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Wildfire Forces Evacuations In Greece; Netanyahu Gets A Pacemaker; Russia Launches More Strikes On Odessa. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired July 23, 2023 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world. I'm Laila Harrak.

Ahead on CNN Newsroom, thousands of tourists forced to evacuate their hotels as a massive wildfire rips through the Greek island of Rhodes.

Benjamin Netanyahu undergoes surgery to implant a pacemaker just hours out of a key debate over a controversial judicial reform bill.

Plus, Moscow launches yet another round of missile attacks on the key Ukrainian port city of Odessa.

This upcoming week will bring little relief from extreme heat in the United States. Right now, some 80 million people are under heat alerts with dangerous temperatures expected in the desert southwest and in Southern Texas and along the gulf coast. Those temperatures will peak around five or ten degrees above normal. Arizona's capital has recorded miserable temperatures for week weeks. For the 23rd day in a row, Phoenix will hit a high of 110 degrees Fahrenheit, that's more than 43 degrees Celsius.

But we've been seeing storms elsewhere in North America. Canadian officials have declared a state of emergency in pars of Nova Scotia. Storms dumped three months of rain on the province in 24 hours, causing extensive flooding. At least four people are missing. Heavy rains washed out a Boston Red Sox game in Massachusetts Friday night. The team had to come back Saturday to finish playing.

Let's take a look at what this week will bring to the U.S. weather- wise. CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers gives us the forecast.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: More record-breaking heat across the southwest of the United States again. It's one day after another, just getting hotter and hotter. Now, that will begin to go away a little bit in the middle of the week when some of this heat begins to break away and move closer to the northeast, especially over the Great Lakes for sure by Tuesday into Wednesday.

Heat domes still in control of our weather, especially out here in the west. Vegas will be 113 later on this afternoon, Phoenix a degree or two warmer than that. And this is going to be the broken record for a while. Watch this heat. This is the above-average temperatures here in the plains for today, begin to slide a bit farther east, just a touch. But even if we warm things up five or ten degrees, you're going to notice it. You're going to notice it in Chicago. You're going to notice it in New York City, where temperatures go from the middle 80s to almost middle 90s, and the next week, above average temperatures there.

We go from 85 today in Chicago. Notice what's happening by the weekend. Thursday and Friday, back up above 90 and the humidity is back as well. It will feel warmer than that. Be careful out there. It's going to be another hot one in places.

HARRAK: Chad Myers there.

For many people, the heat is not merely a discomfort, it can be life- threatening. One group that is extremely at risk are migrant workers, those who help feed the nation.

CNN's Camila Bernal looks at how workers in Southern California are trying to stay safe in the extreme weather.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a constant reminder to wear the right clothes, to take breaks, to drink water, to stop working if you feel dizzy. And, look, temperatures here in Coachella are normally high, every single year, but the heat waves do make it extreme. And there are hundreds of agricultural workers that are out picking and packing fruits and vegetables that will get distributed all over the country and eventually end up on your table.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BERNAL (voice over): The shade under the grapevines is deceiving. Not enough air and a feeling of suffocation, says this 22-year-old Alexandra Corona (ph). She's been working in the fields in the Coachella Valley since she was a teen and is one of the more than 2 million agricultural workers in the U.S. But it's impossible to get used to temperatures close to 115 degrees.

LUZ GALLEGOS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TODEC: We understand that's because of our environmental impact and the change but also what that translates to community is not only working with heat, in these high heat conditions, but also out of their pocket, that they have -- many of them have shorter working hours because of the heat conditions.

BERNAL: Already more than 2,300 heat records have been set in the U.S. in the recent heat waves, causing dozens of deaths and filling some hospitals to pandemic levels, something Luz Gallegos is trying to prevent.

[03:05:12]

Through the nonprofit she leads, Agricultural workers are reminded to drink water, take breaks, and speak up. Because no matter how high the temperatures are, the work here continues.

Agriculture is one of the largest industry sectors in California, and the state says its performance is vital to its economic health. And in turn provides produce for tables all over the country.

GALLEGOS: They're still working. They're still working because they know that they need to make their end goal, to make their money to bring home to pay the rent, to make sure their kids are taken care of.

BERNAL: Alexandra agrees. She says there are days when even walking is hard. But she takes the necessary precautions because it's a job she depends on.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERNAL (on camera): A lot of farmers schedule their workers either overnight or very early in the morning. The problem is that here in Coachella, the temperatures don't drop that much overnight. So, a lot of the people I talked to told me they're worried about next week, about the summer, but in particular about what temperatures are going to look like in August.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Coachella, California.

