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CNN International: Heat Waves, Floods, Storms, Threaten Europe, U.S. and Asia; U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry in China for Talks; Photographer Taken in Mexico is Back in California; Top Investigator Says More Victims Possible in Gilgo Beach Murders; Emergency on Crimea Bridge, Reports of Deadly Blasts; Violence Rages in Sudan as Paramilitaries Deny War Crimes. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired July 17, 2023 - 04:00   ET

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

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BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Bianca Nobilo live from London. Max is off this week but I've go you covered. Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The heat wave is not over yet. An excessive heat warning. We may see affect parts of Arizona, California and Nevada.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a dangerous condition for those who don't have shelter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just looking around is exhausting because we're sweating without doing anything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This case is not over, it's only beginning. We're continuing to execute search warrants and we anticipate getting more evidence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think that he was surprised that he was caught?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think so.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Spans of the bridge that they said, have been damaged. And officials right now are expecting though bridge. Ukrainian intelligence has said this will make it for difficult for the Russians on the battlefield.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.

NOBILO: It's Monday, July 17th, 9:00 a.m. here in London, 4:00 a.m. on the U.S. East Coast. Where we're following two major weather stories across the U.S. excessive heat and severe flooding. From the Southeast to the Northwest. Nearly 80 million people under heat alert with some states seeing record-breaking triple digit temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Here's what the mayor of Mesa, Arizona, had to say about the heat wave.

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JOHN GILES, MESA, ARIZONA MAYOR: We're used to hot temperatures in Mesa, Arizona. You know, 110 days are not unusual. Even days in the high teens. What's a little unusual this July is the duration of those days back to back. Typically at this time of July, we're experiencing what we call our monsoon season. So some thunderstorms and some rain that brings the temperatures down. We haven't seen that yet this year. I think that's probably tied to some of the weather you're seeing across the nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: On the other side of the country, the problem is too much water. The Northeast is getting hammered by severe storms and flooding. A tornado was confirmed on Massachusetts on Sunday. And in Connecticut, authorities work to clear roads and help some people trapped in the flooding in their cars. Here's the governor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NED LAMONT, CONNECTICUT GOVERNOR: These storms are biblical in terms of the torrential rainfall you get and they are happening more and more frequently. We're looking at resilience around the state. What are the places that are most vulnerable? What can we do to prevent this from happening again? You know, these storms are not only more severe these days but all of the parking lots are every, all of the water rushes right into the rivers and the rivers overwhelms the roads.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, at least five people have died after being swept away by flash flooding over the weekend. Two children are still missing. CNN's Polo Sandoval is following the U.S. severe weather.

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, here in the U.S., another weekend of deadly weather in the state of Pennsylvania, massive flash flooding affecting many residents in that state. Including one family who was originally from South Carolina, that according to their officials, they were on their way to a barbecue event when all of a sudden they became trapped in rising floodwaters. The situation for that family turning deadly according to officials on the ground.

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): It's just a devastating blow to this Bucks County community that brings us all here today. But I think it's important to note that we are all here today. This is a moment that calls on all of us to come together, to lift up in the Upper Mayfield and Bucks County community. And that is exactly what we are doing. On behalf of more than 13 million Pennsylvanians, I want Bucks County to know that we are here with you. We are praying with you and we will continue to do everything in our power to lift you up.

SANDOVAL: And in terms of the wider impact, we do understand that there were many airports here in the U.S. that were affected by this wild weekend weather. Including at New York's JFK where there was a ground stop that was implemented because of thunderstorms and also at an airport in Boston as well.

Paolo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Weekend storms in the U.S. also put major airports in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts underground stop Sunday afternoon.

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Disruptive flights caused massive delays for travelers, a persistent problem for states in the Northeast since late June. Conditions have already forcing hundreds of delays and cancellations of U.S. flights today -- that is according to the flights that they Flight Aware -- more than 11,000 were delayed or cancelled on Sunday.

