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Europe, Asia And U.S. Baking Under Excessive Heat; Russia Cancels Grain Deal, Draws Global Condemnation; Police: Suspect's Family Shocked, Disgusted, Embarrassed. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired July 18, 2023 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:30]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up on CNN, record setting deadly heat waves sweep across the world from Europe, to China to the U.S. And this is just the start. The impact of global warming is going to get a lot worse.
Food fight, how Vladimir Putin's decision to end a deal allowing Ukraine to export grain now raising fears of a big increase in global food prices. And as China's economy stalls, Xi Jinping makes it clear, unlike previous leaders, GDP is no longer GOD.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: Thank you for joining us here for CNN Newsroom. And for our viewers waking this out, in southern Europe, it will be another long hot day. Already this morning in Athens, it's 29, actually it's just gone 30 degrees there at 8:00 a.m. Also in Madrid, 24 degrees Celsius there, in Bucharest 25 degrees as well, a long hot day. Also for Rome, 21 degrees and in Naples 27 degrees.
Temperatures were well above the 40 degree mark across Spain and Italy as well. Italian authorities have issued a warning to avoid direct sunlight between 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Across Greece the heat has sparked 81 wildfires. The Civil Protection Minister says hundreds of firefighters are facing another difficult day on the front lines and the Acropolis has been closed in Athens.
More details now on long hot miserable summer which is only just a few weeks old in the northern hemisphere from CNN meteorologist Chad Myers.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Some dreadful and deadly heat across the northern hemisphere. Obviously, summertime there but some of these temperatures here especially for places like China 126 degrees Fahrenheit, 52.2. It has never ever been hotter in any city in China than that right there. That's an all-0time country record. So yes, it has been hot and it's still hot.
Now there will be a little bit of a tropical system that will cool Beijing down with some clouds and maybe even a shower or two. But that's all part of the front that's going to move on by even in parts of Tokyo, cool you down just a little bit as the my you by you just gets a little bit farther to the south there.
This is where the rainfall is going to be with the last typhoon Talim just to the north of Hanoi, likely the heaviest rainfall there. Here's what the radar would likely look like for this. The forecast radar watched the circulation there to the west of Hong Kong made landfall on Monday still going to put down quite a bit of rainfall though, for today and into tomorrow. As we start to see that storm kind of wind down in speed intensity, but still bringing an awful lot of tropical moisture with it.
Here's the rainfall across from Tokyo and Seoul. This is where the area is going to cool down a little bit with that cloud cover. And then we take a look at what South Korea had, almost the half a meter in many spots and more than a half a meter in just a few. We certainly don't need any more rainfall there across parts of South Korea. The heat is still on in Europe, it's not really going away.
Northwestern Europe is an absolutely has been very, very cool. But it's the Mediterranean down here, Italy, Rome all the way into Greece, temperatures are going to be the hottest that they'll be on Tuesday, beginning to cool back down just a little bit. But Rome 41 in the afternoon, that's going to be a very hot day then the hottest for the rest of the week as we cooled down back into 30s. But that's still well above normal for Rome. Still above normal for Athens as well and not really cooling down there much temperatures in the afternoon, right around 40 degrees.
The United States still has this heat dome over to the desert southwest, and we call it a desert southwest because it doesn't rain there very much in the summertime. But when it doesn't rain, an awful lot like when India doesn't get the monsoon on time, it can get very, very hot and there will be showers and there will be a southwest monsoon here in parts of the United States Southwest that will cool the area down in the afternoon where it won't heat up as much, but it will be muggy and the heat index will go way up. We'll see temperatures in Death Valley not very many people live there. But people want to go there to visit to feel what 50 degrees Celsius really feels like. Las Vegas, you'll be in the middle 40s, even in the afternoon.
There'll be a couple of showers around too just starting that little bit of monsoon there across parts of the desert southwest. So yes, the heat is on and it seems like worldwide very few record low places if any across the globe right now.
[01:05:09]
VAUSE: Our thanks to Chad Myers with that. And parts of the U.S. are under threat from flooding from the St. Louis area to New York State, New England, 3 million people under a flood watch. All the while the Southwest continues to bake. Details now from CNN's Rafael Romo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One hundred and sixty degrees in Las Vegas, 118 in Phoenix, Arizona, and in one of the hottest places on the planet, Death Valley, California, they've hit a staggering 128 degrees.
MATT LAMAR, PARK RANGER, DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK: tomorrow, we're going to be around 129 degrees, maybe even pushing into 130.
ROMO (voice-over): Around 80 million Americans are now facing heat alerts and heat records are now being shattered across the western U.S. and throughout the south, including Texas in El Paso. The thermometer has risen past 100 for 32 days. The state is now avoiding outages thanks to wind and solar energy. But in Phoenix even hotter temperatures have been unrelenting, the city surpassing 110 degrees for 18 days.
MYERS: These warnings for much above normal temperatures have been out for days and in some places for weeks. And that's not going to change this week. And looking ahead, it's not going to change next week either.
