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Putin Proposes New Wagner Boss; More Than 90 Million in 15 U.S. States Under Heat Alert; Thousands Evacuate Due to South Korea Rain; Calls at ICC for More Accountability in Sudan War Crimes; Suspect Charged in Gilgo Beach Serial Killings. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired July 15, 2023 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world. I'm Laila Harrak.
Vladimir Putin says he proposed a new head for members of the mercenary group who participated in a failed uprising last month.
Blistering heat scorching much of Europe, causing some landmark attractions to close during the busy summer tourist season. We have a live report for you from Rome.
And the World Health Organization says a widely used sweetener could cause cancer.
So should you stop eating and drinking it?
We delve into the possible risks from aspartame.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Laila Harrak.
HARRAK: Russian president Vladimir Putin apparently used a divide and conquer strategy in his dealing with Wagner mercenaries. He told a Russian newspaper he met with Yevgeny Prigozhin and senior Wagner commanders just days after their failed mutiny.
Mr. Putin said he then proposed a new leader for the mercenary group, which appears to have split Prigozhin and other commanders.
Prigozhin's fate is still unclear. The Russian president said his pick is Andrey Troshev, a senior commander and one of Wagner's founding members. He's a retired colonel who fought in Chechnya and Afghanistan.
He was also involved in Wagner's military operations in Syria. Some of the mercenaries are now reported to be in Belarus, which has Ukraine's border guards on heightened alert for any possible incursions. CNN's Alex Marquardt has the latest.
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ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): New video on Belarusian state TV claiming to show Wagner mercenaries in southern Belarus training local troops. Neighboring Belarus was where Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was supposed to be exiled to after his aborted insurrection in Russia, throwing his fate and that of Wagner's into doubt.
In a new interview released today, Putin proclaimed, we do not have a law for private military organizations. It simply does not exist. The group exists but legally, it does not exist.
Putin is referencing Russia's law against mercenary groups but also stating a new reality. Wagner, as it has existed in Ukraine as a fighting force, could be done.
And Prigozhin, once called Putin's chef, may be split from his men.
JOHN KIRBY, NSC SPOKESMAN: We really don't know what the future of Wagner is going to be here, whether it's in Ukraine or anywhere else around the world. We know that they are still conducting malicious activities, particularly in Africa.
MARQUARDT: After the Wagner mutiny came to a sudden halt on June 24th, Putin accused the mercenaries of being traitors. Then, just five days later. Putin said in the interview he invited 35 Wagner commanders, including Prigozhin to the Kremlin and offered them a chance to repent.
I showed them possible options for their further service, Putin said, including the use of their combat experience. Putin offered the Wagner leaders the chance to continue fighting in the Russian army, under their commander, nicknamed Sedoi or gray hair. Andrei Troshev, a retired colonel and founding member of Wagner. Troshev is sanctioned by the E.U. and U.K. He's fought in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Syria, earning Russia's highest military honors.
The men, Putin said, nodded affirmatively but Prigozhin sitting in the front said after listening, no, the guys do not agree with this decision.
MARQUARDT: So what happened after Prigozhin apparently openly disagreed with Putin?
That we don't know. Prigozhin may be out of Ukraine, but he certainly wants to hold on to his business interests both in Africa and in the Middle East.
As for what happened to his men, the Pentagon says the bulk of them are back here in Ukraine in Russian-occupied areas, back in their barracks but the Defense Department says they are no longer taking part in military operations here in Ukraine -- Alex Marquardt, CNN, Dnipro, Ukraine.
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HARRAK: We're getting word of new Russian drone strikes on the city of Zaporizhzhya. Ukraine says the city was hit overnight, damaging residential buildings and an industrial facility. One person was wounded. This as President Zelenskyy says Moscow is going all out to stop Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Our full focus is on the front line. We must all understand very clearly, as clearly as possible --
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ZELENSKYY (through translator): -- that the Russian forces on our southern and eastern lands are investing everything they can to stop our warriors.
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HARRAK: Meanwhile a top Ukrainian presidential aide is hoping more Russian targets will soon be within Kyiv's striking distance. He says the U.S. is very close to making a decision about sending its ATACMS missiles to Ukraine.
They have a range of up to 300 kilometers, which would allow Ukraine to hit targets as far as Crimea.
