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Prime Minister Abe Laid to Rest Today; Ukraine Claims to Have Hit Ammunition Depot; Controversial Reaction Seen Among Chinese Citizens for Abe's Death; Pharmacists Ignore Risks Just to Help Ukraine; Protesters Fed Up of Flawed Leadership; Inflation Exempts No One; Upcoming January 6th Committee Hearing to Focus on Extremist Groups; U.S. and Mexican Presidents to Meet in Washington, D.C.; U.S. to Negotiate with Russia on a Prisoner Swap; Webb Telescope Captures Beautiful Image of the Universe; Firefighters Saving Trees in Yosemite National Park; Heat Wave Felt Across United Kingdom. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired July 12, 2022 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom, and I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, saying goodbye to Shinzo Abe. The former prime minister honored in Tokyo days after his shocking assassination.

Explosion rocked Russian occupied territory in Kherson as Ukrainian forces prepare for an offensive in the south. We are live in Kyiv. And Sri Lanka's president and prime minister announced they are stepping down, but protesters say they are not leaving the presidential palace until both men are officially out.

Well, the funeral for Japan's longest serving prime minister is now over. A procession through the streets of Tokyo followed the private service. The hearse carrying Shinzo Abe's body passed by the Japanese parliament and the prime minister's office about an hour ago. His widow sat in the front seat and greeted mourners with nods.

The current prime minister, Fumio Kishida, and his staff stood outside their office to pay respects. Abe's younger brother the Japanese defense minister was also there. They were seen bowing toward the hearse. Abe's body will eventually be cremated. He was assassinated on Friday in Nara, Japan.

And this was the scene there earlier, people lining the streets to express their condolences. They've been placing flowers and mementos.

Nara police say 41-year-old Tatsuya Yamagami has confessed to shooting Abe. The allege assassin is being held at the Nara Police Department while awaiting formal charges. He is scheduled to appear in court on July 19th. NHK reported that Yamagami told investigators he made up his mind to kill the former prime minister one year ago. And CNN's Blake Essig is standing by at the Japanese parliament, and Steven Jiang is in Beijing. But I want to start with Blake. And Blake, Japan farewelling the nation's longest serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe, mourning and honoring Abe four days after his shocking assassination. What is the latest on his funeral which has now come to an end, and of course his legacy?

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, it's a sad day here in Japan and even the weather gray skies a little rain seems to be reflecting the mood as Japan says goodbye and lays to rest its longest serving prime minister. A man who first served in parliament, this building right behind me in 1993, would go on to become both a popular leader and polarizing figure.

For Shinzo Abe a life in politics really was in his blood, it was almost as if he didn't have a choice. His grandfather, great uncle served as prime minister. His father was a former secretary general of Japan's ruling party. And according to experts like he would've been as prime minister as well but he died of heart failure before his time, and as you mentioned, his brother, the current minister of defense.

So, from a very young age there was an expectation that Shinzo would enter politics too. Well, the respect and admiration for Abe continues to pour in, though in the following, you know, this sudden tragic shocking death, experts do say that the deep divisions about his leadership have not disappeared.

And when we talked to experts about his legacy and what that legacy is going to look like decades from now, it's likely what he didn't do during his time in power and possibly missed opportunities that will likely shape his legacy. Experts say one of those opportunities missed might have been what he didn't do on climate change. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOBIAS HARRIS, AUTHOR, THE ICONOCLAST, SHINZO ABE AND THE NEW JAPAN: Abe himself I missed, I think a substantial opportunity to make Japan a real leader when it came to combating climate change. And just given -- just given the way the world looks in a couple of decades that might just be how most political leaders from this era -- from this era are judged.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:05:07]

ESSIG: Well, the world will continue to deal with the impacts of the climate crisis for a long time to come. Here in Japan, the country is still searching for an economic growth model after Abenomics, Abe's three-arrowed approach focused on monetary easing, flexible spending and monetary forms failed to deliver in Japan is also still dealing with demographic challenges fueled by an aging and shrinking population.

These are all issues that Abe successors are going to be forced to deal with. But in the end, hard to ignore, Rosemary, all that Abe did for Japan. He's a man who most certainly is responsible for the Japan that exists today.

CHURCH: And Blake, more details are coming to light about the suspect in Abe's assassination and even a possible motive. What more are you learning about this?

ESSIG: Well, you know, Rosemary, you know, details do continue to come in about, you know, whether it's possible motive. And also, as you mentioned earlier, the fact that -- that this individual, according to NHK, had told police that he had planned or decided that he wanted to assassinate Abe a year ago. And the fact that he decided to use one of his guns, even though he found -- or police found explosives in his home, he decided to use a gun, because at this point, Abe was his only target.

