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President of Singapore Resigns Via Email After Self-Exile; Biden Meets with Israeli Prime Minister; Biden: Trip to Saudi Arabia is Important to U.S. Interests; China's Economy Grew Only 0.4% in Second Quarter; Zelenskyy Calls for Labeling Russia a Terrorist State; Man Arrested in Rape of 10-Year-Old Ohio Girl. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired July 15, 2022 - 00:00   ET

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

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.

[00:01:16]

Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, celebrations in Sri Lanka after their president appears to have finally resigned. But the country's economic crisis, well, that's still far from over.

Diplomacy or the threat of force? Leaders from the U.S. and Israel disagree about the best way to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

And Ukraine's president demands the world recognize Russia as a terrorist state after its latest deadly attack against a civilian target.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Michael Holmes.

HOLMES: Welcome, everyone.

News that Sri Lanka's president has resigned has set off huge celebrations in the capital.

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HOLMES: Crowds have been chanting and dancing in the much calmer streets of Columbo, in defiance of the government's curfew, which has since expired. We are hearing protestors have also begun leaving some of the government buildings they've been occupying, even though the country's economy is still a disaster.

All of this after the apparently self-exiled president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, took a Saudi flight from the Maldives to Singapore, where authorities say he's on a private visit and has not asked for, nor been granted, asylum. All right. Let's go now, live, to CNN's Kyung Lah, joining me from Tokyo.

So the president fled the country, but will that placate the protestors or placate them for long? The resignation, of course, doesn't solve the problems that started all this.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're absolutely right. But for now, it kind of solves the problem. At least, it turns down the temperature from what we have seen over the last few days and backing into the weekend.

What we saw, as you've been showing here, Michael, are those celebrations, that the joy that the people have, that the president has handed in his resignation via email.

And that is a stark contrast: celebrations on the streets, compared to what we saw over the last few days, where protestors filled with rage occupied the governmental business, governmental offices, the top two governmental offices -- the prime minister's residence, as well as the presidential palace -- demanding that something be done by this government.

They feel that this is, in part, the mismanagement of the country by the ruling party. And they wanted the president out. Well, instead of going out, he went out of the country.

And so that is still something that they wanted, they got. But the problems, those underlying economic problems, of 40 percent inflation, unable to afford food, gas scarce; all of these economic pressures that are affecting everybody in the country and in their very houses, their kitchen tables, that, Michael, has not been solved yet.

So this brief celebration. We have to see if it's going to last -- Michael.

HOLMES: Yes, indeed. And I guess when it comes to the next step politically, and whether that will satisfy the protestors, what's interesting is the Parliament which picks the next president is dominated by Rajapaksa's own party.

LAH: Bingo. The guy who is the acting president right now, he is the prime minister. He was the prime minister. And he's viewed as an extension of the president. So there's going to, you know, be an issue, you know, for these protestors coming up. The ruling party is still going to be blamed.

[00:05:03]

What we are expecting to hear, though, is a bit more of a procedural question of whether or not the president's resignation, which was delivered via email, is going to be accepted by the Parliament.

And -- and it's a bit of a nuance here. We're waiting to hear from a press conference, which is scheduled to begin any minute now, where the head of the Parliament will explain to reporters whether or not that resignation will be accepted.

So in the next hour or so, Michael, we are watching this press conference, because that can certainly change the mood on the street right away -- Michael.

HOLMES: All right. Good to have you on the story. Kyung Lah, thanks so much.

Now political turmoil in Italy could bring down the current government and lead to an early election. The Italian prime minister, Mario Draghi, said on Thursday that he would resign after the Five Star movement, the largest party in the government's -- the country's coalition, withdrew its support.

But Italy's president then rejected Draghi's resignation and asked him to address Parliament so lawmakers can assess the situation.

And in the U.K., there are now five candidates left in the race to replace the outgoing prime minister, Boris Johnson, after the second round of voting by Conservative lawmakers. Former chancellor of the exchequer, Rishi Sunak, topping the ballot with more than 100 votes. Minister of state for trade policy, Penny Mordaunt, placed second.