In Kyiv, Ukrainian lawmakers are having a change of heart on the issue of legalizing medical marijuana. That has a lot to do with pleas from wounded soldiers. Let's get you more now from CNN's Scott McLean.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It seems desperate times call for desperate measures. Since the onset of the war, we have seen some things and decisions made in Ukraine that otherwise would be highly controversial suddenly become normalized in the country.
There are curfews in place, booze bans in parts of the country, conscription. The list goes on. And this seems to fall into that category. The Ukrainian parliament has passed at least the first reading of a bill that would legalize medical marijuana. This would apply to wounded soldiers and parts of the civilian population with severe illnesses as well.
The Ukrainians have tried and failed to pass similar legislation before. The last time was two years ago but this time lawmakers are responding to the new realities brought by this war.
This came about in part by lobbying from wounded soldiers. One of them lost his leg after he was hit by a mine on the southern front lines.
And he says look, normal painkillers dampened the pain but haven't completely relieved it and also brought about a whole bunch of side effects. So someone like him, he's looking for other options. I have been to a rehab facility before in Ukraine and, frankly, it is
jarring to see otherwise healthy, able-bodied men, many missing limbs and with severe nerve damage as well, all in the same place.
So the number of soldiers this would apply to is huge. Lawmakers say, once you include the civilian population this could apply to, including soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder, we could talk about 6 million people.
This still needs to pass one more reading in the Ukrainian parliament before it would become law.
But some exiled Crimean officials are already talking about this as a potential economic opportunity for the Crimean Peninsula if it's ever returned to Ukrainian hands, since they have a warmer climate that could be suitable for growing marijuana as an industry in the future.
HARRAK: What else can you tell us about developments between the U.S. and Ukraine?
MCLEAN: Yesterday, U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken was at the ASEAN summit in Indonesia. And he had a pretty strong message on the heels of the NATO summit this past week about unity and long-term commitments made to Ukraine.
The Ukrainians have added up the commitments from the past week and figure it's about $1.5 billion in weapons alone. So Blinken believes that ought to send a message to the Russians that the West and NATO is in this long term. And the Russians can't just wait it out and hope the West or NATO gets bored or tired. Listen.
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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: It may be the best way to disabuse Vladimir Putin of the idea that he can somehow outlast Ukraine and the dozens of countries supporting Ukraine in defense of its freedom and future. That's the quickest way probably to bring this war to an end.
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MCLEAN: One other thing, you mentioned already the Ukrainians believe the U.S. is close to a decision on those long-range missile systems, the ATACM System, that can hit targets some 300 kilometers away.
If the Ukrainians seem optimistic, perhaps they should. We've seen with the HIMARS artillery system, with tanks, the list goes on, that the answer to Ukraine at first was no before NATO came around. Perhaps that is in that category.
If the U.S. is worried about sending weapons to Ukraine that could potentially be used to hit targets inside Russia, frankly, the cat is out of the bag, because the British have already sent, the French have committed to sending similar missiles with ranges that go almost as far as the American made versions.
So frankly, the Ukrainians already have that capability.
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HARRAK: Scott McLean, thank you so much.
Russia has been rolling back gay rights for years. Now a proposed new law threatens to erode them further.
On Friday, Russian lawmakers approved a bill to outlaw nearly all medical aid to transgender people, including gender reassignment surgery. To become law, the proposal still needs to pass the upper chamber. But it has strong backing from lawmakers. Take a listen.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are the only European country that opposes all that is happening in the States. In Europe, it does everything to save families and traditional values. If we had the law similar to those in European countries, we won't be left with anything but Sodom. You know what that would lead to.
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HARRAK: This latest move to undermine gay rights follows a recent law making it illegal for anyone in Russia to promote same-sex relationships.
A dangerous heat wave is scorching parts of southern Europe and concerns are growing for people's health, since the blistering temperatures are happening at the height of the summer tourist season.
Heat is known as the silent killer and it has claimed at least one life in northern Italy. In Greece, authorities closed down the famed Acropolis in the middle of the day because of the heat. Police say they had to help one tourist there who had heat-related difficulty.
Temperatures there could reach 44 degrees Celsius this weekend. Italian health officials have issued an extreme health risk warning for 15 cities, including Rome and Florence. Barbie Nadeau joins us now live.
