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Nearly 50 Million Americans Under Heat Alerts Today; Wildfire Near Yosemite Forces Thousands from Homes; Scorching Temperature in Europe Amid Record Heat Wave; Doctor: Joe Biden's Covid Symptoms Continue to Improve; Russian Missiles Strike Odesa Port After Grain Export Deal; Moscow Seeks Support in Africa Amid Grain Export Concerns. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired July 25, 2022 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
CHRISTINE MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Christina Macfarlane here in for Max Foster. Just ahead --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at all of the red in North America. This heat dome, which it's been relentless --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On a fire this magnitude, there is hot ash, hot trees.
REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): The violation of the Constitution is the most serious misconduct of any president in the history of our nation.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Those that we decide have important enough information should be subpoenaed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Russian foreign ministry has now claimed responsibility for the attack.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is a major sense of urgency around getting that grain exported to the countries most dependent on Ukraine's grain exports.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: It's Monday, July 25th, 9 a.m. here in London, 1:00 a.m. in the U.S. West Coast. Where millions of Americans across the country are seeing the impact of the growing climate crisis. A dangerous and scorching heat wave that's already responsible for several deaths.
On Monday temperatures hit as high as 102 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of the Northeast, with several cities sweating through their hottest days ever. Both Boston and Philadelphia have extended their heat emergencies after seeing record high temperatures, and across the country close to 50 million people are under heat alerts today, in some areas the blistering heat even led to power outages. On Sunday New York's electric provider says it was working to restore scattered outages, and in Boston power has mostly been restored after an outage forced 20,000 customers to go without electricity amid the blazing heat.
The extreme heat combined with dry conditions from years of drought is fueling a wildfire near Yosemite National Park in California. Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate from rural communities were the fast moving Oak Fire has burned more than 15,000 acres. Camila Bernal has the story.
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CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Firefighters here are working around the clock doing everything they can both in the air and on the ground to stop these flames. But they say this fire has been difficult for a number of reasons.
First, the weather, the drought. They say that the afternoon is really the worst time because they're seeing the temperatures increasing, they see the humidity drop and the winds picking up. They also say the terrain is making things difficult because it is very steep so it's hard for these firefighters to get close to the flames.
And finally, they also say it's hard to get to the people, the homes. They say that a lot of these homes in the area are large, they sit in maybe 5 acres of land. A lot of it is covered by a forest, a lot of times it's overgrown and dry, so it makes it difficult not just for the firefighters but it makes it dangerous for the people who live in this area. There are many who have already evacuated, authorities are asking people to listen to the warnings. To get their belongings and leave if they are under those evacuation orders. But there are others who say they just don't want to leave. I spoke to someone who has lived here for 20 years, John Mullin, and here's what he told me.
JOHN MULLIN, HOME OWNER: You get real nervous, but when the embers -- Friday night was the worst night for us on tip top.
BERNAL: Why?
MULLIN: Because the stuff was coming out of the sky in that little spot, the fires will, you know, jump to our property. So, we had to be, you know, prepared. I've seen fire before so I feel like I can protect myself. I have no kids with me in my house, so I can leave at a moment's notice.
BERNAL: And we are expecting progress because we are seeing more resources. On Saturday there were about 400 people that were working on this fire, by Sunday more than 2,000 people were working on the fire.
Camila Bernal, CNN, Mariposa County.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Let's bring in CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri now. And Pedram, we were just hearing that these wildfires continuing to be a very dangerous problem after one of the hottest weekends we've experienced in U.S. on record.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, you know, and it continues and what's important to note of course, this is the time of year with where the population is the highest across some of these national parks and the impacts for people across this region certainly going to be felt.
[04:05:00]
When you look outside, look in the sky, you see the embers, you see the haze, you see the smoky conditions. And with the Oak Fire in particular, 15,000 acres of land consumed, 0 percent containment, excessive heat widespread across large areas of the Western United States. And Drought Monitor shows you that over 74 percent of the Western U.S. still experiencing drought conditions, 35 percent of that classified as extreme or worse. So, we know the conditions are dire when it comes to how arid this landscape remains.
