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Brittney Griner Given Nine Years in Russian Jail; Wrong Place at the Wrong Time; Speaker Pelosi's Visit Poke China; Russian Troops Build up in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia; Temperatures Worsen Every Year; Great Barrier Reef Recovering Slowly; Donald Trump Have a Price to Pay; Alex Jones Ordered to Pay for His Damages; Migrant Rescue Teams Ignored by E.U. Officials; Kenyan Women Wants to Prove Their Capacity; Interest Rates Raised Amid High Inflation. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired August 05, 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)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching from around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Ahead on CNN Newsroom, Brittney Griner sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony. And now calls for her release are growing louder. A live report coming up.
Plus, Taiwan says it's seeing even more incursions as China ramps up its response to Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island.
And the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean grows even more dire. We speak to a humanitarian group that is getting involved trying to save lives.
UNKNOWN: Live from CNN center, this is CNN Newsroom with Lynda Kinkade.
KINKADE: A new development just in on the Brittney Griner story. Russia's top diplomat says Moscow is ready to discuss a possible prisoner swap. That's according to Russian state media. These remarks come after a court sentence the American basketball star to nine years in jail.
The U.S. has offered Russia arms dealer Viktor Bout -- Bout in exchange for Griner and Paul Whelan, another American held by the Russians. On Thursday, Griner was found guilty of deliberately smuggling drugs into Russia despite apologizing and pleading for leniency.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRITTNEY GRINER, AMERICAN BASKETBALL PLAYER: I had no intent on breaking any Russian laws. I had no intend, I did not conspire or plan to commit the crime. I want to apologize for my teammates and the organization, again for any damage that high may have done to them, I never intended on hurting them. This is my second home and all I want to do is just win championships and make them proud.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, her defense team says that it will file an appeal calling the sentence absolutely unreasonable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA BLAGOVOLINA, BRITTNEY GRINER'S LAWYER: She is very upset, very upset, very stressed and she's -- well, she can hardly talk, honestly. So, it's difficult time for her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, Nina dos Santos is tracking developments for us from London and joins us now live. Good to have you here, Nina. So how much time does Griner's team have to appeal this sentence and what more can you tell us about the news coming out of Russian state media that they might be open to a possible prisoner swap?
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, what's interesting about the latest news as you said there in your introduction, Lynda, is that it comes hours after this sentencing was handed down yesterday afternoon, a nine-year sentence and a one million ruble fine for Brittney Griner after she was found guilty of bringing drugs into Russia.
We are talking about less than one gram of cannabis oil inside vaping cannisters that she says she admits she brought them into Russia but haven't intentionally intended to do so. Instead, she said that she packs in a hurry for a game in Yekaterinburg and left them in her luggage accidentally.
What's next for her legal team? Well, they have 10 days to appeal and they have already indicated that they will be preparing an appeal for Brittney Griner. But that was obviously was a few hours ago, and it was before of course we heard these reports coming out of Russian state media that now Russia might be warning to the idea of a prisoner swap, now that this sentence has eventually been handed down.
Whether or not each side is going to be able to make the timings match, given that there is still 10 days to launch an appeal, that remains to be seen. You remember the backdrop to all of this is that Viktor Bout, the famous Russian arms dealer who is serving time, more than a 20-year sentence in the United States for arms trafficking.
He was initially floated as a possible person who could be swapped with the Russians to try and negotiate both the release of Brittney Griner but also Paul Whelan who is a U.S. citizen who's been in custody since 2018 in Russia on espionage charges over there.
The Russians reportedly counted with another individual that they wanted adding to the list. So, we'll learn over the next few hours, hopefully, exactly who Russia will be putting forward and whether or not the United States would deem that as a credible option. So far, it has been dismissed as a non-credible option, but of course all this was before Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in jail, just yesterday afternoon. Lynda?
KINKADE: Yes. All right, we'll stay on the story. Nina dos Santos, good to have you with us from London, thank you.
[03:05:04]
A short time ago I spoke with CNN political and national security analyst, David Sanger about Griner's case, and I asked him if she is being used as a political pawn.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL & NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: She is certainly a political pawn, you can tell that by the very negotiation over her release. This is a case of what the State Department refers to as an unlawful detainee, that is to say that a case has been concocted against them.
This would be, at most, a misdemeanor but in most parts of the United States no crime at all, as you say, the amount is tiny and it may have been for medical purposes.
