Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

U.S. President Kicks Off His European Tour; Ukrainian Leader Double Thinks About His NATO Summit Attendance; Court Allows Tennessee State to Ban Transgender Minors' Care; U.S. Treasury Secretary Wraps Up Her China Visit, Leaving No Agreements Made; Japan's Sexual Assault Survivor Aims for a Real Change and Apology; Hawaii Native Wins U.S. Women's Open Title in Seven Years. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired July 10, 2023 - 03:00   ET

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


[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Just ahead. U.S. President Joe Biden is in London at the start of a crucial foreign policy trip. We will have a preview of his first meeting in the coming hours.

High on the agenda at a NATO summit later, the question of when and how Ukraine could join the alliance. We will look at where a compromise could be found.

And from dangerous floods to sweltering heat, tens of millions in the U.S. are under threat of severe weather.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: And we begin this hour in London where U.S. President Joe Biden is kicking off a high-stakes, week-long overseas trip. He will be meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in just a few hours in a visit aimed at bolstering the relationship between the U.S. and the U.K.

Mr. Biden will head next to Lithuania for a critical NATO summit that's set to focus on Russia's war in Ukraine that's grinding on right on NATO's borders. The U.S. president will wrap up his trip with a visit to Finland.

CNN's Arlette Saenz has more details now from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden is kicking off his European trip here in London on Monday with a meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before the president heads to Windsor Castle to meet with King Charles, their first meeting since his coronation in May.

But the centerpiece of President Biden's trip to Europe will be that NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, as the president is hoping that the NATO alliance can once more demonstrate their unity in support of Ukraine.

There will be discussions about what kind of long-term security assistance these two allies could provide to Ukraine down the road. And it comes as President Biden has approved those controversial cluster munitions to be sent to Ukraine. Cluster munitions are something that have been opposed by more than 100 countries. But the president said it was a very difficult decision, but one that was necessary at this time, as Ukraine needs more ammunition as they're waging that counteroffensive against Russia.

Now, another issue that will be a hot topic and potential flashpoint at the summit is the prospect of a determining a pathway for Ukraine to join the NATO alliance. There are some allies who want to see a more concrete timetable for that to happen. But President Biden has said that now is not the time for Ukraine to join due to the ongoing war in Ukraine and his belief that there are still some reforms, still some commitments that Ukraine needs to make in order to join the NATO alliance.

Another issue of a country who's trying to get into NATO is Sweden. Their bid to join the alliance has currently been on hold due to the opposition by Turkish President Erdogan. He believes and is frustrated with Sweden for what Erdogan describes as harboring groups that they consider to be terrorists.

Now, President Biden has said he has optimistic Sweden will eventually join the alliance and he held a phone call with Erdogan as he traveled here to London on Air Force One on Sunday. The two men did talk about the prospect of Sweden joining NATO, as well as potentially selling F- 16 fighter jets to Turkey.

That is something Turkey has been seeking for quite some time. And there are speculation, there are people who want to make sure that any type of sale of F-16s to Turkey would come with a condition that Turkey would accept Sweden into the alliance.

All of these issues will be center -- at the center of discussions at that NATO summit, which President Biden heads to on Tuesday.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the president in London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And CNN's Nic Robertson is following developments. He joins us now live from London, outside 10 Downing Street, in fact. So, Nic, the war in Ukraine will clearly dominate President Biden's upcoming meeting today with Britain's prime minister. How likely is it that Rishi Sunak will raise the controversial issue of Mr. Biden's decision to send Ukraine cluster bombs?

[03:04:48] NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, you could say that Rishi Sunak is already dealt with that by releasing a statement on Saturday where he said Britain is a signatory on convention on cluster munitions which prohibits it from producing or supplying those munitions and indeed is obliged in some ways as part of that convention to discourage others using the weapons.

