for what we're going to see for the next 20 years. >> you want answers? >> i think i'm entitled. >> you want answered? >> i want the truth! >> you can't handle the truth! president trump's latest twitter tirade drawing scorn and criticism. he lashes out at several democratic congress women telling them, "go back to their countries." plus, a crackdown on undocumented immigrants. the trump administration saying it's targeted roundup is underway, though it seems a far cry from the major blitz the administration had promised. and birthright has brought millions of young jews to visit israel, but it's also faced major backlash from a one-sided perspective. now one organization is offering a different view. we are live from cnn world headquarters in atlanta and we want to welcome our viewers here

in the united states and around the world. i'm george howell. >> and i'm paula newton. "cnn newsroom" starts right now. now, the u.s. president escalated his anti-immigration rhetoric sunday with an attack on four minority congress women using language widely condemned as racist. now, it came on the same day donald trump's administration says it launched raids targeting thousands of undocumented immigrants. >> a series of tweets. here's what he said. "so interesting to see progressive democrat congress women who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe. rememb " remember, again, these are americans, but the president added "they should leave and go back to where they came from." again, 3 out of the 4 women were

born in the united states. the fourth, ilhan omar, came to the states as a child and became a u.s. citizen in 2000. >> this was their comeback. alexandria ocasio-cortez responded, "mr. president, the country i come from and the country we all swear to is the united states. but given how you've destroyed our border with inhumane camps, all at a benefit to you and the corporations who profit off them, you are absolutely right about the corruption laid at your feet." and ilhan omar tweeted, "you are stoking white nationalism because you are angry that people like us are serving in congress and fighting against your hate-filled agenda." and she quotes robert f. contendin kennedy, saying "america's answer to the intolerant man is diversity, the very diversity which our heritage has inspired." >> boris sanchez reports the

president's attempts to broaden that divide appear to have failed. >> reporter: president trump on sunday launching new attacks against key progressive democrats, suggesting that some members of congress should go back to their countries. he doesn't reference them by name, but the president was apparently referring to representative ilhan omar, alexandria ocasio-cortez, rashida tlaib and iyaayanna presley. they have had a rift with the house speaker nancy pelosi and the president writes "they can't leave fast enough. i'm sure nancy pelosi would be very happy to work out free travel arrangements." the president trying to exploit this rift on their opposition to a bill on immigration funding that house speaker nancy pelosi helped to pass and pelosi's criticism of their social media use. the president, though, may have had these tweets backfire, though, because these four congress women have launched attacks at him and how house speaker nancy pelosi has tweeted out in solidarity with them.

writing, "i reject donald trump's xenophobic comments meant to divide our nation. rather than attack members of congress, he should work with us for humane immigration policy that reflects american values." the president yet again using the language of white nationalist supporters who feel uncomfortable about immigration and something this president has frequently used before, something he is obviously very comfortable doing. boris sanchez, cnn, at the white house. >> and for more on this, james davis is the dean of the school of economics and political science and joins us now from munich, germany. you know, of course we've heard the outrage and the contempt and yet we shouldn't just dismiss it as that, should we? i mean, this is the president's political currency right now. it has to be said, you know, some argue even that this has gone much further than other things that he has said or tweeted. what do you think? >> well, i think there are two aspects of these tweets we need to focus on. i think the first is, of course,

the attacks on women, and i stress women of color in an attempt to sort of drive a wedge between americans who may have a history, family history from europe and other places and these women who may, you know, three of them born in the united states, but, you know, some family history that comes from other parts of the world. so there is a sort of racist element to this, but there is also i think a very calculated effort to distract us from a debate over the content of his immigration policies and redirect our attention to the identities of those who are -- who are making the criticisms. and i want to remind you, there are a lot of white male members of congress, there are a lot of african-american members of congress, male, who are also criticizing these very policies. there are a lot of middle of the road americans who are criticizing these policies, but the president has chosen to focus on four women of color, and i think there's something to that, but, again, it's a