ROMO (voice-over): Florida is also feeling the heat all the way into the Atlantic Ocean. Sea surface temperatures there have reached unprecedented levels, threatening coral reefs. And in Southern California, three wildfires are burning as temperatures continue to rise. Still, tourists are braving the West's hotspots, like Nevada's Hoover Dam.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It feels like you're actually on fire after you're out here for a while.
ROMO (voice-over): Expert's advice an abundance of caution is to beat the heat by minimizing time outdoors, hydrating frequently and finding places to cool down.
LAMAR: Most people probably aren't acclimated to this extreme heat that we're seeing across the United States, and so you're just not going to have time to acclimate in a day or two.
ROMO (voice-over): Across Northern and Midwestern States, smoky skies are making even breathing more difficult. Wildfires raging across Canada are pushing smoke back across the border again. After a record nearly 25 million acres have burned there. In the northeast, a different extreme, heavy rain causing floods in Connecticut and New England, even Pennsylvania where five people died amid rapidly rising waters.
CHIEF TIM BREWER, UPPER MAKEFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA FIRE DEPT.: These people did not drive into high water they were caught. This was a flash flood.
ROMO (voice-over): Several cars were swept into deluge, a two-year-old and a nine-month-old are still missing.
SCOTT ELLIS, FAMILY REPRESENTATIVE: As you can imagine, we are utterly devastated by the incredible loss our family has suffered. (END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMO: An excessive heat warning that was set to expire Tuesday night here in Las Vegas has been extended until Saturday. The warning from the National Weather Service also includes most of southern Nevada, and this heatwave will still continue to affect a large portion of the country.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Las Vegas, Nevada.
VAUSE: Vladimir Putin has been widely condemned for ending the Black Sea Grain Deal, which for the past year has allowed ships carrying Ukrainian grain to safely transit the Black Sea and then export to the rest of the world. Russia has long complained the deal is unfair because international sanctions prevent Moscow from exporting its own food and fertilizer. Iran's foreign minister slammed Russia for canceling the agreement.
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DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Russia is blackmailing the world. This blackmail affects the lives of millions of Ukrainians and tens of millions more around the world primarily in Africa and Asia, who face the threat of rising food prices and hunger.
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VAUSE: Joining us now, Murithi Mutiga in Nairobi, Kenya, the African program director for the International Crisis Group, a nonprofit organization, which works to end wars and promotes peace. Thank you for being with us, sir.
MURITHI MUTIGA, AFRICA PROGRAM DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: Thank you.
VAUSE: I want you to listen to how the U.N. Secretary General responded to news that the Grain Deal had been suspended by the Russian president here he is. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONAL SECRETARY-GENERAL: Ultimately, participation in these agreements is a choice. But struggling people everywhere and developing countries don't have a choice. And that is of millions of people face hunger and consumers are confronting a global cost of living crisis. And they will pay the price.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: This decision by Putin will be felt around the world but not in the same way equally, as be far more devastating for many countries in Africa, as well as Asia which have already been struggling with a lack of food security. So from what your -- from your point of view from what you know who will be affected the most from this decision, and just how badly will they be impacted? MUTIGA: I think the importance of this decision was not just that the pact headed directly to parts of Africa and Asia that needed but the importance of it was to stabilize the global -- grain market, as you're experiencing a lot of shock, the COVID-19 pandemic parts of Africa has -- successive events.
[01:10:18]
So the Ukraine war was a big shock in terms of food inflation, but this grain bill at least helped to ease the costs of buying food a bit cheaper, I think this will be enormously impactful if it leads to big races in place, already, families are really suffering in many parts of the continent, in Asia and elsewhere. And it will be indeed very problematic for many people.
VAUSE: Yes. And just to repeat, because they're a little bit of a break up the line there, so but essentially, what we're talking about here is it's a shock to the global price of food that everyone now must deal with and in places where they can barely afford it. Now, it will obviously have a much bigger impact.
Russian agriculture, though, is not included in sanctions on Moscow by the E.U., the U.K. and the U.S. And under the Grain Agreement, which was signed last year, Moscow was promised that as agriculture, agricultural projects and fertilizer would be available to anyone who wanted to buy it. So has this not been the case? Do they -- do the Russians have a case here to make? Or are they simply using this for ulterior motives?
MUTIGA: Well, the Russian continued to export I think some of the countries on the continent, for example, Egypt still buy very large shares of their produce from Russia. But I think, you know, we have to remember that Ukraine is basically are produce of nearly 10 percent important wheat and stocks around the world. And so when you take out such a large chunk of produce, means you have a price -- of course, it's true that actually the Grain Deal ended up -- a lot of the grain ended up in Europe, in China and other countries that have been put in purchasing power.