So, what's this all about? This is about, obviously, reaction to Ukraine, but also about the Russian desperation to go create some pawns that will enable them to get back some significant prisoners in the United States, that looks like the one that they really want back and they have wanted back for years is Viktor Bout, the former arms dealer to many terror groups, who Vladimir Putin has often asked to be returned to Russia. He has been in jail in the United States for about a decade.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well thanks to David Sanger for that analysis. The sports world was quick to react to Griner's sentence. Coach Becky Hammon of the Las Vegas Aces who also represented Russia into Olympics gave her thoughts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY HAMMON, HEAD COACH, LAS VEGAS ACES: It's heartbreaking. It's beyond concerning if you are an athlete. I don't think athletes really have to think twice now where they go, because all of a sudden you can just be snatched, and become basically a prisoner of war, a political pawn. It's hard to play against an opponent that doesn't play by the rules or makes their own rules. So, it's disturbing. And wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, Griner's own team in the U.S., the Phoenix Mercury held a 42-second moment of silence during the game to show the support for the star player.
CNN's Carolyn Manno has the latest.
CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: In Connecticut tonight, a moment of unity, members of the Connecticut Sun joining the Phoenix Mercury at half court for 42 seconds of silence, of reflection, in recognition of the verdict today. Forty-two, Brittney Griner's number and I'll tell you from being here, hearts were very heavy when these players took the court earlier this evening.
The Phoenix Mercury came up just a little bit short in this game, a game that has playoff implications, but honestly who could blame them? Their friend, their sister, a world away receiving the news that so many expected but weren't ready to hear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SKYLAR DIGGINS-SMITH, PHOENIX MERCURY PLAYER: If we come out here and we're supposed to play this (muted) game, nobody wanted to even play today. How can you -- how are you supposed to approach the game, approached the court and with a clear mind and the whole group is crying before the game?
Because you try to honor her, and you try to come out and still play hard for her, and you know regardless if she is here or not right now, we still got to try to keep our spirit alive, to honor her spirit and to try to get some momentum for to the team, something to feed up off.
VANESSA NYGAARD, HEAD COACH, PHOENIX MERCURY: The bottom line today is just wanting them to know that we care about them and I was so incredibly proud of them, they had so much courage to just even go out there and play.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANNO: As you just heard there, we were able to speak with a couple of the players to get a sense of how they were feeling, the WNBA actually making an exception and closing the rest of the locker room because of how emotionally charged this day has been.
But Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard told me, listen, they had not hung their hat on the Russian legal system, they know that it's diplomacy that will ultimately free Brittney Griner and they also know that this sentencing today is something of a positive step, they've been briefed by the State Department, they know that it is a process, they are all just desperate for her safe return back to the United States.
For CNN, in Connecticut, I'm Carolyn Manno.
KINKADE: Our thanks to Carolyn.
Well, Taiwan's defense minister is reporting new incursions by Chinese fighter jets and warships in the Taiwan Strait in just the past few hours. And of course, it follows a day of live fire exercises that saw multiple missiles fight into the sea near Taiwan.
The drills come as Beijing promised that Taipei would pay a price for hosting Nancy Pelosi. The U.S. House Speaker is now in Japan where she met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Pelosi says the U.S. will not allow China to isolate Taiwan. And Japan's prime minister demanded that Beijing end the military drills immediately.
[03:10:03]
More now from CNN's Selina Wang.
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: China is ramping up its intimidation campaign over Taiwan according to state media, Chinese missiles flew over the Taiwan island for the first time. Even though Taiwanese officials are saying that this missile was above the atmosphere and posed no risk to the people of Taiwan, experts I speak to say this amount to a major escalation.
It remains to be seen just how close the military drills will get to Taiwan in the next few days, but what is clear is that China is sending the message that it could choke Taiwan off from the rest of the world at any moment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WANG: Missiles firing into the sea around Taiwan, fighter jet scrambling to take off and plumes of smoke's seen by residents in the Chinese city closest to Taiwan. The video shows live rockets being fired towards the Taiwan straits. Moments later, state media confirmed the launch. The woman filming says, wow, we are witnessing history.
Beijing unleashing a show of force on Taiwan over U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island. Chinese military claims it's starting the largest ever drills around the island.
UNKNOWN (through translator): My teammates and I flew our fighter and headed for the spaces around the Taiwan island. We are ready for combat and able to fight at any time.
WANG: Defying Beijing's threats Pelosi met with Taiwan's president and key lawmakers and business leaders. Crowds of supporters in Taipei welcomed her.
NANCY PELOSI (D), U.S. SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: Taiwan has been an island of resilience and now more than ever, America's solidarity with Taiwan is crucial and that is the message we are bringing here today.
WANG: China's foreign ministry says the trip is a, quote, "outright farce." Taiwan calls this the median line more than 20 Chinese warplanes crossed the line the day after Pelosi landed and an unprecedented number.