For several days now we had talked about this group that this suspected murderer had -- had held a grudge against. And we are learning according to police that that group, or excuse me, not according to police, NHK, that that group, the Unification Church which was founded in 1950, the 1950s in South Korea.

So again, we're going to start learning a lot more details about that relationship in the days, to come. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Yes, indeed we shall. And Steven, I want to go to you now in Beijing, because as a result of the controversial relationship between China and Shinzo Abe there were initial celebrations on the internet when news spread of Abe's assassination.

But of course, the formal line coming out of China is very different to that what is being said by the leadership there.

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: That's right, Rosemary. Initially the public reaction was very much controversial as you mentioned in this country's heavily regulated and sensor cyberspace users were free to post messages of cheer and chants and some reportedly, as you mentioned, posting pictures of their celebration of Mr. Abe's assassination in restaurants and other public venues.

And the initial official reaction, also quite muted and vague with a foreign ministry spokesman declining to comment on the overwhelmingly negative reactions from the social media users. Also, he did not condemn this act of violence. And indeed, after Mr. Abe stepped down as prime minister in 2020, he had become increasingly vocal and critical of China.

And the last time the foreign ministry here actually commented on him was in reaction to his remarks on the need to defend Taiwan's democracy and security with the same spokesman actually denouncing him as a shameless figure with ulterior motives.

So, perhaps not surprisingly the Chinese president's reaction to, to his death also came much later than other world leaders with Xi Jinping only sending messages of condolence -- condolences on Saturday to both the current Japanese prime minister and Mr. Abe's family. Now, of course, Mr. Xi didn't know Mr. Abe's, quote, unquote, "positive contribution to the improvement of bilateral ties," because that is one thing Mr. Abe did insist on despite his increasingly hawkish views in China, that is the need to maintain regular, high- level contact and exchanges and with him meeting Mr. Xi multiple times during his tenure.

But of course, any Japanese prime minister almost by default is often a despised to figure here because of the two countries wartime history. From the Chinese perspective, they have never atoned enough for their atrocities. And Mr. Abe was no exception.

He actually visited this very controversial -- controversial shrine in Tokyo really angering the Chinese, not to mention his stance on other territorial disputes and also his vision for a free and open Indo- Pacific, very much viewed here as another proof of the U.S. and its key allies here to contain China's rise.

So, for all those reasons, Mr. Abe very much remain a deeply controversial and unpopular figure and a long-time target of Chinese officials and state media. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Blake Essig in Tokyo, Steven Jiang in Beijing, many thanks to you both.

Well, now to Ukraine where troops are stepping up counter attacks on Russian held territory in the south. Video from social media shows a series of explosions rocking a Russian occupied town in Kherson on Monday night, Russian backed officials in the region say at least seven people were killed.

[03:10:04]

A Ukrainian official says the strikes were aimed at an ammunition depot. And it comes as Ukraine says it's massing a million strong fighting force to recapture Russian held lands in the south particularly the coastal areas that are crucial to Ukraine's economy.

To the Northeast, Russian forces are stepping up strikes on Ukraine's second largest city Kharkiv. The death toll from Monday's attacks on civilian areas there has now risen to six with more than 30 people wounded.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is pushing back on Canada's decision to return a key component of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which delivers Russian gas to Germany. On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the move an unacceptable breach of sanctions on Russia, saying it will only encourage Moscow to further weaponize energy.

And for more on all of this, we want to bring in CNN's Scott McLean. He joins us live from Kyiv. Good morning to you, Scott.

So, what more can you tell us about the explosions in Kherson and of course, the planned offensive in Southern Ukraine.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Rosemary, this is the second time that the Ukrainians have struck this town called Nova Kakhovka in the Kherson region about 60 kilometers or so from the actual city of Kherson.

Now you mentioned it, the Ukrainians say that they hit an ammunition depot. And videos from the explosions show secondary explosions, which support that case being true. Though, of course we don't know for sure. The Russians though claim, had initially claimed through Russian state media that this was actually a hydroelectric power station that was hit, though that was quickly contradicted by a local official who said that's not true. This was actually a stash of potassium nitrate, an ingredient in fertilizer.

Also though, the same substance that caused the Beirut explosion two years ago. Either way, though, the Russian said that, look, these explosions, they hit a hospital, they damaged houses and there are dozens of people who were injured in addition to those who were killed.

This is all part of a stepped-up effort by the Ukrainians to retake land along the Black Sea coast. They have been focusing their strikes on supply lines, trying to hamper the Russian efforts to actually get weapons and supplies to the front lines. They have also retaken some territory close to Kherson.

And remember, Rosemary, Kherson is a city which has been long occupied by the Russians since the early days of war, a place where as of May, people there were eligible for Russian citizenship and, you can even use the Russian ruble as legal tender.