So, perhaps he's nipped that in the bad, but I think very likely if there were to be and we're not it's not clear whether the British Prime Minister will give a press conference following the meeting. But if he were to give a press conference, it would very likely be a question, have you addressed the cluster munitions with President Biden? So it seems in some way that it would be likely to come up.

We heard from President Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, on the flight over here, saying, look, as far as with the United States is concerned, we're not hearing from NATO partners criticizing us for this. We're looking at a united position where we are all nations trying to support Ukraine in this fight against Russia.

So from a U.S. perspective they're not saying that they are hearing directly themselves specific criticism on this issue, but again it will be a sensitive issue and people likely to ask Rishi Sunak if he brought it up.

CHURCH: And Nic, the war in Ukraine will also dominate the NATO summit of course in Lithuania on Tuesday and Wednesday. What will likely be achieved overall and how might -- you know, what President Biden said regarding his decision that Ukraine is not yet ready to join NATO. How will that play into all of this, do you think?

ROBERTSON: Well, it was interesting over the weekend because President Biden told CNN that he'd be willing to consider a sort of Israel-type scenario where there are really hard and firm guarantees of sophisticated weaponry and training on that weaponry and strong military, diplomatic and economic support.

So is that the model that may emerge? Well, not all countries, all the 31 members of NATO, want that model. Some want an even stronger version. Others perhaps want something a little weaker. So perhaps the language that emerges is something that goes in some way to giving President Zelenskyy what he wants, which is firm commitments of NATO security guarantees, which President Biden is sort of tying up in terms of, you know, if there is a peace agreement finally agreed, then these are the things that we can consider.

So you can expect to see the potential for some language that ties Ukraine up. If you get to have these guarantees, whatever they may be, this will be part of a peace process, which of course is part of what Ukraine wants, a peace process, though, on their terms.

So you may get a number of different countries signing up and giving longer-term financial and military commitments, not too dissimilar to what's been given already but a more codified version and then of course trying to get a language that embraces all of that in the NATO communique.

I think that's what to look for and there will be strengths and weaknesses in it and it doesn't go as far it won't go as far as what President Zelenskyy actually has said that he wants.

CHURCH: Right indeed, and Nic, President Biden has a plan to get Turkey on board with allowing Sweden to join the military alliance. What is that plan? How will this play out?

ROBERTSON: Well, President Erdogan, as our science was reporting there, is a big part of the blocking at the moment of Sweden joining. And President Biden spoke with President Erdogan on his flight on Air Force One on the way over, and there's a likelihood that they will have a bilateral meeting, a pull-aside or a full bilateral meeting in Vilnius.

Whatever is decided in that discussion, it couldn't make Sweden's accession to NATO immediate because this is something that would have to be ratified by the -- by the parliament in Turkey. The Hungarians are also blocking at the moment, have said that if President Erdogan waves his opposition, then they will as well.

So I think perhaps the strongest again to look for there, if everything went really well at the NATO summit in terms of the conversation between President Biden and Erdogan, then perhaps you could be looking at a language that indicates that it won't be long before Sweden becomes a member.

But, I think, when President Biden spoke on the phone as he did last night to President Erdogan, on the one hand talking about Sweden and NATO membership and on the other hand as well talking about F-16 fighter jets which is what President Erdogan wants for Turkey or upgrades of those.

You can see how these things are relatively intertwined and of course you know it's all about keeping a balance at NATO. Greece also is interested in its F-16s as well, so Turkey and Greece will also look for a balance and parity there. as well. So it's a complicated maneuver.

CHURCH: Yeah, most definitely. Nic Robertson, joining us from outside 10 Downing Street. Many thanks. I Appreciate it.

Well, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the Vilnius summit is very important and he hopes NATO leaders will make a clear, fearless statement about Ukraine's membership. But he's not confirming whether he will attend the meeting. He explains why.

