as pressure mounts on u.s. president trump and congress for gun reform. president trump he's urging for background checks but some say it's talk. ten straight weeks of protests in hong kong. this time, thousands of demonstrators are holding a silt-in at the airport. we'll take you there live. also, scientists warn the trump administration is slowly reversing environmental protection. and those decisions are coming from the very top. we have a cnn exclusive report. welcome to our viewers here in the u.s. and all around the world. i'm natalie allen, coming to you live from atlanta. "cnn newsroom" starts right now.

our stop story the alleged gunman apparently confessed at the time of his arrest and told police he was targeting mexicans. the new details are contained in the arrest affidavit, a sworn document by police about the facts of the case. it states the 21-year-old suspect told police, i'm the shooter. the affidavit also reveals why he drove more than 600 miles, or 1,000 kilometers, from his home near dallas, to carry out the attack. he told police he chose a city far from his home. and in the belief his family and friends would not know he was the gunman. 22 people died in the carnage including eight mexican nationals. 24 others were hurt. the widow of one victim, whose

funeral was friday in mexico, had a message for the u.s. president. >> translator: i would ask mr. trump to not laugh again when someone to kill us. he laughed. together with everyone else. and that's not right. we aren't animals to be hunted in the street, as if we were animals. so what can expect? what respect do we have? >> the u.s. president is again offering vague assurances that something will be done to improve background checks on gun piers. president trump has said similar things before, after other mass shootings, but little has changed. cnn's pamela brown has our report. >> we want to take the guns out of the hands of crazy, demented sick people. >> reporter: president trump claiming he will do something on gun control. >> i think we can get something really good done.

i think we can have some really meaningful background checks. >> reporter: but it's not clear what. >> i think that the republicans are going to be ready to lead the charge, along with the democrats. i spoke yesterday to nancy pelosi with a great talk. i spoke to chuck schumer, we had a great talk. >> reporter: the president says he has a commitment from senate majority leader mitch mcconnell on pressure from democrats to bring the senate back from its five-week recess and even facing protesters at his kentucky home. >> he's totally on board. >> reporter: but mcconnell saying the senator leader hasn't endorsed anything. saying that it only promises to allow them to discuss background checks and red flag warnings when he returns. >> those are two items that will be front and center that we see we can come together on.

>> reporter: the president also speaking with the national rifle association's wayne lapierre. tweeting that fir views can be fully understood and respected. >> i have a great relationship with the nra. they're really good people. they're great patriots. they love our country. they love our country so much. and frankly, i think they're going to get their law. >> reporter: in a statement, the nra opposes any legislation that unfairly infringes points the rights of law-abiding citizens. while some analysts believe a bruising battle within the nra weakened its influence in washington, trump says he'll take their calls and wants their support in 2020. >> i think in the end, waiyne ad the nra will either be there or maybe be a little bit more neutral and that would be a big thing. >> reporter: after lapierre warned trump this week his base wouldn't like background checks the president said this about his supporters.

>> i think my base relies very much on common sense and they rely on me in terms of telling them what's happening. >> reporter: the president was asked how his pledges this time around are any different after the parkland shooting when he made promises and didn't follow through. the president said he never said then what he's saying now. but after the parkland shooting he did support expanding background checks only to back down under pressure from the nra. pamela brown, cnn, the white house. >> let's talk about it, joining us, a lecturer in political science at university college london. thank you for being with us. >> thank you. >> let's talk about what we just heard from the president. we have heard promises from him before. multiple gun massacres have occurred since mr. trump became president but he hasn't taken action. let's listen right here to the president, speaking at the nra convention in april of this year. here it is.