DREW THOMPSON, VISITING SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE: They're demonstrating that they don't recognize Taiwan's line because they don't recognize Taiwan, so this is an act of political warfare, psychological warfare and information warfare. It's also a very important signal to China's own people to demonstrate its resolve.
WANG: These boxes encircling the island or where Beijing says their military drills are happening. It's a blockade say both Beijing and Taipei and a major provocation in the eyes of Taiwan and the U.S. But to a lot of Chinese citizens, it's not enough. Especially after officials had hyped up expectations of an unprecedented military response.
Disappointed wrote one person on China's Twitter like platform, Weibo, another mocks that its leaders should speak less and do more. But far from speaking less, officials are issuing one fiery statement after another, all condemning Pelosi's trip. It also banned imports of thousands of food items from Taiwan and suspended exports of natural sand, a key component in semiconductor chips, all of this rage just over a two-day visit.
Pelosi's presence in Taiwan a slap in the face to Beijing which insists the self-governed island is a rebel Chinese province. Pelosi is out of Taiwan but she left a crisis behind her, Beijing's retaliation is just getting started.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WANG: It's important to remember that the show force is also intended for the people here in China, it's for Xi Jinping to show the world that there is a price to be paid for Taiwan to host U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But while all of this increases the risk of miscalculation, Beijing also does not want this to escalate into a real conflict.
Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.
KINKADE: Well, I want to bring in CNN's Beijing bureau chief Steven Jiang for more on Pelosi's trip. Good to have you with us. So, after a brief visit to meet in South Korea's DMZ, the house speaker is in Japan right now and she does meet with the Japanese prime minister.
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: That's right, Lynda. Prime Minister Kishida and Speaker Pelosi actually expressed their shared concern over the China's reaction to her trip to Taiwan. That response obviously viewed by both Washington and Tokyo as highly provocative and destabilizing.
Now some of the missiles fired by the Chinese military not only flew directly above Taiwan but also landed in waters that Japan considers to be their exclusive economic zone, so that -- that actually has prompted Tokyo to launch a protest with Beijing. But here in China, though, we are also seeing a growing propaganda blitz targeting Pelosi herself with state media here really vilifying her in increasingly personal terms, calling her ugly, evil, shameless, playing the Taiwan card for personal political gain.
[03:14:57]
But the speaker herself, obviously very much undeterred by these increasingly -- increasingly vicious attacks in Tokyo at a press conference she again reiterated her unwavering support for Taiwan. Here's what's she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PELOSI: They may try to keep Taiwan from visiting or participating in other places, but they will not isolate Taiwan by preventing us to travel there. We've had high level visits, senators in the spring, in bipartisan way, continuing visits and we will not allow them to isolate Taiwan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIANG: She actually made a point by saying that she would not allow the Chinese to dictate American lawmakers travel schedule, so very much expressing no regret over these high stakes but also highly controversial trip she just made to Taiwan, but the worry, the concern right now, of course, is that this is not just going to be a few days of Chinese military drills around Taiwan and then everything goes back to normal.
The PLA, the Chinese military could very much try to seize upon the moment by really changing the status quo in the Taiwan Strait by, for example, enforcing China's long-standing sovereign claim over the entire strait that could pose major implications for the U.S. and its allies that routinely sent warships and warplanes to cross the strait. Lynda?
KINKADE: All right. Steven Jiang, for us in Beijing. Thank you very much.
A buildup of Russian troops is underway in southern Ukraine. That word from Ukrainian officials who say Moscow is likely preparing to mount a counter offensive. The buildup concentrated in Kherson and parts of Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine has slowly gained ground in the south.
Well, western officials now estimate that Russian has lost up to 20,000 troops since the war began, another 55,000 have been injured. The officials say Russia is recruiting people from prisons and through private security companies to try to make up for the losses.
And down in the Black Sea Ukraine says three more grain ships have left its port this morning carrying more than 50,000 tons of food. The ships are expected to travel to Turkey, the United Kingdom and Ireland. An agreement signed last month allows Ukraine to resume grain exports which could ease the global food shortage.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is blasting a new report by Amnesty International about Ukraine's conduct in the war. The reports claimed the Ukrainian forces have endangered their own civilians, putting their bases and operating military equipment in residential areas. In response, Mr. Zelenskyy said the report is helping Russia get off the hook for its crimes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): We saw today a completely different report from Amnesty International which unfortunately tries to amnesty the terrorist state and shift the responsibility from the aggressor to the victim. There are no and can be no even hypothetically conditions under which any Russian attack on Ukraine becomes justified.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Ukrainians are starting to heed the orders of President Zelenskyy to get out of the eastern Donetsk region. Thousands of people took a train from this city in that part of Ukraine Thursday.