But the importance of it was that it helped to ease the suffering. Of course, the Russians do claim that there are issues with shipment with other secondary sanctions that affect their capacity to export. But as far as we know, they have indeed continue to export to important export --
VAUSE: Yes, and the E.U. foreign policy chief, obviously among many who have condemned this decision by Russia and by Putin, but he promised to get more grain to export overland, what they call via solidarity lanes, I want you to listen to this. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEP BORRELL, E.U. FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF: We, from our side, we will do everything we can through our solidarity lanes, in order to make available the Ukrainian rain for the people who eat from it, and have to blame Russia for this decision, completely unjustified, weaponizing the hunger of the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Those solidarity lines, according to latest figures have seen 15 million tons of Ukrainian agricultural goods exported to the world in six months from May to October last year, so just six months, but pre-war, there was 51 million tons of wheat exported by Ukraine, and in total 50 tons of wheat and corn exported by Ukraine, if you do the math. So at this point, if those overland solidarity lanes could actually export more could do more, wouldn't they be doing it already?
MUTIGA: Well, I -- you know, when you look at the numbers, you know, the Black Sea channel already was exporting about 30 million tons, which is quite substantial. I'm not an expert, I have to clarify on intra-European relations, but at least we've seen that there have been tensions with neighboring countries, farmers blockading roads in to certain extent.
And, you know, because they see Ukrainian grain has competing with their own produce. So you know, the Ukrainians are pointed out that the Black Sea channel was much more effective, much more capable of sending more support and grain into the global market. And, you know, which is why as the Turkish President call it a humanitarian breach it does as I said end up sending grim all over the world but by stabilizing prices it helps to ease the pain of so many suffering multiple shock.
VAUSE: And many -- there's an opinion possibly. Yes, totally this has more to do with getting, you know, Russian oil exported to other countries maybe not necessarily that the wheat and grain. But Murithi Mutiga, thank you so much for being with us, sir. Had a little problem with your connections but we very much appreciate your time. It was great to hear from you. Thank you.
MUTIGA: Thank you very much.
VAUSE: Coming up, here Russia says we'll take months to repair the Kerch Bridge, Russia's vital transport lead to Crimea attack for a second time during this war. We'll tell you what both Russia and Ukraine are saying about what cause all this.
[01:14:48]
Also investigators has made a startling discovery the home of the man charged with at least three murders in the Gilgo Beach case. That's an upstate New York we have the very latest on the investigation.
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VAUSE: Now as after Russia ended the grain deal, Russian drones attacked Odesa, Ukraine's major port city on the Black Sea. A CNN team there recorded images of a large explosion in the night sky. Ukrainian officials say its air defenses worked successfully. They want those sort of ways of attacks are still expected including incoming missiles. Meantime, fighting is intensifying in the Kharkiv region. Ukraine's military says Russia has gathered about 100,000 soldiers in the Kupiansk region where they're putting everything they have in breaking through Ukrainian defensive lines. And they say Russia is desperate for a show of success on the battlefield after Ukraine gained momentum around the beleaguered city of Bakhmut.
still unknown at the attack on Odessa is Russia's retaliation for the strike on the Kerch Bridge early Monday, which damaged the crossing between Russian occupied Crimea illegally occupied Crimea and mainland Russia. And Ukrainian minister says the breach was hit by naval drones. Vladimir Putin is promising a response to what he calls a senseless terrorist act, which left two people dead.
We have more now from CNN, Alex Marquardt, reporting in from Odesa.
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ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): A brazen strike on Russia's bridge that links it to the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula. The roadway a mangled mess after Ukrainian sea drones targeted it just before dawn. At least two people, Russian parents of a small girl were killed in the attack, according to Russian officials. The child was injured, traffic on the critical highway grinding to a halt. The trains temporarily stopped.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called it a terrorist attack, vowing there will be a response and that the Russian military is preparing options. New satellite imagery shows extensive damage from the blasts of section of the bridge knocked out. Russian authorities now say it won't be fully functional until November.
Ukraine quickly claimed that it was behind this secret operation, a rare admission, saying it was a joint operation by Ukraine's Navy and security services, which cryptically tweeted the bridge was sleeping again. A reference to a huge explosion in October last year, as a fuel truck exploded on the 12 mile, 19 kilometer long bridge, igniting a passing train.
Putin then called it an act of sabotage appearing on the bridge when it was reopened two months later, a direct strike on his nearly $4 billion project, connecting Russia to Crimea that he personally inaugurated in 2018. It has become a vital supply route for both the Crimean population and the Russian military's fight in southern Ukraine. Ukraine sees the bridge not just as a ripe but highly symbolic target.
[01:20:00]
Hours after the blasts, Russia announced it is pulling out of the international agreement that allows Ukraine to ship grain to the world.
GUTERRES: Today's decision by the Russian Federation will strike a blow to people in need everywhere. But it will not stop our efforts to facilitate the unimpeded access to global markets for food products and fertilizers from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): Russia claims the deal only benefited Ukraine while its own food and fertilizer had been blocked. The decision was not connected Russia said to the bridge attack. The last grain ship sailed from Odesa's port on Sunday. A United Nations official tells CNN that Russia's announcement appears final.