HARRAK: Well now to Greece, the country is suffering through extreme temperatures, which could become the longest heat wave in its history. And wildfires are raging for the sixth straight day, the biggest fires on the island of Rhodes, a tourist destination known for beach resorts and ancient ruins.

Thousands of visitors and residents are having to evacuate. And fire crews are racing to put out flames before they damage more buildings in the area.

Barbie Nadeau joins me from Rome. Barbie, extreme heat triggering wildfires in Greece. Is there a sense of urgency?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Laila. It is really, really a dire situation. You could just imagine those tourists, the fear they have to evacuate by boat, to evacuate in the back of a lorry, or something like that. It's really, really hard. But imagine the economic damage for those hotels that have just lost their season entirely. It is their sense of urgency. We took a closer look at the situation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADEAU (voice over): Smoke fills the sky above a pool on the Greek island of Rhodes, not the site many tourists came to see. Wildfires are scorching the island, cutting short dream vacations of many visitors. The Greek Fire Service ordering tourists and residents to leave parts of the southern end of the island. Officials say thousands of people have been evacuated to safer areas. Some picked up by Greek Army and Coast Guard along with private boats after gathering on the beaches, others leaving by bus, lorry, or on foot.

The fires already reaching and damaging some holes in the area. With Greece set to endure its hottest July weekend in 50 years, firefighters on the island are getting help from places like Slovakia, to help battle blazes that are quickly changing direction. The hot, dry conditions and high winds energizing the flames. But in athens, the heat doing just the opposite, causing many tourists to slow down and look for ways to muddle on with their holiday without melting. The intrepid ignoring advice from Greek authorities to stay indoors, unwilling to miss out on the opportunity to see the famed Acropolis. The site once again closed during the hottest part of the day. But even at other times, it's not for the faint of heart.

ROBERT SOLANIO, TOURIST: How am I dealing with it?

KATARINA SOLANIO, TOURIST: Seeking shade.

R. SOLANIO: Shade, trying to find seating, taking care of my wife and my friends, getting enough water where we can survive.

K. SOLANIO: I just threw up and I'm trying to collect myself again and waiting to see this. I've wanted to see this my entire life. I hope I can make it.

NADEAU: And for those struggling now, meteorologists say there's more to come. The temperature continuing to broil over Greece in the next days, possibly making this the longest heat wave the country has ever faced.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NADEAU: And,, Laila, you just hear those stories, you see that desperation. These are people probably planning vacations for years, now they've got to rethink their plans. Anyone trying to go to Greece or other parts of Southern Europe really are devastating for the entire tourism community, especially those people who run tourist entities, Laila.

HARRAK: Yes, terrible timing, indeed. CNN's Barbie Nadeau reporting, thank you so much.

Well, now to some extreme weather on the opposite spectrum. This is what appears to be a river of ice flowing through a town in Northern Italy.

[03:10:00]

That came after a massive storm doused the area with hail 4 centimeters large and some 55 millimeters of rain in 30 minutes. The town's mayor called the storm a water bomb, and he says it took a massive cleanup effort to restore the main streets to normal.

I want to turn our attention now to Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just had a surgery for what's called a transient heart block. A doctor says the prime minister was admitted urgently Sunday morning. An operation was carried out, and he received a pacemaker. It comes after Mr. Netanyahu spent a night in the hospital last week after he fainted for what was described as dehydration.

All this comes as Israel's parliament is set to vote on part of the government's controversial judicial overhaul legislation, which would curtail some of the Supreme Court's powers. Let's get you more on these developments. Journalist Elliott Gotkine is standing by live in Tel Aviv. Elliott, what more can you tell us?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Laila, it's hard to know where to start, isn't it? But let's start with the prime minister's health at the moment. As you say, he's had a pacemaker installed as a result of this condition called a transient heart block, which effectively can either partially or completely block electric signals that control heartbeat, which can therefore lead to irregular heartbeats or preventing the heart from pumping enough blood around the body which can lead to dizziness, and as we're learning, fainting, which apparently also is what happened to Netanyahu a week ago.

Now, according to doctors, and this is the first I believe that anyone's heard of this, according to doctors, this condition has been known for many years but it doesn't appear to have been publicized until today. But the operation, according to doctors, was a success. Netanyahu is expected to be discharged later today.