[03:10:10]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It would be an important message to say that NATO is not afraid of Russia. Ukraine should get clear security guarantees while it is not in NATO. And that is a very important point. Only under these conditions our meeting would be meaningful. Otherwise, it's just another politics. I don't want to go to Vilnius for fun, if the decision has been made beforehand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Earlier Sunday, Mr. Zelenskyy met with Polish President Andrzej Duda, saying they had a very substantive discussion about working together for the best possible result for Ukraine at the NATO summit, the two leaders expressing solidarity as they marked the anniversary of a massacre that strained their nation's relationship for decades. They met in Lutsk in northwestern Ukraine, where Poland says Ukrainian nationalists killed 100,000 polls during World War II.

Well, this just coming into CNN, at least four civilians have been killed in a Russian attack on a frontline town in the Zaporizhzhya region. Police say a guided aerial bomb struck a school that was being used as a humanitarian aid center. At least 11 people were wounded and some were trapped under the rubble. Rescue operations are ongoing. Ukrainian officials are calling it a war crime.

Well, amid all of this, we are seeing the first images of Russia's top army general. Since the mutiny by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, CNN's Clare Sebastian joins me now live from London. Good morning to you, Clare. So what are we seeing exactly and why is this such a big deal?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Rosemary, this is Valeri Gerasimov, who is the head of all, not only all of the armed forces in Russia, but also nominally the head of the military operation in Ukraine. He is showing here in a video that was just published this morning by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

They say that it was a meeting that took place on Sunday. He is said to be getting a report from the chief of staff of the Aerospace Forces on Russian air defense having thwarted an attempt by Ukraine to hit targets in both Crimea and inside Russia in the Rostov and Kaluga regions. He is then instructing them to go after the storage sites of those missiles and preemptively destroy them.

But I think, that the appearance here is much more important the content of the appearance. We have not seen Gerasimov since that attempted mutiny by Yevgeny Prigozhin and Wagner 16 days ago. Now, rumors have been swirling and intensify that he may have been dismissed by Russia from his post. So this is clearly an effort by Russia to show that hasn't happened, that he's still in charge, everything is under control.

One more thing to note in this video is that the man he's getting the report from on that video link there is Viktor Afzalov, as I said, the chief of staff of the Ukrainian -- of the Russian Aerospace Forces by the way. He is the second in command, the head of the Aerospace Forces, Sergei Serevikin, that general who we also haven't seen since that Wagner mutiny. That will I think raise more questions around the state of the leadership of the Russian Armed Forces even as Russia clearly attempts here to restore some kind of clarity.

CHURCH: And Clare, we are just hearing this news of a Russian attack on a school in Ukraine. What more are you learning about this?

SEBASTIAN: Yeah, so the news coming from the head of the military administration in Zaporizhzhya, this is the town of Arichiv, which is just by the front line there. It's just inside Ukrainian-held territory, but very much on the front lines. And the school was a site, according to this Ukrainian official, where humanitarian aid was being given out to local people, clearly a sign of just how difficult life is already on those front lines.

Four people said to have been killed, all of them in their 40s. And 11 injured, though as of this morning the police in that area are saying that rescue efforts are continuing. They believe more people may be trapped under the rubble. This is, I say, a very active front line. Just this morning the Ukrainian military is saying that they have liberated, they say, 169 square kilometers of territory since the start of this offensive, but still a very dangerous area for civilians as it stands. Rosemary.

CHURCH: Sadly, that is the case. Clare Sebastian, joining us live from London. Many thanks.

Over 30 million Americans are bracing for more record-breaking high temperatures this week and there's no relief in sight. Dangerous heat alerts are in effect for the southwest, Texas and Florida. And forecasts show the heat alerts will extend through the end of next weekend in the southwest with triple-digit temperatures.

[03:15:02]

In Phoenix, Arizona, temperatures have reached at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit, 43 degrees Celsius for nine consecutive days.