More votes will be held until the field is eventually whittled down to two, with the next ballot scheduled for Monday.

Boris Johnson resigned about a week ago after facing mutiny within his own party, exhausted by months of scandal.

Now, the U.S. president, Joe Biden, is reaffirming his support for a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In just a few hours, Mr. Biden will meet with the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

The U.S. president met with the new Israeli prime minister, Yair Lapid, on Thursday, with Iran's nuclear ambitions a key topic. Both agreeing Tehran should never be allowed to get nuclear weapons, but differing of how to achieve that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today, you and I also discussed America's commitment to ensuring Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon. This is of vital security interest to both Israel and the United States, and I would add for the rest of the world, as well.

I continue to believe that diplomacy is the best way to achieve this outcome.

YAIR LAPID, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Words will not stop them, Mr. President. Diplomacy will not stop them. The only thing that will stop Iran is knowing that, if they continue to develop their nuclear program, the free world will use force.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Let's go live now to Jerusalem and journalist Elliot Gotkine, who joins me now. Good to see you, Elliot.

So, you know, they had plenty of areas of agreement. The two leaders are not exactly on the same page when it comes to Iran.

ELLIOT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: That's right, Michael. You know, Israeli leaders and Israel governments come and go pretty frequently. But one thing that doesn't change and hasn't changed since the JCPOA, the Iran nuclear deal, was even being discussed, one thing that hasn't changed is Israel's opposition to it.

Now one thing that did change slightly, and this may just be a nuance, is the language that President Biden has been using. In the past, the administration has been saying that all options are on the table. But in that interview he gave before he arrived here, but which was broadcast just a couple of days ago, President Biden saying that, yes, force would be used by the U.S., albeit as a last resort, in order to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons. But of course, what the Israelis want is that that threat is kind of there right now and that that is something that the Iranians will be made very well aware of.

Of course, Michael, it's a bit of a moot point right now, because the U.S. balked at Iranian demands to remove the Revolutionary Guards from its terrorist black list. The ball is in the Iranians' court, as far as the U.S. proposals, or what the U.S. is willing to sign up to, in terms of rejoining the Iran nuclear agreement. So if there is no agreement right now, then the U.S. clearly can't sign up to it.

But for now, the Israelis still very keen to ensure that this threat is there right now, rather than just at the end, as a last resort -- Michael.

HOLMES: Again, tell us about these talks planned between Mr. Biden and Palestinian leadership on Friday. I mean, Palestinians probably justifiably have little optimism in the whole notion of a two-state solution or a peace process that isn't a process at all. What will they be wanting from that meeting, or are likely to get?

GOTKINE: Michael, as you say, no one expects anything huge to come out of this meeting. The U.S. is happy to splash the cash on the Palestinians but not to splash political capital. They're not going to grab the nettle (ph) of the Palestinian peace process.

[00:10:05]

But you know, given the depths to which American-Palestinian relations had plunged under the Trump administration, the mere fact that an American president is taking the time to go to both East Jerusalem, unaccompanied by the Israelis -- East Jerusalem, of course, the Palestinians hope will one day be the capital of a future independent Palestinian state -- and the fact the the American president is taking the time to go to the West Bank, to go to Bethlehem to visit and meet with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, it may not sound much on paper, but it does actually count as progress and -- and a step forward, given the depths to which the relationship had plunged. And we've already seen some things announced on the eve of President Biden's visit. Israel announced more work permits for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Rare building permits were issued. And also, a new crossing between the West Bank and Israel, as well. And there's also talk about 4G for mobile phone networks being introduced, both into the Gaza Strip and into the West Bank, as well.

So the U.S. seems to be on board with Israel's position right now, which is more trying to improve the economic lot of the Palestinians and leaving the political aspirations aside. But as I say, given how bad things were, even a visit by an American president, even if we don't expect anything big to come out of this meeting, even that counts as progress -- Michael.

HOLMES: Excellent. All right, Elliot. Thanks so much. Elliot Gotkine there in Jerusalem for us.

Well, from Tel Aviv, President Biden will fly directly to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. That particular flight could be a first. It is a first for a sitting U.S. president. The White House now conforming Mr. Biden will meet one-on-one with the Saudi crown prince on Friday night.