And, of course, against this backdrop, we have the scenes of thousands upon thousands of protesters marching on Jerusalem for the past few days. They're there right now by the Supreme Court, by the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, as debate gets under way and the final readings then come on Monday and Tuesday for the first part of this government's controversial judicial overhaul.

Now, the bit of this judicial overhaul that is at play right now is the so-called reasonableness bill. This would -- if passed, it would prevent the Supreme Court from striking out decisions by the government of the day which it deems unreasonable.

Now, in the past, it has prevented, for example, Netanyahu appointing Aryeh Deri, one of his coalition allies, from being named as a minister because he's been convicted three times, including of tax fraud. And Netanyahu wants him, for example, eventually to be finance minister, among other things. The Supreme Court thus far has said that is unreasonable.

If this part of this judicial overhaul passed, in future, the Supreme Court would not be allowed to say, no, you can't appoint this minister because he's been convicted for tax fraud. They wouldn't be able to say that that is unreasonable.

And this is just one part of a much broader judicial overhaul that Prime Minister Netanyahu has been pushing.

Now, before he went under the knife, interestingly, he did say that the efforts to reach a wide agreement are continuing. But there's no sign of any compromise just yet. These protests have been going for more than six months now. You recall that back in March, they were actually paused when Netanyahu's own defense minister called, Yoav Gallant, called for a compromise, for a pause in this legislation. That resulted in Netanyahu temporarily sacking Gallant and also spontaneous protests, which caused the strikes at the airport and other places and also for that legislation to be paused. Netanyahu has since continued. He's under pressure from all sides, really, because his more right wing and conservative coalition partners, they want this legislation passed, they want it to go forward. If Netanyahu doesn't go forward with it, then it's possible that they could break with him.

At the same time, Netanyahu under immense pressure from the opposition, from all the protesters that we're seeing out on the streets week in, week out, for over six months. He's also under pressure from reservists, thousands of whom have now said that they will not turn up for duty if this legislation is passed without any form of compromise.

And, of course, there's one other element of pressure, which is no less than U.S. President Joe Biden, who has also called for some kind of compromise to be reached in order to ensure that Israel's democratic character remains intact.

So, pressure from all sides. That can't be helping Netanyahu's health. But, as I say, the operation was successful. The pacemaker has been installed. And Netanyahu himself plans to be in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, for the readings and certainly for the votes on this first part of the government's controversial judicial overhaul. Laila?

HARRAK: Elliott Gotkine reporting, thank you. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:15:00]

HARRAK: Across Spain, voters are starting to head to the polls for a snap election that could move the country further to the right. The vote comes after the governing socialists suffered a surprise defeat in May's regional elections. Well, the center right popular party is forecast to win but no party is expected to secure enough seats to form a majority government without a coalition partner.

And so much attention is on the far right Vox Party, which could become a kingmaker in this election, while securing a place for the far right in Spain's government for the first time since the Franco dictatorship ended in 1975. A lot at stake.

Journalist Al Goodman is standing at a polling station in Madrid. There's a lot of hustle and bustle behind you. So, I guess, Al, people are animated?

AL GOODMAN, JOURNALIST: That's right, Laila. Voting just started a few minutes ago at the top of the hour. There were lines outside the door of this school which is right in Central Madrid. There are lines at this polling desk behind me. And there are a number of these throughout this school. People coming up and clearly wanting to get in to vote, many of them because it's still relatively cool, it's about 80 degrees right now, 20 degrees Celsius.

[03:20:03] But it's supposed to go up to much hotter today in Madrid and even hotter in the south.

It's the first time the elections have been held in the summer. The very first person standing outside this school guarded by police officers was a 94-year-old man who said he always votes. I asked him what he thinks about this election. He says, I've got my ideas. He didn't disclose party. Another man is going to vote left. And there was a hospital worker, a woman, who said she had to delay her vacations because of this. and she plans to get going tomorrow.

But, clearly, people are coming out. This is what both parties want, both the conservative -- the main conservative party, which is poised, according to the polls, to be the biggest vote-getter but might fall short of a majority, as you said. That leader has called for people to give him a majority on his own, whereas the socialist prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, who called these snap elections after his party suffered a drubbing in local elections at the end of May is also calling for a rebound and wants people to come out, a leftist wave.

Either way, it looks like it will be a coalition group. But, clearly, a lot of people are ready to get out and show which way they want this country to go. Laila?

HARRAK: All right. Al Goodman there reporting from a polling station in the Spanish capital, thank you so much for that update.

And joining me now also from Madrid, Aitor Hernandez-Morales is the Iberian affairs correspondent for Politico. Aitor, a very warm welcome.