>> to all the radicals in congress want to take away your voice, your rights, and they especially want to take away your guns, you know that. they want to take away your guns. you better get out there and vote. you better get out there and vote. >> well, does that sound like a president who is ready to stand up to the powerful gun lobby? >> it certainly does not. and i'm of the opinion that i'm highly skeptical that anything is really going to km out of this. certainly, you hope that the mood will change but for republicans in washington, gun control is really the third rail of american politics. touch it, and you die. i don't think mitch mcconnell is serious about this. if mitch mcconnell was serious about this, he would put congress back into session. he would say, we're going to grab some high-profile

republicans and democrats, preferably from red states so it doesn't seem like it's the province of coastal elites. and we're going to get some things done on background checks, or limiting or banning assault rifles and also on so-called red flag laws. instead, he hasn't done this. he's essentially just kicked the can down the road and said we'll deal with this in september. >> right. and an overwhelming number of americans according to a poll by npr favor background checks. some 89% think it is a good idea. we know there was an assault ban years ago. but it was able to expire during the bush administration. the thing about it is, it's remarkable that you have americans gunning down americans, over and over again, but there's not the political will. that must sound outrageous to so

many people not in the united states. and yet, here we are in an election cycle, but there seem to be doubts that anything is going to happen. it's like what would make something happen. >> yeah, it's very unfortunate. as you suggested, this is actually one rare issue where there is bipartisan support. large majorities favor reasonable restrictions on guns. and the fact that nothing is able to get accomplished in washington is really a testament to the power and influence and muscle of the national rifle association. i think that this also feeds into our electoral politics, because republicans, in particular, their greatest threat when running for running for office is from being primary, not from the center of general elections because they have every incentive to rush the political right, because they know if they don't do that the national rifle association is going to endorse another candidate, is going to put money

behind another candidate. and i think that in large part explains the reluctance of republicans, particularly, to take a strong position on guns. >> now, we have criticism of the president's visit to el paso, when many feel like he wasn't showing more about compassion and empathy. he talked about himself more in the hospital. there's this controversial photo. the first lady holden an orphaned baby. that baby's parents were killed in this massacre. and the president is flashing his thumbs up which he is oft to do. do you think that refreshes in the campaign season. >> i think it reflects the tone-deafness, and the empathy with voters. even in the rawest situations. he was also seen bragging about

his crowds in el paso in a hospital, just days after this incredible gun violence occurred. this is a real problem. this president is unable to connect with voters at this kind of very basic level. he's unable to console them. and if there is one role that presidents need to serve it's that in times of tragedy, they're able to bring people together. and donald trump has unfortunately shown an inability to do that. >> and i have to ask you, you're in london, how is this edge dimock de epidemic in the united states being viewed globally. we're now know that other countries are warning their citizens about visiting the united states. those warnings coming from uruguay, japan, ireland, new zealand. japan said, be aware of the u.s. because of its gun society. how are we looked upon now? >> i think it's very unfortunate the way we're looked upon, as a

huge outlier, as a country that is unable to get the political will to actually achieve effective gun control. i think here in london and elsewhere, there's a lot of curiosity and disdain. and just a lot of question marks about why things aren't able to be done. and so, i think that's a big question that americans have to answer, especially as they try to project the role in the world and their sense of kind of -- their morality in the world. >> yes, it's unusual to see other countries saying don't go to the united states. that's not been the role that the united states has played in the world. it is certainly an epidemic and an issue that this country cannot seem to get around. we appreciate your insights. thanks so much for joining us, thomas gift there in london. >> thank you. the mass shootings last week

in texas and ohio, remember, there was also one in california the week before. america has been on edge. across the country, there is anxiety at the prospect of another rampage. cnn's ed lavandera is in el paso with more on the fear and fallout of the shootings that killed at least 31 people. >> reporter: not in my hometown, the accused racist terrorist in el paso is telling investigators he chose the border city, instead of allen, texas, where he's from, some ten hours away because he believed if he muled off his deadly attack in another city, his family and friends wouldn't know it was him. three sources with knowledge of the investigation tell cnn patrick crusius expressed shame at the idea of doing it near his home. throughout the country, the el paso gunman's actions has already put people on edge. this 20-year-old is now facing a terror threat charge sparking

