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Family of Slain Journalist Wants Meeting with Biden; Biden to Meet Soon with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid; Biden Aiming to Bring Israel and Saudi Arabia Closer; Ukraine Again Claims Deep Strikes on Russian Military; U.N. Hails Progress at Talks on Ukrainian Grain Exports; Brittney Griner's Trial Resumes in Moscow. Aired 4:30- 5a ET
Aired July 14, 2022 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
TOM SATER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The worst fire I think will -- threat will be today, it's a little bit better as we get into areas over the weekend. But even in the U.S., we have fires burning. We have scorched twice as much acreage year to date than we have, Christina, for the ten year average. So, fires everywhere, heat everywhere. Again, fingerprint of climate change and unfortunately there's no end in sight for the next couple of weeks.
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Tom, these models, these trends are so concerning. I really hope we don't get up to 40 degrees here in the U.K. I can tell you we're sweltering already in London. Tom Sater thank you so much and to you Steven Jiang.
All right, we'll head back to Becky Anderson in Saudi Arabia in just a minute. She'll have the latest on U.S. President Joe Biden's upcoming visit to the kingdom and the agenda for his remaining time in Israel.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia where we are following Joe Biden's first visit to the Middle East since he became U.S. president. Well right now, he is just about to begin a meeting with the new Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid in Jerusalem. Tomorrow, he travels to Bethlehem in the West Bank for talks with the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. From there, he flies here to Jetta where on Saturday he will be meeting with both Saudi leaders and others from the region -- the GCC, plus Egypt, Iraq and Jordan.
[04:35:00]
Well, there are no plans for Mr. Biden to meet with the family of slain Palestinian/American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. U.S. officials examined the bullet that killed her but said that they could got reach a definitive conclusion on who fired it. Well, her niece explained why her family wants to speak with President Biden.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LINA ABU AKLEH, SHIREEN ABU AKLEH'S NIECE: Sitting with the president is important because it would show that the president cares about Palestinian/American lives and cares about making a difference. And most importantly that he is on the right path upholding Israel accountable and listening from a family that is grieving. That is all that we're asking is to sit with us and to listen our concerns. It's also a matter of upholding the values that the president continues to preach about human rights, democracy, and most importantly about press freedom.
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I find that really interesting what you mentioned that he can't ignore this because it's part of the issues that are here. So, for you, he can't come here without meeting you, without talking about Shireen.
AKLEH: Because Shireen's case represents the bigger picture of what happens in Palestine on a daily basis, it represents the injustice, the oppression and just how our lives are -- we're constantly a target. Shireen was not the first journalist to be killed and she wasn't the last. So, putting an end to this injustice, putting an end to this impunity is important because it sheds lights, it continues to shed light on the greater picture of what Palestinians we continue to endure on a daily basis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Gregg Carlstrom is the Middle East correspondent for "The Economist " and he joins me live from Jerusalem. Is it clear whether the White House will concede to Shireen's family's wishes or at this point does it seem as if they are somewhat trying to draw a line under her death?
GREGG CARLSTROM, MIDDLE EAST CORRESPONDENT, THE ECONOMIST: I would say the latter at this point. I mean, starting with the fact that the State Department put out this report last week, this sort of very carefully worded rather inconclusive report before the president came here. They were hoping that would be enough to take this issue off the table. The Secretary of State has invited Shireen's family to Washington to have a meeting in Washington. But I think that they are very keen to avoid having any sort of meeting whilst the president is here the next day or so.
ANDERSON: President Biden insists his trip to the Middle East is in America's national interests. Gregg, how.
CARLSTROM: Well, that is a good question. I think the White House has been unclear at times over the past few weeks about how this is in America's national interests. I think the first leg of this trip, the visit to Israel and to occupied West Bank, everyone here knows that sort of a side show. There's not much substance to it. There's a few meetings today. There is a brief meeting, as you said, with Mahmoud Abbas tomorrow.
But the real trip begins Friday afternoon when he lands in Jeddah. The most obvious national interest I think for most Americans is oil. The president is going to go to Saudi Arabia, push the Saudi's, the Emirates, other big producers, to ramp up oil production. I'm not sure how far he's going to get there, but that is his main concern.
We saw yesterday inflation figures coming out up to 9.1 percent in the United States and that's an electoral disaster in the making for the Democrats.