Sun soaked summers in southern Europe are the best. But this year's heat wave is too much of a good thing.
How are people in Rome where you are coping?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've seen people change their routine. Around 7:00 this morning, the square was filled with tourists. Now as the sun rises and heat increases, we've seen fewer and fewer people.
The authorities have 4,000 fountains in Rome with drinking water available. They're telling people to stay hydrated, advising people to go into museums and inside churches during the heat of the day.
But we're seeing tourists all over the city. The heat doesn't seem to have stopped them. And authorities are very concerned. There are ambulances in all the major tourist areas to help people that might collapse or need assistance.
HARRAK: Also extraordinary weather in Spain.
NADEAU: Yes, the same sort of thing. We're used to hot summers in the southern Mediterranean. But even in Spain, they're seeing excruciating heat where they usually don't have it, places where people normally try to take some respite.
Part of the problem obviously is this humidity. You don't even find relief in the shade. It is just hot. It's not cooling off in the southern Mediterranean overnight, either. You just have high temperatures all night.
And there are only about 10 percent of Europeans have air conditioning in their homes. It's very, very difficult to cool off and find relief, especially for those vulnerable people, people with respiratory problems.
Authorities are very, very worried because the heat is just getting worse. Today's hot. Tomorrow will be hotter. We're looking at terrifying temperatures for Tuesday here in Rome.
HARRAK: Having said that, Barbie, are authorities in Italy treating this as the new normal now?
NADEAU: Last year was the new normal. There were 18,000 deaths in Italy alone due to heat. This year is about 10 degrees on average higher, they're saying. So this is the new normal.
Is next year going to be worse?
That's the concern.
Is it too late to do anything about it?
That's the worry. So they're looking at infrastructure issues, trying to get places air conditioned, trying to make sure people don't go out. You can't change the tourist season in a place like this.
But it could be possible people will rethink their summer travels if they know the summer is going to be even hotter than they might have anticipated.
HARRAK: That would be a huge adjustment. Barbie Nadeau from Rome, thank you.
There's no relief for the parts of Europe, as we just heard, and the U.S. coping with extreme heat right now.
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HARRAK: National Park websites across the U.S. West and Southwest are warning hikers about the dangerous heat. They're telling them not to hit the trails after 10 am local time because this weekend's temperatures are supposed to be well into the triple digits Fahrenheit.
The Death Valley website warns people to, quote, "travel prepared to survive." Grand Canyon National Park is warning of heat up to 118 degrees Fahrenheit or 48 degrees Celsius. The park service recommends tourists bring water, electrolytes, food, salty snacks, sunscreen, sunglasses and loose protective clothing.
Still to come, heavy rain batters South Korea, causing deadly landslides and flooding.
Plus the conflict in Sudan enters its fourth month. And the International Criminal Court has harsh words, as evidence of new atrocities that go back to the genocide of 20 years ago.
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HARRAK: Take a look at this dramatic video from South Korea, where at least 10 people have died amid heavy rain, flooding and landslides.
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HARRAK: That's according to Yonhap news agency. Three other people are missing. Two died on Friday when their building collapsed in a landslide. Thousands more are having to evacuate their homes and seek temporary shelter. Some 8,300 homes and businesses are without power.
The level of the Yamuna River in New Delhi has dropped about a meter since the waterway breached its banks, forcing mass evacuations. But the water still remains above the danger mark.
Repair crews have worked to reopen jammed floodgates that kept water from draining out of the city. Heavy monsoon rains have pummeled the Indian capital. And more rain is expected in the country's north. About 30,000 people were forced to flee as the river surged past its highest point in 45 years. Vedika Sud is in New Delhi.
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VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heavy rains have brought deadly floods to northern India, triggering landslides. In Delhi, the government is monitoring the Yamuna River that overflowed over the weekend.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If your homes are in low lying areas, please vacate them.
SUD: I'm standing on an older bridge here by the banks of the river that has crossed the danger mark Monday. And on Wednesday it surpassed the highest level it's been at in over four decades. What I can show you is people being evacuated from the banks of the
river. There you can see a car for two people navigating through the high levels of water, bringing their belongings back to the riverbanks.