In New York State, officials say at least one person has died in floodwaters after powerful storms dumped several centimeters of rain on Sunday. Just look at the heavy flooding in Orange County where the governor has issued a state of emergency. Forecasters are advising people not to venture out in southeastern New York. Right now New York City is under a flood watch until around daybreak because of potential downpours.

A landslide in Southern California has severely damaged an upscale neighborhood. It happened suddenly in Rolling Hills Estates, south of Los Angeles. Authorities evacuated at least 12 hilltop homes overlooking a canyon. Geologists say the area has been unstable for hundreds of thousands of years, but it's not clear what triggered this latest Earth movement.

Well, there have been at least 370 mass shootings in the United States. far this year. That horrifying number includes a weekend incident in Cleveland, Ohio that left nine people injured. We'll have details on the other side of the break.

And a Marine is questioned after a missing girl is found in a barracks in California. The details just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [03:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: At least nine people are wounded after a mass shooting in Cleveland, Ohio, early Sunday. Police say the victims were seven men and two women, all in their 20s or 30s. None of the injuries appear to be life-threatening.

Police are looking for both the suspect and a motive. This makes at least 370 mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Police in Pennsylvania have discovered small stockpiles of campsites that they believe are linked to an escaped inmate. Michael Burnham broke out of jail Thursday night. Officials say he is a self-taught survivalist. They're offering nearly $10,000 for information that leads to Burnham's arrest. But authorities warn he should be considered armed and dangerous.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. COL. GEORGE BIVENS, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: We have no reason to believe Burnham has left the general area. With that said, we have received several tips or investigative leads from outside of the area, and we are thoroughly investigating each of those. None of them has caused us to change our assessment that he remains in this area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Officials say local residents should secure their homes and cars and should not approach Burnham if they see him.

And in New York, police say they have arrested the gunman responsible for a string of shootings in Queens and Brooklyn. This was the scene in Queens Saturday after an 86-year-old man was fatally shot. Police say 25-year-old Thomas Abreu is facing murder, attempted murder, and weapons charges, shootings that also left four people injured.

Well, a U.S. Marine has been taken into custody for questioning after a missing 14-year-old girl was found in the barracks at Camp Pendleton. The girl, who was reported missing by her grandmother, was located on the base on June 28.

CNN correspondent Camilla Bernal has the latest on the inquiry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILLA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know that a Marine was taken into custody after a 14-year-old girl was found at the barracks at Camp Pendleton. And this happened on June 28th, according to a statement from the Marine Corps.

I want to read part of that statement where they say, this command takes this matter and all allegations very seriously. The incident is under investigation and we will continue to cooperate with NCIS and appropriate authorities.

Now that NCIS is the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. They are in charge of this investigation but declined to comment on the investigation saying out of respect for the investigative process.

Now, we did reach out to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and what they're saying is that the 14-year-old girl was reported missing by her grandmother on June 13th. The grandmother told authorities that she ran away on June 9th and said this was not the first time that she ran away but usually returned home quickly.

So they entered her information into a number of missing persons databases, but she was found on June 28th by military police and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department says that detectives interviewed her. They were offered services and she was returned to her grandmother.

Now again, it is the NCIS who is in charge of this investigation, so we will have to wait for their findings.

Camilla Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: One woman is dead and more than 20 people injured after an SUV slammed into a Chicago Transit bus. Police say the woman was a passenger in the SUV which was traveling in the wrong direction when the collision occurred early Sunday. The SUV's driver and another passenger are in critical condition. The bus driver and 12 passengers were taken to the hospital with various injuries.

A U.S. Federal Appeals Court has ruled that the State of Tennessee can now legally ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors. The court overturned an injunction that kept Tennessee from putting the law into effect. Now, health care providers in the state are prohibited from offering treatments to transgender children, which medical experts say are critical for their health and well-being.

Rafael Romo explains.

[03:25:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In their opinion, the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati acknowledged that their views were, quote, "initial." They also said that they may be wrong, but there is a reason why. They expedited the appeal of the preliminary injunction. The judges say they have the goal of resolving the matter no later than September 30th this year in an effort to mitigate any potential harm from that possibility.

