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U.S. Soldier Detained In North Korea After Crossing Border; Trump Says He Is A Target In U.S. 2020 Election Probe; Michigan AG Charges 16 False Electors for 2020 Plot; Wildfires Spread Across Greece Switzerland; Thai Court Suspends Pita As MP As Parliament Votes On New Premier; Russia Launches Hellish Second-Night Attack On Ukraine's Odesa. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired July 19, 2023 - 01:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:24]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead here on CNN, right into the hands of the North Koreans. A U.S. soldier ports across the heavily fortified DMZ. But why?

The legal hits keep coming for Donald Trump, the 45th presidential the United States facing imminent criminal charges for his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. And we're having a heatwave, a global heat wave and what is likely a sneak peek of much worse to come.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.

VAUSE: Thank you for joining us here on CNN Newsroom. We begin this hour in North Korea, where according to the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and the head of us Indo-Pacific Command, a U.S. soldier Private Second Class Travis King is being held up to willfully and without authorization, crossing over the DMZ, the demilitarized zone, the heavily fortified de facto border, which separates North and South Korea.

Private King had been released from detention in South Korea on assault charges and were set to fly back to the U.S. to face further disciplinary action. But according to U.S. officials, once his military escort departed from the airport so did King, somehow joining a tour bus which traveled to the border village of Panmunjom in the Joint Security Area of the DMZ and from there, he bought it into the North.

U.S. officials say so far there is no indication he is a North Korean sympathizer or was trying to defect. But all of this comes at a very tense time between North Korea, South Korea and the US. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout following all this live from Hong Kong.

So, what more do we know about maybe a motive here and what's been done to try and get him back. KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As he pointed out he was facing disciplinary action by the U.S. military. He crossed the border on his own accord. This incident took place on Tuesday. This U.S. soldier broke away from a Toro group and crossing North Korea willfully and without authorization.

The U.N. Command said that it's working with the North Korean military to resolve this incident. And separately earlier today, North Korea fired two short range ballistic missiles so tension on the Korean peninsula is high.

And we're learning more about the U.S. soldier. He is Army Private Travis king in his early 20s. He was not in uniform when he voluntarily crossed into North Korea. King spent 50 days in a detention facility in South Korea for assault involving at least one South Korean national. Again he was facing disciplinary action by the U.S. military. He was set to be separated from the U.S. Army.

A U.S. official told CNN that King was being escorted to the airport to go back to the U.S. but because the escorts weren't able to go through customs with them. King was able to leave the airport and King litter crossed into North Korea during a tour of the Joint Security Area or JSA.

And I want to show you footage that we have of the JSA. Let's bring it up for you. It's located inside the DMZ. This is the highly fortified border separating the two Koreas. The tour is organized by the EU and command. It's open to the public.

And while there are checkpoints to actually get into the JSA, the border between North and South Korea is only as you could see there in that photo that took place in 2019. It's only a small race line on the ground. As you recall former U.S. President Donald Trump when he met with the North Korean leader Kim Jong- Un there and the JSA in June of 2019 he stepped across that very line.

Now, during a JSA tour participants, they are kept about 20 yards away from the line. But we also know that there are no guards on the South Korean side of the border. And when CNN took the tour last year, no guards were seen on the North Korean side.

Now the border crossing incident it comes at a time of high tension. This year North Korea has fired around a dozen missiles, including long range ICBMs endless say are capable of reaching continental United States and earlier this morning North Korea fire to ballistic short range missiles into its waters off its eastern coast that happened just hours a U.S. ballistic missile submarine arrived in port in South Korea for the first time in decades. And now Pyongyang has a U.S. soldier in custody. This is a very tense time a very sensitive time. Back to you, John.

VAUSE: Kristie, thank you. Kristie Lu Stout live for us there in Hong Kong.

[01:05:00[ Well the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea is also known as No Man's Land Truce Village or just simply the DMZ. For closer look, CNN's Richard Quest was there a few months ago, he filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The two countries are separated by the DMZ, the demilitarized zone, a no man's border, two and a half miles wide, stretching 160 miles.

I'm heading to the very heart of the zone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The red placards indicate the presence of mines.

QUEST: The Joint Security Area, correctly called the Truce Village. Here the U.S. and South Koreans maintain a major base with the North Korean military just over there.

QUEST (on camera): Really surreal, those gray stones actually melt the border. These gentlemen are really here to make sure we stay on the path. I like that.

QUEST (voiceover): The South and the North are technically still at war. So this is a real military border. And despite the seeming quietness, one of the most tense places on Earth, even this neutral meeting place, straddling north and south is designed to make sure there are no misunderstandings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These microphones are on and they are broadcasting to both sides at all times. Please don't lean on a furniture or touch anything, but you're welcome to take some pictures.

QUEST: When then-President Trump walked across the line, he added his own bit of history to a border rife with symbolism.

QUEST (on camera): So that is the line of demarcation between the North and South. President Trump crossed. I can walk across in here because it's international agreement. But if I was outside, that would not be allowed.