fear at a missouri walmart after walking through the store dressed like this. >> there were a lot of people hiding outside, behind these barriers and businesses. and it was pretty chaotic. >> reporter: it's the latest example of angst and anxiety across america. from times square in new york, where a motorcycle back firing sent people running, to a mall in utah, where a sign crashing to the ground had shoppers scrambling to safety. >> we didn't know what was going on until somebody went in to tell that we need to leave the place so we basically ran. >> reporter: a costco in california was evacuated after reports of a possible gunman inside. all of these incidents and others like it just this week. while protesters plead with washington to act. walmart today took its first actions since the shootings, deciding to stop playing violent movies in their tv sections and eliminating displays of violent video games, but still planning

to sell the games, as well as guns. >> ed lavandera reporting there from el paso. coming up here, south korea says the north has fired yet another round of projectiles. what's behind this latest lot and why it play have something to do with military drills involved the united states, that's coming up. plus, rescue operations under way in china after a deadly typhoon lashes through the east coast. derek van dam will have that for us. dawn is for more than just dishes. with 3x more grease cleaning power per drop, it tackles tough grease on a variety of surfaces. try dawn ultra. they give us excellent customer otservice, every time.e.

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welcome back. in the korean peninsula seoul said pyongyang fired another round of projectiles into the city earlier on saturday. a u.s. official says they were short-range ballistic missiles, similar to other recent launches with north korea. the launch coming ahead of planned u.s./south korea military exercises on sunday. let's go to our ivan watson. he's in hong kong. those military exercises usually prompt some action by north korea, but is there something else going on here, ivan? what do you make of it? >> everybody scratching their head, trying to figure out what pyongyang is really doing here. what we do know here is what the saucon military has said which that missiles were launched at

4:55 a.m. local time. and the short-range missiles travel the distance of 400 kilometer, that's around 250 miles. this is the fifth such salvo of short-range missiles to be fired by north korea in a period of 2 1/2 weeks. if you go back to july 25th, and july 31st, august 1nd, august 6th then august 10th. on august 6th, north korea published a statement on its state media news agency, basically slamming upcoming u.s./south korean military exercises. and that's what top south korean security defense officials have predicted as well. they're predicting that there will be possibly more launches by north korea in the days and weeks ahead as well. as it has said that the joint military exercises are a violation, as it put it, of the spirit of cooperation, that has

been engendered by face-to-face meetings, three now between the north korean leader kim jong-un and u.s. president trump. hours before this salvo, president trump spokes to journalists in washington, and he was celebrating as he described as a very beautiful letter he'd received from the north korean dictator, take a listen. >> he really wrote a beautiful three-page, i mean, right from top to bottom, a really beautiful letter. yeah, he gave me a great letter, i would love to give you, but i don't know, i don't think it would be appropriate. it was a very personal letter. he talked about what he's doing. he's not happy with the testing. it's a very small testing that we did. he wasn't happy with the testing, he put that in the letter but he also sees a great future for north korea. >> by tests, president trump is apparently referring to the joint military exercises that pyongyang does not like between

the u.s. and south korea. all right, he has gone on record several times saying he's not bothered by the short range ballistic missile launches. the key in president trump's mind is that nuclear tests are not taking blase, intercontinental ballistic missile ever not taking place. but other u.s. allies are not in agreement. saying that the ballistic launches are definitely in violation of the united nations security council resolutions, something that president trump has conceded as well in the past. but for the time being that  doesn't seem to be getting in the way of his high-stakes personal diplomacy with north korea's strong man. natalie. >> it is a bizarre disconnect, isn't it, between these letters and what goes on in north korea. ivan watson watching it for us. ivan, thank you. we turn now to eastern china, a powerful storm has left at least 13 people dead. 16 others are missing.