One other thing to mention and that's that we do have an update just in the last little bit on the situation in Chasiv Yar, where a pair of missile strikes absolutely flattened an entire section of an apartment building. The latest numbers from rescue workers is that, 30 people or 34 people are now dead including a nine-year-old boy. Nine people remarkably have been rescued alive.

CHURCH: And Scott, as we mentioned, there is tension between Canada and Ukraine over the Nord Stream 1 turbine. What is the back story to this and how is Ukraine responding?

MCLEAN: Yes. So, remember this turbine had been sent to Canada for some repair work to be done on it, and it was supposed to be sent back, but the Russians had actually cited the delay in the return of this turbine as part of the reason why it reduced the capacity of gas going through the Nord stream 1 pipeline by 40 percent.

And so, the Canadians decided to return it, but in order to return it, they actually had to make a one-time exception to their own sanctions laws. That is something that President Zelensky last night called unacceptable. He also summoned the Canadian ambassador. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): It's not just some Nord stream turbine that Canada shouldn't have, but still decided to hand over, hand over actually to Russia. This is about common rules. If a terrorist state can squeeze out such an exception to sanctions, what exceptions will it want tomorrow or the day after tomorrow?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLEAN: It's important to point out as well, Rosemary, that the U.S. State Department came out with a statement yesterday saying that it supports Canada's decision to return that turbine saying that, look, this will help European countries to refill their gas supplies so that at least in the short term, so that in the long term, they can reduce their dependence on Russian energy.

CHURCH: All right. Scott McLean joining us live from Kyiv, many thanks for bringing us up to date.

Well, Russia may be intensifying its assault on Ukraine's second largest city, but that's not stopping a group of pharmacists from undertaking a dangerous mission to get lifesaving medicine to the frontline.

CNN's Alex Marquardt reports from Kharkiv.

[03:15:03]

ALEXANDER MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: In a boarded-up pharmacy in Kharkiv we follow Yulia Kelemyuk (Ph) down into the basement. They never used this space before the war. Now it holds shelf after shelf of vital donated medicine, while also serving another purpose.

As we've been down here, we can hear some heavy shelling from up above. That's not very common at this time of the day in mid-morning. Thankfully we're already down in the basement. So, where we - where we need to be.

That shelling killed at least six city residents, Yulia and her team are unfazed, preparing to head out on a monthly visit to multiple frontline villages which desperately need hard to get medicine, medical supplies and basics like baby formula.

"The pharmacy comes to the village," she says, "pharmacies are either destroyed or there are no pharmacists and people need medicine. The lead vehicle in the convoy is an ambulance. When it arrives in the first village, its sirens ring out to tell everyone they're here. Soon a line has formed in the rain, old retirees, young parents with their kids. Anyone who's left here seems to come out, including a village doctor.

"We really need medication. We don't have a local pharmacy. We have nowhere to buy anything." She says insulin, heart, and blood pressure drugs are at the top of her list, along with sedatives and antidepressant.

Animals are a priority too. Another car is full of dog food for beloved pets like Baykal (Ph) whose owner eager says Baykal is shell shocked from all the explosions. This village had been occupied by Russian forces and caught between the warring sides. The scars of the fighting very visible as is the Russian retreat.

When the Russians occupied this village, a man who lives here says, that they would tuck their tanks and their armored vehicles between houses and cover them up to try to hide them. But then the Ukrainians retook this village and you can see they blew up and destroyed this armored vehicle.

After about an hour, the team packs up and moves on to a poor rural village just 25 kilometers or 16 miles from the closest Russian position. Here, the residents gather around even faster. The profound need for aid is clear. While we're there a team from World Central Kitchen arrives to hand out meals. Another eager line forms.

Many of the Ukrainians we met were forced to live in the basements of their own homes while Russians occupied them, Yulia (Ph) tells us. "They're helpless, held hostage by this situation," she says, "we help because they cannot provide for themselves."

Alex Marquardt, CNN in Kharkiv.

CHURCH: Well, turning now to the political upheaval in the United Kingdom. Britain's Conservative Party is planning to name the replacement for Prime Minister Boris Johnson on September 5th. He said Thursday he will step down when that new party leader is chosen.

The influential group of M.P.s called the 1922 committee is in charge of setting the rules and the timetable for the Tory leadership contest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRAHAM BRADY, CHAIRMAN, 1922 COMMITTEE: What we try to do is find a balance where we're making sure the parliamentary stages are concluded reasonably rapidly before the summer recess. But we do believe we can have that proper discussion within the party.

Obviously, we know our parliamentary candidates already. We do need to make sure there's a decent period of time before the result is announced on the 5th of September.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Eleven candidates are in the running so far with many of them promising to lower taxes and clean up the scandals that plagued Johnson's administration.