Plus, with Mr. Zelenskyy ordered a mandatory evacuation from the region which is in the bull's eye of the main Russian offensive. He said hundreds of thousands of civilians were still there. But some evacuees say there is hardly anything left to stay for.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLGA, EVACUEE FROM EASTERN UKRAINE (through translator): We are from a village near Lysychansk, the villages between Luhansk and Donetsk region. Our village has been ruined. We have nowhere to live, there is no gas, no water, no electricity, we were sitting in the basement for a month and the military brought us here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, if you would like to safely and securely help the people in Ukraine who may be in need of shelter, food and water, please go to cnn.com/impact, you will find several ways you can help. Police in Thailand says at least 13 people have been killed and 35 injured in a nightclub fire. It happened one in the morning in a town about 170 kilometers south of Bangkok.
Officials say injures range from mild to serious, and mainly resulting from burns. Police are still looking into what caused the fire.
People in Lebanon demanding justice on the second anniversary of a massive explosion in Beirut. Hundreds of people held rallies in the city carrying banners and pictures of people killed in the blast. It claimed the lives of 215 people. But the investigation into the incident is largely stalled.
[03:19:54]
But just as the nation was marking the somber anniversary, the grain silos that were damaged by the blast partially collapsed, the explosion is blamed on industrial chemicals that were improperly stored.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Well, yet another dangerous heat wave spreading across much of Europe, we're going to go to the CNN weather center for the details on these record high temperatures, when we come back.
Parts of the Australian Great Barrier reef are growing at a rate and seen in decades, but despite the good news scientists say the reef is still at risk, that story ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KINKADE: Welcome back. A fire is spreading in a German forest after
an explosion at a place ammunition disposal site. The fire broke out Thursday morning in Bundeswehr, one of Berlin's largest city forests. Officials say the blaze has consumed about four acres, a little less than half a hectare. Berlin authorities have called for additional help extinguishing the fire including from the German army.
And another wildfire in northwestern Spain, officials say the blaze has grown to around 1,500 acres as of Thursday threatening at least two towns. The fire has been fueled by another round of record- breaking heat across Europe.
Several countries recorded thousands of deaths during last month's brutal high temperatures. Scientists say heat waves and droughts will become more common and last longer before -- because of the climate crisis.
Let's bring in meteorologist Derek van Dam. And Derek, the heat having a profound impact on the wildfire season right across Europe.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Without a doubt, Lynda. In fact, we have already scorched over 600,000 hectares so far across the European Union. And according to the E.U. Joint Research Center, that is the second largest area burned to date since history, since the record books began, which was in 2006 when we started keeping track of all these numbers and the various fires.
Now, just to put this into further context, that number, 600,000 acres burned so far to date is two times the size of the country of Luxembourg, just incredible. Here's a photo, a dramatic photo coming out of Spain, one of the many locations experiencing these fires. Look at the firefighters battling these blazes.
We know that last summer was the hottest summer on record across all of Europe, and now 2022 could potentially best that with an even hotter summer by the end of this month. Incredible, we're talking about temperatures ranging from 5 to 13 degrees Celsius above average, that is just yesterday alone.
Look at Frankfurt, Berlin, Milan, as well as Marseille, temperatures should be in the lower and middle 20s, they are topping upper 30s, that is why each individual countries meteorological agencies has issued these heat alerts, this is the current heat alerts across central and southeastern portions of France.
[03:25:03]
Here's a look at Poland over western portions and central portions of the country, extreme heat, the risk of dehydration and heat related illnesses continues. Now across Siberian Peninsula, the heat has been excessive, when we start to see the temperatures flirt with that 40- degree mark and we combine that with the dry conditions in places, especially across the interior of Spain, that's where we start to see the wildfires ignite rather easily.
Temperatures today across the Mediterranean will be another scorcher as you expect, but there is some relief in sight, we do have a cold front that's going to temporarily cool our temperatures into places like France, as well as Germany. Lynda?
KINKADE: Derek Van Dam, staying across it all for us as usual, thank you so much.
VAN DAM: My pleasure.
KINKADE: Well, a rare piece of good news about the Great Barrier Reef, a monitoring group in Australia says parts of the reef are bouncing back and are healthier that they've been in decades. Average high coral cover in the upper region and central areas of reef has increased by around a third. That is great news but scientists say the grief is still vulnerable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL EMSLIE, SENIOR RESEARCH SCIENTIST, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE: So, today, I think what we are seeing is at the Great Barrier Reef is still a resilient system, you know, still maintains that ability to recover from disturbances. And if you give it enough chances it can do that, but the worrying thing is that, you know, these -- the frequency of these disturbing events are increasing particularly, you know, the mass pearl bleaching events.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, scientists say four of the reef's six mass bleaching events that have taken place since 2016.