distraction from the content of the policies that have many critics in a focus on the identity of just four of those critics. >> yeah, and that is a good point to remember, of course. you know, there's been a big debate as to whether or not you can just call it out as racist. let's remember the definition here. racism is a person who shows or feels discrimination or prejudice against people of other races. you could also perhaps say he was xenophobic. i mean, do those who support the president understand this and agree with it or do they just choose to ignore it? which do you think it is? >> well, i think it's probably both. i think there is a portion of the president's base that feels that the america that they remember or they like to idealize is under attack. that's an america that probably never was the way they like to think of it, but it was a white america, it was a christian america, it was an america of the 1950s, and now we have a much more diverse society, a society that has people coming

from all parts of the world, and many of them are now sitting in congress, and that makes some of these people uncomfortable. when i think there is also an interesting fact that all four of these women that are being attacked represent multicultural cities and there is sort of a city/land dimension to all of this. a lot of the base of the president comes from the coun y countryside, small town america, not the cities. it's probably part of the country that's had very little interaction with people who look like alexandria ocasio-cortez and ilhan omar, and therefore it's easy to stoke these fears of the other when it seems that the america you -- you think you want to preserve is disappearing. >> you know, we'll get to some of that reaction as well from his base. i want to remind you, though, of nancy pelosi, the speaker's reaction. and she makes a very fine point that she's taken up in the last few weeks.

she says "he reaffirms his plan to make america white again." in contrast to his slogan about making america great again. in terms of how this will frame the 2020 campaign for republicans, again, it took kellyanne conway's husband -- she is an adviser in the trumps' inner circle and happens to be married to a man who loves trolling the president, and he said what would likely happen if anyone, even a ceo, made such a racist statement in any workplace in america? where are the republicans? and let's put a fine point on it, right? where are the republicans from a place, oh, i don't know, florida? >> yeah, paula, you're right. republicans are hiding under a rock because they understand that they're between a rock and a hard place. if they -- if they go out and criticize the president for this, the president's going to unleash a tweet campaign against them. republican members of congress are fearful of anything that

might resemble anything of a primary challenge from the right. most republicans recognize that the base of the country, not the base of trump's america, but the base of the country is nowhere near this kind of racist language. most americans, i think, understand that the promise of the united states is the promise of inclusion. we haven't made it there yet. we're still working on it. it's an imperfect union, but we're trying to get there, and this kind of -- this kind of racially-tinged rhetoric in the end i think will drive away the voters that the president needs and that's, you know, the kind of moderate american voters in the suburbs who this time -- i should say last time were willing to take a risk or take a chance on donald trump, but i think are increasingly wondering whether that was the wrong choice to make. >> we shall see. certainly the president believes this is going to work for the campaign. james, thanks so much. really appreciate it. >> thanks, paula. now to those raids that the

trump administration says are targeting undocumented immigrants across the country. immigration officials say they are looking to track down some 2,000 immigrants ordered by the courts to be removed from the country. in nearly a dozen major u.s. cities. >> okay. but so far cnn has not been able to confirm any arrests and "the new york times" reports the plans for the raids had to change. instead of one large, simultaneous sweep, they're actually going to be doing smaller raids over the course of this week. now, since news reports tipped off immigrant communities about what to expect, that apparently was the change of plane. >> in los angeles our paul vercammen is watching for any immigration raid activity taking place. here's his report. >> reporter: we were outside a detention center. we did not see any sort of targeted raids or anything unusual. the activists telling us that they decided they would not even put on any rallies or protests. they have been extremely vocal

in their outright contempt and cynicism over trump and the threatened raids. they basically have said that they accuse the u.s. president of trying to whip up his base by threatening these raids and trying to scare people, one even using the term poltergeist from the scary movie. what developed today was nothing. they have lawyers on standby. activists are saying they are crossing their fingers and hope they don't see any such sweeps or raids in the coming days, but they're taking a very calm view of this and say, look, i.c.e. raids in los angeles are common. there are some 500-something arrests per month. so that would equal 16 or 18 arrests per day. so they say this is all just routine. >> paul vercammen there, thank you so much. and later this hour, we will speak with an immigration attorney about these raids and the rights of those immigrants who are being targeted. okay. moving on now.