In Sri Lanka, protestors say they will continue to occupy the homes of the president and prime minister until both leaders are out of office. Just ahead, what else is next as the country navigates its political and economic problems.

Plus, Egyptians are seeing their spending power erode fast. A look at what's behind the sharp rise in inflation.

You're watching CNN Newsroom, and we're back in just a moment.

[03:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Well, after months of protests in Sri Lanka over a crippling economic crisis there, the country's parliament will elect a new president next week. Nominations for the top post will be presented to lawmakers ahead of the vote. The dramatic move comes after the president and prime minister agreed to resign on Wednesday under mounting pressure.

Tens of thousands of protestors stormed their residences on Saturday. Some are refusing to leave until the resignations become official.

And CNN's Paula Hancocks is following this story for us. So, Paula, how are protestors reacting to word that the president and prime minister will resign? And how long will it take to fill the leadership void of both positions and get the country back on track given its massive economic woes.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the key question, Rosemary. I mean, the fact is that the first step that these protesters wanted was to get the president and the prime minister out of power. They have managed that. We understand that they will be leaving on Wednesday. At least the presidents will be and many much of the cabinet as well. So, they're going to try and form an all-party government, according to officials.

So, July 20th will be the actual election itself for the president's position. And then they will have the remainder of that two years that the administration was serving. So that is step one. That is what they wanted.

But the fact is it does not mean that things will immediately recover. This is the worst financial crisis that Sri Lanka has suffered in recent history. Regular people are suffering. They are unable to buy fuel, medicine, food easily. We have seen images of people having to queue for hours to try and get fuel, scuffles of broken out between people trying to get by.

And police and military, we also understand some patients were unable to get to hospital for treatment because they simply couldn't get the fuel to drive. Their schools have been suspended. Food is in scarce supply. So, this is a severe situation for the country itself. That won't improve quickly.

I mean, we know that the -- that officials and that the parliamentary speaker who as per the Constitution has taken over in the interim or will take over before the new president is elected. They have been speaking to the IMF, the International monetary Fund to try and figure out how they can revive the economy. But he he's quoted as saying that it is a difficult conversation.

Sri Lanka, obviously not coming to any negotiations from a position of any strengths at this point. So, from the political point of view, that could be remedied fairly quickly. We also understand that the brother of the president, the outgoing president who was the finance minister has actually just been blocked from leaving the country. This according to an immigration, officer.

So, suggesting that they do want to try and bring people to account or to figure out exactly what went wrong when it comes to the political scene. But the fact is it doesn't improve anything immediately for people on the ground. It is hopeful that there will be a quick political resolution, but when it comes to enough medicine, enough fuel, enough food for many Sri Lankans, that's really the key.

[03:25:05]

Now this is the worst financial crisis as I say in recent history. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Paula Hancocks bringing us the very latest on this story. Many thanks.

We turn to Egypt now. And a sharp rise in inflation is forcing many people to cut expenses. Some analysts blame Egypt's rising debt, and Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine for rattling its economy.

CNN's Eleni Giokos reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hanna's fridge is getting emptier every month. The street fruit and vegetable seller lives on daily wages. Soaring inflation forces him to cut back on everything. The last cut, food.

HANNA AYYAD, STREET VENDOR (through translator): Ever since they floated the pound and the dollar price increased, food prices increased. It's become unaffordable for people to eat fruit. Some people used to buy five or 10 kilograms of fruit. Now they can buy one or two kilograms at most.

GIOKOS: It now takes him up to four days to sell what would normally go in one. Egyptian households of all income levels are seeing their spending power erode fast as inflation bites. The Egyptian pound is plunging. Inflation soaring to 14.7 percent from 5 percent last year. Now, in an attempt to protect depleting foreign exchange reserves and to protect the currency, restrictions on imports resulting in rising prices and shortages of all sorts of products.

HAYA REF, ARCHITECT: I feel like we're in a survival mode. And it's -- it's getting a bit scary. Everything that was affordable has become less and less affordable.

GIOKOS: Egypt is collateral damage in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, relying on 80 percent of its wheat from these two countries, compounding the loss in supply, a doubling of global grain prices since February. Seventy million Egyptians rely on subsidized bread. That's 70 percent of the population. The government is working on ramping up local grain production.

MOSTAFA MADBOULY, PRIME MINISTER OF EGYPT (through translator): We should all know, the gravity of the crisis is not just in Egypt, but all around the world.

GIOKOS: Egypt's debt has shot to unsustainable levels. Like other emerging markets, Egypt lost billions of dollars this year as investors chased safer assets. Gulf countries injected billions in loans and investments to prop up the economy. The government offered shares in seven of its main ports and other state assets in a bid to attract Gulf investors.