So, there's that and then there is this broader question for the administration of Israeli/Arab cooperation, Israeli/Arab normalization which they have been trying to push not only as a foreign policy win, but they see that as a way for America potentially to reduce its military presence in the region if there is more military cooperation between its partners in the region.
ANDERSON: And there is clear momentum across the Gulf and the Middle East to better integrate economies and security files. And that includes with Israel as you point out, and that as you rightly suggest suits America as it looks to reorganize its presence as it were and influence on the Middle East.
I guess that begs the question, what is the prospect that the president can move the needle at all on further normalization between Israel and Arab states, particularly regional heavyweight Saudi where I am?
CARLSTROM: Well, I can say everyone here in Israel that I've spoken to over the past few weeks, that my colleagues have spoken to, they downplaying the prospect of any real breakthrough in terms of normalization with the Saudi's during the president's trip. And I think that they are right do that.
[04:40:02]
The Saudis are not rushing into a deal. They've made it quite clear that they don't want to rush into a deal, they will settle for some incremental steps. They are headed for a deal, I think it is a question of when rather than if the Saudis will normalize with Israel. But everyone downplaying the prospect that's happening right now. And so, I think the president will go to Saudi Arabia. He will announce some token gestures between Israel and Saudi Arabia towards a more normal relationship. But we're a long way from the sort of ties that Israel and the UAE or Israel and Bahrain have developed over the past few years.
ANDERSON: Well, this is a very different place, Saudi Arabia, from that which the former president Donald Trump visited back in 2017 on what was his first foreign trip. Gregg, thank you. Greg Carlstrom with his perspective out of Jerusalem.
We are here in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, an important leg, a strategic leg as far as the White House is concerned in resetting the relationship with Saudi Arabia particularly as energy security of course is front and center given what the world is going through with regard to geopolitical at present.
We've got lot more ahead as we follow the president's trip. He is as we've been reporting expected to be meeting in a bilateral with Yair Lapid, the Prime Minister of Israel. As soon as we get images of that and word of that, we will bring that to you. An important meeting for both those leaders. Until then and for the time being, I'll throw it back to you Christina who is in London for you.
MACFARLANE: Yes, we'll continue to monitor that this hour. Thanks very much, Becky.
OK, blockaded for months in Ukrainian ports, there are hopeful signs that millions of tons of grain will soon get out to the world. Those details when we return.
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[04:45:00]
MACFARLANE: Hi, welcome back. After weeks of grinding artillery battles in eastern Ukraine, it appears Ukraine's military is taking the fight to the Russians. For the second time in two days, Ukraine claims it hit Russian military targets far from the frontlines. This video was shot by the pro-Russian administrator in the city of Horlivka. Russia's military is responding with stepped up attacks on multiple fronts. Ukrainian officials say a massive Russian attack of more than ten missiles were fired into the southern city of Mykolaiv early Thursday and one person was reported injured.
Meanwhile there are encouraging signs that millions of tons of Ukrainian grain will finally get shipped to the international market. Negotiations in Istanbul ended on Wednesday with the outline of an agreement. Turkey, Ukraine and Russia have agreed to form a joint coordination center in Istanbul under the auspices of the U.N. The group will be tasked with ensuring safe passage for ships in the Black Sea. The final deal to get the grain exports moving could come as early as next week.
Well let's bring in CNN's Scott McLean in the Ukrainian capital. And Scott, promising news of a potential deal over that Ukrainian grain. But elsewhere, as we've been saying, fighting intensifying in the south overnight. Bring us up-to-date.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that is correct. And I should mention, Christina, that there is a backlog of almost 100 ships waiting to sail, waiting to take grain up the Danube River to market. But the agricultural minister says that will take weeks to clear. The situation as of late has been helped by the fact that Ukrainians have are now in control of Snake Island -- that remote outpost in the Black Sea. Which is important because whoever controls that island can control the shipping lanes in that area.
But even with Snake Island in control -- and I should also point out that the Russians tried to drop a bomb on it according to the Ukrainians yesterday, but they say that they missed. Even with Ukrainians in control of Snake Island though, it is still a fraction of the grain that is normally shipped out through Black Sea ports that's actually able to leave the country right now. You mentioned the meetings in Istanbul. The negotiations in Istanbul which brought the outline of a potential agreement. President Zelenskyy says -- well, he seems optimistic. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We are indeed making significant efforts to restore food supply to the world market. I am grateful to the United Nations and Turkey for their respective efforts. The success of this story is needed not only by our state but also without exaggeration by the whole world. If it is possible to remove the Russian threat to shipping it in the Black Sea, it will remove the severity of the global food crisis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: And Christina, you also mentioned the intensifying fighting in the south. The mayor of Mykolaiv said that there were powerful explosions this morning. We know that according to the governor, it was 10 missile strikes that landed on the city. One of them actually hit a hotel and we have new pictures of that hotel that show it looks like it took a direct hit. What is remarkable here, is that only one person that we know of so far was actually injured.