There is just an absolute feeling of what if what if I suddenly made a run for it when they stopped me or whatever they came out? And what if?

LT. JOHN PAUL MULLIGAN, UNITED STATES NAVY: You're running across, that'd be an incident for sure. So they are well trained to stop that. And most of the soldiers that are stationed up here and black belts in one or multiple martial arts because you can't be armed in the JSA. But, you know, hands only. So I personally wouldn't risk it.

For me working out here feels very surreal. But I know the consequences of what we do are very real.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: CNN's Richard Quest there with that report.

Now soon it will be three. Donald Trump's almost certainly indicted in the coming days for a third time this year. The already twice indicted twice impeached, one term president says he was informed by Special Counsel Jack Smith, that he's the target of a criminal investigation into Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

A grand jury continues to hear from witnesses including a close Trump advisor who is expected to appear on Thursday. Trump's legal team has not formally responded to an invitation to testify before the grand jury, but it's mostly expected he would. CNN's Paula Reid has more now reporting in from Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, early Tuesday, former President Trump announced that he had received a target letter in the special counsel's investigation into January 6, and this announcement came just hours before his attorneys were expected in court in Florida for the special counsels other investigation into the mishandling of classified documents at his Mar- a-Lago resort.

It was interesting. This hearing in Florida was the first time that prosecutors and defense attorneys appeared before Judge Eileen Cannon. She's the Trump appointed judge who will oversee this prosecution. And all eyes were on the judge to see just how receptive she was going to be to the Trump team strategy of trying to delay any possible trial until after the 2024 election.

I was in court for about two hours for this hearing. And it was clear that Judge Cannon was amenable to the strategies she thought that the special counsels suggestion they do this case, but this case on trial in December, that that was a quote compressed timeline. She said look, cases like this, they take more time.

Now both sides were arguing about Trump's status as a candidate for the presidency, and the extent to which that impacts the timing of a possible case. Now, his lawyers insists that this case is unusual, would only be fair to do it after the election. But prosecutors said look, he's not President just because he's running for president doesn't mean you shouldn't be treated any differently than any other quote, busy, important American.

But notably the judge, she didn't seem interested in getting into this issue of his candidacy. She was focused on how long it was going to take the lawyers to do the work necessary to get this closer to trial. And you can expect that if the former president is charged in Washington in connection with you January 6, they will likely pursue a similar strategy trying to delay any possible trial at least until the 2024 election.

Paula Reid, CNN, Fort Pierce, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:10:12]

VAUSE: Joey Jackson is a CNN legal analyst and a criminal defense attorney. And it is good to see it's been a while.

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Thank you, John. Good to be here.

VAUSE: OK, so let's start with some of the basics here. That's why you're here. You're the lawyer. You know, I mentioned it's never a good day when anyone receives a target letter from a special prosecutor means investigators believe they have sufficient evidence for any charges.

But if you're a prosecutor, and you're bringing charges against a former President, does that term sufficient evidence take on a whole new meaning in terms of setting a really high bar here?

JACKSON: Yes, John, it's a great question. And the answer is as follows. Absolutely, yes. Why? Because you would think that everyone's created equally and no person is beyond or above the law. But if you're coming after a president, you have to be absolutely certain. All right, it's certainly as you can be as the facts and the evidence would allow that there's been a crime committed.

And so just very briefly, what happens is, is a grand jury is convened. What is a grand jury? It's a panel consisting of 23 people. They are not Grand Jurors deciding guilt or innocence. They're simply making two determinations. Number one is there reason to believe that a crime was committed. And number two is the subject of the grand jury proceeding, in this case, the target, the one who committed them.

And so clearly, they as in prosecutors believe that the evidence they presented is sufficient. They're ready to vote out in indictment. That's what grand jurors do. They indict by a simple majority, right. I mentioned 23-12 are necessary for an indictment. So that's low in and of itself, but the grand jurors are instructed by prosecutors with respect to the law and what they're bringing forward.

After prosecutors now believe they're secure in getting an indictment, they will send that target letter to the individual, in this case, the President that they believe to be criminally responsible. And of course, the President could if he would like present himself before the grand jury, that's not likely to happen. Defense attorneys like me do not like our clients to appear before the grand jury, probably because you're going to get indicted anyway. And anything you say in the grand jury can be used against you.

So yes, the bar I think in this case is significantly high. But I think prosecutors through the Department of Justice, the federal prosecutors believe they have enough meat on the bone to move forward and indict the president.

VAUSE: So just very quickly, so charges against Trump are probably imminent, what are those charges likely to be doing?

JACKSON: In this case I think they're going to look at the run up to the interference in the way that he may have attempted to undermine the democracy of the United States. What does that mean? I think they'll look at and have looked at the grand jury and prosecutors, what meetings the President had in December, and in January, right after the election, if not prior to that, who were those meetings with? Was he trying, in fact to subvert the election? How was he trying to do that? Was he obstructing in any way? Did he engage in fraud in any way? Was he trying to get fake electors? Did he engage in any conspiracies? So all of that will be significant.