There's total panic and chaos here. Hundreds are being evacuated and the worry is that all their belongings cannot be brought with them here to safer ground.
Around me, you can see beds, their belongings, gas stoves, people walking away from the low lying areas.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): My fields are down by the river. The floods have destroyed all our vegetables. We've lost everything.
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SUD: About 50 meters from the river, hundreds have moved under this flyover. This is home for the next few days with very little to go back to.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There is no help from the Delhi government. We waded through waist-deep water to save our lives. We've never seen the river rise so high.
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SUD: According to the Delhi government, it's just not the incessant rainfall over the weekend that led to the rising levels of the river; it's also the release of volumes of water from a barrage in the neighboring state of Haryana -- Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.
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HARRAK: It's a story that captured the imagination of the world. Four children surviving 40 days in the Amazon after a plane crash that killed their mother. They were released on Friday after more than a month in a military hospital.
Officials marveled at how well they recovered. It's believed their Indigenous background and knowledge of what to eat helped them to survive. The children range in age from 1 to 13 years. They are staying in a child welfare facility while custody is determined.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is calling for an urgent humanitarian response in Sudan as fighting between rival factions enters its fourth month. The agency says people throughout Sudan are living in dire conditions and the situation is deteriorating dramatically.
The ICRC is calling for aid workers to be able to safely deliver lifesaving supplies to hospitals as well as provide clean water and restore electricity. The fighting has led to thousands of casualties. More than 2 million people internally displaced, hundreds of thousands more fleeing to neighboring countries.
The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor says the world has failed collectively to hold accountable those committing war crimes in Sudan.
Karim Khan tells CNN the international community should feel ashamed that, after the genocide 20 years ago, the Sudanese people are yet in another cycle of misery. The stark words come as the ICC investigates new atrocities in the wartorn country. Stephanie Busari has our report.
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STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SENIOR AFRICA EDITOR: The International Criminal Court has opened a new investigation into alleged war crimes in the Darfur region of Sudan. The announcement Thursday at a United Nations Security Council came just after the human rights office revealed the discovery of a mass grave in West Darfur with 87 bodies.
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BUSARI: ICC prosecutor Karim Khan addressed the council and said Sudan was in the midst of, quote, "catastrophe." Khan called for urgent action, saying women and children are in fear of (sic) their lives.
The 87 bodies identified by the U.N. seem to be the tip of the iceberg of the real numbers of casualties in this conflict. Save the Children staff, fleeing the city of El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, say they've seen hundreds of bodies, including children, along the road.
Last month, activists tell CNN 500 bodies across the city had been identified. And they believe thousands more remain unburied on streets and inside homes.
An international alliance, including the U.K. and the U.S., have said that it was deeply concerned by the increasing reports of sexual violence against women and children, including rape.
Khan went on to say that history is in danger of repeating itself; 20 years ago, Sudan was in a grip of a genocide which killed 300,000 people and displaced millions.
The U.N. says some of the bodies in a mass grave were those from the Masalit ethnic group, who are African and who have been previously targeted by the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group fighting the Sudanese army for control of the country.
This group evolved from the Janjaweed militia accused of war crimes in Darfur 20 years ago. The U.N. has also said the RSF is involved in the mass killings in Darfur but the group denies involvement -- Stephanie Busari, CNN, Lagos.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRAK: Still ahead, a major break in a cold case murder mystery.
Police in New York arrested a suspected serial killer more than a decade after remains of several victims were found on a beach. How they cracked the case next.
Plus U.S. film and TV actors are on the picket lines, joining writers in what is now the biggest U.S. strike in decades. The latest, plus perspective from a media insider after the break.
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HARRAK: Welcome back. I'm Laila Harrak.
A 59-year-old man has been charged with the murders of three of the women who became known as the Gilgo Four and he could soon be charged with murdering the fourth victim.
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HARRAK: CNN's Miguel Marquez explains how police tracked down the alleged killer.
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RAYMOND TIERNEY, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK: I'm standing here with my law enforcement partners in the Gilgo Taskforce to announce the indictment of defendant, Rex Andrew Heuermann.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sex workers found tied up, their bodies wrapped in camouflage burlap dumped near Gilgo Beach on New York's Long Island.