typhoon lekima battered the regioned with winds of 110 miles per hour. the downpour has flooded the streets of coastal areas as you see here. china's officials reportedly ordered more than 1 million people to evacuate before the storm hit. our derek van dam is here. and with that a person in the water there. >> you know, it was actually a rescue operation. >> okay, okay. i was going to say. >> that video is quite something because they had 1400 fire rescue teams that were dispatched. two rescue people that were trapped in homes or swift water rescues because they were taken over by the high water in the area. it's all because of the heavy rainfall from this typhoon. you'll be able to see in this footage, the evolving storm as it approached the zhejiang

province. you see the disaster in the settlement areas, think about how many people live in china, we're talking about literally millions upon millions of people. that are impacted by this incredible amount of energy and literally a storm system that has just amazing amounts of force and power behind it. so much so that it has taken this water, crashing over the coastline here, and we're talking about several stories into the air, you can see that from perspective, the buildings in the background. it made landfall saturday monday 1:00 a.m. local time. again, in the zhejiang province. on the 10th of august. we're talking just after 5:00 p.m. local time in zhejiang. fortunately, i should say it's not under water anytime so it doesn't have a moisture source.

it's going to rain itself out. it's going to continue to weaken. that's what we've seen the latest warning from the typhoon center has downgraded this. it's a low end category 1 equivalent. it's got winds of 120 kilometers per hour. that's just over 75 miles per hour. you see the rainfall totals here. even show we've seen that excess of rain in the past 24 hour, it's able to pick up the intensity and speed and will exit the region quite quickly. we've got another typhoon waiting in the wings. this is typhoon krosa. we'll worry about that storm for the second half of next week. you can see the storm intensifies and approaches osaka eventually, thursday, friday and saturday local time. last hour, we showed you pictures from luxembourg. tornados in that area.

now, we're going to bring to you amsterdam because this is equally as extraordinary. this is something you don't witness every single day. there's a tornado ripping through the city of amsterdam, just incredible. picking up debris, moving across the river there. i wouldn't want to be there sipping coffee, would you? >> no. >> no, this is all part of the same storm system. donald trump touts his immigration raids as a success, but for children who watched their parents being taken away, it was a traumatic experience. and now we're learning, more raids could be coming. that's coming up here. also between the snowcones, the cotton candy and the de-fried pickle dogs, democratic candidates try to make their case to the voters. the road to the white house goes right through the iowa state fair. we'll have some highlights for you. maria ramirez?

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welcome back to our viewers here in the u.s. and around the world, this is "cnn newsroom." i'm natalie allen with our top stories at this hour. in saudi arabia, millions of muslims are heading to mt. arafat. it's where muhammad was believed to have delivered his last sermon. it comes at the height of the pilgrimage. in china, at least 13 people are killed a storm waters tbatt coast. officials have dispatched emergency teams to help with the

rescues. north korea fired two projectiles into the sea earlier saturday, according to south korean military officials. a u.s. source says they were short-range ballistic missiles that appear to be similar to other recent launches. >> in south korea, seoul said it was a show of force against upcoming u.s./south korea exercises. the official report from last saturday's mass shooting in el paso, texas, states that the suspect told police he was targeting mexicans. eight mexican nationals were among those killed. 24 others were wounded in the rampage. well, in just a few hours, at least 17 u.s. democratic presidential candidates plan to speak at an iowa gun forum. they are in the state campaigning this weekend. and on friday, several candidates attended a dinner,

where many discussed their thoughts on gun control. they've been sharing how they would change the system if elected. >> between the domestic terrorism that we saw in el paso, and the shootings that we saw in dayton, and a daily level of gun violence that in any other developed country would be considered an emergency. and we're dealing with it in south bend, this is intolerable. >> the american people want a congress for common sense gun safety legislation. >> we need a president who is brave. we need a president who will take on the battles that no one else will. we need a president that will pass the new green deal put a price on carbon. give it as a right, not a privilege. take on the nra and end gun violence in this country. >> i strongly believe that mitch mcconnell should have called us