And then finally, John, you know, of course, January 6, there was many believe in insurrection right against the country. That's the date that the Congress was convening of the United States to certify the election. What if any role that Mr. Trump had in that, and I think you could see charges emanating from that prosecutors believe that he really precipitated the conduct that was behaved in by so many on that day. So believe me, there are plenty of federal charges to speak up, if you look at all the events that I just outlined.

VAUSE: And Donald Trump seems to be doing his absolute best to insert politics into each and every legal case, which he is facing. So with that in mind, listen to how some of his supporters on Capitol Hill are trying to spin all of this, here they are.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every time they indict him. His numbers go up.

TROY NEHLS, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: Donald Trump's the leader of our party, and Donald Trump is going to be Joe Biden in 2024, for a second time. Why are they doing everything they can to prevent him from being on the ballot in 2024? I'll tell you why. Because Donald Trump will win in 2024. And the left just they're scared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So what I don't understand if this is all about beating Trump in 2024. And they say, you know, Trump's numbers go up with each indictment. And that is true. Trump has invented the indictment bump in polling, then why would the indictments keep coming if they were driven by nothing other than political motivation to? This just doesn't add up to me.

JACKSON: Yes, John, it's a great question. And here's the answer. The answer is, is that of course, an indictment relates to a criminal proceeding in a court of law, and in that criminal proceeding in a court of law that we know will be forthcoming because the President's not pleading guilty to anything. There's where you have facts and evidence and documents and witnesses.

What we just saw was political theater, which is separate and apart from courts, so you have to spend the politics in a day way then you spend the legal.

[01:15:00]

And I think the way that the President has decided through, of course, his people, his surrogates who are going out there is by creating the narrative. He's the victim. This is just to prevent him from becoming President. This is unfair. This is not something that should be done. This is all political spin.

I think prosecutors certainly believe otherwise. They believe they have the evidence, they -- believe they have the goods. And if no person is above the law, then certainly you have an obligation job as a prosecutor to proceed and to go wherever the facts, the evidence, and the law takes you. And in this case, it looks like an imminent indictment is where this is going.

VAUSE: Joey Jackson is always a pleasure, sir. Good to see you. And thank you.

JACKSON: Thank you, John.

VAUSE: The effort to overturn the election by the Trump team and his supporters was multipronged, including an effort in seven U.S. states including Michigan, to send fake electors to Washington January 6 to certify results in favor of Trump and undermine the Electoral College.

On Tuesday, 16 people were charged in Michigan accused of participating in that fake electors plot. They're all facing eight felony counts with up to 14 years in jail, including charges of forgery for allegedly signing certificates falsely claiming Trump won that state and they were the rightful electors.

The group includes current and former state Republican officials or Republican National Committee member sitting there, and Trump's voters who also filed frivolous lawsuits attempting to overturn the election results.

Soaring temperatures across southern Europe prompted an EU Red Alert, covering most of Italy, southern Spain, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Rome set a new record high 41.8 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, and wildfires fueled by the heatwave have spread across Greece and Switzerland. Will details now from CNN meteorologist Chad Myers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, the heat is certainly on in the northern hemisphere, and we'd expected it because it's summer. But there are heat domes, intelli-connected (ph) ways across the western part of the United States, the western part of the Atlantic, all of the European countries, especially southern Europe, and then back out here into parts of Asia.

If you're under the ridge of high pressure, that line you see there's the Jetstream. If you're under that south of that, then all of a sudden you are going to be in some very hot weather. If you're north of it, you're going to be a little bit cooler. Of course, that's how it all works.

But taking you back all the way to July 3rd, the July of 2023 has been a above all the other months. In fact, all the way above the old record high setting you back into 2016. So look at this Persian Gulf International Airport, the heat index was 152 degrees, almost unbearable for most and we're going to be hot again for today. Hot again for tomorrow. This isn't going to change very much. Temperatures are going to be approaching 50 degrees in Kuwait City a little drier there.

But for Rome 41.8, the new all-time record for July, that was just broken last July. So again, one degree higher than the old record there in Rome, and it's going to be hot over the next couple of days.

Northwestern Europe, you're in awesome shape. It's cooler than normal. You're not part of that heat dome, that I talked about very, very cool weather there. Windy and cold in some spots. If you watched any of the Scottish Open.

Here's the forecast for some fires here around Athens as well. We've talked about that over the last couple of days. Rome, you're going to begin to cool down from the 40s down into the 30s. I think really though, for Greece, for Athens, you're not going to cool down much you're still going to be above 40 well above your normal high.

Rome, you should be 32. You'll be 38 cooling slightly in the middle of the week, but not below normal. And then here the heat dome for the United States excessive heat warnings all the way for millions, tens of millions of people in the heat dome category here from Death Valley to Vegas to Palm Springs into Phoenix, all 10 to 15 degrees above normal for the next couple of days.