Now the excessive heat as you noted, Christina, look at this. Upwards of about 50 million Americans heat indices in spots 100 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, that includes places such as Philly, close to New York City as well where it's going to feel incredibly and dangerously hot.
And then you work your way toward portions of the plains and we're talking about temperatures in Oklahoma City, Tulsa into Little Rock pushing up close to 110 or greater as well. So, this is the area we're watching with the active pattern that has been in place and we do have a system on approach that eventually brings in showers this afternoon and evening around the Northeast and with it cooler weather is expected into early next week.
But look at this weekend of active weather, over 600 severe wind reports scattered about the Eastern third of the United States, the Midwest, areas of the Northeast as well and the severe weather concerns are in place with this line of active weather. Again, coming into the afternoon hours where some of these storms will produce damaging winds yet again, but bring with it cooler temperatures.
The Western United States impressive run of heat there as well, heat indices and what it will feel like in spots 100 to 109 degrees. This is one area that not only has the lowest concentration of air conditioning units across the United States but also has remained rather cool for much of the summer, Christina, and they're going to see another round of hottest temperatures of the year here in the next couple of days.
MACFARLANE: Yes, all right. Pedram Javaheri, thanks for now.
I want to turn to Europe, where searing temperatures are helping fuel wildfires also across the south. This was the scene in western Greece on Sunday as crews battled a fire there. It's one of several wildfires raging across the country right now. And in Italy crowds looking to beat the heat headed to the shores at the Lake Como. Temperatures in Italy have spiked to around 40 degrees Celsius as Europe's heat wave settled over the south. And here in London crews battled three separate weather-related fires
on Sunday. Officials say all three are now under control. Another fire was also reported in Surrey just southwest of the capital. And for more let's bring in Nina dos Santos who's live for us just outside of London. And Nina, I know that temperatures have dropped here in London but the, you know, the remnants of this heat conditioning to be a major problem, even in a congested -- of an area like London.
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. And let me step away and you can see why all of this grassland behind me -- and we're only right next to Heathrow Airport -- is pretty parched and this is what people are worried about. It's land like this that could be a tinderbox if fires start.
As you said, the temperatures dropped dramatically. It's about 20 degrees Celsius, which is about 68 Fahrenheit, that's way below the 104.5 Fahrenheit that we saw when the temperatures peaked at over 40 degrees Celsius across the British capital last week. But it hasn't really rained since and that's why the wildfires continue to start.
Firefighters say people really have to remember over the course of the weekend when it's nice weather like on Sunday, do not use barbecues, do not throw anything that might be an ember of a flame or even a cigarette on to the floor because this type of grassland is so parched at the moment it can literally go up in flames.
Now just behind me we had a blaze that was 12 acres wide, Christina, right near Heathrow Airport. It took firefighters several hours to extinguish that. They did that yesterday evening. And as you said, there were blazes in the southeast of London, far in the west in Surrey and also in the north of the capital as well.
But this is nothing in comparison to what many people across central and southern Europe are having to deal with, in particular, as you said, those wildfires in Greece, the Peloponnese, they are badly affected. Also, the island of Lesbos which attracts many tourists at this time of year. We saw flames there and even flames threatening houses on the outskirts of Athens, the capital city.
And on the west of Europe, right on the very western side, the Canary Islands in Spain have also been hit by these fires. I should say that when it comes to the flames that we saw ravaging parts of the southwest of France, that is finally out, but only after two weeks of exhaustive work by French firefighters who are very well-equipped to deal with these types of wildfires.
The reality is that tens of thousands of people are getting displaced by these types of fires and even in temperate climates like the United Kingdom where it's not often that you get a barbecue-type summer. People are tempted to go out in parks like this and barbecue and they're being reminded that with conditions like these after the heat wave we saw last week it's absolutely a no-no at the moment -- Christina.
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MACFARLANE: That absolutely cannot happen in these conditions. Nina dos Santos there just outside London for us. Thanks very much, Nina.
