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CNN International: Russian General in Ukraine Was Fired After Accusing Defense Ministry of Not Providing Sufficient Support; Annual Inflation in U.S. Eased to 3 Percent in June; Girl Escapes from Abductor By Biting His Arm; Authorities Searching for Accomplices of Escaped Inmate; Sudan's Neighbors Discuss Ways to End Fighting; Heavy Rains, Floods, Landslides Inundate Northern India. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired July 13, 2023 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IVAN POPOV, RUSSIAN GENERAL (through translator): I had no right to lie. Therefore, I outlined all the problematic issues that exist today in the army in terms of combat work and support. I called a spade a spade. I drew attention to the most important tragedy of modern warfare, this is the lack of counter-battery combat, the absence of artillery reconnaissance stations and the mass deaths and injuries of our brothers from enemy artillery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLARE SEBASTIAN CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pretty jarring to hear mass deaths coming from a Russian commander. Russia has famously hidden in the rubble its losses in this war. He says then an order was presented to the minister of defense who signed it and he was relieved of his post. He is essentially then accusing them of this being a sort of treasonous act of essentially sabotaging themselves by removing him at such a critical moment in this war.

But it's extraordinary because we have not heard this level of dissent from such a high ranking official in the Russian army. And it comes in the same week where we saw another top commander in the Russian forces in that region, in Zaporizhzhia, killed -- according to Ukrainian sources -- in Berdyansk, where the headquarters of the 58th army is. So this is two generals on that southern front in a week.

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Clare Sebastian, thank you.

North Korea is hailing its latest missile test as little, longest one it has ever flown. State media reports the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile flew for 74 minutes on Wednesday before crashing down in the waters near Japan. The solid fuel ICBM has been called the North's more powerful nuclear weapon. But it's unclear if it could actually deliver a nuclear payload. State media says leader Kim Jong- un personally guided the launch -- as he often says he does.

Now next on the program, U.S. inflation slows for a 12th straight month. A look at the numbers and what they could mean for the Fed's interest rate hikes.

Plus, an alleged kidnapper in Miami is behind bars after a little girl fought him off when he tried to abduct her. Those details just ahead.

[04:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianca Nobilo. And if you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour.

President Biden is in Helsinki where he will soon arrive at the presidential palace to meet with Nordic leaders and officially welcome Finland into NATO. It's a symbolic visit and a message to Russia on the heels of the NATO summit.

And the Screen Actors Guild has voted to recommend a strike after talks with major studios and streaming services failed. Some 160,000 actors are expected to hit the picket lines joining writers in Hollywood asking for better pay and benefits.

U.S. stocks soared on Wednesday after new inflation data gave investors hope that there could soon be an end to interest rate hikes. June's Consumer Price Index showed annual inflation in the U.S. slowed with the figure marking a sharp cooldown from the same time last year. CNN's Matt Egan has details from New York for you.

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MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Bianca, Inflation continues to chill out in a big way in the United States. And that is great news. It's great for consumers, for central bankers, and also for the White House trying desperately to boost the president's poll numbers. And what a difference a year makes. At this point last summer, Americans were getting crushed by 9.1 percent inflation, the worst in more than four decades. Today that metric now stands at just 3 percent. The smallest annual increase in prices in more than two years.

Now yes, that is still a bit too hot. It is above what economists consider healthy, but it's also a massive improvement. We've now had a full year of cooling inflation. And one of the biggest drivers lately is gas prices. If you recall last June gas prices, they hit record highs in the United States. The national average surged past $5 a gallon. But this June inflation report shows that gas prices have actually now plunged by almost 27 percent from a year ago.

Of course none of this means that inflation is totally cured. We've seen rental and housing costs still go up rapidly. So are prices at restaurants and to a lesser extent grocery stores. But still there has been real progress here no doubt. And the White House took a victory lap with President Biden responding to the June inflation report by saying, quote, that's Bidenomics in action.

The best part of this inflation cooldown is that so far at least, it has come without the long-feared collapse in the jobs market. The Federal Reserve has spiked interest rates to put this inflation fire out and yet unemployment remains surprisingly low and hiring remains very strong.

This latest inflation report likely will not deter the Fed from raising interest rates later this month. But the latest data, it could give the Fed room to wrap up its inflation fight before long -- Bianca.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Matt there for us.

Four people were injured when an alleged air flight -- an Allegiant Air flight hit severe turbulence over Florida on Wednesday. The airlines says it happened while the flight from Asheville, North Carolina was on approach to the airport in St. Petersburg Clearwater. The plane managed to land and taxi to the gate under its own power. More than 180 people on board. But passengers describe the experience as something straight out of a sci-fi movie.