Alex Marquardt, CNN, in Odesa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The death toll linked to a starvation call in Kenya has now passed 400, according to local reports more bodies were found Monday. The search will continue in the coming hours. Officials say 95 people have been rescued from the doomsday cold so far, while 37 had been arrested. And investigation is ongoing into cult leader Paul McKenzie, who allegedly instructed his followers to starve themselves so they could gain salvation.
Police say the wife and daughter are the main suspect in the so called Gilgo Beach murders were shocked, disgusted and embarrassed when they were told he was living in double life. Now police have to dig through piles of evidence and information to see if they could connect Rex Heuermann to any other crimes. Local police commissioner says there's always been reason to link the suspect to the case.
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ANTHONY CARTER, SUFFOLK COUNTY DEPUTY POLICE COMMISSIONER: When we go all the way back to, you know, how we conduct an investigation, we take a look and when we have a potential lead, we exhaust that lead and we continue to, you know, examine until the point comes where maybe that person can be eliminated. In the case with Rex, every investigative step that we took failed to eliminate him and it caused the task force to continue and narrow their focus. And while he became a person of interest, every step that we took led us further and further down that road.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: More details on the investigation, here is CNN's Brynn Gingras.
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BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Investigators not done digging through the home of Rex Heuermann, the man authority says behind the serial killings that have haunted a New York community for more than a decade.
CARTER: he intended to commit these crimes. He intended to cover up these crimes.
GINGRAS (voice-over): Inside the Long Island home, Heuermann shared with his wife and daughter, sources say police found a locked door and behind that --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over 200 guns he had an arsenal in his -- in a vault that he had downstairs.
GINGRAS (voice-over): Far more than the 92 guns Heuermann registered in the state. Investigators also seen removing an in case Doll like figure and a Playboy magazine from the home. Sources tell CNN police are scouring a nearby storage unit they say they're looking for possible souvenirs or trophies he may have kept after the killings.
RAYMOND TIERNEY, SUFFOLK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We have executed a number of search warrants. So right now we have a flood of information and a flood of evidence coming in. And it's going to take us a while to sort of go through all of that.
GINGRAS (voice-over): The 59-year-old architect is charged with killing three women, sex workers, whose bodies were found tied up and stuffed in camouflage burlap sacks and dumped along a desolate beach area more than a decade ago. The district attorney says they're close to charging him with the fourth victim in what became known as the Gilgo four murders.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a shocker. I mean, it's a real eye opener.
GINGRAS (voice-over): With a newly formed task force dedicated to the case, a break came earlier this year when DNA from a discarded pizza crust matched a hair found in one of those burlap sacks according to police. Authorities also believe Heuermann used burner phones and fake e-mail accounts to research as victims, their murderers, images of child abuse, and at times even taunted one woman's family by calling them after her death using her phone.
CARTER: The man is -- he's a demon. And it's really hard to get into the mind of somebody that's capable of committing the crimes that he committed.
GINGRAS (voice-over): Other evidence witness testimony, investigators say they have someone who ID'd Heuermann's Chevrolet Avalanche scene here parked in front of his home over a decade ago as connected to one killing. That witness also describing the 6'4 Heuermann as an ogre, according to court paperwork.
MICHAEL BROWN, REX HEUERMANN'S ATTORNEY: The only thing I can tell you that he did say as he was in tears was I didn't do this.
GINGRAS (voice-over): Heuermann pleaded not guilty to the charges his lawyer calling the evidence against him circumstantial.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GINGRAS And Heuermann's DNA is going to be compared to other remains that were found in association with this case to see if there is any link. We've also learned the NYPD is going Need to be searching through its own missing persons cases and homicides to see if they can find any sort of link as well.
[01:25:06]
As far as Heuermann's wife and daughter they lived in this home with him. They haven't been able to go home of course because investigators have been there since last week scouring through that home and we are told through sources that his wife and daughter are cooperating with the investigation.
Brynn Gingras, CNN, New York.
VAUSE: Singer Elton John made an appearance via video link to testify an actor Kevin Spacey's sexual assault trial in London. Sir Elton gave evidence about fundraising about a fundraising event at his home in England, which Spacey attended, this according to the Press Association. Spacey is accused of groping the man who drove him to that event.
One of the many sexual offenses charges alleged by four different men, which Spacey is facing but he has denied any wrongdoing and all of them.
With temperatures are sizzling as prime tourism season arrives in Europe, how holidaymakers and residents alike are now trying to cope with extreme heat, which threatens and which will become doesn't threaten any more. This is the new normal.
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VAUSE: Welcome back. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN Newsroom. Another day of sweltering heat, temperatures soaring into the 40s in the coming hours in Southern Europe. Forecast to say next month could be even worse. More now from CNN's Barbie Nadeau reporting in from a sweltering Rome.