SALMA HUSSEIN, ECONOMIC ANALYST: Look, it's like creating new monsters. We're in a very hard time. The government needs a lot of foreign exchange revenues in order to be able to finance its debt service. I'm not worried that of a collapse of the Egyptian economy. I'm worried of a collapse of more people under the poverty line.

GIOKOS: Anticipating social unrest, the government has initiated national dialogue with the opposition. A slight change of tact from years of a brutal crackdown on the slightest hint of descent. Hanna relies on the government's subsidy program for basic food and cash handouts.

AYYAD (through translator): We can do without eating meat, buying it once a month. We may buy chicken two or three times a month not like before. We used to buy these once or twice a week. Now we can't because my income is low.

GIOKOS: Fearing that these sacrifices are just the start of what could be a protracted crisis.

Eleni Giokos, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Authorities in China say they will start releasing funds to people who have had their money frozen by several rural banks. The announcement comes after protest turned violence Sunday when hundreds of customers showed up demanding their money.

At least four banks have kept millions of dollars' worth of deposits frozen since April, blaming upgrades to their internal systems. Authorities say the first batch of payments will be sent out to customers on Friday.

Still to come, a former U.S. politician may be heading to Moscow to try to arrange the release of two detained Americans. What Russia might want in return. We'll take a look. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everyone. Well, the seventh hearing of the U.S. House select committee investigating the capitol insurrection is set for Tuesday. The focus will be on right- wing extremist groups and their ties to associates of former President Donald Trump. And at least two witnesses are expected to testify.

Here's a preview from CNN congressional correspondent, Ryan Nobles.

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): CNN has learned that January 6th committee is planning to zero-in on a key link. The extremist group's ties to Trump associates, Roger Stone and Michael Flynn. The hearing comes as another key Trump ally, Steve Bannon is changing his tune, telling the committee he would be willing to testify but only in a live public setting.

It's a move prosecutors believe is a stunt to try and wiggle out from his criminal contempt charges. But a federal judge on Monday declined his request to postpone his trial for next week.

REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA): I expect that we will be hearing from him and there are many questions that we have for him.

NOBLES: The committee has already revealed a bevy of new information. Among the biggest headlines, that Trump and his allies were made fully aware that there was no evidence the election was stolen.

BILL STEPIEN, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: I didn't think what was happening was necessarily honest or professional.

NOBLES: Trump knew he lost the election, but kept telling his supporters he won without evidence to back it up, that the campaign to subvert the will of the voters extended all the way to the states where Trump personally pressured officials to help his effort.

RUSTY BOWERS, SPEAKER, ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: You were asking me to do something against my oath and I will not break my oath.

NOBLES: The committee also revealing that Trump knew his supporters were armed and planning to be violent, but he directed them to the Capitol anyway.

CASSIDY HUTCHINSON, FORMER AIDE TO White HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF MARK MEADOWS: I overheard the president say something to the effect of, you know, I don't care that they have weapons. They're not here to hurt me. Take the effing mags away. Let my people in. They can march the capitol from here. Let the people in, take the effing mags away.

NOBLES: The committee also uncovering details about Trump's efforts to prevent Congress' certification of the election. He ignored his advisors that there was no fraud, and instead tried to install an attorney general who would do his bidding.

RICHARD DONOGHUE, FORMER ACTING DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: I recall toward the end saying what you are proposing is nothing less than the United States Justice Department meddling in the outcome of a presidential election.

NOBLES: That man, Jeffrey Clark, is now under scrutiny as part of a federal investigation into the attempts to overturn the election. And finally, as an angry mob called for the assassination of his vice

president, witnesses say Trump did not seem to be bothered. His response to the violence leading several cabinet officials to quit and others quietly considering a plan to invoke the 25th amendment.

HUTCHINSON: There's a large concern of the 25th amendment potentially being invoked. And there were concerns about what would happen in the Senate if it was, if the 25th was invoked.

[03:34:57]

NOBLES (on camera): And among the people that we could hear from on Tuesday, Pat Cippollone, the former White House counsel who was deposed by the committee last Friday. We're told that the committee asked Cipollone a number of questions about a key meeting that took place in the White House in December. Select committee aides said today that they believe that that meeting was a pivotal moment that set the stage for the violence that took place on January 6th.

Ryan Nobles, CNN, on Capitol Hill.

CHURCH: And you can watch our special coverage of today's hearing starting at noon, Eastern 5 p.m. in London.

Well, the presidents of the U.S. and Mexico will look to reach some common ground in the coming hours amid recent tensions between the two countries. They are set to meet in Washington just weeks after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador refuse President Joe Biden's invitation to attend the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles.