iran's foreign minister says the united states is at risk of becoming a global pariah if it keeps making decisions that benefit only america. javad zarif spoke to reporters on sunday. >> we've seen that at the security council, including the board of governors of the iaea, all of them called by the united states, all of them ended up condemning the policies, unilateral policies of the united states. so it is time for the united states to begin to return to the international consensus that we can only reach our goals through multilateralism. >> gentlemjavad zarif there in meeting in new york after having his visa personally approved by the u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo. it all comes as the tensions between the two countries are

getting worse, although zarif's visit could open the door to possible sideline talks. >> hassan rouhani said he's willing to hold talks with the united states, but there's one big condition. >> translator: we are always ready for negotiations. this -- in this very hour, in this moment, we are ready for talks, provided that you stop your act of aggression, stop your sanctions and return to the negotiation table and return to logic. >> mr. rouhani says that because the trump administration abandoned the 2015 nuclear deal last year, iran is not violating it, even though they're enriching more uranium. france, germany and the uk are warning the deal is at risk of total collapse. they're urging the u.s. and iran to come back to the negotiating table as soon as possible. at the cricket world cup, england has made history. george, when i lived there, i have to tell you this was

unimaginable. the team lifted that elusive championship trophy for the first time sunday. who could believe it? certainly not new zealand. they beat new zealand in front of a very passionate home crowd. >> it's a big deal. it was a nail-biting final that saw the first super-over tiebreaker in world cup history. in the end, the english captured the title by scoring more boundaries over the course of the match. so it was interesting to watch, for sure. >> and who could forget what else was going on in london today? another major sporting event. the men's wimbledon final. and it was another win for tennis star novak djokovic. >> the world number one earned his fifth wimbledon title after beating roger federer in an epic match. he got the win by saving two set point -- >> i don't know if you had a chance to catch any of it. it was truly epic. >> great to watch. coming up, the hurricane

that hit the southern u.s. has thankfully weakened, but the threat from the slow-moving system something to watch. trade pressure from the u.s. appears to be taking a toll on china as its economy sees new signs of trouble. we have a live report ahead as "cnn newsroom" pushes on. can my side be firm? and my side super soft? with the sleep number 360 smart bed you can both adjust your comfort with your sleep number setting. so, can it help us fall asleep faster? yes, by gently warming your feet. but can it help keep me asleep? absolutely, it intelligently senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both effortlessly comfortable. will it help me keep up with him? yup. so, i'll wake up ready for anything? oh, we've got your back. so, you can really promise better sleep? not promise. prove. and now, save up to $600 on select sleep number 360 smart beds. only for a limited time. priceline will partner with even more vegas hotels to turn their unsold rooms into amazing deals. delegates, how do you vote? (cheering) ♪ yes, y-y-y-yes, yes... that is freaky. (applause)

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barry has been downgraded for a tropical depression, but not before leaving tens of thousands of people without power in louisiana. >> just get a look at these images. you get a sense of what happened there. that storm slowly pushing north after dumping a lot of rain. though it has weakened. it is slow paced that could threaten millions with dangerous flooding. cnn's randi kaye reports from baton rouge. >> reporter: we're here along the banks of the mississippi river here in baton rouge, and i'm standing on the levee system, really, that has protected the city of baton rouge. the city fared quite well through the storm. if you take a look behind me, you can see that's one of the bridges across the mississippi. it's the high points like that that's actually the highest bridge crossing the mississippi. they're not worried about areas like that, but they are worried about areas like this where the