But the president refusing to say if he will bring up directly the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi during his visit, even though U.S. intelligence believes the crown prince was likely behind it, that he ordered it.

For a president who once labeled Saudi Arabia a pariah over the killing, it's an awkward about-face. CNN's Becky Anderson with a preview of the president's controversial trip.

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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Joe Biden arrives in Saudi Arabia on Friday, don't expect to see scenes like this. It was then-President Donald Trump's first foreign trip back in 2017, underscoring the importance he placed on America's relationship with the kingdom.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's a great honor to have the crown prince.

ANDERSON: But his successor chose to signal a different approach.

BIDEN: I will make it very clear we were not going to, in fact, sell more weapons to them. We are going to, in fact, make them pay the price and make them, in fact, the pariah that they are.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Since taking office, Biden has avoided directly engaging with the kingdom's de facto ruler, Mohammad bin Salman, also known as MBS, over human rights violations.

MBS has denied he ordered the killing of "Washington Post" journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 but has said he bears responsibility.

But geopolitical challenges may have forced President Biden to adopt a more conciliatory approach than candidate Biden promised.

He'll fly into the Red Sea city of Jeddah after wrapping up a visit to Israel, a flight that has never before been taken by a U.S. president, and a clear example of the improving ties between Israel and Arab states, first initiated by the Trump administration and the Abraham Accords.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Remain seated for the signing of the documents.

ANDERSON: Behind me is where Joe Biden will meet with leaders from the GCC, plus Egypt, Jordan and Iraq in the coming days. He's keen to provide support for further normalization efforts with Israel and provide a unified regional front against Iran as talks to revive the nuclear deal continue to stall.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Another key priority: energy security. Russia's invasion of Ukraine earlier this year and subsequent Western sanctions on Moscow have left the world short on supplies. And that means Washington needs Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies to increase oil production to help bring down prices at the pump and curb inflation at home.

While the White House has confirmed Biden's upcoming meeting with Saudi officials will include MBS, it also announced new COVID measures, reducing presidential touch, raising questions about whether the administration is trying to avoid the optics of a Biden-MBS hand shake.

ANDERSON: Well, optics aside, President Biden's visit here to Saudi Arabia will be key in resetting Washington's relationship with its Middle Eastern partners, skeptical of America's commitment to them. And it may bring about a regional security arrangement in the coming months.

[00:15:03]

ANDERSON (voice-over): So while it's unlikely Biden will be received like Trump was, the stakes couldn't be higher for a U.S. president whose domestic agenda hinges on the success he finds abroad.

Becky Anderson, CNN, Jeddah.

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HOLMES: Joining me now from Jerusalem is David Sanger. He's a CNN political and national security analyst, as well as a White House and national security correspondent for "The New York Times." Always good to have you on.

Now, Joe Biden has said, of course, in the past that Saudi Arabia should be a pariah. He said that the government had, quote, "very little redeeming social value." As recently as last month, he said he wouldn't meet with MBS.

Does that pivot to his views now show the power that the Saudis have when it comes to Western glob=al politics? DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: You're certainly seeing the president do quite an interesting pirouette. During campaigns, you say a lot of things, and that's when the "pariah state" line came along. He never said that he wouldn't meet with MBS last month, but what he said was he wasn't going to Saudi Arabia to meet with MBS.

Well, he's going to Saudi Arabia for a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting that is largely about getting them to pump more oil and get involved more with the United States and its Western allies, and to some degree, Michael, about superpower competition here.

The most interesting announcement you're going to see, I think, from the -- from the Saudis is a project to build a 5G network, a new kind of 5G network, with the United States, boxing out China.

So what's happened here is, essentially, that Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince, who the CIA believes was central to the plot to kill Jamal Khashoggi, the dissident and journalist, has now found a moment where the United States really needs him. And he's using it to get that photograph today of him meeting the president.

HOLMES: Yes, yes. Exactly. Some realpolitik at play, I guess.