TIERNEY: When I took office in January 2022, I made Gilgo a priority.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): The Gilgo Beach murders traumatized and captivated Long Island just east of New York City for more than a decade. Now the suspect as unthinkable as the murders themselves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a shock. Like I said, I lived 29 years here. I mean, I've seen some things but this is --
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Rex Heuermann, 59, charged with three murders. Today, the investigation continuing, he faces a possible fourth murder charge.
Investigators say they identified Heuermann using DNA from the bodies of the victims and from witness descriptions of him and the car he drove.
Investigators obtained hundreds of search warrants and subpoenas linking Heuermann to temporary burner phones and fake email accounts. Investigators allege he used them to communicate with his victims, taunt the family of one of them in search for information related to the investigation into the long unsolved murders.
MAJOR STEPHEN UDICE, NEW YORK STATE TROOP COMMANDER: We recognize that these crimes may have happened years ago but that pain continues.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Investigators' biggest break came when they were surveilling Heuermann at his Midtown Manhattan office.
He was eating pizza and discarded in a public trash can. DNA from the pizza crust say investigators linked Heuermann to the murders.
Heuermann has been charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello and Megan Waterman, all sex workers, all in their 20s. The investigation is continuing and he has also been named as a suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
In all, there were 11 bodies found in and around Gilgo Beach, only three and possibly a fourth now linked to one alleged killer so far.
Investigators say they made the arrest now because they feared Heuermann could strike again.
TIERNEY: One of the reasons why we had to take this case down was we learned that the defendant was using these alternate identities and these alternate instruments to continue to patronize sex workers.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Rex Heuermann has pled not guilty and insists through his lawyer that he is innocent. He is an unlikely suspect, a husband, father of two, an architect working in Manhattan, dealing with arcane building codes.
In February 2022, he was even interviewed about his job for a YouTube show.
REX HEUERMANN, GILGO BEACH MURDER SUSPECT: Rex Heuermann, I am an architect. I'm an architectural consultant. I'm a troubleshooter, born and raised on Long Island.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): As for the several other victims found near Gilgo Beach, many of their family members hope this will lead to answers about their loved ones: Were they victims as well?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm hopeful for the future and I'm hopeful that a connection is made.
MARQUEZ: So what is happening outside the home of Rex Heuermann, this has been the case all day long; there is a massive number of police here. They've been searching through the home. And it doesn't look like they're going anywhere anytime soon.
Investigators also say he became increasingly brazen throughout all of this. He had burner phones or he is actually searching about the investigation itself. And at one point they say he contacted the relative of one of his victims, Melissa Barthelemy, telling that person that he had killed and sexually assaulted their relative.
Heuermann is due in court again on August 1st. Back to you. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: Disgraced American financier Jeffrey Epstein died in jail almost four years ago but the fallout continues. The U.S. Virgin Islands is the latest to go to federal court to seek monetary damages from Epstein's bank, JPMorgan Chase.
The filing alleges the bank turned a blind eye to suspicious transactions in Epstein's accounts because they were profitable to the bank. The bank denies the allegation and says it will seek to have the suit dismissed.
Last month, JPMorgan Chase paid out $290 million in a settlement with some of Epstein's victims, who accused the bank of enabling his illegal sex trafficking ring.
U.S. film and television actors have now joined writers on the picket lines. The SAG-AFTRA union voted to go on strike late Thursday.
Union members have many of the same issues that pushed writers to go on strike in early May; concerns about basic pay and residuals, especially streaming residuals, along with a desire to set limits on the use of artificial intelligence to copy actors' bodies or voices.
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HARRAK: The studios say they offered a historic deal, including the largest minimum pay increase in more than three decades.
Let's bring in CNN media critic Brian Lowry, live from L.A.
So good to have you with us. Oscar winner George Clooney described this very moment as an inflection point.
How would you characterize this moment for Hollywood?
How big of a deal is this?
BRIAN LOWRY, CNN MEDIA CRITIC: It's a big deal. I think these issues have actually been festering for some time. The shift to streaming and the issues, the effects of the pandemic have had a tremendous effect on Hollywood.
It's threatened the business model that exists. And that's had an effect all the way down the line. The studios aren't sure what's coming next. The actors only know they're making less from the shorter order series and from streaming series that don't pay them the residuals they used to make when they were doing linear television.