Try to stay cool. Make sure the pets the people and your property are taken care of.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Thank you for that Chad. Now, China's southern provinces are being battered by the remnants of Typhoon Talim. The storm is expected to weekend after making a second landfall on Tuesday. Tens of thousands of people evacuated high ground a bit ongoing rescue operations.

Meanwhile, in India, floodwaters have reached the outer walls of the Taj Mahal the country's most popular tourist attraction. Local media reports say the monument itself though, is not at risk.

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry meeting for a second day with senior Chinese officials in Beijing. Well, live to Hong Kong, CNN's Anna Coren standing by. Of course, you know, John Kerry arrives there with a lot of weight, a lot of history. So what sort of success has he had so far of these two days?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, his made some serious inroads on this trip which we'll wrap up later today.

[01:20:00]

Kerry said that the mood is very, very positive. And while talks have been complex have also been constructive. In meeting with China's Vice President Han Zheng this morning, Kerry said climate change is a universal threat, that should be treated as a free standing challenge requiring the efforts of the two largest economies and two largest polluters to resolve.

Now, Han said that, China and the US will issue a joint statement and that will send a positive signal to the world and he praised Kerry for facilities -- for facilitating this close communication and dialogue with China.

As we know, Kerry is not your average U.S. diplomat. He's a U.S. -- was a US presidential Democratic nominee. He was the U.S. Secretary of State under President Obama and he is well liked by Chinese officials.

And while meeting with China's top diplomat Wang Yi and Premier Li Chang yesterday, they both referred to him as an old friend. Kerry said and let me read it to you after his meeting today. He said, if we can come together over these next months leading up to COP28, he's referring to the U.N. Climate Summit in November in Dubai, which will be the most important since Paris, we will have an opportunity to be able to make a profound difference on this issue.

Now the Paris reference is the agreement signed in 2015 to keep global warming below two degrees Celsius of pre-industrial temperatures.

Now, on this trip, Kerry has called on China to curb expansion of coal plants and reduce its use of methane. China, you know, has always pushed back on this saying that, you know, it needs fossil fuels to develop its economy.

Overnight, the Chinese leader Xi Jinping he weighed in, let me read to you what he said, the dual-carbon goal we have committed to his firm and unshakable but the method and path. The pace and intensity of achieving this goal should and must be determined by ourselves and never subject to the influence of others wondering if that's a dig at John Kerry.

Now, China has pledged to level off carbon emission by 2030 and carbon become carbon neutral by 2060. The U.S. and European Union, you know, pushing for China to adopt more ambitious targets. John.

VAUSE: They do breathe as they bear we do, right, there in the same climate.

COREN: They do.

VAUSE: Anna, thank you. Anna Coren in Hong Kong. Appreciate that.

El Salvador has recorded a magnitude 6.5 earthquake Tuesday night. While there were no immediate reports of damage about 750,000 people did experience strong shaking, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. More like Tremors were felt by more than 10 million people across a number of countries.

Ahead on CNN Newsroom. Israel's President visits the White House, increasing tensions between the Biden administration and Israel's far right wing coalition government led by Benjamin Netanyahu who still isn't made by him. Plus, our teams in Odesa witnessed firsthand how Ukrainian air

defenses are destroying incoming Russian missiles. Very latest on the board in Ukraine back in 90 seconds.

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[01:25:17]

VAUSE: The leading candidate to be the next Prime Minister of Thailand has been suspended from parliament. Election Commission accuses Pita Limjaroenrat leader of the Move Forward Party, violating election laws for holding shares in a media company.

This is Bangkok right now. 25 past 12 in the afternoon. This is live images there and we can see he is still there in Parliament. His party actually won the most number of seats in May elections. And lawmakers are voting at this hour for the second time in a week on his bid to be Prime Minister.

He's 42 years old at Harvard graduate and has pledged to soften the kingdom strict royal defamation laws. That move is opposed by the very powerful military establishment. We'll continue to evolve the situation but the latest as it happens.

The second night of Russian airstrikes on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, according to Ukrainian military officials that air defense systems have intercepted and destroyed a number of cruise missiles and what appears to be an ongoing assault.

Moscow says the airstrikes are retaliation for a Ukrainian attack on the Kirch Bridge, which connects illegally Russian occupied Crimea to Russia proper. Ukrainian officials say the capital Kyiv also being targeted by Russian airstrikes.

Meantime on the frontlines, Ukrainian military leaders are urging patients that anyone expecting quick results in their counteroffensive. They say Ukrainian forces are making progress and they are creating conditions for advancing further in the south. And on that top U.S. General agrees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK MILLEY, CHAIRMAN OF THE U.S. JOINT CHIEDS OF STAFF: It started about five or six weeks ago, and the various War Games that were done ahead of time that predicted certain levels of advance. And that is slow down. Why? Because that's a definitely war on paper and real war.

These are real people in real machines that are out there really clearing real minefields and they're really dying. It is far from a failure. In my view, I think that it's way too early to make that kind of call. I think there's a lot of fighting left to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Meantime, Western officials are grappling with how to provide Ukraine with more military assistance as its fighters suffer critical ammunition shortages.

