[Kristie Lu Stout:] Now, Iraqi troops fight to take back Fallujah, trying to drive ISIS out of a city just west of Baghdad. President Obama talks human rights in Vietnam, and calls for a peaceful resolution to tensions in the South China Sea. And an endangered fish prized in Hong Kong for its bladder. We talk to conservationists about how to save the totoaba. In Iraq, just an hour's drive from the capital Baghdad, an intense battle is being waged. Iraqi troops are fighting to retake Fallujah, one of two major Iraqi cities still under ISIS control. The army has been preparing for this for months. It has choked off supply routes into the city and U.S. warplanes have been pounding ISIS targets, but there are fears that civilians are being caught in the crossfire. The UN says that dozens of families have left in the past few days, but thousands more are believed to still be trapped, and many are starving. Now, those who live in Fallujah are no strangers to fighting. Two major battles took place there during the Iraq war in 2004. U.S. forces swept through the city hunting down jihadists door to door. Now, they were some of the bloodiest battles American troops had fought in Iraq, and the mission succeeded in clearing out insurgents, but Fallujah was left in ruins. It took years to rebuild. But in 2014 it fell once again to extremists, this time ISIS. Now, the terrorists have done whatever they can to keep Iraqi troops away. At one point, they flooded villages by opening the gates of a dam. And even now, as Iraqi forces are closing in, activists say that ISIS is barring civilians from leaving. Now, for more on the battle for Fallujah let's bring in CNN's Ben Wedeman. He has been reported he has reported extensively from Iraq. He joins us live now from Rome. And, Ben, with the offensive now fully under way, there is tremendous concern about the fate of the civilians in Fallujah. What do we know?
[Ben Wedeman, Cnn International Correspondent:] Well, what we know is that according to the United Nations, there are as many 10,000 families, the number perhaps 70,000 civilians still stuck inside Fallujah. Now, before the war it had a population of about 300,000, And, of course, the city has been surrounded by Iraqi forces for months now who have been trying to cut off supplies to the city, to ISIS, but, of course, effectively to the civilian inhabitants of the city as well. And so they've already been suffering from shortages of clean water, food and medicine. And now, of course, the city is going to be a full-blown battle zone. And ISIS has had two-and-a-half years to prepare for this battle. It took over the city in January 2014. And as we've seen in other urban areas in Iraq and Tikrit and Baiji and Ramadi and elsewhere, where ISIS has been in control, they've put a lot of time and resources into building tunnels, boobytraps and other ways to make it very difficult for any sort of offensive Iraqi force to move in. And with, of course, as many as 70,000 people in the middle of that, it's almost, unfortunately, inevitable that there are going to be civilian casualties. The Iraqi government has urged people to leave the city, but ISIS apparently isn't letting that happen. Those who can't leave have been advised by the Iraqi government to raise a white flag over their homes Kristie.
[Lu Stout:] This is going to be a deadly battle. As you point out, Fallujah has been under ISIS control more than two years. It is one of the last two remaining ISIS strongholds in Iraq. Will Iraqi forces succeed here in retaking the city? How long could this operation take?
[Wedeman:] It's fairly clear, Kristie, that they will eventually be able to retake the city. They've had trouble along the way when it comes to regaining territory from ISIS, but if you look at Tikrit, which is a city north of Baghdad, Saddam Hussein's home town, Baiji to the north of Tikrit, Ramadi, also in Anbar Province, last week Rutba which is on the road between Baghdad and Jordan, all of those cities have been retaken. But it takes a lot of time. As I said, ISIS, they are masters at IEDs and other boobytraps. So it's really hard going, and even after, for instance, it was late December when the Iraqi government announced that they had been able to liberate Ramadi, the other major city in Anbar Province, from ISIS, but it was for weeks afterwards that there was sporadic fighting, ambush of Iraqi army forces. So it's difficult. It takes time. And, of course, ISIS if nothing else, has proved to be very effective, albeit brutal foe Kristie.
[Lu Stout:] As ISIS is under pressure with this operation underway in Fallujah, there is a lot of concern about the safety and security of civilians in the Iraqi capital. What's your thinking now about the fate and future of Baghdad?
[Wedeman:] Well, one of the reasons why the Iraqi government has decided to push this offensive on Fallujah as opposed to, for instance, Mosul, is that they believe that many of the car bombs that have plagued the Iraqi capital for months, in fact, years, are being assembled in Fallujah. And in recent weeks as many as 200 people in Baghdad have been killed in these car bombs. So they're hoping that by eliminating ISIS in Fallujah, they will be able to eliminate that threat. But at the same time, there's a whole other dimension, as there always is in Iraq, to the situation, and that is the political unrest in the Iraqi capital. We've seen twice in the last few weeks where thousands of supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr, a Shiite cleric, have entered the once was the secure Green Zone where the Iraqi parliament and the prime minister's office are located, occupy those buildings. They're calling for an end to corruption within the government. So, the government may feel at the same time it has to show that it's strong by pushing this offensive in Fallujah Kristie.