back to the senate to vote on a bill out of the house for reasonable gun safety laws. >> president trump wants to have everything both ways. he wants to stir up his division as he can, and then say, oh, not me. he wants to say, oh, yes, i can support changes on gun safety and then say, but, let's all be sure to doubt the nra. >> with more than 20 democratic hopefuls, it is more important than ever to stand out from the pack. cnn's jeff zeleny travels with a key campaign stop to ask voters which candidate has what it takes to leeds ttake s to lead the united states. >> reporter: the iowa state fash fair, a mandatory stop on the way to the white house. a parade of democratic candidates pressing the flesh and founding the pavement. every four years, presidential hopefuls become one of the attractions.

although 91 as popular as the butter cow, a staple here since 19 ledge. months before the caucuses voters like claudia roven are sizing up the crowded field. you've been watching the democratic race, what are the qualities you're looking for? >> they've got to be tough. they have to be not wimpy. >> reporter: roven said she's never been politically active until president trump took office. now, she's searching for someone who stands the best chance of defeating him. >> kamala harris, she looks tough. she looks like she can take him on. i like elizabeth warren. i like them all. >> reporter: have you become more politically active in the last four years? >> i so awoke. >> people are saying joe's getting a little old. no, joe is one of the wisest, smartest men, i would put all of my trust in him, and i do. >> reporter: at the iowa democratic booth, all candidates

get equal billing, but biden is at the center of the conversation. you're not sure he's the front-runner? >> we'll, he's the front-runner now is there was a time he was the front-runner, he obviously didn't win the caucus. it's a long way to go yet. >> reporter: we learned a lot about the paoliticians at the fair. what do you like about flipping pork chops? >> well, it gets me one more step to eating a pork chop. >> reporter: what do you like about the slide? >> my wife got a little competitive on that, jeff. >> reporter: no 2020 candidates have arrived in helicopters as donald trump did four years ago. and there were few bumper car sightings when obama ran. >> to prepare for this debate, i rode in the bumper cars at the state fair. >> reporter: with the full democratic flux for the weekend,

the race is on to make an impression. time is running short to make friends, or in this case, supporters at the iowa caucuses before the week is out kamala harris, elizabeth warren, cory booker and bernie sanders, all of the democratic field will be coming to iowa to make their case to voters less than six months before the iowa caucus. jeff zeleny, cnn, des moines. well, back to the current administration, a senior immigration official tells cnn the white house wants more workplace raids. and they've always requested access to employment data from new york and texas. raids took place this week in mississippi where 680 workers suspected of being in the u.s. illegally were detained. the source said immigration field offices had been told to identify at least two locations in their region, to conduct possible raids. president trump said he was very pleased with the mississippi operation.

>> i want people to know, that if they come into the united states illegally, they're getting out. they're going to be brought out. and this serves as a very good deterrent. if people come into our country illegally, they're going out. they're not coming in illegally and staying. we have bad laws. they may get in. although we're being very tough. they may get in, but it doesn't matter, because they're going out. and when people see what they saw yesterday and like they will see for a long time, they know that they're not staying here. >> for the people called in this week, it was a traumatic experience especially for the children who didn't understand why one or both parents were suddenly gone. >> my dad is not a criminal.

government please with your heart, please. please. >> those are traumatized children, for sure. at last report, of the 680 detained in wednesday's raids, more than half remain in custody. hong kong's political upheaval is strengthening into its tenth weekend. thousands of people now occupy hong kong international airport on the second day of a three-day sit-in. it's been a peaceful if crowded demonstration. protesters determined to let travelers know about the grievances with the city's pro-beijing government. ben wedeman is there among the crowd reporting for us. and ben, what are we trying to do here at the airport. they've taken our protests from the street. and here now, what's the goal?