The snub came after the U.S. declined to invite the leaders of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Tuesday's talks will cover a wide range of issues, including inflation, security, and especially migration at the U.S.-Mexico border where arrests have reached their highest levels in over a decade.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR, PRESIDENT OF MEXICO (through translator): We will see how the working meetings go after the dialogue and what is in the interest of both nations. We are going to deal with the migration issue. You know what our proposal is, what we want is for migration not to be forced. We want migration to be optional, legal, completely legal, and we want an agreement to be reached in that sense to order the migratory flow to legalize it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The White House national security advisor said the two leaders will also discuss Russia's war in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: President Biden will meet with President Lopez Obrador here at the White House. The second time the two leaders will meet here to build on the significant progress made at the Summit of the Americas where Mexico expressed support for the America's partnership for economic prosperity and join 20 other countries in adopting the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection.

We expect the two leaders to discuss their common vision for North America and common efforts to address global challenges, including Russia's war in Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The Mexican president has criticized the U.S. support for Ukraine calling it quote, "a Crass era." Well, former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is expected to visit Moscow in the coming weeks. Sources say he plans to discuss the release of two detained U.S. citizens, professional basketball player Brittney Griner, and former marine, Paul Whelan.

CNN's Brian Todd has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Detained American basketball star Brittney Griner may soon have another champion negotiating for her freedom.

Bill Richardson, the former governor of New Mexico and former ambassador to the U.N. who helped negotiate the release of many detained Americans is expected to travel to Russia in the coming weeks, hoping to make a deal for Griner and fellow American detainee Paul Whelan, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Could his trip give new momentum to a deal?

WILLIAM POMERANZ, DIRECTOR, WILSON CENTER, KENNAN INSTITUTE: I think it would be a good sign, but again, Vladimir Putin holds the cards as to how these negotiations will go. The speed, the terms, et cetera.

TODD: Richardson helped win the release from Russia of Trevor Reed, the former us Marine convicted of assaulting Russian police in April. He was traded for a Russian convicted in the U.S. of drug smuggling. Richardson's office declined to comment, but he has previously told CNN Russia's exchange for Reed was a good omen.

FMR. GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D-NM): They were ready to deal. So this is good news for Brittney Griner.

TODD: National security advisor Jake Sullivan said the White House has been in touch with Richardson, but is also working on its own track.

SULLIVAN: And president Biden is laser-focused on a government-to- government solution.

TODD: Griner last week pleaded guilty to possessing trace amounts of cannabis oil on a vape cartridge when she arrived in Russia in February.

BRITTNEY GRINER, AMERICAN BASKETBALL PLAYER DETAINED IN RUSSIA: But I had no intention on breaking any Russian laws. TODD: One Russia jailed in the U.S. for whom the Kremlin might want to trade, Viktor Bout, a notorious arms dealer nicknamed the merchant of death.

POMERANZ: Whether that is conceived as a fair exchange and a convicted arms dealer for a basketball player with a minor drug charge is up to the Biden administration. But I'm pretty sure that that is what the Russians will ask for.

TODD: Paul Whelan's sister told CNN about a phone call she received recently from President Biden.

ELIZABETH WHELAN, PAUL WHELAN'S SISTER: The president was really reassuring that so much effort was being made on Paul's behalf. And it really meant the world to my family.

TODD: An intense public pressure campaign for Griner continue at Sunday's WNBA all-star game on ABC. The players all wore her Jersey name and number and Griner was featured as an honorary all-star.

[03:40:04]

UNKNOWN: Brittney Griner.

TODD: Her wife, Cherelle Griner, had expressed frustration with the Biden administration for Griner's continued detention. But on Friday she voiced support after Biden replied to Brittney Griner's letter to him.

CHERELLE GRINER, BRITTNEY GRINER'S WIFE: I believe every word that she said to him he understood. And he sees her as a person and he has not forgotten her, which was her biggest cry in her letter.

TODD (on camera): If a deal for Brittney Griner and or Paul Whelan is made, security experts tell us they do have a broader concern that a deal like that could embolden other rogue regimes to nab an American on dubious charges and imprison them. It's something that could put many other Americans abroad in danger.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: Still ahead on the program, NASA releases a stunning new image. The first of many that will

forever change the way we see the universe.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, NASA has released the first color image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. There it is. And one former astronaut put it, it's giving us a new view of space and fundamentally changing our understanding of the universe.

CNN's Rachel Crane has more now on what makes this telescope so groundbreaking.

RACHEL CRANE, CNN INNOVATION & SPACE CORRESPONDENT: We are seeing the very first image released from the James Webb telescope released by President Biden at the White House. Biden talking about the significance of this moment. Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It's a new window into the history of our universe. And today, we're going to get a glimpse of the first light to shine through that window. Light from other worlds, orbiting stars far beyond our own. It's astounding to me when I read this. And I saw the -- I mean, it really is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CRANE: And in this first image we see those other worlds, other galaxies, other stars, NASA saying that this is the deepest and sharpest infrared image we have ever seen of our universe. So really, an incredible historic image there.