A European leader with close ties to the Kremlin fires up a crowd of American conservatives in Dallas. After the break, you will hear what Hungary's Viktor Orban has to say.
Plus, a stretch in the Mediterranean is considered the world's deadliest sea migration route. Just ahead, what rescue groups are demanding to save lives.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back. Now to a CNN exclusive. Sources say Donald Trump's legal team is in talks with the U.S. Justice Department over efforts to shield conversations he had while president. Investigators have subpoenaed Trump's White House counsel Pat Cipollone and his deputy Patrick Philbin to answer questions about schemes to overturn the 2020 election.
It's an indication of just how deep the probe is digging into the Trump White House. Sources also tells CNN that Trump's legal team has warned the former president that indictments are possible. People familiar with the matter say Trump has ignored advisers who warned him to avoid contact with his former chief of staff, Mark Meadows.
[03:30:06]
Well, the vice of the January 6 committee is giving her clearest indications so far that Trump should be prosecuted for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KASIE HUNT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Do you have any concerns that the prosecution would strengthen Donald Trump's political hand?
REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): I don't think that it's appropriate to think about it that way because the question for us is, are we a nation of laws? Are we a country where no one is above the law? Certainly, I've been very clear, I think that he is guilty of the most serious dereliction of duty of any president in our nation's history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: The House select committee is expected to resume its public hearings after the August recess.
A Texas jury is ordering right wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay up. They found the Infowars host liable for defamation awarding the parents of one of the young victims in the Sandy Hook school $4.1 million in damages. Twenty-six people were killed in the 2012 massacre at the Connecticut elementary school. Twenty of those killed were children.
Jones repeatedly claimed that the massacre was staged and he quoted, "a hoax," but admitted during the trial that he now believed to be 100 percent real. The jury comes back on Friday to deliberate punitive damages. Jones faces other similar lawsuits in Connecticut.
U.S. conservatives in Texas gave a rock star welcome to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Thursday. He is arguably the most pro- Kremlin leader in Europe and his inclusion in the event was highly controversial.
But as a longtime ally of Donald Trump the crowd cheered and gave him a standing ovation as he rallied against same-sex marriage, gender identity and other hot button issues. Orban says only a strong leader can ensure national security. And for the Evangelicals who were listening, he offered this unique perspective on current events.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VIKTOR ORBAN, HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER: We have to be brave enough to address even the most sensitive questions. Migration, gender and the clash of civilization, don't worry, a Christian politician cannot be racist. If you separate western civilization from the Judeo-Christian heritage, the worst things in history happen.
Let's be honest, the most horrible things in modern history were carried out by people who hated Christianity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well U.S. conservatives have been warming up to the Hungarian strongman in recent years due to at least in part Orban's long-standing ties to Trump.
Three humanitarian groups are accusing the European Union of not doing enough to prevent the deaths of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea. The groups called an E.U. leaders to respond faster to distress calls from the ships carrying migrants and provide a state-led search and rescue fleet. They point out that one rescue vessel, the Geo Barents with more than 600 migrants on board waited at sea a week before getting authorization to disembark its passengers.
It was so overloaded it had to ignore other distressed calls. And just moments ago, we learned that the ship has finally docked in Taranto, Italy. Its hundreds of passengers will now be able to disembark.
The groups call international waters of the coast of Libya the world's deadliest sea migration route, and say more than 900 people have died in the area so far this year, a number considered to be an underestimated.
Well for more on all of this we're joined by Sophie Beau, the co- founder of the SOS Mediterranean Sea Rescue Civil Association. She's in Marseilles, France. Good to have you with us.
SOPHIE BEAU, CO-FOUNDER, SOS MEDITERRANEAN SEA RESCUE CIVIL ASSOCIATION: Hello, good morning.
KINKADE: So, you'll be co-founder of the SOS Mediterranean Sea Rescue Civil Association. You sent us a video showing a rescue which happened last month, July of last month. Describe what your organization does and why you got involved in this issue?
BEAU: We are responding to a very critical humanitarian situation at sea which is unfortunately not covered by states, there is a duty to rescue any ship in distress as per maritime law, but this is not actually fulfilled by European states. And we have to face the situation that hundreds of boats are crossing the Mediterranean, fleeing countries such as Libya which is a real chaos and where migrants are experiencing very, very violent situations and tortures, extortion, ransom, et cetera.
[03:35:05]
They are fleeing Libya and they go on tiny boats because they prefer to leave in this situation in this conditions that this country, to escape from the situation. There are no more rescue ships at sea since the end of the state-led operation Mare Nostrum by the Italian navy since the end of 2014, other than (Inaudible) ships at the moment
So that's a very complicated situation because we are few NGO ships present, we have created our association to rescue people in distress, to save lives because states, European states are failing to do so.