To reach their conclusion, they granted a stay of a lower court injunction, which had been blocking enforcement of the state's ban on health care providers performing gender-affirming surgeries and administering hormones or puberty blockers to transgender minors, pending the duration of the appeal.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Scrimetti, who is a Republican, acknowledged Saturday after the ruling was announced that this case is far from over, but this is a big win, he said, adding that the Court of Appeals lifted the injunction, meaning the law can be fully enforced and recognize that Tennessee is likely to win the constitutional argument and the case.

On the other side, the American Civil Liberties Union blasted the decision in a statement, also saying that this case is far from over and calling the ruling disappointing and heartbreaking. As we and our clients consider our next steps, the ACLU said, we want all the transgender youth of Tennessee to know this fight is far from over, and we will continue to challenge this law until it is permanently defeated and Tennessee is made a safer place to raise every family.

The ruling means that the ban will now take effect immediately. This is the first time a U.S. federal court rules in favor of a law banning health care providers from providing transition care to transgender minors.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, U.S. President Joe Biden gearing up to meet with Britain's Prime Minister ahead of a critical NATO summit. We'll have the details just ahead.

Plus a mission to repair relations. We will look at what was accomplished by the U.S. Treasury Secretary's visit to China. A live report from Hong Kong after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everyone. Well, U.S. President Joe Biden is beginning his high-stakes overseas trip in the UK. Mr. Biden arrived in London late Sunday and is set to meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the coming hours.

He will also be meeting with King Charles. All that comes before he heads to Lithuania for a critical NATO summit, where Russia's war on Ukraine will be high on the agenda. The summit comes just after Mr. Biden approved giving controversial cluster bombs to Ukraine.

And earlier I spoke with Michael O'Hanlon, senior fellow in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, and I asked him what impact Biden's decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine may have on his upcoming meetings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MICHAEL O'HANLON, SR. FELLOW IN FOREIGN POLICY, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Well I think the decision on cluster munitions will be controversial but is a pretty tactical decision. You know, the Russians have been laying landmines here and there, left and right, and this decision will not demonstrably change the basic situation.

So, you can agree with it or not agree with it. It is not a strategic level change in the basic military situation. The military situation, unfortunately, is relatively stalemated with or without the cluster munitions. And I think that's going to be one big piece of NATO's, you know, basic conceptual framework going forward. How do we think about the future of this war? Can Ukraine really liberate all of its territory?

I don't yet know the answer to that question. We're going to find out more in the course of the summer. The cluster munitions debate should be seen within that context and probably not viewed as a litmus test about the morality of the overall cause, which I think we all agree is basically on Ukraine's side regardless.

CHURCH: And President Biden will also meet with King Charles III for the first time since his coronation to discuss climate issues before heading to Lithuania for the NATO summit, starting on Tuesday, a meeting that will be dominated by the war in Ukraine, of course, and Mr. Biden's decision that Ukraine is not yet ready to join the military alliance. Would that be the sentiment of the majority of NATO members that the war needs to end before Ukraine's membership is even considered here?

O'HANLON: I think so because realistically, are we really going to give Ukraine a security guarantee and come fight in its defense while the war is ongoing? Even President Zelenskyy is not really asking for that. So the real question here is not so much about whether we say we might want Ukraine and NATO someday.

It's what do we do about the current and near-term future with this conflict? And I think that, right now, we're going to have to watch and see how the battlefield plays out in the summer. I think Ukraine will make some gains. None of us know how many. And then we have to reassess in the fall and winter, how can we help Ukraine make more gains? That's going to be the question.