water is continuing to come up here even on the levee system. if you take a look over here, you can see the railings there. let me get out of the way of the camera. you can see the railings are coming up. if you can look back here, you can see the red lettering on the levee, that actually says "baton rouge" and you can see the water is coming up on that, although it does seem to be going down on all the hours we've spent here watching the mississippi river. the river is supposed to crest here in baton rouge, louisiana at 43 feet. it's normally 30 feet. so there is definitely some concern about that and the levels. the river nearby here was flooded back in 2016 after a major storm. so that has -- is expected to crest at 39 feet. so there is also concern about that. there is still some concern about some flooding here as barry makes its way up north as a tropical storm now. from the gulf. we did see some flooding in the streets, some very minor

flooding, a few branches down, but overall it seems as though this area really did dodge a bullet. nothing too major. no injuries to report. there is still about 10,000 people without power. it's getting restored slowly in this area. there was also some concern earlier about tornadoes and funnel clouds. there hasn't been anything like that. so, again, people here feel very, very lucky, although some people are still bracing because the governor is saying that in some areas the worst is yet to come, so they are continuing to watch that and watch their homes. many have already evacuated from back in 2016 from those -- from that storm and hair just getting back into their home and now they evacuated again. so when they get home we'll see what those people find but, again, it does seem as though the storm has passed through and folks here are doing okay. randi kaye, cnn, baton rouge, louisiana. >> our meteorologist pedram javaheri joins us with more. randi said it.

those people are feeling a little relief. they feel lucky but it's not over. >> not at all. when it comes to rainfall and potential flooding farther downstream over the next couple of days, that's going to be the biggest concern. really an interesting storm system. the center of the storm system pushing into portions of arkansas. almost entirely displaced off to the east or the south, the convection. not in line with where the storm is for the entire life cycle of this system. the heaviest rainfall remained offshore. upwards of 20-plus inches just offshore. 10 to 15 inches have already come down. again, the concern is this is just the beginning of a system here that is going to gradually increase. the water levels higher than their historic values across these areas. all of that water will want to work its way back south, work its way into the gulf of mexico, so the mississippi river valley really going to see the biggest concerns here inside the next several days and eventually several weeks. back towards the west near

alexandria, thunderstorms and areas of heavy rainfall still in place this morning. over 11 million people under the flood watches and warnings at this hour. the orange and brown, that's where the moisture is most prevalent in the atmosphere. notice how quick by wednesday and thursday it is displaced, but the concern through at least monday morning. the flooding areas from alexandria to lafayette and new orleans, that's where it's highest. by this afternoon and this evening, we're looking at memphis into areas of eastern arkansas there seeing the heaviest rainfall. of course, it all comes down to that water wanting to eventually work its way back downstream. even if they don't see significant flooding initially from the system, that water will eventually make its way across the river and eventually rise further into the next couple of weeks, guys. >> all right. pedram, thank you. >> thank you. china's economy has posted its slowest quarterly growth in at least 27 years. the country's statistics bureau says gdp growth slowed to 6.2% in the second quarter.

that's slightly down from the first quarter of this year. for more on this let's bring in the cnn reporter following the story. good to have you with us, charise. there is always this question of whether these numbers we're seeing are they spot on the money or are they slightly offered through rosier glasses, per se? the question here is, what is the read on what we're seeing now? >> reporter: it's a good point you bring up, george. there has been the case in the past where china would maybe inflate the numbers a little bit, like you say, offering a little bit of a rosier picture that what's going on. the feeling from the analysts they're more on the level. today's number, 6.2%, the slowest since 1994, the earliest that gdp data has been tracked in china. it's a pretty new low, right, for china, but i will say it was expected. warned that china's gdp and

economy will slow to between 6% and 6.5%. so today's number, 6.2, it's really falling right in that range and that's probably why we are seeing investors kind of take today's data in stride. if we take a look at the hong kong and the shanghai marks, we're seeing the hang seng up about a 0.10%. so, really, these were expected numbers. and let's not forget that china is a planned economy. so beijing had already unleashed several stimulus measures to juice the economy, and that includes hundreds of billions of dollars worth of business tax cuts as well as increased infrastructure spending. but, again, really the big elephant in the room, this is showing that the u.s./china trade war is having a massive effect on the chinese economy, george. >> clearly there is a drag on the economy. we'll, of course, see how this plays out in the months ahead. c charise, thank you again.