KINKADE: So, since the beginning of this year how many people have died crossing the Mediterranean and how does that compare to years gone by?
BEAU: Since the beginning of this year, we know that more than 900 people have perished in the central Mediterranean, which is actually the deadliest route in the world, the maritime deadliest route in the world. It is tragically enough a repetition of what happened in the previous years, although there are a bit less people crossing than in the years 2015, '16, '17 when people were fleeing from Syria and after the Arab Spring, there were almost one million people crossing the Mediterranean.
We are not talking about those numbers anymore, but the mortality rate is extremely high still because of the rescue capacity which is totally inadequate and insufficient to cover the needs. So, we are talking about around 40,000 people who have arrived by the sea in Italy since the beginning of the year, and as I've said, more than 900 people known to have perished without counting all the others that disappeared without any witnesses.
KINKADE: And one major rescue saw hundreds of migrants including pregnant women and babies stranded at sea for about a week before Italy granted them permission to disembark. Do you know why it took so long?
BEAU: Well, this is something that we have unfortunately experienced many times since 2018. The problem is that Italian authorities do not want to grant a port of safety because Libyan authorities are supposed to be the one to be competent on rescue at sea in the central Mediterranean since 2018.
There was a transfer of responsibilities between the Italians to the Libyans. Unfortunately, the Libyan coast guard do not fulfill these duties to coordinate certain rescues at sea and they are not able to designate, assign a port of safety, because in Libya there's no port of safety for migrants.
Therefore, European states do negotiate for days, and days every time there is a rescue at sea to assign these places of safety. The problem is that there is no predictable mechanism for the disembarkation of survivors, this is what we are calling for a long time, as well as a search and rescue fleet led by European states.
KINKADE: Sophie Beau in Marseille, France, thanks very much for your time.
BEAU: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, there is more monkeypox cases confirmed around the U.S., the White House has determined to combat the spread. Just ahead, what the U.S. is doing to bring more resources and personal to the fight.
Plus, female candidates becoming a political force in the upcoming election in Kenya. We will have a live report when we come back.
[03:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back. The U.S. is following lead of the World Health Organization declaring monkeypox a public emergency. The Biden administration made the declaration Thursday. It says it will free up funding and expand the ability of health authorities to share data, increase the number of personnel to help fight the virus.
And it comes as infection numbers are rising, they're currently more than 7,100 cases confirmed of monkeypox, more than any other country in the world. The Biden administration has been criticized over failing to recognize the severity of the outbreak. The White House press secretary defending the administration's efforts on Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We're working hand in hand with states to understand the urgency of this, there's 1.1 million doses that are available and also, we have -- we have about 5.5 million that are ordered, and we upped the capacity of testing.
What's so important about that is that people need to know if they have monkeypox or not and how to move forward with treatment and what they need to do, so there is also the educational piece that matters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Spain, Germany and the U.K. are also facing considerable outbreaks. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, almost 27,000 cases worldwide. Health officials say the majority of reported cases are in men who have sex with men, but they cautioned that anyone can get the disease.
Kenyans head to the polls on Tuesday to elect their new president. It's expected to be a close race between the current deputy president, William Ruto and the opposition leader, Raila Odinga. They are former political foes who turned allies and then turned foes once more.
The nation is facing growing food and fuel crisis along with high unemployment and post-pandemic stagnation. Some observers believe the result could be so close that Kenya could see its first presidential runoff.
Well, even though the top candidates are men, female leaders are expected to put a show force in the election.
For more CNN's Larry Madowo is standing by in Nairobi. So, Larry, the election just a few days away and Kenya may get its first female deputy president?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Lynda. Martha Karua could be Kenya's first deputy president who is a woman. And this is a big moment for the country because it's been 25 years since a woman first reigned for president, but that didn't go very far. That is why she is now running on one of the major tickets here, possibility, that her ticket could be the big one to win this election on Tuesday when it happens.
And it's been a long battle for women to get politically active in this country and to get elected even though it's a progressive society in many ways, but there are still that gap where women do stand for office but very few get elected.
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MADOWO: When Martha Karua reigned as president nine years ago, she got less than one percent of the vote, now she is running for deputy president on one of the two major tickets.
Do you think Kenya is ready for a female president?
MARTHA KARUA, KENYAN DEPUTY PRESIDENT CANDIDATE: That question suggests that women ought not to be on the ballots because I have never heard anybody question whether Kenyans are ready for yet another male? So that question in itself is discriminatory, Kenya is ready for women at all levels.
MADOWO: Women held only 23 percent of seats in Kenya's last parliament, the fewest in East Africa. This election is believed to have the most women running for office ever.