>> reporter: i think the goal is to let people arriving in hong kong know why they are protesting. they are handing out pamphlets, holds up signs. this is the lane where arriving travelers will go through. and people are -- they're handing out pamphlets explaining in various different languages why they are doing this. and certainly, what we've seen today is that there are as many, if not more people, protesting, participating in this sit-in. than yesterday. and, of course, is this going to go on into tomorrow as well. so, certainly, this -- yesterday and today, this sit-in at the airport has really been the focus of the pro-democracy movement in hong kong. there's been a complication, however. the chinese civil aviation authority has told cafe pacific

which is the flag carrier of hong kong, hi crew members from mainland china who have participated or in somehow supported his movement will not about allowed to fly to mainland china. and as of tonight cathay pacific are required to provide the names of all crew members attempting to fly to mainland china. and for any reason, if the chinese authorities have any objection, that flight will not be given approval. so it's a sense, a shot against the bow across the giants of hong kong warning them there are financial repercussions from this movement, but nonetheless, this is a movement that has huge popular support here in hong kong. i want to point out this next sign, natalie, we do not want

our next generation to live until fear, that's why we fight. of course, that's a reference to the year 2047. where according to the agreement worked out between britain and china 1997, hong kong will revert completely to chinese control. and therefore, the authoritarian system that exists in china will be imposed in hong kong in 2047. so, these young people are very concerned about what their future holds. natalie. >> they're making that quite evident, aren't they? ben wedeman there at the airport. ben, thank you. one of the world's most pristine salmon habitats may not be in danger art trump administration reverses environmental policy in alaska. what's behind it? we'll have an exclusive report right after this. carrying up to 50 times its body weight. it never questions the tasks at hand. but this year, there's a more thrilling path to follow.

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bristol bay in alaska, is one of the world's great habitats for sockeye salmon, the trump administration has cleared the way for the construction of a new gold mine. a meeting on the president's airplane air force one set everything in motion. cnn's investigative correspondent drew griffin has the exclusive details. >> reporter: the meeting took place on the tarmac during an air force one stopover, june 26th. alaska governor mike dunleavy, a pro-mining, pro-business, anti-epa governor met with donald trump for nearly a half hour. >> just got off air force one with president trump. >> reporter: dunleavy has been

pushed for the approval of a massive gold and copper mine known as the pebble mine, planned for alaska's bristol bay watershed, home to the breeding grounds for one of the world's largest and most pristine sock said eye salmon fisheries. after his meeting aboard air force one, dunleavy said this about the president. >> he really believes in the opportunities here in alaska and he's doing the work. >> reporter: saying the very next day, june 27th, top epa officials held a video conference with seattle and told the staff the epa was removing a special permission for bristol bay, in essence clearing the way for what could be the largest open pit mines in the world. that internal announcement was a total shock to epa scientists because they're environmental concerns were overruled by trump political appointees. bristol bay and its tributaries

are regarded as one of the world's most important salmon fisheries. more than half the world's sockeye salmons come from here. it's been protect since 2013. after three years of study, the obama epa provision used a rare provision of the clean water act to veto anything that would pose a threat that would result in a complete lace of fish habitat. >> it's mind-boggling that it's still being considered at all. >> reporter: christine todd whitman is a former governor and under george bush ran the epa. she's joined several other epa chiefs to publicly oppose the mine. >> the potential damage, the opposition to it up there is amazing. over 80 miles of streams. thousands of acres could be damaged from this project. >> reporter: this is the second time, during the trump administration the political

appointees at the epa have decided to remove special protections for bristol bay to pave the way for this huge mine. in 2017, president trump's first epa administrator scandal-plagued scott pruitt, cancelled protections after a private meeting with the ceo. after the meeting was exposed, true t pruett backed ground and put the protections back in place. now another private meeting this time with the president him has led to another win for the mine and remove of environmental protections for the pristine watershed. >> one of the most troubling things about this on the environmental side is the disregard for science. they're gutting science, across the agencies, across the departments, across the government. >> even if scientists at the epa are advising you, mr. president, this is very dangerous to the