OK, the January 6th investigation is far from over and the members of the House Select Committee looking into the U.S. Capitol riot say their work is not done. Republican Vice Chair Liz Cheney says they're considering a subpoena for Ginni Thomas the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Cheney said it all depends on whether Ginni Thomas will meet voluntarily to discuss her role in trying to get the 2020 election overturned.
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REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): The committee is engaged with her counsel. We certainly hope that she will agree to come in voluntarily, but the committee is fully prepared to contemplate a subpoena if she does not. We've certainly spoken with numbers of people who are similarly situated in terms of the discussions that she was having that you've mentioned, so it's very important for us to speak with her. And as I said, I hope she will agree to do so voluntarily, but I'm sure we will contemplate a subpoena if she won't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Meanwhile, Cheney says there's no decision yet on whether the committee will make criminal referrals of Donald Trump but she believes Trump violated his oath of office.
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CHENEY: Donald Trump's violation of his oath of office, the violation of the Constitution that he engaged in is the most serious misconduct of any president in the history of our nation. I think that, as I said, the committee has not decided yet whether or not we will make criminal referrals.
There's no doubt in my mind that the president of the United States is unfit for further office. Any man who would conduct themselves -- or woman -- who would conduct themselves the way that he did in attempting to overturn an election and stay in power must never again be anywhere close to the Oval Office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Well, the committee's next public hearings are scheduled for September, about two months before the November midterm elections.
Well, President Joe Biden seems to be improving following his COVID diagnosis on Thursday. The latest now from CNN's Arlette Saenz.
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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden's physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor says the president's COVID-19 symptoms continue to improve significantly. His predominant symptom at the moment is a sore throat and the other symptoms like the runny nose, body aches as well as that loose cough is starting to diminish considerably according to the president's doctor. O'Connor says that the president will continue on that Paxlovid
treatment as well as take Tylenol and use that albuterol inhaler as needed for his cough. Now, the president has completed his third day of isolation here at the White House and day five will be on Tuesday. His wife first lady Dr. Jill Biden continues to remain at their home in Wilmington, Delaware, and she tested negative for COVID-19 on Sunday.
And earlier in the day on Sunday Dr. Ashish Jha, the COVID-19 response coordinator here at the White House was asked whether the White House would be transparent and provide information if the president suffers from any long-term COVID symptoms. Here was his answer.
DR. ASHISH JHA, WHITE HOUSE COVID-19 RESPONSE COORDINATOR: Absolutely. You know, we think it's really important for the American people to know how well their president is doing, which is why we have been so transparent. Giving updates several times a day. Having people here from me directly, directly from his physician, and obviously if he has persistent symptoms. Obviously if any of them interfere with his ability to carry out his duties, we will -- we will disclose that early enough and with the American people.
SAENZ: One big question is what President Biden's week will look like as he remains in isolation here at the White House. He was last seen participating virtually in a meeting with his economic advisers on Friday. The president was actually scheduled to travel to Florida on Monday, but that trip was pulled down after he was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Now, the White House has said that the president was working over the weekend. He participated in conference calls with his staff and aides. And their message throughout this process is that the president has been able to continue his working even as he is experiencing these COVID-19 symptoms.
Now, the president's isolation will end on Tuesday but he will not physically return to work until he tests negative from COVID-19.
Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House.
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MACFARLANE: Well, this week the Biden administration is bracing for what could be a dismal economic report expected to show the U.S. economy has shrunk from April to June. If the report is true, that would mean the economy has contracted for two straight quarters and many economists describe that as a recession. Polls show many Americans already believe they are living in a recession, although the Biden administration begs to differ. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen concedes the country's economic growth is slowing but she says the economy is in a period of transition.
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JANET YELLEN, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: So, there are threats on the horizon. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
[04:15:00]
YELLEN: Growth is slowly globally and I'm not saying that we will definitely avoid a recession, but I think there is a path that keeps the labor market strong and brings inflation down.
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MACFARLANE: And here's a quick check of the markets now as concerns about the economy simmer, markets looking open to mixed, the Dow down, S&P 500 is down and Nasdaq up as you can see there in the green. But there is good news at the gas pump, AAA reports prices are continuing their steady decline, for now, averaging about $4.36 a gallon, that's down from nearly $5 a month ago.