>> thank you. next on "cnn newsroom," the trump administration says raids are now under way, targeting undocumented immigrants across the united states. we'll talk to a lawyer who says these immigrants need to know their rights. plus, why a right of passage for many american jews has become a source of controversy. live in the united states and around the world, you are watching "cnn newsroom." or this john smith. or any of the other hundreds of john smiths that are humana medicare advantage members. no, it's this john smith. who we paired with a humana team member to help address his own specific health needs. at humana, we take a personal approach to your health, to provide care that's just as unique as you are. no matter what your name is. ♪ fits skin tone and texture. maybelline new york. no matter what your name is. in 2 finishes: matte and poreless and dewy and smooth. 64 fits. ♪ fit me! foundation.

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i want to welcome back our viewers in the united states and around the world. you're watching "cnn newsroom." i'm paula newton. >> and i'm george howell with the headlines we're following for you this hour. the iranian president, hassan rouhani, says that iran is ready to talk, that is if the united states drops sanctions

and returns to the negotiating table. in a televised speech, mr. rouhani insisted that iran did not violate the 2015 nuclear deal because the united states abandoned it first. he also said is that iran will not bow to u.s. acts of aggression. u.s. president donald trump slammed for racist tweets aimed at progressive democratic congresswomen. now, he wrote that they should, "go back to the crime-infested places from which they came." he's believed to be referring to a group of first-term congresswomen, all of them women of color. the trump administration says raids targeting undocumented immigrants are under way in nearly a dozen mainly u.s. cities. officials say they're targeting about 2,000 immigrants ordered by the courts to be removed from the united states with a focus on violent criminals and aggravated felons. however, cnn has been more terring these cities and has not been able to confirm any arrests.

we're joined now by pamela stewart. pamela is an atlanta-based attorney who handles a variety of immigration issues with a focus on deportation. it's good to have you with us, certainly, because what we first heard from the trump administration, pamela, was that this would be a major blitz that would happen on sunday. turns out we're getting the indication that it seems to be more of a rolling roundup that may happen over the next several days, weeks, who knows. but here's the thing. why do you think this was, you know, put out there as this big blitz and what impact has that had on families who thought this would happen on sunday? >> i think this was definitely a scare tactic by the trump administration, and it has had a huge impact on the immigrant community. churches were empty yesterday. supermarkets, malls, everyone was afraid to step out of their homes because of these raids. it actually started on friday.

and we were getting calls from folks who saw i.c.e. coming. they were pulling up in vans and they were coming to their communities and we received a couple of calls and we did not hear of any arrests yet, so we don't think that it's going to get the success and the numbers that the trump administration was hoping for. >> but what happens now in terms of these people, these families? and, remember, i know sometimes children are even afraid to go to school under these circumstances. what happens now in these communities as they wait for really the next, you know, utterance from the president about what will happen here? >> well, they're just in limbo. they're scared. they're in limbo. they're afraid to open the door. they're afraid to step outside. they're afraid to go to school. they're afraid to send their children to school. they're afraid to go to work. i mean, this is a state of fear these immigrants are living in. we tell our client, we tell the community to be proactive, to speak to an immigration

attorney, see if there is something that could be done about your case. a lot of them did not get notice for their hearings, so they could file motions to re-open based on lack of notice. >> let's talk just a bit more about that. we've heard it from mayors. i know you've posted this also on social media. for immigrants to know their rights, however, whenever this happens. explain what you mean there. >> well, everyone has the right to due process, including immigrants. so they should have their cases heard before the courts if they have not had that opportunity. they have the right to not open their door. they have the right to remain silent. they have the right to speak to an immigration attorney. they don't have to sign anything. and if they're encountered by i.c.e. out in public, they have a right to get copies of whatever document i.c.e. is presenting to them. they have rights, and i think this time around immigrants are well-equipped to handle these raids and to be able -- whenever they come in contact with