You write for Politico that Spain finds itself on a precipice. What exactly do you mean by that?

AITOR HERNANDEZ-MORALES, IBERIAN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT, POLITICO: So, it's a key moment for Spain. Basically, during these past four years, what Spain has had is a left wing coalition government, that's the first coalition in Spain's history. And, basically, they have to decide whether they want to continue with Pedro Sanchez's government. He is a socialist prime minister. And, overall, his government has been characterized by progressive social measures, or whether they want to hand over power to Alberto Nunez Feijoo. He is the leader of the center right popular party.

And as you were mentioning before, the key factor here is that neither of these classic big parties have enough power to be able to score an absolute majority. So, they're going to have to make deals. On Sanchez's side, it's pretty clear he would just repeat the coalition that he's had these past four years. But on Feijoo's side, it's more problematic or more troubling for Europe in the sense that he's very much open to making a deal with the far right. and that has people nervous in Spain and in Brussels.

HARRAK: Aitor, what makes this such an unpredictable election? Why are there so many uncertainties? HERNANDEZ-MORALES: Well, it really is a remarkable vote in the sense that it's taking place today, on July 23rd. It's a moment when most Spaniards are on vacation. In fact, we know that at least a fourth of the electorate is definitely off, they're on holiday.

It's also a very unpredictable moment because, as your correspondent was mentioning before, we're in the middle of a brutal heat wave. We're talking about temperatures here that are way over the 100-degree limit. And so what we're expecting are some pretty intense scenes in the voting stations. A lot of city halls have had to scramble either to change their polling stations to better refrigerated buildings or they've been deploying air conditioning systems. It's going to be complicated. We have health teams also on the scene to assist people who might get heatstroke while waiting in line.

HARRAK: Well, having said all of that, what role does climate change play as voters now head to the polls?

HERNANDEZ-MORALES: So, it's been a very strange election in the sense that, as you well know, Europe has been suffering a brutal heat wave this year. We've also had extended drought in Spain. So, these are not new problems for Spain. They're very much used to being kind of at the forefront of climate change on this continent. And yet climate change has not been an issue at all in this election.

It's been a very odd campaign which many people have actually compared to an American-style campaign, a Trumpian-style campaign, because the right has very much focused on issues that are not real problems for Spain but are very emotional problems. So, much of the campaign has been spent, for example, discussing issues related to ETA, the Basque terrorist group, which disappeared over a decade ago. They're defunct. But (INAUDIBLE) has sought to try to link the current prime minister with this vanished terrorist group and suggests that he is somehow making alliances with these people that used to kill Spaniards and set off bombs.

That still is an emotional trigger, especially for older generations of Spaniards. And so the focus of conversations have been on the issues like that instead of dealing with things like climate change, youth unemployment, which Spain has one of the highest figures, issues like the demographic challenge because the Spanish population is gradually declining, many other issues that are much more pressing for Spaniards.

HARRAK: How do, Aitor, people in Spain reflect on the country potentially -- I mean, we don't know -- making a dramatic turn to the right?

[03:25:04]

I mean, what would that mean for Spain and internationally?

HERNANDEZ-MORALES: It would be a remarkable change for the country. We're talking about a country that only got out of an authoritarian dictatorship in 1975. So, it hasn't even been 40 years since then. This would be the first government to include openly far-right members since then. And the Vox Party has been very clear if the popular party requires its support to form a government, they will be making very serious demands.

So, they want to get rid of the ministry of equality. Their particular obsession is with gender equality laws and laws dealing with violence against women. Spain has had over 1,200 women killed by their partners over the past few decades. And they've enacted very progressive legislation to deal with it and special courts to deal with violence against women. Vox is against these. It considers these institutions are a challenge and a threat toward men of a certain age.

They also consider that the LGBTQ movement has gone way too far here. So, they're looking to crack down on transgender rights in certain parts of the country where they already govern. They've banned pride flags, for example. So, we're looking at a lot of measures targeting social issues and then a lot of measures that more widely worry Europe. For example, Vox would like to deploy the Spanish Navy to stop migrant ships from coming in. It also is openly Euroskeptic and wants to crack down on the impact that Brussels bureaucrats have on Spain. They don't trust European courts.

So, it really would mark a major change for the country. And then in terms of Europe, a year ahead of the European parliament elections, it would be a very big deal which if after Italy, which is already governed by a far right prime minister, Spain ended up with a far right government as well.