[Lu Stout:] All right, Ben Wedeman reporting for us live. Thank you, Ben. And now to the race to the White House. New polls showing Donald Trump gaining ground on Hillary Clinton in a potential U.S. presidential matchup. Now, the first from NBC News and The Wall Street Journal has Trump three points behind Clinton. Another poll, this one from The Washington Post and ABC News shows Trump ahead by two points. Now, the average of the two polls puts the candidates in a statistical deadheat. Our Phil Mattingly joins us from CNN New York for more. And, Phil, the attacks between Clinton and Trump are escalating in a big way.
[Phil Mattingly, Cnn Correspondent:] Yeah, no question about it, Kristie. They are only increasing and only going to escalate even more in the weeks and months ahead. And part of the reason is those polls you cited. There is a recognition inside both of these campaigns that with the high negatives both candidates share, attacking is the only way to win. But it's also worth noting, now is the time to define your opponent. That's kind of tradition in politics and it's very clear Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both subscribing to that theory.
[Hillary Clinton, 2016 Democratic Presidential Candidate:] We are going to unify the Democratic Party and stop Donald Trump.
[Mattingly:] Hillary Clinton taking a new line of attack against Donald Trump, her campaign painting Trump as a greedy billionaire in a new ad.
[Donald Trump, 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate:] I sort of hope that happens, because then people like me would go in and buy.
[Mattingly:] Harkening back to Trump's controversial comments before the 2008 housing market collapse.
[Trump:] If there is a bubble burst, as they call it, you know, you could make a lot of money.
[Mattingly:] Clinton swiping at the presumptive nominee on multiple fronts before a union crowd Monday, issuing a warning about Trump's four bankruptcies surrounding his casino holdings.
[Clinton:] He could bankrupt America like he's bankrupted his companies.
[Mattingly:] And sticking with another tried and true assault, Trump's temperament.
[Clinton:] the last thing we need is a bully in the pulpit.
[Mattingly:] All as the billionaire continues to hound Bill Clinton's past infidelity, sending one of his top advisers to swipe at Hillary Clinton.
[Ed Brookover, Donald Trump Senior Adviser:] She overregulates, she overtaxes, she overpromises and doesn't deliver.
[Mattingly:] The hostility spreading with both candidates, facing record high negatives in the most recent polls, but Trump is getting new support from Capitol Hill in the form of Tennessee Senator Bob Corker.
[Sen. Bob Corker,  Tennessee:] His approach to foreign policy is something I want to hear more about. I heard more about it today, and I appreciated that.
[Mattingly:] Though Corker is still downplaying talk that he may be high on Trump's VP list.
[Corker:] I'm not angling for any job, I think the best way to not end up in a position like those is to angle for it. But I have no indication whatsoever that I would even be considered.
[Mattingly:] So, Kristie, the intrigue over who will be Donald Trump's running mate, that's going to continue likely until July at Republican National Convention. But it is important to point out with Hillary Clinton Donald Trump both on the campaign trail today, those attacks are only going to escalate in the days, weeks and months ahead.
[Lu Stout:] And, Phil, the attacks getting so ugly. I've heard that both candidates are getting record high negatives in recent polling. So, I mean, what are voters thinking now? What's their approach here as election day approaches? Will they vote for a given candidate or will they make a protest vote against a given candidate?
[Mattingly:] It's early and it's important to note that it's early on these polls and they can shift. But at the moment, it's the latter, Kristie. More voters, I think more than 50 percent both supporting Hillary Clinton and supporting Donald Trump are voting against somebody, not for that particular candidate. And that's just something you don't traditionally see in politics. It shows how polarizing not just these two candidates are, Kristie, but how polarized the political system is on the whole. No longer are you searching out the candidate that talks about what you care about or that provides hope for you, now it's making sure the candidate you don't like doesn't get into office, Kristie.