The NATO membership issue is really, you know, it's a nice ideological debate. It's really not that pertinent to the short-term question of how do you help them win. And so I help NATO spend some time thinking about that question. How do we help Ukraine get stronger and more effective, and not just have this long-term theoretical question about whether they can join NATO in two, three, four, five years?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And as President Biden begins that international trip, one member of his administration has just returned from overseas. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen wrapped up a four-day visit to China on Sunday, aimed at repairing strained relations with Beijing. Before leaving, Yellen told reporters she had productive talks with

China's new economic leadership, including Premier Li Qiang. In a statement Sunday, China's deputy finance minister said the two sides hold long and candid meetings and would stay in communication in the future.

So let's bring in CNN's Kristie Lu Stout. She joins us live from Hong Kong. Good to see you, Kristie. So no agreements were made. So what exactly did Janet Yellen achieve on her China visit except just to keep the dialogue moving along?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, well, yeah, Rosemary, the relationship remains rocky, but at the very least both sides are talking. Earlier this year there was a period of time for months the U.S. and China were not talking at a high level. And after 10 hours of meetings across two days in Beijing, the U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that she expects more regular communication between the U.S. and China. And she added that the world is big enough for both to thrive.

[03:35:17]

In Beijing, Yellen had what she described as direct and productive talks to China's economic leadership, including the Premier Li Qiang and Pan Gongsheng. He's the new party chief of China's central bank.

And she said that the U.S. and China were on steadier footing despite significant disagreements. She also said this. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET YELLEN, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: President Biden and I do not see the relationship between the U.S. and China through the frame of great power conflict. We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: But within hours of that statement, U.S. President Joe Biden appeared to have more pointed words to share, especially about Xi Jinping. I want you to listen to this clip from his interview with Fareed Zakaria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAREED ZAKARIA, ANCHOR, GPS: Do you think he wants to replace, he wants China to replace the United States as the leading power, the defining power in the system?

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Oh yeah, I think he does. I mean, you know, I'm confident he wants to have the largest economy in the world and have the largest military capacity in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, Yellen's trip marked the second visit by U.S. Cabinet official to Beijing in recent weeks as U.S. seeks to stabilize the relationship. Tensions have flared over a number of issues, including economic issues like trade, like sanctions, like access to technology, like microchips and semiconductors. And Yellen reiterated that the U.S. is not seeking to decouple from China, which she should say would be disastrous of both countries and destabilizing for the global economy. But she added that the U.S. would continue to protect its national security interests and the interests of its allies.

Now, China is very concerned about U.S. restrictive measures and Chinese state media, even though they describe the talks as productive, they also said that the, quote, "over-stretching of national security does no good to normal trade relations."

And looking ahead, there is an expected visit by the climate envoy of the United States, John Kerry, to go to Beijing. We don't know the exact date just yet, but the intention there is to restart global warming talks and a possible meeting between Biden and Xi Jinping that could happen at the G20 or APEC in San Francisco in November. Back to you Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right, Kristie Lu Stout, joining us live from Hong Kong, many thanks.

Well the U.S. Congress will be back in session this week after the Independence Day holiday. The Senate gavels in later today, the House on Tuesday. Legislators have a long list of priorities and right at the top hammering out a spending agreement ahead of the September deadline.

CNN's Alayna Treene has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Spending is a top priority for Congress when they return this week. The House and the Senate are careening toward a major spending standoff that will likely consume Congress this fall. It also raises the threat of a potential government shutdown.

Now, as of now, the two parties are far apart on what a budget deal should look like. Far-right members in the House specifically are pushing to cut spending at levels that most members in Congress are uncomfortable with. And this will once again be a major task for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's ability to keep his narrow Republican majority behind him.

We heard from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. He referenced this during a press conference Sunday morning. Let's listen to what he had to say.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), U.S. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: The good news is in the Senate, Democrats and Republicans are working together on the Appropriations Committee to fund the government. They've come to agreement on a whole bunch of the different subcommittees of the Appropriations Committee, and hopefully we can have a bipartisan agreement that avoids a shutdown. TREENE: So, Congress has until September 30th to pass the budget for

the next year, but they're only scheduled to be in session for three weeks until they break yet again for all of August. And so these next few weeks will be critical for these negotiations.