Umra Omar is breaking new ground in the historic Lamu archipelago as the first woman to run for governor. It's a long shot campaign in a conservative coastal region where women struggle to get elected.
[03:45:02]
UMRA OMAR, LAMU GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: If we are to address the challenges that we are facing as women as (Inaudible) people as indigenous communities, then we have to be taking a political battle.
MADOWO: A former CNN hero for her work providing free medical care, Omar is a respected member of this community but even that didn't insulate from political attacks.
OMAR: We were getting judge from both the big old dudes, almost kind of pistol like, how dare you.
MADOWO: If you are to win the city, you will be one of the very few female governors in Kenya. Kenya right now has three female governors. Why do you think that is?
OMAR: I feel like we have accepted mediocrity way too much.
MADOWO: There is no single explanation of why women are a key part of Kenyan society, but remain underrepresented in elected politics. Some key reasons, social economic barriers, culture, and religion.
Kenya's 2010 Constitution even set out agenda for elected office, but it has never been implemented.
MARILYN KAMURU, LAWYER AND WRITER: They actually asked supermajority male institutions, hey, we need you to make sure that you are no longer supermajority male. And the men said, no thanks, we won't do it, you have to make us. It has never been a problem about women wanting to participate in politics, it continues to be a problem about the systematic exclusion of women. MADOWO: Before she came opposition leader, Raila Odinga's running
mate, Martha had already earned a no-nonsense reputation during her three decades in Kenyan politics and a nickname, the iron lady.
How do you think about that nickname?
KARUA: I think that name in a way speaks to the misogyny within society. Strength is not perceived as female; strength is perceived as male.
MADOWO: Though, expensive campaigns, violence, and sexism are used to deter women from Kenyan politics, they keep running anyway.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: Martha Karua points out that that nickname of the iron lady was also used for Margaret Thatcher, the former British prime minister. She says (Inaudible) and misogyny exist, but it does reduce in the three decades that she has been in politics.
But the way Kenyan women are fighting that systematic exclusion is by constantly organizing and advocating. And that is why in this election, a record number of women are running, and if more of them get elected, then this country is closer to having that gender parity. Lynda?
KINKADE: That is good. And Larry, of course, some observers believe that the election results could be close. What's the chance we'll see a runoff?
MADOWO: It's very likely there might be a runoff in this election for the first time, Lynda, because under the Kenyan law, the candidate that wins the presidential election has to get at least 50 percent of the vote plus one. All of the opinion polls as recently as some released yesterday show that both Raila Odinga who is running with Martha Karua and William Ruto, the deputy president, are close, they are the leading candidates. But neither of them has that 50 percent of the vote required.
These are opinion polls, they could be entirely wrong as we saw with the U.S. election, but there is a possibility that based on how close this there is a runoff in a few weeks after Tuesday's election. And if one of the candidates does win there's also another possibility, Lynda, that the other candidate go to the Supreme Court to contest the election.
And in 2017 that happened. Raila Odinga reigned against the current president Uhuru Kenyatta, and he went to court to contest the election and the Supreme Court throughout that election which is the first time in Africa.
So that set a precedent, so that might happen again in this election, which means Kenyans go back to another election in October if that happens. We'll have to wait and see what happens when the whole nation goes to the vote on Tuesday. KINKADE: And, of course, Larry, inflation, rising food prices, rising
fuel prices are major concerns. What will people be thinking about as they vote on Tuesday?
MADOWO: The economy is at the top of everybody's mind here, Lynda, after the pandemic which battered this economy and then the drought that has been hit parts of the country, there is a record unemployment here. The cost of living has gone up, partly because of the impact of the Ukraine war, food, fertilizer, and fuel crisis have risen considerably.
So, whoever is promising to tackle is going to be the top of the people's minds. The deputy president William Ruto is pushing what he calls a bottom-up approach to make sure that ordinary people have a leg up in the economy, that they get jobs, they get decent shot at life. And Raila Odinga, the current opposition leader says he is the one who knows how to turn the economy around.
KINKADE: All right, Larry Madowo, good to have you on the story for us. No doubt we will speak in the coming days. Thank you.
Well, soaring energy prices are affecting pretty much everything, including Britain's supply of beer. What brewers are coping when we return.
[03:50:00]
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KINKADE: Well U.S. financial markets are hoping to regain some momentum in the day ahead as the government is set to release its jobs report for July. The Dow fell 85 points, or a quarter of a percent on Thursday. The NASDAQ finished up 52 points and the S&P 500 was pretty flat.
In the U.K., a bleak outlook for the country's economy. The nation projected to plunge into a recession. The Bank of England says it expects the economy to shrink later this year, and announced the biggest interest rate rise in 27 years.