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BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Summer is here. But across Europe, people are battling the extreme heat just to keep cool. Spain, Italy and Greece are just some of the countries that have been battling the blistering sun for days already. In Italy, authorities issued extreme health warnings, saying that even hotter temperatures are yet to come. And even for locals, it's sweltering.
FEDERICO BRATTI, ROME RESIDENT (through translator): This is not normal. I don't remember such intense heat, especially at this time of year.
NADEAU (voice-over): But that didn't stop people from trying to catch a glimpse of the Pope. As priests, nuns, locals and tourists filled out St. Peter's Square, dancing around in the heat. One priests from the Democratic Republic of Congo compared Italy son to be hotter than Africa.
FRANCOIS MBEMBA, PRIST FROM DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (through translator): The heat goes on well into the night and sometimes we even find it hard to sleep.
NADEAU (voice-over): In Rome zoo, it's feeding time, and workers are giving animals frozen fruits as treat to help keep them cool, a welcome break during the heatwave. [01:30:05]
Over in Spain, it was a long night for firefighters, battling a wildfire in the Canary Islands raging in a dry wooded area. Emergency workers are however not losing hope.
JOSE FERNANDEZ, LA PALMA FIREFIGHTER: It was a bit difficult, because of the shifting wind and the heat of the last day, but we are holding on
NADEAU (voice-over): Last week, tourists who braved Athens' did so while stopping by the fountains in Syntagma Square to cool down as temperatures rose about 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas.
These horses also felt the heat after being evacuated from their stables because of wildfires ripping through their homes.
After extreme heat caused nearly 62,000 deaths in Europe last year, meteorologists are warning that over the next few days, things could get worse in parts of Europe. and this intense and prolonged period of extreme heat could be the new norm.
Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN -- Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: An update now on 81 wildfires burning right now in Greece. At least four are considered to be major fires which forced 1,200 children to evacuate their summer camp.
Residents of a nursing home also had to be moved to safety. Crews arrived from Romania now to help fight the fires.
Heavy rainfall in South Korea has damaged dozens of cultural heritage sites, torrential rains have pummeled the country for days, leaving at least 41 temples and historic monuments with collapsed walls and damaged roofs. And the death toll from the rain-caused disasters has now reached 41.
Anna Coren reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Apocalyptic scenes in South Korea as an onslaught of torrential rain causes flooding and landslides, leaving more than 40 people dead and thousands in shelters.
In (INAUDIBLE) about 200 kilometers south of the capital Seoul, a landslide enveloped dozens of homes in mud, killing multiple people.
South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the area on Monday. He promised to mobilize all resources to help with the disaster, including the police and military.
Yoon also met with local residents made homeless, who are now gathering in a community shelter. He pledged to build new homes for those who had lost theirs.
KIM CHUN-JA, RESIDENT (through translator): People don't have a place to live. we are gathering here because we have to eat and we have to sleep.
COREN: The rains have pummeled central and southern regions of the country since Thursday. And another deluge is expected in the coming days.
On Saturday another disaster unfolded in the town of O-song (ph) about 130 kilometers south of Seoul. A levee broke and flooded a nearby underpass in just a few minutes.
17 vehicles were trapped including a bus and its passengers. The search has now ended after rescuers pulled out 14 bodies. Locals criticized the decision to keep the road open despite a flood warning.
South Korea's president blamed the failure of authorities to follow disaster response rules. And he warned that they need to do a lot more to prepare for the future.
YOON SUK YEOL, SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT (through translator): This kind of extreme weather event will become commonplace. We must accept climate change is happening and deal with it. The idea that extreme weather linked to climate change is an anomaly and can't be helped needs to be completely overhauled.
COREN: Yoon's words will echo with other world leaders, facing similar threats to their population as Asia, the U.S. and Europe suffer record breaking heat waves and severe flooding this summer.
Anna Coren, CNN -- Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Europe is making a major investment in Latin America and the Caribbean to counter the growing influence of Russia and China. During a summit in Brussels, Team Europe committed more than $50 billion to the so-called CELAC region and the New Global Gateway Program which includes 130 projects on both sides of the Atlantic involving clean energy, health, and education.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES MICHEL, EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT: Climate change is grabbing our planet by the throat and our planet is fighting for every breath. Boiling temperatures, raging wildfires, massive floods, countries on your continent and ours, threatened by dramatically rising sea levels like the Caribbean. And together we need to act urgently and decisively.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The two-day summit is the first of its kind in eight years, involves dozens of E.U. leaders and multiple heads of state from the CELAC region. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GABRIEL BORIC, CHILEAN PRESIDENT: What I hope from the summit is to strengthen our relationships with the countries that share our values, democracy and an unwavering support for human rights in a changing world.
[01:34:51]
BORIC: From Chile, we will seek a new level of agreement that is not only focused on trade and economy, but also social between Latin America, and the European Union.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Still to come on CNN, GDP is no longer G-O-D in China, at least that is the case for leader Xi Jinping is his name. And what that means for relations with the U.S., for the economy and for the rest of the world in a moment.