More of the Russian airstrikes in Odesa, CNN's Alex Marquardt reports on the link gap between the airstrikes and the end of a deal till our exports of grain from Ukraine via the Black Sea.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): An extraordinary display of firepower as Ukrainian air defenses furiously tried to fend off a major Russian air assault. It was the second night in a row that Ukraine's biggest port city Odesa came under Russian drone and cruise missile attack.

Tracer rounds soaring into the sky, some appearing to make contact as the sky glowed. The second night's barrage significantly larger than the first as multiple enormous blasts echoed across the city on Wednesday before dawn. So violent they made car alarms go off.

It was a city still rattled. When top Biden administration officials Samantha Power, the head of U.S. Development Agency USAID arrived in the Odesa port on Tuesday. In an exclusive interview, she blasted Russia's decision to pull out of the Grain Deal.

SAMANTHA POWER, ADMINISTRATOR, UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: The idea that Putin would play roulette with the hungriest people in the world at the time of the greatest food crisis in our lifetimes is just deeply disturbing.

MARQUARDT: So are you still optimistic that the Russians can be brought back in?

POWER: It is going to require pressure not only from the United States and the United Nations, but from those countries in Sub-Saharan Africa who will suffer most from the higher grain and oil prices?

MARQUARDT: The Russia complaint has been that this has been one sided. Ukraine has been the only ones who have benefited from this that they haven't been able to export their foodstuffs, their fertilizer. What do you make of that argument?

POWER: Sanctions have not been imposed on Russian food and fertilizer, the idea that Russia should benefit from a deal designed to undo the effects of Russia's cruel and inhuman blockade against a sovereign country is absurd.

MARQUARDT (voiceover): Power announced the U.S. would be giving another $250 million to help Ukrainian agriculture and investment she argues will help stabilize global food prices as the Russian onslaught continues.

Overnight, an Odesa resident was trapped under a collapsed house after it was struck by a cruise missile. He's alive, a man says. He's breathing. Just one person was hurt in the more than two hours Russian attack on this city.

[01:30:03] The military practice firing on a would-be Russian target at sea, preparing for all kinds of attacks that with or without the green deal Power says will continue.

POWER: You are a bully and an aggressor. It is always easier to lob missiles and send drones at civilian infrastructure. So I think we absolutely should expect the worse from the Russian Federation as it continues to struggle on the battlefield.

MARQUARDT (voiceover): The Kremlin had said that Tuesday's attack on Odessa and elsewhere in the south was a retaliatory strike for Ukraine's attack on the Kerch Bridge which connects Russia to illegally-annexed Crimea.

According to Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Moscow is still looking at other ways to respond even further.

Alex Marquardt, CNN -- Odessa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well, weeks after the short-lived, open revolt against the Kremlin the mercenary fighters it seems they're now on the move.

CNN has analyzed satellite images and social media video showing at least three Wagner convoys, moving west towards Belarus and what appears to be an abandoned military base.

More details now from CNN's Clare Sebastian.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've been able to pinpoint to the hour, the arrival of a convoy of what we believe to be Wagner forces arriving at a military base in Belarus. This satellite image taken on Monday shows how just after 11:00 a.m. local time, you could see the line of trucks coming off the highway and towards the base itself.

And we've got another image taken exactly at the same time. It shows that the convoy is actually so long that part of it is already heading into that military base itself.

Now by just after 12:00 local time in another image, you can see these trucks part of that convoy parked up inside the military base.

How do we know that these trucks are likely Wagner troops? Well several videos have surfaced on social media. This one on Monday, showing a line of parked trucks on a highway flying the Wagner flag.

Now by closely matching the number and types of trucks in that video to the satellite image, we were able to establish that it is very likely the same convoy that has now arriving at that base.

This is the second video showing what appears to be the same convoy and this one, we have been able to geo-locate to Belarus on the highway just south of that military base. And it's not the only one.

At least two more videos have surfaced online showing different convoys also flying Wagner flags. And we have to located both of these. This is another one of two locations inside Russia, also on a plausible route to Belarus.

Here, you can see the locations of those three convoys. Here is number two in Russia, number three, and this is that first one close to the military base.

Now, why this all matters. If all of these convoys, each containing more than 90 vehicles arrive at this base, it signals a potentially sizeable concentration of Wagner forces inside Belarus.

Belarus says they're there to train its own army but neighboring countries are already worried Wagner may pose a regional security threat. And we know that Ukraine's border guard less than 300 kilometers away is watching closely the next move.

Clare Sebastian, CNN -- London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: 33 minutes past the hour, time for a short break. When we come back -- fire, flooding and extreme heat. The climate crisis wreaks havoc across Europe, Asia and southern U.S. We'll have the very latest forecast and a whole lot more in about two minutes.

[01:33:37]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Well the future is now with the climate crisis playing out in real time around the world.

In Colombia flash flooding in a small town southeast of Bogota has killed 14 people, including three children. Rescue crews are looking for survivors.