i.c.e., they know their rights paw it's out there, it's finally getting out there. >> and you know, though, the argument that the trump administration makes is they say, look, these people have deportation orders against their names. they have had their due process. they've had their days in court. that's why they're being asked to be deported. i mean, should that make a difference here and does it actually make a difference to people who might be helping these people, providing them with shelter, a safe haven? >> absolutely. you know, when they say they've had their day in court, this is simply not true. the majority of my clients who have outstanding orders didn't know that they had outstanding orders. they didn't know that they had a hearing. in fact a lot of times we are able to re-open cases because the court simply did not send notice of the hearing or sent it to the wrong address. often these documents are in languages that my clients can't understand. and, again, sometimes it's just not their fault that they missed their hearing and that they were ordered removed.

so, you know, this is something to take into consideration. so far what we've heard is that it's not criminals and it's not crimes, it's folks with these outstanding orders that may have come in when they were young, when they were kids and didn't even know they had these outstanding orders against them. that's who this operation seems to be targeting, not criminals, not felons, but folks who have been here for awhile with these orders. >> so, look, over the next several days, who knows, maybe weeks, it's unclear. but however this plays out, what would you tell people who may we watching right now? >> and we expect it to last until friday. that's the reports that we've been getting. but, you know, we just want everyone to remain calm. we want everyone to be proactive. again, have a plan of action before you encounter i.c.e. put all of your legal documents where it's easily accessible just in case you are detained. have a plan for your children. have a plan for your family. and speak to an attorney. see if there is any way that,

you know, you can file a motion to re-open, get a green card, possibly become a u.s. citizen. there are avenues for this to be fixed. >> and what about to that argument from people who say that, look, and, i mean, we had the trump administration out today saying it again. actually it was yesterday on the sunday shows saying, look, some of these people are dangerous criminals. that's what they claim. are you saying that's just not true or for the majority it's not true? >> for this operation, for this raid operation they're not targeting criminals. and, you know, if they were, then we can see it in the reports and the folks that are call my office when we ask them and we pull their criminal record, they don't have any. all they have is outstanding orders. they're seeking family units. that's mothers and children. what about the children? they obviously don't have any crimes either. they're looking for fathers, children, mothers and children. and i think this is used solely as a scare tactic.

>> pamela stewart, we appreciate your time and we'll stay in touch with you for sure because this is a -- an issue that has a lot of people concerned in the united states as it plays out. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you, pamela. now, over the past two decades a nonprofit group called birthright has sponsored free trips to israel for unionizing jewish people living around the globe. the trips have become a right of passage of sorts for many american jews. >> but they've been criticized for only showing one side of the occupation. there is now j-street offering an alternative experience. our oren liebermann has this for you. >> this is one of our street bomb shelters. >> reporter: the visit to a bomb shelter on the gaza border gives these young american jews a sense of what it's like living under the threat of rocket and mortar fire, but what makes this trip different is the other stops. the 30 schedule students on the first of its kind tour visited

east jerusalem and the west bank learning of israel's occupation of the palestinian territories. this trip is an alternative to the traditional one birthright israel offers. they send young jews to israel for free to build a connection to their heritage and the holiland. >> what's your taken on seeing the other side? >> my page take, i'm pro-israeli, pro-palestinian, pro-peace. i say that all the time because one can't be just pro-israeli. the struggle here with the palestinian people, a struggle in order to be resolved demands people sitting down, negotiating, deliberating and discussing. that's what it's all about. >> reporter: over the past two decades, birthright has brought over 700,000 young jews to israel from all over the world. the trips have been criticized for showing only one side of the israeli-palestinian conflict and ignoring the occupation. birthright said "we believe in the power and importance of

experiences israel firsthand. for those young jewish men and women who want to focus most of their attention on the conflict, there are trips which may be well-suited to their interests either after or in lieu of a birthright citizenship israel trip." >> this is a rare opportunity for us to listen and learn and to take a stand. >> reporter: last summer some walked off their birthright trips demanding to hear from palestinians and learn about the occupation in protests organized by the american jewish group "if not now." j-street, another progressive organization in the u.s. has organized an alternative trip that shows two sides of one conflict. >> i think building a connection to israel is important. it should be something that the jewish community in america does, but i think, you know, as it works right now, it's a shallow connection. it's a -- it's a connection based on treating israel like a -- like a jewish disneyland. >> reporter: on j-street's