Also, one of China's top diplomats hasn't been seen publicly in weeks prompting a lot of speculation over his whereabouts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SABRINA SINGH, DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: In response to a number of recent alarming events in the Strait of Hormuz, the Secretary of Defense has ordered the deployment of the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, F-35 fighters, and F-16 fighters to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to defend U.S. interests and safeguard freedom of navigation in the region.
We call upon Iran to immediately cease these destabilizing actions that threaten the free flow of commerce through the strategic waterway of which the world depends on for more than one-fifth of the world's oil supply.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: This move by the U.S. to deploy fighter jets and a Navy destroyer comes after two incidents earlier this month in which an Iranian Navy ship attempted to seize merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.
In one incident Iranian personnel opened fire on an oil tanker, that ship was hit. Officials say U.S. air and naval forces are working together in monitoring the waterway.
The U.S. climate envoy John Kerry is holding another round of talks in China aimed at restarting climate negotiations between the world's two biggest polluters.
Kerry has been meeting with the Communist Party's foreign policy chief Wang Yi and said the world is looking at the United States and China for leadership.
Wang says he believes they can find a proper solution to any problem, with equal dialogue and communication.
The timing of the talks could not be more appropriate with both the United States and China continue (ph) or experiencing even extreme heat.
Meantime, Beijing is trying to keep its economic recovery on track despite a dismal second quarter this year with less than 1 percent growth from April to June. The year began strong, thanks to the lifting of pandemic restrictions, but those effects are now waning as an economist with Moody's Analytics says more severe stimulus actions are needed from Beijing. Some analysts though say the government is unlikely to deliver any aggressive stimulus packages because of worries over growing debt.
Rana Foroohar is CNN's global economic analyst as well as a global business columnist and associate editor for the "Financial Times". Glad to have you with us.
RANA FOROOHAR, CNN'S GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: Ok. So here is how Beijing is spinning the latest economic data. Listen to this.
[01:39:46]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FU LINGHUI, CHINESE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STATISTICS SPOKESPERSON (through translator): Although the Chinese economy faces increasingly complex and challenging external environment and domestic development pressure, it's fundamental strength and its advantage characterized by resilience, great potential, and vitality remain unchanged for the long term.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Yes, but the here and now doesn't look really good, does it? There's not a lot of good in these numbers from China.
FOROOHAR: There really aren't. I mean, you know, to be fair, China is still the biggest growth contributor as a whole globally, but you know, China slows down, boy does it slow down.
And as we know it's been going through a massive debt crisis. It is trying to make a major transition in its economy, you know, from really being a kind of a poor to a struggling middle class country to really being (INAUDIBLE). That is something that very few Asian nations have accomplished. And it's trying to do that all at a time when the global geopolitical situation is changing radically.
We've got decoupling, de-risking, venturing, whatever you want to call it, none of this is really good for China. So there is a complicated situation in Beijing right now. VAUSE: And it seems every leader since Deng Xiaoping, you know, the
architect of modern China has really fixated on the economic growth numbers. There's always been sort of a constellation -- the economy needed to grow at a certain clip to ensure social stability.
Here is how it worked when I was there back in 2008.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: On paper, economic growth is still strong. 9 percent last quarter, perhaps 6 percent this quarter according to some analysts.
But to continue to create millions of new jobs and to improve wages and living standards, the break-even point is 8 percent. Anything less could mean trouble for Beijing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: But Xi Jinping doesn't define economic success in terms of quarterly GDP numbers. He's saying (INAUDIBLE) self sufficiency in high tech industries and other strategic areas. So you know it's easy not to care about the GDP numbers when they're good and strong but can he hold his nerves if they continue to tank.
FOROOHAR: Well, let's just step back and say in some ways you know a 6 percent, 8 percent -- I mean Chinese GDP numbers are always a little bit up for grabs. The key point here what you're very much landing on is that it used to be that growth mattered more than anything.
But in Xi's China, loyalty matters, security matters, self-sufficiency matters. You know, we saw back in 2015, the roll out of the China 2025 plan which said look, we want to be independent on western technology in the next 10 or 15 years. That is the goal now, whatever the cost.
The question in my mind is if China is becoming more economically insecure, if people don't feel that sense of upward mobility, does the social contract (ph) fray. What does that look like? Does it make Xi, you know, more nationalistic, and more willing to stir up trouble outside China's quarters which is often the path that is pursued by autocratic nations that are in economic trouble.
VAUSE: Yes, and you touch on this, you know, on the leadership positions because there was op-ed written for the Council on Foreign Relations making the point about Xi promoting to the most senior positions these leadership appointments, they write. As well as Xi's speech to the Congress last year, the 20th Communist Party Congress -- indicate that major decisions and China will now place more emphasis on politics, particularly loyalty, says Xi, rather than on economic outcomes.