In India, floodwaters have reached the outer walls of the Taj Mahal, the country's most popular tourist attraction. According to local media reports, the monument itself is not in risk, at least for now.

Wildfires sparked by the heat wave in southern Europe are spreading across Greece and Switzerland. The E.U. is sending reinforcements to help with more than 500 firefighters battling the flames.

And in Canada, nearly 14,000 square kilometers have burned in British Columbia since April, making the worst wildfire season there on record.

Here in the U.S. more than 20 (INAUDIBLE) and cities tied or broke record high temperatures with the heat expected for days to come.

The appropriately named Death Valley in California is expecting a high of 121 degrees Fahrenheit or 49 degrees Celsius. Phoenix, Arizona will see 117 Fahrenheit for Wednesday. That is 47 degrees Celsius.

Over in the Middle East, sweltering as well. Highs on Tuesday, Kuwait City 48 degrees, Baghdad and Riyadh, 46 degrees.

And we should note it's not even 8:00 a.m. in southern Europe and already Athens is 29 degrees there, Madrid is looking at 26 degrees, and Rome is at 24 degrees there as well.

More now from CNN's Melissa Bell reporting in from Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY TODD, TOURIST: We didn't expect it to be as hot. We expected heat but not this much.

LAURA GUERRA, TOURIST GUIDE (through translator): We are holding on as best as we can, looking for places with air conditioning and staying well hydrated.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Europeans are feeling the heat. As temperatures reach blistering highs Italy, Greece, Spain, and Switzerland are just some of the countries already suffering the consequences.

In Switzerland, forest fires ripped through several mountain villages, as emergency services worked through the night to tackle the flames. Mobilizing at least 200 emergency workers to secure the safe evacuation of hundreds of people from their homes.

ADRIENNE BELLWALD, VALAIS CANTON POLICE SPOKESPERSON (through translator): Yesterday, we evacuated 205 people from (INAUDIBLE).

And as the wind was slowing down, we did not have to evacuate people from the other alps, luckily.

BELL: Over in Greece, firefighters tackled blazes spreading across for woodland areas near Athens and ordering thousands of residents to leave their homes.

It was some 62,000 people who died here in Europe last year as a result of the heat. And one meteorologist is warning that this time too, this heat wave we're going through could well prove to be an invisible killer not just in Europe but around the world.

Also warning that this may actually be the new normal.

JOHN NAIM, WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION: These events will continue to grow in intensity, and the world needs to prepare for more intense heat waves. And they will have quite serious impact on human health and livelihoods.

BELL: In Italy, there are 20 cities enduring what the health ministry describes as a heat wave and which involves high-risk conditions which lasts for three days or more.

That did not deter some from queuing to visit the Italian capital's Colosseum, with tourists doing what they could to try and keep cool.

ANDREAS DREAN, TOURIST: The first strategy, I guess, is finding places like this one, we're chilling out right now. I don't know, drink a lot of water.

BELL: Others felt the heat was dampening their holiday.

DALPHNA NIEBUHR, TOURIST: The heat is horrible. It's what -- it's making it kind of miserable. I'm ready to go back to my hotel instead of walking around.

[01:39:47]

BELL: Meanwhile, Spain is battling its third heat wave this year, with wildfires raging across the Canary Islands and authorities warning that temperatures are set to rise further still.

It is so much of the world that finds itself in the middle of a heat wave. And for some, there is nothing to do but bask in the sun and search for some much-needed pleasure.

Melissa bell, CNN -- Paris.

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VAUSE: Akshay Deoras is a research scientist at the University of Reading in England. He joins us now live from Nekwar (ph) in India. Sir, thank you for being with us.

So just to start with a very big picture here. The U.N. Weather Agency is making this point. The extensive and intense heat waves this year are alarming but not surprising. He goes, "Unfortunately, the conditions being observed are in accordance with projections from the intergovernmental panel on climate change."

In other words, this is all to be expected. So should we stop using the term "heat wave", because in many ways, it implies a finite period of time which is out of the ordinary, and at some point, the heat will end and temperatures will return to some of normal.

But normal is over, normal is gone. This is sort of a sneak peek of much worse to come. So maybe we should just stop using the term altogether and start calling it what it is. This is just the reality and it is set to get worse.

AKSHAY DEORAS, RESEARCH SCIENTIST, UNIVERSITY OF READING: Well, that's the thing, because if you look at what's happening in Phoenix, we are getting temperatures over 43 degrees Celsius straight away for 19 days in a row, and that has matched the previous record.

So specifically (ph), heat waves were supposed to be there for a couple of days, but now they are becoming more and more prolonged (ph). But that doesn't mean that the entire summer is going to be very hot because we will soon get this kind of (INAUDIBLE) weather it becomes very hot.

So I think we still need to use the word "heat wave" but at the same time, the most important part is that heat waves right now are changing. And we have just seen a wave of totally new battle of heat waves which are like very frequent, very prolonged and very intense, compared to what they were in the past.

VAUSE: In other words, what we're looking at here is sort of an upward spiking graph of in temperatures though, right?