Now that space between Mykolaiv and the city of Kherson, the Russian occupied city, has really been one of the most intense areas along the frontlines as of late. Yesterday there was another strike reported about 60 kilometers outside of Kherson on what the Ukrainians describe as a cache of ammunition. They also claim that it was the HIMARS systems supplied by the U.S. -- the artillery systems supplied by the U.S. that was used in the strike, something that they say has really been a game changer especially in the east where they are managing to take out Russian supply lines and keep the frontlines where they are.
MACFARLANE: Scott McLean, thanks very much. Scott tracking developments for us in Kyiv.
All right, still to come, the latest on the trial for detained U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner which resumes today in Moscow.
[04:50:00]
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MACFARLANE: Welcome back. The Russian trial of U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner resumes today in Moscow. Griner recently pleaded guilty to drug charges and could face up to ten years in a Russian prison. But the U.S. State Department says she's been wrongfully detained since her arrest in February. In a letter to the U.S. president, Griner said that she fears she may be in Russia forever.
Clare Sebastian joins us here with more. And Clare, presumably Griner's move to plead guilty was a calculated one on the part of her lawyers in order to try and secure a lighter sentence. What are the chances of that actually happening?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well I think that's exactly what we're going to see today. We're actually allowed to see it. The courtroom cameras are not allowed there. But this is another hearing where they are expecting to deliberate on the sentence. She has pleaded guilty, as you say, and her lawyers are going to make the case that, look, she has come forward and accepted responsibility.
She said she didn't mean to break the law, this was an accident. She said that these vials of -- these vape cartridges of hashish oil all ended up in her luggage because she was just packing in a hurry. She didn't want to do it. And because of her contribution to sports in the world and in Russia where she had been playing basketball in the WNBA off-season.
So, they're hoping those arguments will lead to the lighter sentence because the charges that she is facing carry a maximum of ten years. This is the transportation of drugs across border in Russia. It doesn't matter that she only had 0.7 grams of hashish oil. The amount doesn't matter because of the charge being related to carrying those drugs across border. So very serious charges. And of course, in Russia, it's very rare to get an acquittal in a criminal trial. I think about 0.25 percent criminal trials ended in (INAUDIBLE).
MACFARLANE: How likely are we do hear a verdict anytime soon? Because this is such a political help for both though, isn't it?
SEBASTIAN: And I think certainly sounds sort of counterintuitive, but even on the side of Griner's lawyers and her supporters, they'll be look for a verdict fairly soon. Her lawyers have said, you know, if not today then at least by early August they expect the trial to wrap up.
[04:55:04]
And that is significant because Russia, the deputy foreign minister, has said that he doesn't think that any kind of negotiation can happen on her release until the trial is concluded. They want to carry out this criminal proceedings. They have said all along and denied charges that this is politically motivated. They say this is just carrying out the law in Russia. So, they want to conclude that before there can be any move to any political discussions about her future.
MACFARLANE: Convicted first and then something will happen. Our Clare Sebastian, thank you very much.
Now TikTok has announced a new feature that will help users filter out content that may be problematic or too mature for young users. A company spokesman for the video app site says that will limit content that focused there on topics like dieting, extreme fitness and sadness. Social media companies like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram have been criticized for the impact their platforms have on young users. TikTok says details about the new features will be revealed in the coming weeks.
And coming soon to your Netflix streaming service, advisements. Netflix says it's partnering with Microsoft to provide a cheaper version of its subscription plan that will include ads. The timing for the launch has not been announced but "The New York Times" reports that it could come by the end of this year. Netflix says the move is still in the, quote, very early days but it's likely a move to stem the loss of more subscribers. That does it here for CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Christina Macfarlane in
London. We are still waiting for the bilateral meeting between President Biden and Israel's Prime Minister. Coverage of that continues on "EARLY START." You're watching CNN.
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