You know, the U.S. has always had a certain amount of leverage over China with tariffs and sanctions and that kind of stuff, which could be used to punish bad behavior. Has that leverage of the influence -- has it diminished or will it be diminished even further?
FOROOHAR: That's a great question. I think we're at a really important inflection point right now. Under the Trump administration, you saw tariffs put down. Under the Biden administration, they've been capped and really in some ways fuel has been added to the fire with capital restrictions, export bans.
We're now seeing China push back a little bit. You know, it is almost one step forward, two steps back. You see, you know, meetings with Janet Yellen and a sense that well, maybe we are de-escalating. And then you see more stringent trade rules around rare earth minerals for example which are important for the clean energy transition trying to dominate those.
I think that we don't know yet how the U.S.-China decoupling situation is going to play out but we are for sure in a bipolar world if not a tripolar world with the U.S. and China, on either side, and Europe very uncomfortably squeezed in the middle.
VAUSE: A lot of analysts came out on Monday in light of these trade numbers with expectations for what China -- what they believe China will do. Over at Goldman Sachs the analysts are saying "to counteract persistent growth headwinds, we expect more targeted easing measures in the coming months with the focus on fiscal, housing, and consumption."
Over at Moody's Analytics for instance are expecting monetary policy easing in the coming months. Are they going to get it. Will they be disappointed? Is this the road that, you know, China will head down?
[01:44:55]
FOROOHAR: You know, all of that fancy language really comes down to more spending and more debt. You have a government-driven growth model. You have the government spending to push -- try and push consumption.
But I wonder frankly if China isn't entering a sort of a Japanese-type phase where there is an expectation that growth is flowing and consumption then drops and that makes debt burdens harder to deal with. And tax revenues are down.
And you know, it is a difficult, difficult period right now for China. It is trying to make a sort of a titanic turn in its economy at a time when the rest of the world, you know, the U.S. included may go into recession, and the geopolitical situation that has made China rich, is ending. So it is a tough moment, to say the least.
VAUSE: Yes it is a whole different chapter, it seems. Like it's a whole new world out there. Certainly --
FOROOHAR: Indeed.
VAUSE: -- it's the case for the last 20 years.
Rana, as always, great to have you with us. Thank you.
FOROOHAR: Thank you. VAUSE: In recent weeks we've seen a flurry of diplomatic activity
between Beijing and Washington with negotiations at the highest level to try and improve relations. And yet, there's been no sign in public of China's foreign minister.
The government blames health reasons for his surprising absence. But with more on that, we get more details from CNN's Will Ripley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There are a few reasons why the disappearance of Qin Gang, China's foreign minister, is really sparking so much mystery, so much speculation, really rampant rumors across China.
That is because one, he was or is China's second highest diplomat after Wang Yi. He spent his whole career working as a diplomat. He was promoted to the foreign minister post last December after working as the Chinese ambassador to the U.S. He was a well-known voice in Washington, speaking on behalf of Beijing's interest, even in an aggressive tone that made him unpopular with a lot of other diplomats from -- certainly from the West.
He was a trusted aide though of the Chinese Leader Xi Jinping and that's the reason why he was installed into this important position because Xi, when he received that unprecedented presidential term, a third presidential term, he essentially surrounded himself, analysts say, with an echo chamber of yes men. And Qin Gang was believed to be one of them.
He met with Blinken, the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken during his visit to Beijing in June. He was last seen in public on June 25th when he met with Russia's deputy foreign minister.
This absence is incredibly noteworthy given the flurry of diplomatic activity that he has missed during the (INAUDIBLE) that he's been disappeared. He missed meetings with Janet Yellen and John Kerry, two top U.S. officials.
And last week China's ministry of foreign affairs only offered the explanation that there's health reasons -- were the reason why he has been absent for so long. And then they said that China's diplomatic activities are continuing on as usual.
So that brief health reasons excuse some are calling it from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has a lot of people in China wondering what really happened. And there are all of these rumors online, rumors that are frankly driven by the real lack of transparency inside the government in Beijing.
You are talking about the Communist Party, and particularly Communist Party officials, under investigation where people disappeared and then maybe months before the world learns what happens.
Will Ripley, CNN -- Taipei. (END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: China has loudly complained about a visit by Taiwan's vice president to the United States, which the White House says is a transit stop and a personal trip. But Beijing calls it an ambush.
On Monday, the foreign ministry of Beijing said China stand rock-solid in opposing any ambush visit by Taiwan separatist forces to the U.S.
It goes on, "We oppose the U.S. condoning and supporting the Taiwan separatist forces and their separatist acts."
The ministry also urged the U.S. to abide by the One-China Principle which says do not involve in China's internal affairs.
The vice president is expected to make a stop next month while on his way to Paraguay. The visit comes as the Biden administration is trying to improve diplomatic relations with Beijing, over and over again, with Beijing.
Still to come, another groundbreaking drug which slows the progression of Alzheimer's could get U.S. approval sometime this year. We'll tell you why that is a big deal.