environment, to the fisheries, to the state of alaska, if the president decides, that's the decision? >> that's the decision. >> and the only reof courcourses for environmental groups to sue? >> environmental groups, native akins, you'll have a host of lawsuits i'm convince. >> reporter: alaska's governor dunleavy is a huge trump supporter. sent this letter to the president asking for a long list of epa reversals including what he called the clean water 404 veto. a direct reference to pebble mining. a member of his staff used to work on the pebble project in public regulations. and at epa headquarters, andrew wheeler, the former coal company lobbyist who now runs the agency has a tie to pebble mine, too. he has recused himself from decision making on the project because his former law firm represents the mine. in response to this report, the

epa said the obama-era protections were outdated and this mine would still have to go through approval process. our sources are telling us, it's really a done deal. and when we asked the epa about that internal meeting on june 27th. at first the epa denied it even happened. but then we presented them with our evidence. they admitted the meeting took place. and our sources say that is when officials told scientists at the epa the decision on bristol bay was made. and their work was not needed. drew griffin, cnn, atlanta. next here, a new issue between india and pakistan, all around the autonomous region of ca cashmere. we'll get the latest after this. and getting her car towed. all i had to take care of was making sure that my daughter was ok. if i met another veteran, and they were with another insurance company,

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protests had erupted in pakistan and islamiyabad has spended styes in india, over delhi's move to the deputied kashmir region. india took away the muslim state's power to support laws.

they're marching in solidarity with the people of kashmir and want to raise awareness about the situation. >> we're here because of a complete law we're not allowed to use the media which is against humanity. we're here for freedom. the people want a solution, based on what they want. not what india want. >> why are they speaking, it's for the entire world that whatever is happening in kashmir it is very, very sad. >> authorities in indian-controlleded kashmir relaxed a day's long curfew so people could attend friday prayers. tensions have been high. india moves this week to assert more control over kashmir. and pakistan has warned that a strong response to any military action by india. cnn has has the latest from new

delhi. >> reporter: indian authorities partially eased security restrictions in some areas of indian-controlled kashmir on friday under the way to go ago ordinary life. the trigger was a move on monday to a special status under the indian constitution taking away its power to set its laws. it also downgraded kashmir state which includes kashmir to a union territory which means it will be run effectively, where the indian states will have much more power to run their internal affairs. and a crackdown that got people arrested. phone lines and internet lines were cut. told not to congregate in large groups and against protests on monday changes. some of those security restrictions have been lifted. the reason people told us it was like people to conduct around

mosques around the region. life is nowhere back to normal. pakistan, much like india, controls a portion of the kashmir region. its army promises to oppose the changes. we're also watching closely to see the violent backlash within kashmir. the biggest risk as always, is that it spirals into something much more dangerous, a dangerous showdown between india and pakistan. remember, both have nuclear wednesday and both have already fought multiple wars over this territory. cnn, new delhi. taking you live to saudi arabia where the annual hajj pilgrimage to mecca is under way. more than 2 million muslims are making the journey among the major rituals they'll perform heading to mount arafat whereiss

last sermon. the highest attendance on record was in 2012, when more than 3 million people took part. the hajj is asked one of the five pillars of islam. all muslims are ordered to make the pilgrimage at least once over five years if they can. for the u.s. viewers, "new day" is just ahead. for everyone else, i'll be right back with our top story. ♪ four lines,r it's all included for the whole family.

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we need intelligent background checks. this isn't a question of nra, republican or democrat. >> president trump is sounding upbeat about the prospects for new legislation to address gun violence, but we've heard talk like that before. >> the key to this, honestly, is making a law and not making a point. >> officials say north korea has launched two projectiles into the sea. this is the fifth time north korea has fired salvos of the ballistic missiles in about two and a half weeks. >> the north koreans are prettyup set. this is normally how they express themselves. >> donald trump is encougi