[Lu Stout:] The protest vote, as it were. Phil Mattingly reporting for us. Thank you. And you can get an inside look at America's remarkable race for the White House. You can check out our new program. It's called State of the Race with Kate Bolduan. It's happening weeknights, 7:30 p.m. in London, Tuesday to Friday at 2:30 p.m. in Hong Kong happening right here, of course, on CNN. Now, the U.S. president is on a historic visit to Vietnam as the former enemies now strengthen ties. He landed a short time ago in Ho Chi Minh City, arriving from Hanoi and paid his respects at the famed Jade Pagoda, a Taoist temple. Now, a day ago, Mr. Obama announced that the U.S. is ending its ban on selling weapons to Vietnam. He also called for a peaceful resolution to disputes in the South China Sea. Now, Mr. Obama has been dismissing suggestions that renewing ties with Vietnam is meant to counter China, but it appears the move could rustle feathers in Beijing. Now, right here on the front cover of today's China Daily a, quote, Chinese analyst is saying that the U.S. is indeed, quote, "charting a clear course aimed at containing China." Now, CNN's an Alexandra Field joins me now with more from Ho Chi Minh City. Alexandra, there in Vietnam, President Obama this day he's been bringing up sensitive topics like human rights and freedom of speech. How has that been received there?
[Alexandra Field, Cnn Correspondent:] You know, Kristie, We can't understate the significance and the importance of the fact that President Obama is talking about what you call these controversial issues while he is here in Vietnam, but what's equally significant is the fact that his remarks from Hanoi this morning, which were made in front of about 2000 people, including business leaders, government leaders and students were also broadcast live on local television in Vietnam which means that people across this country were listening in as the president of the United States addressed head-on the issue of human rights. This is something that a lot of people were expecting him to take on during his time here, frankly, and that is because human rights groups have closely watched and scrutinized the human rights record in this country pointing to issues like the jailing of dissidents and stalled political reforms. You did hear the president really use a large portion of his speech in Hanoi this morning to talk about that issue, talking about universal values that are shared, and shared values between Vietnam and the U.S. He said, look, Vietnam is a sovereign nation. No country can impose its will on Vietnam, but he returned to this idea of shared values saying that freedom of assembly, freedom of speech are values that are shared between the U.S. and Vietnam and he said that it was freedom of thought which fuels innovation, which creates job growth which boosts the economy. And we know that the explicit and stated purpose of this trip, Kristie, is largely about increasing and drumming up economic cooperation between these two countries as well as security cooperation.
[Lu Stout:] Yeah, absolutely. Trade will be the focus there for the U.S. president in Ho Chi Minh City. We know that President Obama wants to boost support for his TPP, Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal which has been struggling on Capitol Hill. What's the outlook on that topic, on the TPP and on trade with Vietnam?
[Field:] Yeah, look, he's making the case certainly for the TPP, taking every opportunity he has to continue to make the case for it and touting what he believes are the benefits to Vietnam. So we heard him when he arrived here in Ho Chi Minh City today. He went to something called Dreamplex, which is a place that fosters entrepreneurs and start-ups. And he talked to them about how the TPP would increase economic opportunities for entrepreneurs coming out of Vietnam. He also talked earlier in Hanoi today about how he believes the TPP would improve human rights by improving labor conditions in this country and contributing to a higher wage. So he is using these opportunities to tout what he believes are the benefits of the TPP not just to Vietnam but to the 12 nations that would be involved in this pact, and that is despite, or maybe because of, the opposition that he has run into in Washington, where this has stalled out. The president has expressed confidence that he will get TPP through. He wants it to be a part of his legacy, but the flip side of that, Kristie, we know is that the presidential candidates running for election in the U.S., Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, have both rejected this idea of the TPP. So, important for him while he's here on the ground to really sell this agreement, Kristie.
[Lu Stout:] Absolutely. Alexandra Field reporting from the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, thank you so much, Alex, and take care. Now, rescuers are searching for two Indian climbers who are missing on Mount Everest. This comes after a deadly week on the world's highest peak. Since Thursday, four other climbers died in as many days. One person plunged to death while attempting to fix a route for future climbers, while two others suffered complications from altitude sickness and one had a heart attack on his way back from a climb. Now, these tragedies come as Mount Everest opens for the first time in two years after back-to-back disasters. Danger has long been part of the allure of climbing the world's highest peak. More than 250 mountaineers have died since the first official ascent back in 1953. But year after year, hundreds still attempt the perilous climb. Now part of what makes the ascent so treacherous here, at more than 8,800 meters, the air is so thin the oxygen level is a third of what's available at sea level. Now, the peak is even with the cruising altitude of a plane making it difficult to breathe. The winds are also fierce, the weather unpredictable, the terrain deadly. And temperatures at the summit can dip lower than minus 30 degrees. You're watching News Stream. Still ahead in the program, Bill Cosby is in court. The comedian is preparing for a pretrial hearing for indecent assault, which may bring him face to face with one of his accusers. Also ahead, a change at the top for the world's most famous football club. The question is, who will replace Louis van Gaal as manager of Manchester United? And lifting the lid on a lucrative black market in China, how the high-priced demand more this fish product is killing off an already endangered species.