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LISA SPRIGGS, PASSENGER: More than halfway through descending, and all of a sudden, we heard a small turbulence, and the stewardess beside us fell to the ground. And then we hit a major turbulence, which was petrifying, and she was literally like Matrix, watched her go up in the air and just land straight down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Terrifying.

Miami Police say a 6-year-old's bravely probably saved her life when a man tried to abduct her outside her home last week. According to police, the girl had been playing with other children outside their apartment building when a stranger suddenly grabbed her and tried to carry her away. She bit him so hard he let her go. Security video showed the suspect walking around the girl's neighborhood. Police tracked him down and arrested him two days later. The girl and her mother spoke to reporters about this frightening incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When he came and grabbed you, did you scream?

6-YEAR-OLD GIRL, FOUGHT OFF KIDNAPPER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then what did you do?

GIRL: I bit him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then what?

GIRL: Then he slapped me and threw me on the floor.

TISHA MCGILL, MOTHER: I told her don't talk to strangers and if anything happens just try to pick on something this close to her and it just elevated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Police say the 32-year-old suspect admitted that it was him on the surveillance video. He's being held without bail on charges of kidnapping and child abuse.

Pennsylvania police tell CNN they've had, quote, a number of sightings of an escaped inmate on the run for nearly a week. But while they say that only some may be accurate, they're also working on other angels of the case. CNN's Danny Freeman reports.

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DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Six days into the investigation and manhunt for Michael Charles Burham and we're still learning new information about this prison escape. First thing we learned Wednesday from Pennsylvania State Police they've long believed that Burham has been getting some sort of help either from inside the prison or from outside of the prison. Well today we learned police confirming that they are interviewing possible accomplices to this escape.

The second thing that we learned on Wednesday is, I asked police if they had any confirmed sightings of Burham so far into this investigation, and police said of a number of reported sightings we believe that many are indeed accurate. And that's why police say they still believe that Burham is in the larger northwest Pennsylvania area.

And then the third thing that police said on Wednesday, was that they believe a drone may have been present during the time of the escape last Thursday. Take a listen to what one of the lieutenant colonels said specifically about the new piece of evidence.

LT. COL. GEORGE BIVENS, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: I'm not a big believer in coincidences, but what I would tell you is that just prior to the escape, there was a drone flying in that area. It could be that there is a perfectly innocent and reasonable explanation. It could also be that it was somehow connected to his escape. And we intend to find out more about that.

FREEMAN: Back out here, what you are looking at right now, is the county building. It includes the court, the admin offices and the county jail. Well this alcove right here is actually the spot where Burham is accused to have rappelled down a rope made of bedsheets and escaped right here. A source tells me, right into these bushes and through these neighboring properties. A county commissioner told us on Wednesday that the whole escape took less than a minute.

Danny Freeman, CNN, Warren, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Coming up, after heavy rains drenched northern India, homes are flooding, rivers are overflowing and people are having to escape with what little they can carry. [04:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: Sudan's neighbors are making a new push to try to end the devastating conflict in that country. An international conference just got under way in Egypt to discuss ways of putting that fighting to an end. The conflict has become a humanitarian catastrophe displacing more than 3 million people with many fleeing across Sudan's borders. Human rights groups say many refugees have lost family members and are wounded themselves. Officials are also warning about widespread sexual violence targeting women and girls.

For more on this, we're going to CNN's Stephanie Busari who joins us from Lagos. Stephanie, so Egypt is hosting a summit essentially of Sudan's neighbors to try and look at ways to end the 12-week conflict. What avenues are being explored?

STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SENIOR EDITOR, AFRICA: So Bianca, absolutely horrific details coming out of Sudan this morning from the U.N.'s human rights office. Saying that they've discovered a mass grave of around 87 people in the Darfur region and they believe that these people were killed by the Rapid Support Forces militia according to information that the U.N. has received. And that they were buried in a mass grave.

Now the context to this is absolutely horrifying. Because you'll remember, Bianca, that 20 years ago Darfur went through a genocide that killed around 300,000 people and displaced millions. And history seems to be repeating itself with the same militia group at the time, was Janjaweed militia that evolved now into the Rapid Support Force, which is led by one of the generals leading this deadly conflict in Sudan.

So the world seems to be watching powerlessly as this situation repeats itself. And the Masalit tribe, which is one of the main non- Arab communities in Darfur have been targeted once again in this deadly conflict.