The dome of extremely hot air is what's behind the sweltering and stifling conditions in the southern and western U.S. Just look at all of the places under a heat warning or advisory as the start of a new work begins. Here's CNN's meteorologist Brandon Miller to tell us whether there's any relief in sight.

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BRANDON MILLER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: So the question everyone wants to know is when will the heat wave in the U.S. Southwest break. And the answer is no time soon. These above average temperatures, we put this into motion, going through the work week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday into Thursday, they really just expand. The high pressure that's been here over the four corners region, near Nevada jut sort of drifts a little bit but that heat dome stays massive. And it blocks any of these winds and rain that can cool things off. And things are going to stay 10, 15 degrees above average -- that's Fahrenheit -- above average, for the next at least week.

And we're talking the hottest times of the year. So it's take your hottest time of the year, add 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit and that's where we are. Nearly every day this week in Phoenix, will be a record high. That's scary. And what's even scarier are the lows -- 94, 95, 94. Those are -- would be in the top five to ten hottest nights Phoenix has ever had. Any one of them. And you've got seven in a row. It's been since last Sunday when the low dropped below 90. So that's a record stretch for them.

We're setting records everywhere. Las Vegas, more of the same, looking at setting a record and then staying above 110 all week long. Again, lows not dropping down where they should be. That is where heat turns deadly. The next several days here, going through actually next weekend. If you're in the Northern Plains, and even in the Northeast, you've

been dealing with a lot of rain. You're dealing with smoke from the Canadian wildfires, but you're at least staying out of this record heat wave that shows no signs of breaking in the U.S. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: New York Governor Kathy Hochul is warning New Yorkers that they should once again prepare for wildfires in western Canada to disrupt their lives. Smoke from the fires like this one in British Columbia is traveling across the continent. And an air quality health advisory has been issued today for all of New York. The National Weather Service in Central Illinois posted these photos showing how the skies darkened dramatically over the weekend. Alerts have been issued in at least 11 states across the Northern U.S. because of this smoke.

Extreme weather around the world bringing dangerous and deadly flooding. Wildfires and heat waves to Europe and Asia. In South Korea, the death toll now stands at 40 from flash floods and landslides in the past few days. 13 people died in a flooded underpass on the central part of the country.

On the Spanish island of La Palma, the forest fire there is making an oppressive heat wave even worse. It's burning out of control forcing at least 4,000 people to evacuate. And that heat wave stretches across southern Europe. In Italy, 16 cities including Rome and Florence are under extreme health risks because of the heat. And people in China and Japan are also sweltering in their own oppress heat.

And as China grapples with the severe heat, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry is in Beijing for talks with his Chinese counterpart. Anna Coren joins me now from Hong Kong. But first we'll go to Barbie Nadeau in Rome just to get a sweep here of this extreme weather the world is facing. Barbie, how much of a threat to people's health is this heat now presenting for people in Rome and other Italian cities?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Well, you know, we're looking at two very hot days, hotter than it's been and it's been extremely excruciating. And the only thing really authorities are doing here is providing water. Behind me is one of the fountains that exists for people to fill up their water bottles. You can have sparkling water or distilled water. And now, we're just seeing lots and lots and lots of tourists filling up their water bottles. Sometimes, you know, even pouring the water over them.

The authority are very, very concerned with these next two days. And in part because of the duration of this heat wave so far, and the fact that we're going to look at breaking temperatures -- weather temperatures here in Rome tomorrow, and for sure today and possibly tomorrow.

And in southern Italy, in Sicily, they're looking at breaking the European records set next year. So they're concerned about that. Italians aren't so much the problem.

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People who live in the Mediterranean know how to deal with the heat. They don't go out. They don't drink too much alcohol. They eat light. And they're not going to be in the sun during the day. It's the millions of tourists right now who are in southern Europe and especially here in Italy are the people that are most vulnerable right now. Because they're under the hot sun for long durations of time. And you know, the authorities are saying stay out of the sun during the middle of the day. And we're just not seeing people taking heed to that.