Saudi Arabia and Iran, I wanted to ask you about this, too. They, of course, see each other as mortal enemies. Likewise, Israel and Iran. And of course, you know, increased rapprochement between Israel and the Saudis is going on.

Joe Biden has been reiterating Iran won't get a nuclear weapon. How does the specter of Iran play into the dynamics of this trip?

SANGER: It's been through the entire trip, and President Biden has said pretty bluntly that he won't let Iran get a nuclear weapon. But of course, that evades the central issue of difference between the Israelis and the United States.

The Israelis maintain that what you need to go after is Iran's nuclear program, because by the time they get to a weapon, it's usually too late to stop it. And certainly, that's been our experience with Pakistan, with India, even with Israel, where the United States turned a blind eye as it was developing a weapon in the '60s. Because of course, Israel is a great American ally.

But nonetheless, the -- the issue that is underway here right now is whether or not the U.S. will participate in what Prime Minister Lapid said yesterday was a program of more than just words. And the Israelis have done that. They have been, as you know, and we've discussed before, sabotaging nuclear facilities, assassinating nuclear scientists, while the U.S. has been pursuing a diplomatic solution to all of this.

The question is, can the cognitive dissonance of these two different strategies going on simultaneously continue? And does that work?

HOLMES: Yes. I know you've got to run, but I want to ask you this, too. Joe Biden's meeting with Palestinian leaders Friday. Given the pace of settlement in recent years and development in the West Bank, why should Palestinians have any optimism in a two-state solution, which the president says he still favors and a peace process that long ago ceased to be a process at all?

SANGER: It's a really interesting question, because the process is not underway right now. The president's going to go and utter all of the right words, I think, to the Palestinians.

But I thought it notable that, when he wrote an op-ed in "The Washington Post" last weekend, describing his coming trip to Israel and to Saudi Arabia, he never mentioned the Palestinians' wants.

You know, there was a time when people used to say that resolving the Palestinian issue was the way through to getting peace throughout the region. Instead, what we're seeing is this fascinating set of -- I wouldn't call it alliances but a common air defense zone and so forth among the Arab states and Israel, with the Palestinian issue completely unresolved.

[00:25:08]

And that tells you that, for a while, this administration, at least, has pushed this to the side.

HOLMES: Yes. Exactly. David Sanger in Jerusalem there, thanks so much. I know you've got to head off to Saudi Arabia. Really appreciate it.

SANGER: Thank you very much, Michael. Always great to be with you.

HOLMES: And just in, an update to our top story. The Sri Lankan president's resignation is now official. The speaker of Parliament announcing that just minutes ago, that Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation has been formally accepted.

He emailed it from Singapore, which is where he flew on Thursday, after fleeing to the Maldives earlier this week.

Lots of celebrations in the capital after that news broke. Protests have been building for months over the economic crisis gripping the country. Our full coverage of this at the top of the hour.

Another Ukrainian city is reeling from a horrific missile attack that left scores of people dead. And because of that, its president wants Russia to be declared a terrorist state. That's ahead.

Market analysts anticipated China's second quarter GDP would be weak. The numbers are in. They're worse than expected. We'll be right back.

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HOLMES: China's economy only grew 0.4 of one percent in the second quarter of this year. That number lower than projections and significantly less than first quarter GDP.

CNN Beijing bureau chief Stephen Jiang joins me now, live from the Chinese capital.

So Stephen, tell us more about the numbers and what they mean. And also, how much has zero-COVID policy and the lockdowns that have gone with it impacted those numbers?

STEPHEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Michael, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, when it comes to official Chinese economic data, we always have to look at them with a huge grain of salt.

But even when you look at them at face value, this 0.4 percent growth for the second quarter, as you just mentioned, it's just a reflection of a pretty grim picture. Because this is the worst number we have seen -- we have seen since the first quarter of 2020, when the country was dealing with the initial stage of the pandemic, when they actually reported a contraction for the first time in decades.

But even that downturn was short-lived. The economy recovered fairly quickly.

But this time, people are not nearly as optimistic, because as you alluded to, the rest of the world has reopened, ditched most of the COVID rules and restrictions, while China very much sticking to its zero-COVID policy and harsh enforcements.