A lot of tension will also be on the House investigations, as well as potential impeachment efforts against top Biden officials like Attorney General Merrick Garland, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and even President Biden himself.

Before Congress broke ahead of the July 4th recess, a series of Republicans began threatening to impeach Garland over allegations from IRS whistleblowers that the Justice Department improperly interfered in the criminal investigation into Hunter Biden.

And even McCarthy, who has so far taken a pretty measured approach to impeachment efforts, has signaled that he is open to impeaching Garland if these allegations prove to be true. But the big picture here on these investigations is that we're closing in on a period when all of the oxygen in Washington will soon be focused on the 2024 presidential elections.

And Republicans want to use this period to thrust what they argue is widespread politicization of the government into the spotlight and damage Democrats as much as possible as we head into election season.

Alayna Treene, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[03:40:06]

CHURCH: Israel is bracing for more massive protests as its legislature prepares to hold an initial vote on controversial judicial reforms. Coming up, we will hear from Israel's Prime Minister about how he's viewing the protests.

Plus a survivor of sexual assault in Japan has publicly holding her abuses and the government accountable. How her dreams of military service would change forever after months of harassment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: We want to tell you about a developing story out of China. Police say six people are dead and one injured after an assault at a kindergarten. The video we're about to show you is disturbing.

It was obtained by Reuters and shows parts of the crime scene. The assault, which police are calling an intentional injury, happened early Monday in China's southern Guangdong province. Authorities say a 25-year-old suspect has been arrested, but the investigation is ongoing. And we will of course bring you more details as they come into us.

Israel is bracing for more massive protests as its parliament prepares to take its first vote on the Netanyahu government's hugely controversial judicial changes.

If the bill passes the initial reading, organizers say they will demonstrate Tuesday in what they are calling a day of resistance. Tens of thousands of protesters rallied on Saturday against the measure in cities across Israel for the 27th consecutive week.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

[03:45:01]

Police clashed with demonstrators in some areas and fired water cannon to clear a major highway in Tel Aviv. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is warning protesters he will not tolerate actions he says infringe on the rights of Israelis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The right to demonstrate in the framework of the law is sacred for every individual and every sector, and we strongly condemn any violence against demonstrators from this side or the other.

This right is reserved both to the opponents of the reform and its supporters. While the government has not considered restricting this right, it has requested to receive a report on what is the enforcement policy regarding violations of the law that infringe on the out almost on a daily basis during the demonstrations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: In the coming hours, Parliament is set to hold the first of three votes on a central part of the controversial judicial measures. This one would reduce the Court's ability to use what's called the reasonableness standard. It enables courts to throw out edicts they say are unreasonable and violate Israeli's rights, even if they don't violate any specific law.

A survivor of sexual assault in Japan says she may have had a future in the military if officials had taken her initial claims seriously, but they didn't. And she says she was abused repeatedly for more than a year. Now she is suing both the government and her alleged abusers in hopes of getting a true apology and changing the system for all women.

CNN's Marc Stewart reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rina Gonoi is a fighter on the judo mat and for women in Japan.

RINA GONOI, SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVOR (through translator): I hope I'm able to give hope and courage to people in Japan and across the world with the same problem.

STEWART (voice-over): Rina was a soldier in the Japanese military. She quit after she said she was sexually and verbally harassed. Now she's waging a different war, suing the government and her former assailants. In response, the state would only say that harassment can't be tolerated.

Japan's big earthquake and tsunami in 2011 was Rina's call to serve after female officers came to her rescue.

GONOI (through translator): I thought they were really cool and admired the way they worked to support others.

STEWART (voice-over): Years later she enlisted but found herself a target.