Of course, in Greece, they closed the Acropolis for two days over the weekend to try to make sure people stay out of the sun there. We haven't seen anything like that here in Italy. But today and tomorrow are expected to be really, really difficult for everyone -- Bianca.

NOBILO: Well, trying stay in school as you can Barbie. Let's go now to Anna Coren who's in Hong Kong for us. Anna, so the backdrop to this visit from John Kerry, which of course, is aimed at whether or not China and the U.S. can find a way to work together on climate change. Is this extreme weather which climate scientist argue is a direct result?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. You know, the timing couldn't be better for these talks. And what we're seeing is a commitment on both sides to regain momentum on climate talks. John Kerry, Bianca, wrapped up a four hour meeting earlier with his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua. We are still waiting for readouts from both sides but its length suggests that they certainly covered a lot of ground.

Before the meeting Xie said that China is, you know, seeking substantial dialogue this week that could improve our bilateral relations. As we know, U.S. China relations have been at an all-time low. And then almost a year ago, climate talks between the two superpowers came to a standstill after than U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. Beijing severed talks in protest.

But as we've been seeing over the past month, a slew of high-level U.S./China meetings to really try and, you know, patch up this relationship. The Secretary of State, Treasury Secretary and now the U.S. climate envoy John Kerry.

Kerry and Xie, they have a history. They've met more than 50 times. They worked together in COP26 in Glasgow back in 2021. They made real progress there. They then met on the sidelines of COP27 in Egypt last year. Then in January of this year, they talked via video link. So their communications, you know, they continued despite strained relations. But this face-to-face meeting earlier today, very important in resuming the joint working group on climate cooperation before COP28 which will be taking place end of November in Dubai. Kerry said it was imperative that China and the U.S. make real progress in the next four months.

As the world's two largest economies, the world's two biggest emitters, Bianca, they account for 40 percent of global emissions. So there needs to be cooperation to drastically cut fossil fuel production and make, you know, an impact on climate change and lead by example.

NOBILO: Without a doubt. And that cooperation impact could be potentially be quite positive to try and get relations to a healthier place. We've seen that increase of events in recent weeks. Anna Coren in Hong Kong, thank you so much.

A kidnapped American is now back on U.S. soil eight months after she was snatched from a street in Mexico. The FBI say that Monica De Leon Barba was walking her dog in Mexico when she was kidnapped. Investigators say the professional photographer was targeted. CNN's Michael Valerio is in Los Angeles with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE VALERIO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that this is the culmination of 227 days of team work between the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the State Department to bring Monica back home to here in California.

And when we're talking about who is behind the missing, the kidnapping fliers that were sent out by the FBI, Monica De Leone Barba is a profoundly talented photographer. She decided to take a summer job done in Mexico last summer to share her photographic talents, work on a few projects -- according to her family members. What they're told by our partners in San Francisco.

So, we move to a few days after Thanksgiving last year, and she's in the middle of the street in an idyllic beautiful town of Tepatitlan, in Mexico walking her dog and she's kidnapped. She's abducted. The FBI says there are at least five people who kidnap here. Three vehicles that come up next to her and then simply driveway. So to imagine her family going through the holiday season New Years, into this year, without knowing where she is. The captors demanding a ransom. And the FBI saying that this was a targeted kidnapping, not random. They were simply besides themselves.

Up until this weekend, when the FBI releases a statement saying she had been released. Writing in part -- according to the leader of the FBI in San Francisco -- quote, a relief and joy at the safe return of Monica is profound. The FBI investigation is far from over, but we can now work this case knowing an incident victim is reunited with her family.

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So something from that statement between the lines is that, you know, the FBI is also saying here that suspects have not been identified in this case. That's one of the reasons why the investigate continues here. They also say that no arrests have been made. So, that is why the matter isn't closed. But certainly, the most important part of this entire case is that Monica is back with family in California, a reunion that they certainly were hoping for has come to fruition.