HARRAK: All right. Aitor Hernandez-Morales talking to us from Madrid, thank you so much. I greatly appreciate it. thank you.

HERNANDEZ-MORALES: Thank you very much.

HARRAK: Russia is giving no break to the Ukrainian city of Odessa. Still ahead, Russian missiles rain down for the fifth time this week and leave a trail of destruction.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]

HARRAK: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Laila Harrak, and you're watching CNN Newsroom.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is condemning the latest round of Russian strikes on Odessa, calling them an evil that no one can excuse. It was the fifth attack on the city this week and it left at least one person dead and 19 others wounded. This Orthodox Church was damaged along with at least six residential buildings.

In previous strikes, Russia targeted grain infrastructure after pulling out of the Black Sea grain deal, which allowed wheat exports from places like Odessa.

Well, Mr. Zelenskyy is now taking the issue of food exports to NATO's top boss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: We discussed with Mr. Stoltenberg our steps to unblock and ensure the stable operation of the grain corridor. In our cooperation, we have moved to a new, higher level, the level of the Ukraine-NATO council. And this mechanism can work.

I turn to Jens with a proposal to urgently convene such a meeting for the council for appropriate crisis consultations. The meeting will take place in a few days. We can overcome the security crisis in the Black Sea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces took aim at Crimea, hitting an ammunition depot on Saturday. The attack forced evacuations and the suspension of train services, according to Russian-backed officials. Well, that was Ukraine's fourth strike on Crimea this week.

Meanwhile, Ukraine and Russia are accusing each other of using controversial cluster munitions on Saturday. Ukraine says Russia's attack happened about 16 kilometers northwest of this town where a separate strike reportedly hit a gas station. The cluster bombs wounded they, including a camera operator for the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

And Moscow claims the Ukrainian strike happened in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia. A journalist for the state news agency, IRA, was reportedly killed and three other Russian journalists were wounded. CNN could not verify Russia's allegations.

Nada Bashir is keeping an eye on all developments. She joins us now us live from London. Nada, what more can you tell us about the latest strikes on Odessa?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, we have seen round after round of strikes on the Ukrainian port city. This is the fifth night of Russian strikes on Odessa. At least one person killed, 19 others wounded, including four children. And we have heard from Ukrainian military officials in the region just in the last few hours saying they believe 19 missiles were launched towards Odessa in the early hours of Sunday morning.

And as a result, we have seen significant damage to civilian infrastructure. There has been damaged residential buildings, to local monuments, a church, and as well there has been damage to port infrastructure.

And this is has been a concern for Ukrainian authorities and the international community. These attacks come just days after Russia effectively withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal, which essentially guaranteed the safe passage of vessels from Ukraine's southern Black Sea ports.

Now, of course, the security of these ports and the port infrastructure has really been brought into question as we continue to see these repeated attacks by the Russian armed forces. And, of course, we've seen attacks overnight in other regions as well. In Kharkiv, at least two killed as a result of Russian strikes. And in Zaporizhzhia, we've heard from local military officials there saying that they believe 20 civilian settlements were struck overnight 69 times by Russia, again, causing significant civilian -- damage to civilian infrastructure. So, there has been a real intensification there overnight of Russia's bombardment.

As you said there, we've heard from president Zelenskyy speaking today. He has shared his message on Telegram, focusing more specifically on that attack on Odessa, describing this yet again as a terrorist act by Russia, but, again, vowing retaliation from Ukraine.

HARRAK: Nada Bashir, thank you so much.

Now, the president of Belarus will be meeting soon with Russian Leader Vladimir Putin reportedly to work on strengthening their strategic alliance. Last month, Putin claimed Russia had deployed tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, and U.S. intelligence officials say they have no reason to doubt it.

[03:35:04]

Ukraine estimates up to 5,000 Wagner mercenaries are now encamped in Belarus, and more keep coming. Ukraine's border guard says it does not see those fighters as a direct threat, but it's taking no chances.

According to a senior commander, the border region has been heavily mined to deter any potential incursion from Belarus.

And you would think an avid supporter of Russia's war on Ukraine would enjoy the favor of the Putin government, but former FSB Colonel Igor Girkin is under arrest in Moscow, charged with inciting extremism. He has criticized President Putin, calling him a, quote, lowlife and cowardly bum. He has also blamed Russia's military for, in his view, not acting harshly enough against Ukraine.

Girkin is a well-known Russian military blogger and Donetsk occupation official. Other military bloggers are defending Girkin with one calling his arrest overkill. But analysts say, following the brief mutiny by Wagner Leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin is cracking down on ultranationalists, even ones who believe in the war.