And that's one reason why both sides are so dug in and there's a sense this could drag on for some time.
HARRAK: Let's talk about the streaming services.
How much of an existential threat are streaming services and AI?
How much of this is a story of history repeating itself whenever new technology arrives, disrupting the industry?
LOWRY: That's exactly right. Through the years, strikes have tended to follow new technological innovations or new means of delivering programming or movies. And you saw it with DVDs. There was a big fight over that at one point. You saw it with cable and now with streaming.
Streaming was supposed to be basically additive while replacing sort of the existing satellite and cable system. What we're seeing is that streaming may be cannibalizing those existing businesses more than it's adding to the studio coffers. That's created some real unease.
You're seeing issues for Hollywood across the board in terms of its core businesses this summer. Big blockbuster movies underperforming, advertising sales that are lagging behind where they were years before, because the audience is so fragmented.
So streaming has fundamentally changed the business. It's one reason some people are referring to this as the Netflix strike.
HARRAK: Exactly. I want to talk more about that because, meantime, Netflix is treating the world as a stage, betting on international content.
What do you make of their strategy?
LOWRY: I think it's been obviously fairly successful for them. They discovered some major international hits, like the series "Squid Game." and I think that's one of the risks for actors and writers as this drags on, which is that they are not going to put out empty shelves on these networks and streaming services.
They're going to fish all around the world for already-produced things they can throw on. If the audience gets more accustomed and accepting of it, that could be a problem in terms of cutting back on the original production that guilds rely upon.
Historically, there was some impediment to getting American audiences to watch programs produced overseas. We've seen some major hits that have come from overseas in the last few years.
HARRAK: Many thanks to media critic Brian Lowry, speaking to me from Los Angeles earlier.
Still to come, the World Health Organization warns the sweetener aspartame could possibly cause cancer.
Should you stop using it?
We'll tell you when we come back.
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HARRAK: The World Health Organization says the widely used sweetener aspartame could possibly cause cancer. It's in thousands of products, probably many you use every day.
Does this mean you should avoid aspartame?
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MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The World Health Organization isn't recommending changing anything in terms of the safe daily intake guidelines for aspartame with this new recommendation. That is making this entire thing a bit controversial.
Just to remind folks, aspartame is found in thousands of different products, from diet sodas to tabletop sweeteners, breakfast cereals, chewing gum, cough drops, chewable vitamins.
The WHO is saying it looked at a number of studies that suggested a potential link but none really proved aspartame causes cancer. They put it in this category of possibly carcinogenic.
The way Dr. Francesco Branca, WHO's director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety puts it, quote, "While safety is not a major concern of the doses commonly used, potential effects need to be investigated by more and better studies."
This is really a call for more research into this question. To give this context, this category that aspartame has been put in now is the third of four in terms of cancer risk to humans.
Other things in that category include aloe vera, occupational exposure to dry cleaning, gasoline engine exhaust and traditional Asian pickled vegetables, so nowhere near things like cigarettes and asbestos.
In order to meet the limit the WHO recommends for the daily intake of aspartame, the average 180-pound person in the United States would have to consume 33 cans of diet soda at the level the industry tells us of aspartame in a 12-ounce can.
That is a lot more than probably most people are consuming, although some experts note it is a weight-based recommendation. So that level is lower for children. But still it's much higher than what most people would probably be consuming.
The FDA came out and said it disagreed with the assessment from the World Health Organization, saying in a statement, "Aspartame is one of the most studied food additives in the human food supply.
"FDA scientists do not have safety concerns when aspartame is used under approved conditions."
So a lot of consternation but no actual recommendations to the changes in how much aspartame people consume.
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HARRAK: Dr. Thomas Galligan is with Center for Science in the Public Interest and joins us now from Oregon.
Doctor, thank you for coming on. The WHO flagged aspartame as possibly causing cancer but is not changing intake guidelines.
Should this give us pause?
What do you think is going on?
DR. THOMAS GALLIGAN, CENTER FOR SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST: So the WHO has made the important recognition that there is evidence suggesting aspartame causes cancer in humans.
So although more research might be needed to better understand the possible relationship between aspartame and cancer, this should be concerning for consumers, industry and food safety officials.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest has long advised that consumers should avoid aspartame based precisely on concerns it might cause cancer. And now this respected international authority on cancer is echoing those concerns.