OK, still to come, there are growing concerns over the deal to export Ukraine's grain after a missile strike at the Odesa port. CNN's Ivan Watson is live in Ukraine with the details.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Christina. I'll have an update on Russia's ongoing blockade of Ukrainian ports and the latest reports on Ukraine's claims of victories on the battlefield. All of that coming up after this break.
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MACFARLANE: Efforts to restart grain exports from Ukraine appear to be gaining some traction. Moscow says Russia, Turkey and another party still to be determined will be escorting vessels carrying those shipments through the Black Sea.
Since it started the war Russia has blockaded Ukrainian ports trapping millions of tons of grain and deepening a global food crisis. On Friday Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations signed a deal to restart the exports. But Russia acknowledges that a missile strike Saturday targeted the port of Odesa and what it calls military infrastructure and claims to have hit a Ukrainian naval vessel. Kyiv is warning that more provocations like this will put the deal at risk.
This as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is trying to shore up support in Africa after a meeting with top officials in Egypt he will stop in Ethiopia, Uganda and the Republic of Congo, all countries that rely heavily on wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine.
Well, CNN is covering this story from all angles. Ivan Watson is in Ukraine, Clare Sebastian is here in London and Larry Madowo is live in Nairobi, Kenya. But I'd like to start with Ivan, in Ukraine. And Ivan, despite the attacks we saw over the weekend Moscow is saying that this grain is still going to be exported. What more do we know?
WATSON: Yes, and the Ukrainians say despite their anger at the Russian government for the missile strikes that they, too, have planned to adhere to the agreement.
But first I want to draw your attention to this growing phenomenon that we're seeing in some Ukrainian cities and that is these battlefield trophies. Burned out Russian tanks, armored personnel carriers placed on display in city centers. There's a similar kind of display in the capital Kyiv and this was just put in over the weekend here in the southern city of Kryvyi Rih and it attracts onlookers, pedestrians who take selfies next to these symbols of the Russian invasion and in general take a look at it. I think in that spirit we heard more defiance in his weekly -- daily, nightly video statement from the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Take a listen.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): After all that our people have gone through, after all that we have learned over the centuries, Ukrainians will never give up their independence and they will not break from the inside, as has happened more than once. Not this time. Preserving unity now, working together for the victory is the most important national task that we all will definitely fulfill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Christina, with that in mind, the Ukrainian military claims that it destroyed launching systems for S-300 rockets of Russia's in occupied Kherson district that they claim have been used to bombard the southern city of Mykolaiv day in and day out. These kind of salvos that have been hitting almost constantly.
Meanwhile, when it does come to that grain agreement, we're hearing from the head of USAID, Samantha Power, that if -- as she puts it -- Russia cannot be trusted -- and that's a criticism that's been echoed by the Ukrainian government -- and if this grain deal may fall apart amid more attacks on some of the very ports that the agreement has stipulated to allow the export of blockaded Ukrainian grain, then there will be a plan B. And that was already being worked up and implemented, which is to try to ship grain on river barges up the Danube and on trains and by trucks. Of course, these could only handle a fraction of the capacity of the normal cargo ship transport through the Black Sea which existed until Russia invaded this country on February 24th -- Christina.
MACFARLANE: And we'll get more on that plan B with Larry in just a moment. Ivan, thank you for now. I want to turn to Clare here in London. Interesting, Clare, that Sergey Lavrov has chosen this -- strategically chosen this moment to conduct a four-country tour of Africa.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Africa the continent could be most affected, Africa and the Middle East by the blockade of grain exports from Ukraine's Black Sea ports. I think there are a couple short-term goals here. One obviously Russia wants to continue to try to garner support for its actions in Ukraine. Many African countries, for example, have abstained or in one case of Eritrea even opposed U.N. votes condemning Russia's actions in Ukraine. No African countries have joined Russian sanctions against Russia over Ukraine.