GONOI (through translator): They'd comment on my body and the size of my breasts or they'd come up to me in the hallways and suddenly hug me in the corridor. That kind of thing happened daily.

STEWART (voice-over): She says after enduring this for months, she asked for an investigation. Prosecutors dropped the case due to a lack of evidence. Rina quit.

Rina fought back, taking her battle to social media. An online petition generated more than 100,000 signatures, a call to action that forced the military to reexamine her case. The review found Rina was a victim enduring physical and verbal sexual harassment daily.

Rina's entire saga prompted a wide-sweeping defense ministry investigation on sexual harassment. It led to this remarkable moment, military officials bowing in apology.

UNKNOWN (through translator): This resulted in so much public outrage, surprising many people in the defense ministry. Without the power of public opinion, the chief of staff's apology wouldn't have been possible.

STEWART (voice-over): In addition, several officers have apologized, but were dishonorably discharged. Three officers faced charges.

But now, as Rina pursues a civil suit, four of the five officers have denied ever abusing her, despite their previous apology. (Inaudible) is said he wants to reach a settlement.

GONOI (through translator): I felt like the perpetrators hadn't properly reflected on their actions. I want a sincere apology from the heart and for them to admit responsibility for what they did.

STEWART (on-camera): Rina's case sparked so much anger here in Tokyo and across Japan, the Prime Minister publicly committed to root out harassment in the military.

GONOI (through translator): I had a lot of dreams of what I wanted to achieve there. Had the JSTF fully investigated what happened to me, I feel like I could have stayed on there. Everything came too late.

STEWART (voice-over): Yet undefeated, Rina seeks strength as she fights for other women. Marc Stewart, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, U.S. job growth in June does not meet expectations, but economists are still holding out hope for another major report expected this week.

[03:50:07]

We'll take a look at the state of the economy after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

The number of new jobs added to the U.S. labor market in June was less than expected, with only about 209,000 according to the Federal Jobs Report.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich breaks down the numbers from New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: The labor market cooled in June but remains resilient despite the Federal Reserve's efforts to slow down the overall economy.

209,000 jobs were added in June. That's the lowest monthly gain in over two years and well below May's revised numbers. U.S. employers have now added jobs for 30 months in a row.

The jobless rate ticked down slightly to 3.6 percent (inaudible) the labor market remains tight. Some of the biggest job gains were in government, health care and construction, while hiring in leisure and hospitality slowed last month.

However, wages ticked up a bit, up 4.4 percent from last year. That means the Federal Reserve may still have more work to do.

[03:55:01]

Now, the central bank hoped wages would cool after 10 consecutive rate hikes. The Fed is paying very close attention to every data point and said they're not done raising interest rates just yet. That makes this week's economic data critical. We get a fresh check on inflation with the consumer and producer price indexes, also on tap, jobless claims and consumer sentiment.

In New York, I'm Vanessa Yurkevich.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And here's a look at U.S. Futures with just a few hours left until the opening bell in New York. Right now all three major indices are slightly down but that of course could change before the market opens. We'll keep an eye on that. Well you wouldn't have to worry about those jobs numbers if you hit

Monday night's Powerball jackpot. It's now worth an estimated $650 million, making it the ninth largest drawing in the game's history. The amount has increased since no one has matched all the numbers in 34 consecutive drawings. The Powerball is not the only lottery prize that's up for grabs this week. The Mega Millions jackpot is also in play with $480 million.

Well Allisen Corpuz won the U.S. Women's Open, her first LPGA title at Pebble Beach, California on Sunday. She shot three under par in the final round becoming the first American to win the major since Brittany Lang back in 2016. The 25-year-old Hawaii native also took home a $2 million prize. She described her win as unreal and said, this week has felt like a dream come true.

Former President Barack Obama, who is also from Hawaii, posted his congratulations to Corpuz on Twitter, writing, quote, "you make us all proud." Well done.

And thanks so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church, have yourselves A wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues with Bianca Nobilo, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)