.s. states right now. >> there's one fire in particular that is a haunting reminder of the 19 firefighters who fought another blaze and lost their lives four years ago in one of the deadliest fires in u.s. history in that same area. in arizona. cnn's martin savage has more now on the men who went above and beyond the call of duty to protect their city. >> reporter: these are the last images of the granite mountain hot shots, repairing to fight the fire that will kill them. a wind shift sends planes racing -- flames racing toward the team, trapping them in a canyon. >> it's being cut off. >> reporter: all 19 men died. in the aftermath, friends, family and officials worked to preserve the now hallowed ground and the memories of those lost.

>> we had to get it right. you had to get it right. >> reporter: the result is a memorial like no other that will test your heart as well as break it. >> this is a good example of the whole way. >> reporter: a rugged, seven-mile trail, climbing more than 1,000 feet up the side of a mountain. is it hard to come here? >> yes and no. no because i know andrew is in heaven. >> reporter: 29-year-old andrew ashcraft was one of the hot shots killed. his mom remembers him returning from other fires, a smile on his face, smelling of smoke as he hugged her. >> there were times i said to my husband, could you put a fire in the fire pit? i need to smell andrew for a minute. >> reporter: on the trail, there are carefully placed plaques every 600 feet. every so often, you meet a new member of the crew. this is andrew, deborah's son. the last part of the trail is the hardest of all. 600-foot decent, following the

same path the granite mountain crew did that day. it is tough physically but very tough emotionally. you end up here. the place where the men made their last stand. iron crosses marking where each firefighter was found, tightly clustered. the men were as close to each other in death as they were in life. among them, karen and jim norris's 28-year-old son. >> scott was fun loving and adventurous. he enjoyed making people laugh. this is a very emotional and sacred place to me. >> reporter: firefighters can often be found here, like this montana crew hiking up during our interview. >> i have to hug you. a mom's got to hug, okay? >> reporter: four years after the deaths of the hot shots, their memorial is a trail for remembering and a path toward healing. martin savage, cnn, yarnell,

arizona. >> thank you. >> i don't think any of us will ever forget that story and their valor. again, a lot of firefighters across the western u.s. doing the same thing. >> volunteers battling fires across 12 states as we speak. there are 34 active, large wildfires right now, and they continue to burn over the western u.s. over 249,000 acres burned from these active, uncontained blazes that's continued to impact many of the states over the western u.s. and even into alaska, as well. we're not showing that on our map here, but it is an active season to say the least. to try to put it into perspective, what we've done is we've totaled up the amount of acreage and the total number of fires that have burnt since the beginning of the year-to-date, or at least to june 30th.

you can see when we compare it to the ten-year average, we are significantly higher in terms of the amount of acreage that has burnt so far this year-to-date. over 2.7 million acres have burned from these active wildfires. the interesting thing to note is compared to the ten-year average, we have less wildfires that have taken place this year so far. but goodness, we still have a high fire threat, especially across northern arizona, where we have critical fire danger through the afternoon today. we have an elevated risk across the four corners and into eastern sections of nebraska. scattered, dry thunderstorms that are in the forecast across parts of utah, into colorado, as well as eidaho. those spark fires easily because the thunderstorms form lightning and the rain evaporates before it reaches the floor or the surface of the earth, and it is unable to put out any blaze or ember that it starts or ignites. here's a look at our severe weather chances today. into the long holiday weekend,

people with traveling. you want to keep an eye to the sky. we have a slight risk of severe weather today across about 20 million people impacted by this from chicago to tulsa, dodge city, rapid city. large hail and damaging winds. then we head into the day on monday. we have an enhanced risk across the plains. as we look into independence day, the fourth of july, many people wondering, well, will i be able to see fireworks in a dry setting or will it be raining? the answer is looks like we have scattered showers and thunderstorms across the nation's midsection, perhaps into the southeastern atlantic coastline. the rest of the u.s. should stay dry, including new york city. speaking of new york, we have to talk about what happened in upstate new york just within the past 24 hours. significant rainfall totals for this area led to some significant flooding across downtown utica. these are some of the images from the salvation army emergency disaster services. we have video footage, as well. four feet of water inundated the downtown parts of this location

and made it almost impossible for people to drive. look at the flooded roads there. some of the vehicles getting stuck in the water, as well. not good to try and traverse over flooded roadways, regardless of what we're seeing there on tv. scary moments for residents there. fortunately, the waters have receded and are starting to dry out. >> thank you. when you dig underneath rome, you never know what you're going to find. >> this discovery is sort of ao. during the excavation of rome's newest subway line, dating back 18 centuries. neutralizing 44% more acid than tums® for fast, powerful relief of your worst heartburn. i trust my rolaids®. r-o-l-a-i-d-s spells relief. we send our kids out into the world, full of hope. and we don't want something like meningitis b getting in their way. meningococcal group b disease,

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it's entertainment your way. welcome back. new questions are being raised about the aztec empire after a tower of human skulls was discovered in mexico. archaeologists found more than 650 skulls belonging to women and children caked in lime. one of the main temples and the former aztec capital, now present day mexico city. >> the tower is believed to be a part of a massive array of skulls from ritualistic human sacrifices mentioned in the writings of spanish conquistadors. >> not happy times. while building rome's third

metro line, archaeologists found not something like that, but a third century house destroyed by fire, but very well-preserved. >> complete with central heating systems, beams and the bones of a dog. ben wedeman takes a step back in time for this report. >> reporter: scratch the surface in rome and you find history. it's an archaeologist's paradise. but for officials overseeing the long, delayed construction to the city's newest subway line, line c, rome's embarrassment of ancient riches is a curse that keeps on giving. while digging a shaft for the subway's tunnel near the coliseum late last year, workers uncovered what appeared to be the charred remains of a luxurious home, complete with central heating, dating back 1,800 years.

it is an extraordinary situation, rome's archaeological superintendent tells me. collapse of the ceiling sealed everything inside. it was carbonized without being burned. it's unique in rome. the ceiling's wooden beams which would have been decayed to dust have been preserved. there are no human remains, but archaeologists did find the bones of a dog who wouldn't, or couldn't, flee the flames. this poor dog was already in the room during the fire, says this archaeologist. we found ashes under its paws, probably part of the burning ceiling fell on it and there it was stuck and died. construction didn't begin until 2007.

since then, work has been delayed by one archaeological discovery after another. this is the challenge of trying to make life modern in an ancient city like rome. no matter where you dig, you're almost certain to find something. rome wasn't built in a day, and its newest subway line won't be completed in a decade, maybe not even two. the future will have to wait as the past is uncovered. ben wedeman, cnn, rome. >> ben, thank you. the story just into "newsroom. a u.s. navy destroyer sailed within miles of the disputed island in the south china sea. >> the navy conducted a freedom of navigation operation exercise around the island.

claimed by china, vietnam and taiwan. china has taken issue with vessels coming close to what it claims as its territory. 12 nautical miles is the generally defined international territorial costal limit. we might want to remind our viewers that president trump has had a call with the head of china later on this day. we end the show this hour with canada marking a major milestone on saturday. >> hello, everyone. happy canada day! >> justin trudeau excited, celebrating the nation's 150 anniversary. u2's bono and the edge were on hand for ottawa's festivities. >> so was prince charles, awarded the order of canada, a top civilian honor. the country's head of state, queen elizabeth, celebrated canada day on instagram because

she's that cool. >> she is. >> notice the maple leaf broach. how perfect. thank you for watching cnn newsroom. i'm natalie allen. >> i'm george howell. the news continues here on cnn. it's a good thing we brought the tablets huh?

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