By one estimate, even right now, there are some 247 million people living under some forms of lockdown because of local outbreaks. And that is an area accounting for a quarter of the entire country's GDP.

Now officials, of course, are putting on a very brave face, highlighting the improvement in June versus previous months.

But when you zoom in at some of the numbers, Shanghai, for example, which obviously was under -- placed under lockdown for two months, starting in April, the second quarter GDP dropped more than 13 percent. And youth unemployment shooting to a record high of 19.3 percent in June. That's a group, aged between 16 and 24, including recent college graduates.

This year, China's producing its largest ever number of college graduates: 10 million people, flooding the job market when there's very few jobs to be found.

And then, of course, real estate, another pillar in this economy. Already, a lot of problems because of the credit crunch by major -- faced by major developers. And now, we're seeing a new problem. Home buyers refusing to make their mortgage pre-payments, because a lot of these apartments are bought before they even -- before they are even completed. And now, because of the credit crunch, many construction projects have been -- have been halted.

So this obviously is going to have ripple effects on the country's banks. And all of those, and not just economic issues but also social issues and political challenges. Not -- you know, we always talk about how this ruling Communist Party bases its legitimacy on this grand bargain between economic growth and people's willingness to live under authoritarian rule.

And if the party breaks its end of the bargain, all hell's break loose -- Michael.

HOLMES: All right, Stephen. Good stuff. Appreciate that. Stephen Jiang there in Beijing.

Now, economic forecasters in the U.S. [SIC] are sticking to a similar theme. In a new report on Thursday, it lowered projections, blaming the war in Ukraine, by the way. As one official put it, growth is expected to shift from slow to slower.

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PAOLO GENTILONI, E.U. ECONOMY COMMISSIONER: One could say that the European economy is moving from a phase of slowing growth to one of putting on the brakes.

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HOLMES: E.U. is now predicting its economy could grow 2.7 percent in 2022 and one and a half percent in 2023.

For inflation, it is now predicted to peak at 8.3 percent this year before dropping to 4.6 percent in 2023.

A terrorist state. That's what Ukraine's president wants Russia to be officially declared after an horrific missile strike on the city of Vinnytsia. This surveillance video -- you see it there -- showing the moment that Russian missiles hit the city Thursday, killing at least 23 people. You can see people here in this video ducking for cover as the blast blows out windows in the building.

More than 60 people were injured. And rescuers are still digging through the rubble of collapsed buildings, looking for more than 40 other people who were missing.

President Zelenskyy later saying Russia had done what no other state ever would.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): This day has once again proven that Russia must be officially recognized as a terrorist state. No other state in the world poses such a terrorist threat as Russia. No other state in the world allows itself to daily destroy peaceful cities and ordinary human life with cruise missiles and rocket artillery.

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HOLMES: The European Union also condemning the attack on the city, about 20 kilometers southwest of the capital, Kyiv. As Scott McLean now reports, it is still not clear why Russia would target Vinnytsia in the first place.

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SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mid- morning, a busy commercial district in Vinnytsia, far from any front lines. Three Russian missiles landed here, obliterating a medical center, severely damaging buildings all around, including offices and a theater.

The husks of burned-out cars littered the streets.

Rescue workers combed through the smoking wreckage, but amid this destruction, had little hope of recovering anyone alive.

Throughout the day, the list of casualties grew. More than 20 people killed, including three children. Dozens more injured, many of them in critical condition. Others, unaccounted for.

Among the victims, this 4-year-old, killed in her stroller. Her mother was severely injured, according to the child's father.

What the Russians' target might have been, as yet unknown. The defense ministry in Moscow has had nothing to say about the attack.

The Ukrainians say a total of seven cruise missiles were launched from the Black Sea. Four were intercepted. Tragically, three were not.

People here in a state of shock. Ludmila Gudim and her husband own a business servicing cash machines. The building next to the crater, the store front's windows were blown out.

LUDMILA GUDIM, VINNYTSIA BUSINESS OWNER: We are living in that beautiful, peaceful city. We're attacked by rocket. What for?