HARRAK: So as a toxicologist, where do you stand on this?
GALLIGAN: I think consumers should avoid aspartame.
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GALLIGAN: But they should not do so by replacing it with sugar. When it comes to beverages, water is the best choice, whether flavored or unflavored, still or sparkling. So if you currently drink diet soda, do not switch to drinking regular soda or other sugary drinks just to avoid aspartame.
Consumption of sugary products can contribute to type 2 diabetes, tooth decay or other health problems. And they pose a greater health risk to consumers than aspartame and other sweeteners.
You might also consider beverages sweetened with a safer sweetener, like stevia leaf extract, and you can check out our chemical database for our safety ratings of the low calorie sweeteners on the market today. But just remember water is best.
That recommendation is fairly consistent with WHO's overall guidance published earlier this year, in which they recommended consumers limit intake of both added sugars and nonnutritional sweeteners like aspartame.
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HARRAK: Aspartame is found in thousands of products like diet sodas and sugar free gum. For a product so widely used, there should be no shadow of a doubt about its safety. GALLIGAN: Agreed. That's why, when there's these major concerns about
cancer, we expect our regulators and the food industry to step up. Those are the major stakeholders here with a role to play in taking this burden off of consumers.
It shouldn't be consumers that have to make the choice to try to avoid possibly carcinogenic chemicals in their food. Industry should seek to reformulate their products using safer alternatives and seek to increase availability of unsweetened products.
The FDA, which is the federal agency that's ultimately responsible for ensuring the chemicals in our food are safe, should similarly take steps to protect consumers from aspartame as required to by federal law. Both FDA and industry can and should make it easier for consumers to make healthy and safe choices in the grocery store.
HARRAK: Do you feel the regulation in place now is not up to standard?
GALLIGAN: Yes. When Congress passed the Food Additives Amendment in 1958, they included a provision called the Delaney Clause, which expressly prohibits the use of food additives shown to cause cancer in humans or animals.
In doing so, in passing that law, Congress decided no amount of cancer risk caused by a food additive is acceptable regardless how big or small that risk might be. For that reason, we feel FDA needs to carefully review the evaluation and consider banning aspartame as required by federal law.
HARRAK: What would it mean if restrictions were put on its use of aspartame?
GALLIGAN: That would require industry to reformulate, as we're suggesting they do voluntarily here, to a safer alternative.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRAK: Is it likely, doctor?
GALLIGAN: I think industry will resist having to reformulate any of their products. So it will be, yes, difficult to -- yes. They will be very resistant to changing their formulas.
HARRAK: So where do we go from here?
GALLIGAN: Well, until FDA and industries step up and do the right thing, consumers will have to read ingredient labels and avoid aspartame. If you're going to consume a sweetened product, opt for those sweetened with stevia or any other safe low calorie sweeteners on the market today.
And really opt for water and whole fresh fruits that don't contain sweeteners or added sugar.
HARRAK: Thank you so much, Doctor.
GALLIGAN: Of course. Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: Still ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three, two, one, zero.
HARRAK (voice-over): India's mission to the moon is well underway. But it will be weeks before we know if it's a success. We'll have a report.
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HARRAK (voice-over): Plus Las Vegas long known as Sin City is turning into a sports mecca. Reports about the pro teams flocking to the Nevada metropolis.
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HARRAK: This is something you don't expect to see while driving.
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HARRAK (voice-over): That green streak is a meteor entering the atmosphere. It lit up the night sky over parts of Mississippi and Louisiana Friday night. The American Meteor Society says there were sightings reported in cities including Lake Charles and New Orleans.
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HARRAK: India's hopes of joining an exclusive international club soared on Friday after the spectacular launch of its latest mission to the moon. The nation hopes to put a lander and rover on the lunar surface. It's a long way from its space program's humble beginnings in 1963. Kristie Lu Stout has the story.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three, two, one, zero.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: India's literally shooting for the moon with a historic mission that could cement its position as a space
power. The Chandrayaan-3 which means moon vehicle in Sanskrit launch Friday afternoon. As the name suggests, this is India's third lunar mission and
it's part of the country's greater bid to be a space power. During the last mission in 2019, the rover crashed after a hard landing.