ten-day trip, students were encouraged to ask difficult questions about israel, challenging what they're told and what they know. >> the education around israel that has been provided by birthright and our communities has felt somewhat dishonest or one-sided for our whole lives, and i'm really grateful for the opportunity to get to be on the ground and talk to people and hear their stories that are not just conservatives zionist narratives. >> reporter: hanah came on a pro-palestine tour before he started college. she she learned about the region her views on israel and the conflict have become more complex. now she said she wants to fight for human rights, especially palestinians and that, she says, has strengthened her jewish faith. >> i feel like this trip has all about been being jewish in so many ways. the people on this trip have been acting so many intellectual questions and we're constantly

thinking and talking together, and to me that is what is essential to judaism. >> reporter: this short trip to israel in the palestinian territories is so far a proof of concept based on the idea that a more in-depth journey through the land for young american jews can build an even stronger connection. oren liebermann, cnn, on the gaza border. south africa's former leader is about to face a corruption hearing. we take you live to johannesburg with a look of what's ahead for jacob zuma. dear lexus, dear lexus, it is with a very gratesful heart that i write you about your amazing employees. eric volunteered to come to my rescue that evening. ...to a mom, these things really matter. from this day forward, i'm a lexus customer for life. thank you. sincerely... ivy, kim, david, greg. crafting every experience for our guests with the same level of care we craft our vehicles. that's what makes lexus, lexus. experience amazing at your lexus dealer.

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within the next hour, south africa's former president is set to be grilled at a public hearing over corruption allegations. >> now, jacob zuma has been accused of allowing officials to plunder state resources during his time in office. zuma has called the inquiry a political witch hunt and insists he has done nothing wrong. >> cnn's eleni joke owis follow

story for us. tell us about the possible implications for his successor. >> reporter: gentlemyeah, i mea is really interesting, former president jacob zuma appearing at this inquiry. what we're expecting to see is five days of grilling. now, remember, this man is known as the teflon president, surviving corruption scandal after corruption scandal during his nine-year term. it's also interesting he's the man who signed off on this commission of inquiry and finally south africans get to hear his side of the story, but make no mistake, it all relates to him. the witnesses that have been appearing over the past year have directly implicated the former president about the systematic looting of government resources, of money being laundered. also important to note it all relates to a relationship that former president jacob zuma had

with one family, the guptas. the likes of which ministers being offered bags of cash to sign on various contracts as well. zuma has his opportunity to talk about his side of the story. he always says that he's pleaded innocent, he had nothing to do with state capture and this is all a ploy to humiliate him. it's also important to note that for the if first time we're going to be hearing from zuma. his lawyers, of course, have decided not to come out with an actual statement leading up to this testimony, and also many say that he hasn't had access to any of the questions. some say that this is going to be shooting from the hip over the next five days, and i mean, i must say, george and paula, this is going to be really unprecedented. we also know that a lot of supporters have gathered around the commission to hear, of course, their side of the story and they say that they support zuma, but also importantly south africans for a very long time

want to know the truth and want to get the money back. >> is there any indication, eleni, as to how the former president is feeling leading up to this inquiry? >> yeah, well, this is a really good question. a day before he was meant to be appearing, i mean today basically, he was tweeting. and i want you to take a look at this video. dancing and singing and basically making a mockery of a hashtag that was created a few years ago #zumamustfall. just listen in for a second. dancing and singing. the president basically either, you know, not taking this very seriously or basically saying he's not worried about the outcomes over the next five days. i mean, you know, remember, this is a military man. he was, you know, once, you know, basically very low in the echelons within the -- and eventually becoming president of the country. so leading up to this, i think he's feeling in high hopes. so we are waiting with baited