And this is just the start. NASA will be releasing several other images in a batch of images from the James Webb telescope. We know that we're going to see Nebula, which are essentially stellar nurseries. We're going to see additional galaxies. We're even going to get to see an exoplanet and not just the exoplanet itself, which is a planet that orbits another star, but we're going to be able to peer into its atmosphere if it has one and get a sense of what that atmosphere is comprised of.

So, James Webb, this is the most ambitious telescope humanity has ever created. And it's more than just a telescope. This is really a time machine. We're going to be able to see back in time to just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang.

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This is really, you know, it sounds like a long time ago, but it's really the moment where the universe is just turning its lights on. We're going to be able to see the formation of galaxies. The formation of stars. And scientists are most excited about what they can't even imagine what James Webb is going to reveal about our universe.

We know that the Hubble Telescope taught us endless amounts of lessons about our universe. We know that our universe is expanding at an accelerating rate because of Hubble. We know that there are a hundred billion galaxies out there or more when we thought that there were just a fraction of that before.

So, Hubble is the predecessor to James Webb Telescope. And what we are going to learn from this extraordinary telescope has just yet to be seen.

Rachel Crane, CNN, New York.

CHURCH: And for more on this very exciting story, I'm joined now by Markus Kissler-Patig. He is the head of the science and operations department at the European Space Agency. And he joins us now from Sweden. It is great to have you with. MARKUS KISSLER-PATIG, HEAD OF THE SCIENCE AND OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT,

EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY: Thanks. Thanks for having me on the show.

CHURCH: So, we are of course, looking forward to more NASA images being released in the coming hours. And of course, you worked on this. So, what was your reaction when you saw this first full color image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope showing the first glimpse of the deepest view of the universe and how it appeared 13 billion years ago. And what all do you see when you look at that image?

KISSLER-PATIG: It's, it was a wow effect, right? It's one of these once in a lifetime effect that I've seen. I've seen the images in black and white. Our team prepared them. I've seen them in color, the one is displayed behind me was just mind blowing, especially when you realize that just in a few hours, Webb had been able to do what Hubble sometimes needed weeks to be done. And it's sharper, it's deeper. We're going to explore the universe like we've never done before.

So, I'm thrilled. I'm thrilled for myself that for all of the generation of scientists, which can now access this data and will explore the universe for humankind in a completely new way.

CHURCH: Yes. I mean, it's exciting scientifically. It also looks like a piece of artwork. I mean, it's so exquisite, isn't it? And given the James Webb Space Telescope is able to observe the earliest galaxies created after the Big Bang, what could we potentially learn from this and how groundbreaking will it likely be ultimately?

KISSLER-PATIG: I think it will reveal, it will be yet another step in our understanding of where we come from. Really the Webb was designed to actually peak all the way back into the beginning of the universe. We want to understand how structure formed, when the first stars assembled, stars as the factories which create the chemical elements, which then eventually formed the basis for life.

So, in fact, actually looking all the way back, understanding when the structure forms in the universe, when the stars formed gives us an indication of when possibly the first life in the universe could occur. And that's what was designed to do for, and this first image really shows the power that actually this telescope has. It's actually surpassing our expectations.

CHURCH: It is just extraordinary. And what might we learn do you think from observations from inside the atmospheres of exoplanets, which can also apparently be seen by this telescope?

KISSLER-PATIG: So, I think as a, as a sneak preview I can tell you that we have observed one exoplanet. It's going to be one of the releases later today. And indeed, what we are looking there, signs for life to actually search for life beyond our solar system. The only trace we have is actually looking at the atmospheres of exoplanets. See whether the life as it lit on Earth has changed the atmosphere of these planets, and whether actually from the chemical composition of the atmosphere is we can actually work back what type of life, if there's life first, and what type of life can be there. So, we will be looking for any chemistry which will give us indications of anything like life, like what we call life. We, of course know only one occurrence on Earth. And now we'll explore what we can -- what we can see on other exoplanets, and whether life is, maybe even unique. We have never seen a second trace of life in the universe or whether it's ubiquitous and there's life everywhere.

So that's one of the, of course, big questions we want to answer. And from the first images of Webb, we see that we have actually a good chance to answer that question in the next -- next decade.

CHURCH: Wow. That, I mean, that is a question a lot of us want to know the answer to. And it is an exquisite image that we are looking at there. I mean, tell us what you see when you look at that. What -- what stands out to you?

KISSLER-PATIG: So, I mean, as you said, it's it first is beauty really. It's a piece of art. I've already commissioned it to -- to be framed and put in my -- in my bedroom.

CHURCH: Yes.