With this mission, they're aiming to land the rover near the moon's unexplored South Pole. Officials say the lander is due to reach the moon on
August the 23rd. After the landing, scientists plan to deploy the rover and to conduct scientific experiments including analyzing the chemistry of the
lunar soil. Measuring the temperature of the lunar surface and scanning for moon quakes.
On launch day, India's Prime Minister tweeted this. "14th of July 2023 will always be etched in golden letters as far as India's space sector is
concerned. Chandrayaan-3, our third lunar mission will embark on its journey. This remarkable mission will carry the hopes and dreams of our
nation."
Success would be huge for India. So far, only three countries have successfully soft landed a craft on the moon. The U.S., the former Soviet
Union and China.
Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.
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HARRAK: Las Vegas is famous for its casinos and entertainment shows but now it's betting its future on athletes of all kinds.
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ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORT CORRESPONDENT: Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said the Oakland A's started the application process to officially move to Las Vegas. This coming after Nevada approved a $380 million bill last month to help fund a ballpark there on the Vegas strip.
The A's' move to Vegas is the latest example of pro sports leagues going all in on the entertainment capital of the world.
Las Vegas has always been known as Sin City but it's quickly becoming the top sports city in the country.
SCHOLES (voice-over): For the first time ever the Super Bowl is coming to Vegas as Allegiant Stadium will be the site of the big game in February. It's also getting its first ever NCAA Final Four in 2028. Formula 1 will return to Vegas in November. After being ignored by pro sports leagues for years, Vegas is now the hot destination.
DOUG CASTANEDA, WYNN LAS VEGAS: Once Allegiant Stadium got put into play, that's when we went to the next level. We could say hey, we can host a Final Four one day. We have the infrastructure.
SCHOLES: Did the fact that gambling started becoming more accepted nationally help Las Vegas starting to get these pro teams?
JIM GIBSON, CHAIR, CLARK COUNTY: It's been really important for that to happen. It had to fade in the minds of some of those in control. We couldn't buy an ad for a Super Bowl in the late '90s and early 2000s. They wouldn't sell Las Vegas anything.
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SCHOLES (voice-over): In just the past six years, Vegas has added the Golden Knights in the NHL, the Aces in the WNBA and the Raiders in the NFL.
SCHOLES: And this is currently where the Tropicana Hotel and Casino is. But all of this is going to be demolished to make way for a state of the art Major League Baseball stadium right here on the strip that will be the future home of the Oakland A's.
GIBSON: Nothing could be more spectacular than to have that kind of a facility and that kind of activity happening and fans being able to pour in and out of such a location.
SCHOLES: What do you think a Major League Baseball team on the strip will do for Las Vegas?
CASTANEDA: I think it will pump visitation up, definitely. A lot of fans want to follow their team.
GIBSON: We imagine people will travel better to Las Vegas than most destinations. So when the A's play the Cubs or the Yankees or the Mets or other teams that really travel well, we're going to see them here. So it's exciting.
SCHOLES (voice-over): In just the past year Vegas has had two championship parades for the Golden Knights and the Aces. With the NFL, NHL, WNBA and Major League Baseball on the way, the only league the city will now be missing is the NBA. And LeBron James has already made it known he wants to own that team.
LEBRON JAMES, NBA CHAMPION: I would love to bring a team here at some point. That would be amazing. I want the team here, Adam (ph). Thank you.
GIBSON: That would be fun if LeBron wants to be the owner. We invite him to town permanently.
SCHOLES: It would be pretty cool if LeBron goes straight from player to owner when he retires.
I asked NBA commissioner Adam Silver about the NBA's plans for expansion. He told me the NBA would figure out the new collective bargaining agreement and TV deals first, then think about expansion. They got the new CVA done in April. A TV deal should be done shortly. When that happens, Vegas will be on the clock officially. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: It's probably an acquired taste unless you're a dog.
This shop in Berlin scoops up ice cream for humans and now for their furry best friends.
The canines' favorite flavor?
Liverwurst. The owner came up with the idea when he saw dogs jealously licking their chops as their owners enjoyed their sundaes and cones. Dogs, he says, need something cold, something refreshing, too.
That wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. Our coverage picks up after a quick break. I'll see you tomorrow.