DEORAS: That's correct. And that is just going into already dangerous territories. Because if you just look at what's happening this year, like June was already the hottest month on record for the entire globe. And July also is following the same track. So 2023 could be in fact the hottest year on record.

VAUSE: You are right.

Now thousands are still stranded in northern India because of flash flooding. Many rivers are overflowing there. But last month, only about 100 people died and I say that not lightly, but you know, because of a heat wave in India, it's a country of 1.4 billion people.

So you know, in terms of percentage, that's a pretty low death rate, compared to more than 60,000 who died last summer in Europe. So at this point, what can the rest of the world maybe learn from India on how to survive these soaring temperatures?

DEORAS: Well, that's a good question. India was lucky to have witnessed a very mild summer this year. But unfortunately, in June, when the monsoon was in, temperatures up in eastern India, killing hundreds of people.

But to be honest, if you look at the death rate in India during heat waves, it's still quite large. I think the problem is that the temperatures that we get in India are like, you know, mostly 40 or 45 degrees Celsius in the summer, which is what Europe is getting now. Other countries need to learn, I think in terms of the infrastructure, because in India if we just look at (INAUDIBLE) tracks, airports and everything, so that is designed to handle this kind of high temperatures.

But in terms of managing heat waves, I think not a single country is in a good position to do that because even if it's India or even if the U.S., we still get people dying because of heat waves.

VAUSE: Akshay Deoras in Nekwar, India thank you sir for being with us. Very much appreciate your time.

We'll take a short break here. But when we come back on CNN, the Israeli president is set to address the U.S. Congress in the coming hours. The bipartisan show of support for America's key ally in the Middle East. We have all those details in just a moment.

[01:43:45]

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VAUSE: In the coming hours, the Israeli president Isaac Herzog will address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress. That comes after meeting President Joe Biden Tuesday at the White House where both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to bringing stability to the Middle East. Meantime, protesters showed no sign of letting up in Israel of the

government's so called judicial reform. Part of the bill set to be voted into law next week will limit the Supreme Court's authority to overturn government decisions.

On Tuesday, highways and train stations were blocked by demonstrators.

Kenyan opposition leaders have called for three days of anti government protests beginning Wednesday. Schools in Nairobi and two other major cities will be closed in fears the protests might turn violent.

Demonstrators are protesting a slew of unpopular tax hikes the government claims will generate jobs and domestic revenue.

The protests turned deadly last week after clashes with security forces in areas close to Nairobi.

The U.N. says it's very concerned about widespread use of violence by police against protesters.

In the coming days, a U.N. salvage operation will attempt what has never been done before, safely transfer more than a million barrels of oil from an abandoned storage vessel off Yemen's to a salvage ship now moored alongside and in the process avoid a major ecological disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID GRESSLY, U.N. HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR FOR YEMEN: We believe, by the end of this week, we should be able to start seeing the first oil being pumped into this vessel to secure it for the first time in eight years and no longer represent a threat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Almost 40 years ago, Yemen's state-owned oil company converted a Japanese supertanker into a floating platform for storage and transfer of oil, and renamed the tanker FSO SAFER. But when civil war broke out in Yemen in 2015, the Safer came under control of Houthi rebel forces backed by Iran and was essentially abandoned.

And with no maintenance work over the past eight years, the structural integrity, equipment and operating systems are all decaying. U.N. officials warn a major leak or explosion is simply a matter of time.

The Safer has capacity of up to three million barrels of oil, but right now, it's holding less than half that, about 1.14 million barrels. (INAUDIBLE) if that was to leak, it will be four times the amount of oil which leaked during the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster, and would rank as the world's fifth worst oil leak from a tanker.

And with a clean up cost, according to the U.N. of around $20 billion, and recovery of fish stocks alone could take up to 25 years.

For more on how the U.N. plans to avoid that from happening, we are joined by Achim Steiner administrator for the United Nations Development Programme. Thank you very much for being with us.

ACHIM STEINER, ADMINISTRATOR, U.N. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME: Good to be with you John. Thank you.

VAUSE: Ok. So let's -- we'll talk about logistics in a moment because it's quite a challenge in and of itself. But this has been an incredible diplomatic challenge simply negotiating with all the warring factions in Yemen along with the Saudis, simply to get to this point to be able to pump the oil from this vessel. So tell me how difficult that has been?

STEINER: Oh, it is the very reason why the United Nations became in essence the vehicle for the international community but also for both sides in Yemen in the context of this conflict to be the platform on which to negotiate this.

And my colleague David Gressly who is our non-resident coordinating -- you just saw him earlier in your report -- has been leading the negotiations between Aden and Sana'a, the internationally-recognized government, and the so-called de facto authorities in Sana'a. So between Aden and Sana'a agreeing to reach out for diplomacy and (INAUDIBLE) ground work and the (INAUDIBLE) for this operation. And once that was agreed and they Secretary General authorized this operation, the UNDP was tasked with the implementation, which is really the whole organization that then followed.