Mike Valerio, CNN, Los Angeles. (END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Very good news.

A top investigators on the long unsolved case of the Gilgo Beach murders says that it's possible there may be more victims. New York architect Rex Heuermann is charged with the murders of three women over a decade ago. He was arrested on Thursday in Midtown Manhattan, about 40 miles from where the victims remains were discovered on Gilgo Beach in Long Island in 2010. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty. He's also the prime suspect in a fourth murder. The case is tied to at least ten sets of human remains that were found in that area. One official gave CNN a rare insight into that ongoing investigation.

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ANTHONY CARTER, SUFFOLK COUNTY DEPUTY POLICE COMMISSIONER: Based on his searches, and his conduct online, we felt, you know, that we need to find out more and there's still an active investigation as to his whereabouts and his conduct from the time that the bodies were discovered, right up until Thursday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the D.A. had mentioned that he was a patron this whole time he was patronizing still sex workers?

CARTER: That's correct. I knew this person was a demon. And the fact that we are able to bring some closure and some peace to the families. As well as take a violent person off the streets is rewarding. And we're going to continue the investigation. The task force is going to continue to work. We're not shutting down the task force. There are still things that we have to do. There are still human remains that have to be investigated further in Gilgo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: In Georgia, a gunman accused of fatally shooting four people in an Atlanta suburb was killed in a shoot-out with the police. Authorities say Andre Longmore died during a confrontation Sunday that also left two officers injured, one of them seriously. The shooting Saturday sparked a manhunt across north Georgia. The motive is still unclear but officials say the gunman was not related to any of the victims.

And police say a missing Alabama woman who called 911 to report seeing a child walking on the side of the road has been found. Connie Russell went missing on Thursday after losing contact with a family member on the phone while checking on the child. Her car and possessions were found at the scene. It wasn't until late Saturday that police found out she finally returned home. And so far it's still unknown why she disappeared but police are investigating that.

NOBILO: Still ahead --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lionel Andres Messi. (END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: There's Messi mania in Miami. We'll tell you about the soccer superstars introduction to Florida.

Also ahead, new details on what's being called an emergency on the bridge connecting Crimea to mainland Russia with reports of deadly blasts on a massive span.

Plus, Twitter closed its only office in Africa just days after opening. Former employees tell CNN that the company has ghosted them and is cheating them out of pay. When we return.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: We want to take you now to Jerusalem. These images coming to us moments ago as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a cabinet meeting one day after being released from the hospital. He was admitted Saturday for what doctors say was dehydration amid an ongoing heat wave in the country. His doctors says the Prime Minister was fitted with a heart monitor before being discharged to monitor his health. And the doctor says that Netanyahu completed a series of tests and is now in excellent condition.

New video into CNN appears to show damage to the Kerch Bridge -- the main link between Russian occupied Crimea and the Russian mainland. Multiple Telegram channels reported strikes on the bridge a few hours ago. And a local official confirmed at least two deaths. Ukraine has not confirmed it launched a strike.

The Russia appointed head of Crimea says an emergency incident has halted road traffic on the bridge but Russian reports says that rail service continues though with delays. The span serves as a vital logistical route for Moscow's military in its war against Ukraine. And CNN's Scott McLean is here to track all of this for us. Scott, do we know how damaged the bridge is?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so we have new video that shows that it is the roadway section of the bridge. Which is essentially divided into part carrying rail and then part carrying vehicle traffic. And the video was taken from it appears from a moving train. And so, trains are obviously able to pass by the bridge. The roadway, it seems like part of it -- you can see it there -- has become dislodged from the pillar in the Black Sea.

Now what you don't actually see in that video is any damage to the surface of the roadway, perhaps suggesting that whatever it was that exploded came from below or the side, rather than from above. And we're already getting some ideas from the Russian government. Again, they haven't provided evidence to support this but they have suggested that seaborne drones are what exploded here. So, in other words, boats, maybe jet skis, something like that, remote control unmanned carrying explosive maybe detonated beside one of these pillars. But again, we don't have confirmation of this. There's no evidence to

support this at this point. But the Russians are also calling this a terrorist attack, they say that they're investigating.