[00:30:04]

MCLEAN (voice-over): Olga Mianko (ph) works on the fourth floor. She didn't seek shelter when the sirens went off, half an hour before the missiles hit.

OLGA MIANKO (ph), VINNYTSIA RESIDENT (through translator): We didn't go down into the shelter. We were certain this wouldn't happen here.

MCLEAN (voice-over): Maxim Budyko was using an ATM machine next to his photo store. When the blast went off, he used the machine for cover.

MAXIM BUDYKO, VINNYSIA STRIKE SURVIVOR (through translator): The shield, which was my only protection. I was lying on the ground, all covered in glass. I didn't know if that would even survive that moment. And you can go take a look. The ATM machine over there is completely destroyed.

MCLEAN (voice-over): President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was addressing a war crimes conference as the full horror emerged.

"This is an act of Russian terror," he said. "People couldn't do this. They're animals." Into the evening, the work of searching for victims and clearing wreckage continued. This is the third Russian missile attack in the last month alone to have killed more than 20 Ukrainian civilians. And as one Ukrainian official put it, nobody knows where the missiles will land tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

Scott McLean, CNN, Vinnytsia, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: In just a few hours, Brittney Griner's trial will resume in a court outside of Moscow after Thursday's hearing ended without a verdict. The American basketball star pleaded guilty to drug charges last week. Russia authorities accused Griner of smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance, while the U.S. State Department says she is being wrongfully detained.

On Thursday, several people who know Griner testified on her behalf, including a former team mate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YEVGENIA BELYAKOVA, UMMC TEAM CAPTAIN (through translator): Brittney was always a great team mate, and that is why I am here. To support her and be there for her at this difficult time. We miss her so much, miss her energy. I was so glad to see her today. I really hope that the trial will end soon and in a good way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: The two-time Olympic gold medalist facing up to 10 years in prison.

A sweltering heat wave in parts of Europe. Wild fires are thriving. We'll have the latest from the CNN Weather Center after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: The rape of a 10-year-old girl, her abortion and President Biden's angry reference to the case have set off a political whirlwind in the United States.

The girl had to travel to Indiana for the procedure to avoid the strict anti-abortion laws in her home state of Ohio. Some conservatives even doubted the story.

As CNN's Alexandra Field reports, many of them are not backing down, even as a suspect is in custody.

[00:35:08]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The charge is rape, felony in the first degree.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The man accused of raping a 10-year-old girl and impregnating her is behind bars.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) who confessed to having sexual intercourse with a 10-year-old at least twice yesterday.

FIELD (voice-over): It took his arrest by police in Ohio to quiet the firestorm of doubt over a searing story that spread across the country. "The Indianapolis Star" reported first of a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio who had traveled over state lines for an abortion in Indianapolis, six weeks and three days pregnant, according to an ob- gyn who assisted the girl, just days after the Supreme Court knocked down Roe v. Wade, and Ohio banned abortions after as early as six weeks.

BIDEN: Ten years old. Ten years old. Raped, six weeks pregnant. Already traumatized, was forced to travel to another state. Imagine being that little girl. Just -- I'm serious, just imagine being that little girl. Ten years old.

FIELD (voice-over): Critics quickly unleashed a torrent of criticism. "The Wall Street Journal's" editorial board publishing its opinion of President Biden's speech, including the line, "an unlikely story from a biased source that neatly fits the progressive narrative but can't be confirmed."

Republican lawmakers piled on, taking aim at the "Indy Star's" reporting, based on a single account from a doctor in Indianapolis, who confirmed for CNN she helped the girl get an abortion.

Ohio's Republican attorney general, Dave Yost, raised serious doubts it happened.

DAVE YOST, OHIO ATTORNEY GENERAL: Not a whisper. I know our prosecutors and cops in this state. There's not one of them that wouldn't be turning over every rock in their jurisdiction if they had the slightest hint that this occurred there.

FIELD (voice-over): "Another lie. Anyone surprised?" tweeted Ohio's Republican congressional representative, Jim Jordan. Other conservative media called it a hoax.

But after his arrest in the case, they focused on Gherson Fuentes's status as an undocumented immigrant.