Then, why knee injuries are becoming a spoiler for the women's World Cup. Hear from one sidelined superstar. Just ahead.
[01:49:08]
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VAUSE: A new medication which slows the progression of Alzheimer's could get U.S. approval later this year. (INAUDIBLE) made by Eli Lilly would be the second drug of its kind to hit the market in 2023 and would help millions suffering from the disease.
CNN's Meg Tirrell has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Experts are saying we're seeing perhaps more momentum in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, than really ever before.
The new results are on a drug called donanemab made by Eli Lilly and they follow the full approval of the drug Leqembi on July 6th which is the first drug ever proven to slow down the course of Alzheimer's disease -- that loss of memory and the ability to think clearly and perform daily tasks.
Now donanemab has shown in full phase three trial results presented at the Alzheimer's Conference in Amsterdam to slow down the progression of the disease by 35 percent.
Now trying to put that a different way, that was really an improvement of 4 to 7 months compared with placebo over an 18-month trial. And so this wasn't reversing the effects of the disease, or even
stopping the disease's progression, it was just slowing it down. But experts say this is really progress and perhaps just the beginning of hopefully even better treatments that may come along in the future.
Of course, there are side effects to think about with both of these medicines. They work by clearing the amyloid plaque buildup in the brain, associated with Alzheimer's disease. And that does come with side effects, specifically brain bleeding and brain swelling.
That was seen with donanemab in the trial. More than 20 percent of patients experienced this, most of that the company says was mild to moderate. But there were three patient deaths on donanemab attributed to that side effect. And so these are conversations that patients and doctors will have to have about the risks and benefits of this medicine. They say it is a very promising time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thanks to Meg Tirrell for that report.
Well, a powerful new ad is going viral ahead of the Women's Football World Cup, using visual effects to make viewers think they are watching the French national men's team, only to be proven so very, very wrong.
The clips are cut together with dramatic music and cheering fans to give the impression of the men's highlight reel. But as you just saw, it is eventually revealed that that was a women's team.
The ad from telecom company Orange shows that despite the vast pay disparity between the men's and women's side, the women well, they're just a skillful as the guys and probably play (INAUDIBLE).
When the World Cup kicks off on Thursday it will be missing some superstars, among them Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema who suffered an ACL injury while playing in the Champions League. Four members of her own club Arsenal are dealing with similar setbacks.
Miedema spoke with CNN's Christina Macfarlane about why ACL tears are so common and prevalent in the women's game.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN WORLD SPORT: You look at the stats alone, women being six times more likely to suffer an ACL than men. I mean the research and development just looking into that area is just not there. That must be so frustrating as a professional player even, you know, to know that there is not the attention that is required for this.
VIVIANNE MIEDEMA, DUCTCH FOOTBALL PLAYER: Yes it is. I mean it is difficult because I don't think it's ever been asked that before in the women's. I think you see it more in men football recently, probably also with an increase of the games.
But yes, we should have started this research about 20 years ago. And we would have probably been able to put a (INAUDIBLE) right now.
MACFARLANE: Do you think is we saw this slate of injury ACL in the men's game that the situation would be different? You know, there would be that research and development they are looking into this?
[01:54:59]
MIEDEMA: Absolutely. I think from clubs itself, I think from UEFA, from associations, I think everyone would jump straight on it. I mean, imagine having four ACLs with men's on either season there would be a massive thing about it. But I do also think because the women's game has grown, obviously like it's more visible, people are putting more attention to it. But I hope it's not this attention, my hope is in the end, like a financial injection as well and that all of us will benefit from it.
I think we need to spend into research, but for me what clubs should be doing right now, what national teams should be doing is spend directly into the medical team, because in the end research will give us a solution in maybe five or six years time where at least a financial change, or like changing the medical team might give us a solution right now.
MACFARLANE: Do you think football really truly understands women's bodies and the differences that exist between women and men's football?
MIEDEMA: No. I do not think football understands athletes, so I don't think they understand men's football either. I don't think they understand how much of physical or mental impact the game has on players. And I think we don't understand that sometimes it is about protection of players instead of getting them on the end or making it entertainment. Like in the end we are all people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: After that interview, FIFA told CNN that they take injury prevention seriously, and people have medical workshop ahead of the women's tournament. UEFA says it has already established an expert panel on women's health that has made ACL injuries a high priority.
Well, as we know, Paris is getting ready for next year's summer Olympics, part of the opening ceremonies will take place on water.
A flotilla will glide down Seine to the Eiffel Tower. A practice run took place on Monday. There it is, apparently.
Organizers are hoping this will give spectators a welcome to always remember, I hope it's more than that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THIERRY REBOUL, PARIS 2024 EVENTS AND CEREMONIES DIRECTOR: I want them to remember hundreds of thousands of people around this river, with a lot of -- all the athletes of the world, and welcomed them as they have never been welcomed before. (END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: They still have a year to fine tune it and get ready.
Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague Rosemary Church after a short break.
See you back here tomorrow.
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