Now as you say, Egypt is holding a summit on Sudan this morning in Cairo with some of the neighbors including Chad, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Libya. These countries are severely affected. Many Sudanese have flooded into these countries. Chad in particular is at breaking point, one of the poorest countries in the world having to receive thousands, hundreds of thousands of people into their country. And they are at breaking point. So this summit is coming at a very crucial time -- Bianca.

NOBILO: Absolutely. We can only hope that some constructive progress is made. Stephanie Busari live from Lagos, thank you.

In northern India, at least 67 people have died from flash floods and landslides in the past week. And rising floodwaters are driving people from their homes in a panic. Officials believe at least 30,000 people have been evacuated after the water levels of one of Delhi's biggest rivers hit the highest ever level. CNN's Vedika Sud reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: Heavy rains have brought deadly floods to northern India, triggering landslides and flash floods. Here in Delhi, the government is monitoring the Yamuna River that overflowed over the weekend.

ARVIND KEJRIWAL, DELHI CHIEF MINISTER (through translator): If your homes are in low lying areas, please vacate them.

SUD: I'm standing on an over bridge here by the banks of the river Yamuna that has crossed the danger level mark on Monday. And on Wednesday it has surpassed the highest level it's ever been at in over four decades.

What I can show you from here is people being evacuated from the banks of the Yamuna. There you can see a cart with two people navigating through the high levels of water, bringing their belongings back to the banks of this river.

There's total panic and chaos here. Hundreds are being evacuated at this point and the worry is that all their belongings cannot be brought with them here to safer ground. Around me, you can see beds, you can see their belongings, you can see gas stoves. You can see people walking away from the low-lying areas.

[04:50:00]

MOR KALI, DELHI RESIDENT (through translator): My fields are down by the river. The floods have destroyed all our vegetables. We've lost everything.

SUD: About 50 meters from the Yamuna River, hundreds have moved under this flyover. This is home for the next few days with very little to go back to.

SAT PAL, DELHI RESIDENT (through translator): There was no help from the Delhi government. We waded through waste deep water to save our lives. We've never seen the Yamuna River rise so high.

SUD: According to the Delhi government, it's just the incessant rainfall over the weekend that has led to the rising levels of the Yamuna. It's also the release of volumes of water from a barrage in the neighboring state of Haryana.

Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Still to come, Emily Blunt reveals she's taking a break from acting. Hear her reason why when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: To Wimbledon now, where the Cinderella run by American tennis sensation Christopher Eubanks has come to an end. The 27-year-old lost in five sets to world's number three, Daniil Medvedev of Russia in the quarter finals.

[04:55:00]

This was Eubanks' first time in the main draw at Wimbledon and he went on to make his first major quarterfinal appearance. He said his run at Wimbledon had been a whirlwind of emotions.

The tears were flowing at the ESPY awards in Los Angeles where Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin walked out to a standing ovation. And then went on to present the year's service award to the training staff and first responders who helped save his life. I'm sure you all remember that. 25-year-old Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during a game in January after a helmet hit him in the chest. The team's head athletic trainer thanked Hamlin for, quote, staying alive.

The NBA's all-time leading scorer says he wants to score a few more points. Lebron James announced Wednesday night, he's suiting up for the LA Lakers and will play his 21st season. James hinted at a possible retirement last May, following the Lakers lost in the playoffs. But he has also said that he hopes one day to play with his son, Bronny, who would be eligible for the NBA draft next year. That's pretty amazing.

And now to the stories in the spotlight this hour. British actor Emily Blunt is taking some time off from her busy career to spend time with her family. She revealed the news during an interview on podcast "Table for Two." The "Mary Poppins Returns" and "A Quiet Place" actor says that she doesn't want to miss pivotal moments with her two daughters with fellow actor John Krasinski. Not to fear, you can still see her in the upcoming film "Oppenheimer," one of the last things that Blunt filmed before her break.

The U.S. space agency NASA unveiled this spectacular new image of the cosmos Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of the James Webb Space Telescope. Seen in infrared, the nebula is a colorful swirling mass of dust and gas where new stars are being born. It's about 390 light years away making it the closest stellar nursery to earth.

And finally this hour, grab yourself a rabbit's foot, a pocket full of four-leaf clovers or whatever you need for good luck. Because the U.S. Powerball jackpot has gotten even bigger. And we're talking now about an estimated $875 million at stake. No one's hit his Powerball jackpot since the April 19th, that is 36 consecutive drawings without a big winner. So all to play for.

That does it here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianca Nobilo in London. "EARLY START" is next.

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