Twenty-seven-year-old Fuentes is now charged with first-degree rape of a child under the age of 13, according to the Franklin County Municipal Court. If convicted, he faces the possibility of a life sentence. Police in Franklin County say they opened the investigation after the girl's mother reported the rape to a Child Services Department in June.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The victim acknowledged that Gherson Fuentes was, indeed, the -- the father of the pregnancy.

FIELD (voice-over): Ohio's attorney general, Dave Yost, has issued a new statement, saying he's "grateful for the diligent work of the Columbus Police Department in securing a confession and getting a rapist off the street." But not an apology.

YOST: Tell me what you think I got wrong, and then I'll consider whether I should apologize. I'm not aware of anything I was wrong about. I stand by everything I said.

FIELD (voice-over): Rep. Jim Jordan, who called it all a lie, reframing the now-deleted tweet with this.

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): I never doubted the child. I was responding to a headline from -- from your profession, the news profession, which happens all the time on Twitter. That and Joe Biden, which is usually a smart thing to do, based on all the things that he says are inaccurate.

FIELD (voice-over): Alexandra Field, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: A source telling CNN that a Washington, D.C. police officer is backing up the story about a heated exchange between Donald Trump and Secret Service agents during the January 6th riot. Here's what the former aide to the White House chief of staff told lawmakers investigating the insurrection.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASSIDY HUTCHINSON, FORMER AIDE TO MARK MEADOWS: The president reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel. Mr. Engel grabbed his arm, said, "Sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel. We're going back to the West Wing. We're not going to the Capitol."

Mr. Trump then used his free hand to lunge towards Bobby Engel, and when Mr. Renato (ph) had recounted the story to me, he had motioned towards his clavicles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: The officer who is corroborating the story was in the motorcade with the Secret Service on January 6th. Neither of the agents Cassidy Hutchinson mentioned in her testimony have publicly commented. A source says the House committee is engaging with the driver of the presidential limousine about possible testimony.

All right. A short break now. We'll be right back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:41:51]

HOLMES: For the second time in as many months, a sweltering heat wave is baking parts of Southern Europe. The record heat and tinder-dry vegetation sparking wildfires across Portugal, Spain, France and Croatia. Thousands of people have had to be evacuated as firefighters try to contain the blazes.

Joining me now, CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar. Good to see you, Alison. What do you see out there?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good to see you, too. Unfortunately, I wish I had better news in the form of rain, because a lot of these areas really need to see it. Not only because it would help cool some of those temperatures off but also really help out a lot of the firefighters that are dealing with a lot of the fires cross the Mediterranean coast.

Notice, we do have rain in the forecast for Europe, but it's not really in the hard-hit areas where the fires are; basically, areas like Croatia, France and the Iberian Peninsula. Especially Spain and Portugal, where we have 73 active wildfires right now that are ongoing.

And with the heat that's still pushing through many of these areas, those fire conditions likely aren't going to improve in the short term.

When we talk about the U.K., we are looking at a very intense heat wave that has really started to ramp up once we get into this weekend. Mainly Sunday through Tuesday of the upcoming week. High temperatures expected in the mid-30s, which increases the risk for heat illnesses for a lot of this area that you see highlighted in this orange color, indicting the Amber Alerts that have been issued across that region.

Spain and Portugal also dealing with incredibly hot temperatures. Look at some of the records that have been set on Thursday. All of them in the 40s, and those 40-degree temperatures likely to continue.

But then the heat begins to spread into some other areas that haven't been dealing with it, or at least have had a temporary break over the last week or so.

Here's a look at where we see some of those medium and even high alerts across Spain and Portugal, due to the extreme heat and the risk for dehydration.

Again, taking a look, Michael, look. Notice, Sevilla, we're looking at 44 for the high on Friday. But finally, cooling back down into the 30s by next week. Paris, however, the opposite: starting to see those temperatures rise by next week.

HOLMES: All right, Allison. Thanks. Allison Chinchar there.

And thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM, spending part of your day with me, Michael Holmes. WORLD SPORT starts after the break. I'll see you in about 15 minutes.

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