He also wants to use this opportunity to counter the Western argument that it's Russia's fault essentially that there is now a global food crisis. Take a listen to what Sergey Lavrov had to say on his first stop in Egypt.
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[04:25:00]
SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: One fake story which I would like to mention here which is important to this region is the so- called world food crisis which is being blamed bluntly, unconditionally on Russia as if the food crisis started on the day when we launched our special military operation in Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: I think the World Food Program which gets half its grain from Ukraine and is struggling to provide the aid it needs to would have a different opinion on that obviously. COVID-19 caused issues there was some start to this before that.
But there's another goal that he's pursuing and that's to sort of rally support, appeal to those in Africa who have an aversion to sort of neo colonial, anything that smacks the sort of neo-colonialism from Western powers and this is apparent in an article that he wrote in several African newspapers before his trip. I want to read you a quote from that.
He says: We know that our African colleagues do not approve of the undisguised attempts by the U.S. and it's satellites to dictate their will to everyone, to impose on the global economy a unipolar model of the world order. We value, he says, the balanced position of Africans as regards the situation in Ukraine and around it.
So, as we see Biden sort of firming up his alliances in the Middle East, Putin doing the same. This is Russia doing this international outreach, proving again it certainly believes to the world that it cannot be isolated.
MACFARLANE: Yes, Clare, thank you. I just want to turn now to get the thoughts from Larry from the African continent. He is in Nairobi. And Larry, this grain desperately needed by Africa if the content were to avoid a famine, a food crisis. What are you learning? We heard Ivan speak there earlier about a possible plan B. What are you learning about that for exports?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I've been talking to Samantha Power the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development and she's been here in Kenya and in Somalia. These are some of the countries that are worst affected by a drought. That's been four consecutive failed regions in Somalia, the impact of the pandemic has played into this. And so, we're seeing some of the worst drought here on record. And she's also announced a $1.3 billion extra humanitarian and development assistance to help these countries to feed people to stave off mass starvation and death.
But she pointed out that 86 percent of the World Food Program appeal right now is being shoulder by the U.S. and other countries need to do more to make sure that people here in Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the globe who depend on these wheat and grain exports from Ukraine but also Russia can get it because that will help reduce prices. And she's called out specifically China for having set out the war and not done enough to contribute to make sure that this global food crisis is alleviated.
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SAMANTHA POWER, ADMINISTRATOR, U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: This is a moment for all countries that play leadership roles in the international system as the People's Republic of China clearly aspires to do and has done in certain domains. It is for them, for all of us, to show up and to dig deeper than we have so far if we are going to prevent this crisis from becoming a catastrophe.
MADOWO: How big is the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine into the current problem you're seeing in Kenya and Somalia and Ethiopia?
POWER: In terms of food just coming from Somalia more than half of the wheat in this country, the country of Somalia, comes from Ukraine. It is trapped in the port of Odesa. 20 million metric tons of wheat and corn are trapped. So, you know, we can all hope and even pray that the deal that the United Nations negotiated but that it -- Russia immediately turned its back on by bombing the port of Odesa, that that deal somehow sticks.
MADOWO: Do you worry about Russia's commitment to that deal if literally just hours after it was signed, they're already bombing Odessa, and what impact would that have if they don't honor their end of the deal?
POWER: Well, we have been living the contingency plan because there is no way that you can trust anything that Vladimir Putin says. We are working with the Ukrainians on plan B. Plan B involves road and rail and river and, again, you know, sending in barges and, you know, adjusting the rail system so that they're better aligned with those in Europe. So that the exports can move out more quickly, but there is no substitute for Putin allowing the blockade to end, his blockade to end, and the grains being sent out the most efficient way possible, especially because we've lost so much time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MADOWO (on camera): This plan B with the road and rail and river barges was always in the works, as Ivan mentioned a little earlier, Christina, but it just couldn't handle the scale of the amount of grain that needs to be exported to the world and is also more expensive. So, as part of her trip here in Kenya and Somalia she's next in India trying to find some alternative sources of wheat and grain for the world just to try and fix some of this global food crisis that's biting especially hard here.
[04:30:00]