CNN's Clare Sebastian reports.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yet more evidence that inflation is forcing the hand of central banks, even as we see signs of an economic slowdown. Eight out of nine Bank of England policy makers were in favor of this half percentage point rate hike as the bank says Russia's invasion of Ukraine has cause wholesale gas prices to double since May. When a decision came with some pretty bleak economic forecast.
Inflation predicted to peak in the fourth quarter of this year at over 13 percent. Bear in mind just two months ago the bank predicted it would peak at 11 percent. And they are now forecasting the U.K. will fall into a recession at the end of the year, and stay in one for the whole of 2023. Clearly, this makes a big rate rise a very tough sell, the U.K. is
already in the midst of a historic cost of living crisis. Here's how the Bank of England governor justified his decision.
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ANDREW BAILEY, GOVERNOR, BANK OF ENGLAND: If we don't bring it back up to target, and if we get the so-called second round effects it is going to get worse. And it will get worse precisely I'm afraid for those who are at least well often society.
So, while I have a huge sympathy and you know, huge understanding for those who are struggling most with this, and I know that they will feel well, you know, why have you raised interest rates today, doesn't that make it worse from that perspective in terms of consumption. I'm afraid, Martha, it doesn't because I'm afraid the alternative is even worse in terms of persistent inflation.
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SEBASTIAN: This is exactly what we heard from the European Central Bank back in July, front loading rate rises now before potential energy shortages and an increasingly likely recession in the winter. The Bank of England cautioning though that nothing is certain, no one knows what Russia will do next to European gas supplies.
And by the time the Bank of England meet again in September there will be a new prime minister in the U.K., perhaps with a new set of fiscal policies, and certainly an unenviable position of managing what looks set to be the worst performing economy in the G7.
Close Sebastian, CNN, London.
KINKADE: Sore soaring energy prices are affecting businesses across the world including one of Britain's favorites, beer.
CNN's Isa Soares reports on how brewers there are coping from one of the U.K.'s great celebrations of its ales, stouts, and doubts and lagers.
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ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After a two-year hiatus, the great British beer festival is back. And there is plenty to celebrate. With nearly 1,000 cash ales, craft beers, and ciders under one roof. It's a welcome return for an industry that has seen restaurants closed, and bars struggling to stay open.
UNKNOWN: We haven't seen each other socially for quite a long time, so it is just a great place to come, have a few beers, and enjoy the fun.
SOARES: But trouble is brewing, as the U.K. like many countries faces the knock-on effect of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
[03:54:56] NIK ANTONA, NATIONAL CHAIRMAN, CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE: Brewing is a high intense production process, you need to boil your water, your malt, your barleys together, and mix them altogether at high temperatures. So, you do need a lot of energy to do that. And it's pushing up their cost very highly.
There's other factors like fuel cost, delivery cost, the crisis in Ukraine, that's affecting grain prices.
SOARES: And it's not just grain, Russia's invasion has also caused energy prices to spike, rising 70 percent from June of 2021 to June of this year.
ANDREW TURNER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, BEER & BRANDS, ST. AUSTELL BREWERY: Everything is being affected, and if I'm being honest, I think we are really feeling the squeeze of that year. I think the squeeze of that really is to come in the next 12 to 18 months.
UNKNOWN: It's 5.20.
SOARES: But the reality of this cost has left a bitter taste in some people's mouths, with more than 50 percent of the British public saying the average price of a pint now around $5 U.S. dollars is unaffordable. But as I wander through the halls of this festival, it's clear the thirst for beer is not going anywhere.
So how does it feel to be back after three years of COVID?
UNKNOWN: Absolutely brilliant. I'm loving (Inaudible) it. Great to see everyone under the same roof again enjoying great cash stout.
SOARES: And while the outlook may look cloudy -- for now these brewers clearly still have a glass half full.
UNKNOWN: Sheers. Thank you very much.
SOARES: Sheers. Isa Soares, CNN, London.
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KINKADE: Well, the British Belgian teenager has his sights set high, trying to become the youngest person to fly solo around the world. Mack Rutherford landed his ultralight plane in Anchorage, Alaska earlier this week. He plans to fly through 52 countries. His sister Zara holds the record for women for her around the world fly at the age of 19.
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MACK RUTHERFORD, TEENAGED PILOT: So, I started on the 23rd of March in Bulgaria because my main sponsor, ICDSoft, is based there. From there I flew through Sicily and Crete, and then all the way down through Africa.
I'm trying to show that young people can make a difference. You don't have to be 18 to do something special, just work towards your dreams and they will come true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: You can learn more about Mack and his team, and track his progress live at his web site macksolo.com.
Well, that wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Lynda Kinkade. My colleague Max Foster will be back after a very short break. Stay with us. You're watching CNN.
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