[03:49:59]

KISSLER-PATIG: But this particular image, really, we were looking at the -- at the galaxy cluster. That's a number of galaxies. So, every galaxy contains tens of billions of stars. A cluster of galaxies is actually hundreds of these galaxies, and that's an enormous mass in space time. And as Einstein already described, the moment you put an enormous mass in spacetime, it warps space time.

And in fact, in this case, it creates a lens. So not only was Webb designed to look all the way back into the universe, but with a lens we can now have a magnifying glass and what we're really seeing as a galaxy behind this galaxy cluster they're magnified. And that gives us the possibility to actually study the very early gala -- the very first galaxies in the universe, magnified in great detail and helps us to understand exactly this, you know, what type of galaxies were there, when -- when did the universe formed stars, how did they behave? How did they assemble to form these galaxies? The like we have the Milky Way in which we live.

And that's in one glance, and I haven't finished exploring it. it was late last night when it was released. I followed the release life of course. I had a first peak at the images I zoomed in. But I'm going to continue probably all day just staring at it and being modeled.

CHURCH: It so exciting. I mean, I could continue talking with you for hours. Markus Kissler-Patig, thank you so much. And we are all very excited about seeing more images in the coming hours. I appreciate talking to you.

KISSLER-PATIG: Thank you very much. Thanks for having me on the show.

CHURCH: Well, the race is on to control a fast-moving fire threatening a grove of ancient sequoias in California. We will find out what kind of progress firefighters are making. We're back with that in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Crews in California are taking extraordinary measures to put out a fire threatening the state's beloved Sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park. Crews have installed a sprinkler system to dampen the ground around one of the most famous trees. The fire is burning in a grove of more than 500 giant sequoias. Some thought to be thousands of years old. Firefighters say they have the blaze 22 percent contained.

Well, torrential rain and intense flooding have hit Pakistan's financial capital inundating the business district in Karachi on Monday. The chief minister in the region says the city got a whopping 126 millimeters of rain, almost five inches in just three hours.

Homes and banks in the city's most affluent areas were flooded. Nationwide, dozens of deaths have been reported as a result of the monsoon rains since they began last month.

Well, it's blistering hot in parts of Europe right now. And for some countries, the heat wave could last through much of this week. Wildfires have been burning in parts of Portugal. Officials say 10 districts are at maximum fire risk for the next few days. With temperatures expected to top 40 degrees Celsius in some places. The E.U. commission is sending its firefighting air fleet to help. Spain is also experiencing record high temperatures with its second heat wave of the season.

[03:54:53]

And the U.K. has already issued a rare amber extreme heat warning for much of England and Wales this coming weekend. High temperatures in London were around 33 Celsius on Monday.

And for more we want to bring in meteorologist Gene Norman. And Gene, these extreme weather conditions just seemed to get worse every single day.

GENE NORMAN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Exactly right. Rosemary. You talked about that monsoon rain in Pakistan. The Western Europe can't buy a raindrop. Temperatures continue to soar. Again, one of the fingerprints of climate change this persistent heat waves that are really causing havoc because people are just not used to this kind of heat. And it is lasting for several days.

These are the high temperatures across sections of France, of Spain and Portugal on Monday. And we had over 40 reports of temperatures over 40 degrees in Spain alone, and that trend is going to continue for the next couple of days. In fact, across the Iberian Peninsula, there are heat alerts in effect, heat warnings, really, and you see that cover a good part of Portugal, Western and central Spain.

And that will continue for the next couple of days. You can see why those alerts are in effect because temperatures are going to be in the low 40s in Madrid. Talk about the mid-40s in Sevilla, and then in Portugal itself mainly in the 30s. Even up in Paris temperatures will be trending upwards for the next couple of days, all due to an area of high pressure that's sitting over Western Europe, not moving anywhere. All the rain is off to the east. And again, it's that rain is not moving where it is needed.

Now let me show you how the heat is going to spread over the next couple of days, pretty much parked over the Iberian Peninsula. There'll be a brief cool down in the U.K. toward the middle of the week, but watch what happens as we head toward the end of the week and the weekend. That's when the heat surges back up.

And we're talking about temperatures climbing in Paris, staying above 30 degrees for the next couple of days. And look at this. By Monday close to 40 degrees. So that's really the high heat. And talk about the U.K., even though it's only Tuesday, the U.K. med office issued a rare amber alert as we -- as we've been talking about mainly from Manchester south toward London, a level three heat alert that could be extended on into Monday.

So, folks there are really getting ready, but Rosemary, this is unusual. This is not normal. And folks are looking for some kind of relief it's not coming anytime soon.

CHURCH: Yes. Not, not good news at all. Gene Norman, many thanks for joining us. I appreciate it.

And thank you for spending part of your day with me. I'm Rosemary Church. CNN Newsroom continues next with Max Foster.

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