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They say that two people were killed, and that their daughter, a child, under 18, was injured in this attack.

Obviously, this bridge has huge significance, not only strategically as well, but symbolically to connect Russia with its annexed territory that it took illegally back in 2014. So symbolic in fact, that President Putin was on hand for the official opening of the bridge in 2018.

Since the war started it has been targeted on multiple occasions. The most recently was just earlier this month. The Russians say that a Ukrainian cruise missile aimed at it was shot down, but it closed the bridge for some time creating traffic backlogs of course in October of last year as well.

The Ukrainians succeeded in detonated a truck. They only recently confessed to being behind the attack with explosives. It damaged both the railway part and the rail part of the bridge as well. The repairs took months. It was February that the roadway part was repaired and not until June of this year that the rail part of the bridge was repaired as well. So again, not sure how long it may take this time, given the damage. But is not going to be overnight by any stretch.

NOBILO: Scott McLean, thank you for bringing us that update.

Air strikes pummeled Sudan's capital of Khartoum on Sunday. At least five people were killed and witnesses say the death toll is likely to rise. Three months of fighting now between the army and rival paramilitaries are showing no signs of abating. This as the International Criminal Court launches a fresh investigation into alleged war crimes in the Darfur region. And to discuss CNN's David McKenzie joins us now. David, the International Criminal Court prosecutor says that there needs to be justice, but what obstacles are standing in their way?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianca, there are multiple obstacles. And you look at the allegations coming out of Sudan, particularly in Darfur, in the west of the country, and they are just awful. And both in the breadth of possible war crimes and in the scope of those who are being attacked, civilians and the women and children who are being raped, according to the U.N. humanitarian workers, witnesses we have spoken to, there seems to be a very large scale, very terrible acts of atrocities going in particularly western Darfur.

Now the International Criminal Court prosecutor has said that they will try and investigate. They've opened a fresh investigation, as you say. But the history isn't necessarily on their side. You'll remember that in 2005, the criminal court started an investigation. There was an arrest warrant for former dictator Omar al-Bashir relating to atrocities that also happened in Darfur. The

For many people who care about humanitarian right this is a history repeating itself situation. And the impact on civilians there and possible mass graves being unearthed in recent days is awful. The path to justice will be very challenging indeed. But the prosecutor says they still should try and that the world shouldn't ignore the plight of those civilians -- Bianca.

NOBILO: And speaking of challenging, David, you've been speaking to humanitarian workers in the area. What are some of the difficulties that they're facing?

MCKENZIE: Well, on the border of Chad and Sudan, it's an extremely challenging situation. They have people streaming over every day from western Darfur, from northern Darfur, and other parts of the west into Chad, into really makeshift camps. Many thousands of them now. And they are facing the rainy season in the coming weeks which could lead to issues of malaria, there are already measles outbreaks. They are scrambling to get assistance, food, water, sanitation to those people.

The International Red Cross saying that there are bodies strewn on the road both of children and of adults in the roads coming out of Darfur into neighboring Chad because of snipers they say from Arab militia, and potentially the Rapid Support Forces targeting people trying to leave.

This can potential only get worse. I spoke to someone from UNICEF in the last few hours. They said that they don't see this getting better. As more people come across, the humanitarian situation will get worse. And there is the threat also of a wider conflict breaking out because of the tensions between some parts of Chad and the western Darfur region -- Bianca.

NOBILO: David McKenzie, live in Johannesburg, thank you so much for bringing us that important reporting.

And coming up, Twitter responds to allegations that it hasn't paid severance to its laid off staff in Africa. But the company's response isn't exactly professional. We'll have a live report on that.

Plus, campaign finance reports indicate more trouble for Ron DeSantis. Just as a court hearing approaches for his rival Donald Trump. Those details, ahead.

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