brea bated breath to see what he has to say. >> will he dance his way into the inquiry? we'll soon see. >> certainly going in with a lot of attitude. that's for sure. amazon prime's annual shopping holiday is here and supposedly bigger and better than ever. we have no idea what that means. a two-day event, two days it takes, expected to break more sales records. >> but the company is facing backlash this year. thousands of workers in europe and the united states are expected to walk off their jobs on monday and tuesday demanding better working and pay conditions. this would be the first ever amazon prime day strikes, but amazon says it already offers competitive pay and benefits. okay, next, the space race is a battle of the billionaires. coming up, how they're trying to outspend each other to corner the civilian space market. hmm.

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(driver) relax, it's just a bug. that's not a bug, that's not a bug! (burke) hit and drone. seen it, covered it. at farmers, we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ > india hopes to land an unmanned rover on the moon. their hopes have been dashed for now, at least. less than an hour before

research, the indian space research organization announced the launch had been called off due to a technical snag. >> this would have been a first for india, which still hopes to become a space superpower. finally, 50 years after the united states sent three men to the moon, yes, there is still a space race. >> not between nations but among competing billionaires. as our rachel crane explains. ♪ >> reporter: bezos, branson, musk, the three billionaires racing toward space. with nasa focussing more on its moon and mars missions, the opportunities for the three companies have never been better. so what exactly are their ambitions? simply, it seems to be get humans to space for tourism, exploration and perhaps even

colonization. richard branson's virgin galactic seems to be the most tourism focused. >> i got frustrated the fact that i couldn't go up on a nasa spaceship or a russian spaceship, so decided to build a space line. obviously if you have your own space line, you certainly want to make use of it. >> right. >> i've always wanted to be an astronaut and i've always wanted to, you know, look back at our beautiful earth and marvel at it. >> reporter: the company had a successful test in february, sending its crude spaceship to 88 kilometers above earth, the company's second time to space. jeff bezos' blue origin also has tourism goals but has recently announced he's setting his sights on the moon. >> it's time to go back to the moon, this time to stay. the price to admisson to do interesting things in space right now is just too high because there is no infrastructure. >> reporter: the company has introduced a new lunar lander concept and already began

testing an engine the lander would use. however, it's elon musk's spacex that's been getting the most lift-off action. it's been handling cargo missions to the international space station since 2012, and it's falcon 9 and falcon heavy rockets have proven they have the muscle for space travel. >> i think it's going to give the government options, so it's good to have options for advancement of human space flight, and, yeah, the competition's a good thing. >> reporter: but it's spacex's crew dragon that has gained recent attention. it could be the first spacecraft to carry nasa astronauts to space since 2011. april brought major setbacks when the company confirmed the craft was destroyed during another test. still where it stands, all three companies have yet to send people into orbit, but it's looking more promising every day. >> i think the exciting thing

for the world now is that you have jeff, you have elon, you have ourselves creating different approaches to take people into space and to colonize places like the moon in future years. so an incredible new era of space exploration has arrived. >> reporter: rachel crane, cnn, new york. >> would you do it? would you go to the moon? >> not a chance. what about you? >> i think i might take the trip. >> you look like the adventurous type. we want to thank you for joining us. i'm paula newton. >> i'm george howell. see you on the other side of the moon, that is in just a few minutes, for more "newsroom," stay with us. jet switched to swifft and its awesome. it's an all-in-one so it's ready to go when i am. the cleaning solution actually breaks down dirt and grime. and the pad absorbs it deep inside. so, it prevents streaks and haze better than my old mop. plus, it's safe to use on all my floors, even wood. glad i got that off my chest

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the u.s. president on twitter attacking congresswomen, telling them to go home to the countries from which they came, though they are americans. plus, the trump administration says a crackdown on undocumented immigrants is under way in major cities across the united states. and the embarrassing diplomatic leaks that won't end. the fallout continues as even more sensitive information is revealed about the uk's former & ambassador to the united states. we want to welcome our viewers here in the united states and around t