But as you can imagine, even in the operation preparations -- public city (ph) and also lack of trust and doubts arose so it continues to (INAUDIBLE) to build a task and create a space, and also the conditions under which you are able to deploy such an operation and what is the fastest (ph) -- war zone, a conflict zone.

[01:50:00]

VAUSE: It is a conflict zone. There are still mines floating in the water which presents one challenge. And this week, pumping is expected to begin with oil from the Safer, on to its replacement vessel known as Nautica (ph).

How long is it that expected to take? What are the risks here in terms of something going wrong with the (INAUDIBLE) being precisely what everyone has tried to avoid in the first place, the oil leak?

STEINER: Well, one of the reasons why it has taken us months to prepare the logistics and also the tactical aspects of the replacement is precisely because of the high risks involved.

The tanker could break apart even during the process of pumping the oil off. So we had to do a lot of work with a salvage company that we specifically recruited for this process. We had to do an assessment of the structure integrity.

Another risk was an explosion, and therefore, the levels of inert gas inside the tanks had to be first of all tested because nobody had really done this for a period of 8 years. So in the last month, month and a half, a great deal of testing and preparations have to be done in order to mitigate these risks.

As we speak, we also have a consortium of insurance companies from all over the world, who we worked with over a five month period to negotiate a package of insurances. There have been trainings on land with local officials, in case there is an oil spill. A stand by aircraft with chemicals in case of a larger oil spill had to be arranged for these measures that, UNDP has been putting place over the last week or four months in order to bring the risks to a minimum.

And once the pumping of the oil starts, there are still some residual risks. But we believe that we have done everything possible to make it as safe as possible.

VAUSE: These are obviously very delicate days, very dangerous days ahead, and we wish you all the very best. Obviously, so much of this has never been tried before. And of course, the consequences are grave if you don't succeed. So we wish you all the very best of luck.

STEINER: Thank you, John.

VAUSE: And when we come back here on CNN, how an Israeli company says gene editing could prevent the needless killing of billions of male chicks a year.

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VAUSE: A British woman jailed under a Victorian era legislation for terminating her pregnancy has won an appeal and will be released from prison.

A judge ruled Carole Foster should serve a suspended sentence instead. According to media reports, the 45-year-old mother of three admitted to taking abortion medication when she was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant, which is after the U.K.'s legal limit.

The case sparked outrage and has reignited efforts to decriminalize abortion in the United Kingdom.

The United States is returning more than 100 trafficked antiquities to India. The Indian embassy in Washington says the relics represent the first regents and traditions of India dated as far back as the second century AD.

India says many of the items are linked to disgraced New York art dealer Sab Shakapur (ph). He was sentenced in November to ten years in prison by an Indian court for smuggling.

A more humane way of hatching chicks may be heading to the poultry industry. An Israeli company has developed gene editing technology which it says will prevent the killing of billions of male chicks every year.

Who else to explain the story but CNN's Anna Stewart.

[01:54:58]

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ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a girl! Well, in this laboratory, the males will not be coming out of their shells, only female chicks hatch here.

Females are preferred for their taste, egg-laying ability, and economic value. So the poultry industry kills billions of male chicks every year, through what many consider to be inhumane culling methods banned in Germany and France. The technology is poised to end the cruelty.

YUVAL CINNAMON, CSO, POULTRY BY HUMINN: So, what we're trying to do is to give a solution to the probably most devastating animal welfare issue worldwide, which is the culling and slaughtering of the old male chicks in the industry.

STEWART: How do they do it? Gene editing. They alter the DNA of hens, so only female chicks hatch in the first place.

YAARIT WAINBERG, CEO, POULTRY BY HUMINN: The males stopped developing very early upon induction, very early in embryo genesis, meaning that they are not fully developed to a chicken, they don't hatch.

STEWART: They do this by exposing the gene edited eggs to blue light. This activates a kill switch that affect only male chick embryos.

CINNAMON: We were able to confirm that indeed the eggs which carry the gene -- mainly the male embryos, they indeed stop development at the very early stage of embryogenesis, while the unmodified female layers normally hatch and become chicken.

STEWART: The global demand for eggs is expected to increase until 2035, according to Huminn, putting millions more male checks on the line.

A fate this lab hopes to prevent by 2025, when they go to market with their technology.

Anna Stewart, CNN -- London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Virgin Galactic has announced the passenger list for the first space tourism flight. On board will be entrepreneur and health coach -- wellness coach KC Shafar (ph) and her 18 year old daughter Anastasia, will be the first mother and daughter duo to visit space. As well as the first from the Caribbean.

The trio will be led on board by Virgin's chief astronaut instructor. Also, there will be Jon Goodwin, first Olympian in space. He's 80 years old and competed in the 1978 Munich Games.

He also suffered from Parkinson's making him the second person with Parkinson's disease to travel into space. Cozy flight. We wish them well.

Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.

Please stay with us. My friend and colleague Rosemary Church will be up next after a very short break.

Hope to see you right back here tomorrow.

[01:57:37]

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