Also in Moscow, four people dead and dozens are injured after a hot water pipe burst at a large shopping center in Western Moscow. There are reports of hot water flooding the mall and steam billowing through open doors. Moscow's mayor says some people suffered burns and calls it a tragedy. The cause of the burst pipe has not been reported.

Mexican authorities have arrested a man they say started a deadly fire at a bar. 11 people were killed and at least six people were injured in the suspected arson attack. Authorities say the man had been thrown out of the bar in Sonora near the U.S. border after being disrespectful to women. Security staff say he later returned and threw a flaming object at the bar causing the deadly fire. Now, ahead on CNN Newsroom, a look at Barbie mania, I'll talk to a professor of marketing to get her take on all of these merchandising tie-ins with the movie and whether there is any risk involved for the brand.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:40:00]

HARRAK: All of that Barbie pink we're seeing around the world is turning into lots of greenbacks. Boxoffice.com says the Barbie movie is blasting through box office records. It says the live action film, which is released by our parent company, has already brought in more than $70 million in ticket sales. And it seems that Barbie fans of all ages, probably including some folks who played with the original doll that was introduced back in 1959, are lining up in droves to see the movie.

Joining me now, Sheri Lambert is an associate professor of practice in marketing at Temple University's Fox School of Business. Professor, wonderful to have you with us, exciting times. Barbie, it's inescapable, it's everywhere you look, marketing that's driven by the movie that just premiered. What do you make of the strategy from a business perspective? What makes this so special?

SHERI LAMBERT, TEMPLE UNIVERSITY FOX SCHOOL OF BUSINESS: Well, there's a couple of things I really think. I think Barbie and the pink, the color pink, everything about this movie and the toy is fun, right?

And I think people are looking to escape. People are thinking about, well, you know, is there a recession, is there not a recession? And this is fun. And so it gives them this opportunity to pull themselves into the movie themselves.

It's funny because Barbie -- you know, we all get to go into Barbie's world through this movie, which is really, really fun. Barbie itself is something what we call in industry as imaginative play. So, it's all about the imagination. And it's marketing. It's marketing that way. And this time it kind of flips it on its head, for lack of a better word, and we are transporting ourselves into Barbie's world, which we get to do that imagination as well. So, it's fun

HARRAK: It's a lot of fun, I mean, no doubt about that. But I wonder, in terms of what role nostalgia plays in this, and can you talk to us about the power of nostalgia as a marketing tool?

LAMBERT: Oh, it's fantastic. So, this brand is, I believe, 50, 60 years, so roughly six decades in the making. And Mattel is not new to nostalgia marketing. They did it with their Fisher Price line. They really lean into that.

People like to feel good and get back to their past. So, I myself played with Barbies in the '70s. It gave me a chance to think, my Barbie is going to be an astronaut or my Barbie is going to be an engineer or a horse trainer, something like that. People like to think about their childhood. And when you do nostalgia marketing, like Mattel is doing on this brand, people really are excited about it. It takes them back to their past, to happy times.

HARRAK: Now, I'm wondering as well, Barbie itself occupies such a unique place in pop culture. How difficult do you think -- other brands looking at this marketing strategy, how difficult will it be for them to replicate that same kind of commercial success? All these different products, all these different tie-ins, how much of this is just purely attributable to the Barbie effect?

LAMBERT: Well, it truly is beyond just Barbie. I stopped counting. I was like trying to count how many collaborations or partnerships were happening. And to be honest, I stopped at 22. I last saw a figure close to and a hundred collaborations and partnerships, and there might be formalized ones or loosely based ones. It's going to be extremely difficult for anyone to replicate this.

Everyone has jumped on -- another term we use in marketing is bandwagon, right? They have jumped on this bandwagon. Everything is pink. July is really becoming a pink month. And it didn't just start this month. It started back in April when people -- when Barbie had filters for social media posts, and you could stand in a Barbie like phone booth and take your picture so you look like you were a Barbie in packaging.

[03:45:00]

So, it started a long time ago.

So, the hype is real and they've really built it up, which is fantastic.

HARRAK: Now, all the licensing and the collaborations, some of which you detail, I mean, we've lost count as well. Do they carry a risk, especially for a legacy brand? What are the challenges of being this ubiquitous and trying to stay on brand?

LAMBERT: Well, I think the hardest part where you have to take pause is to make sure, as a brand, as any brand -- just not Barbie -- that you're doing some collaborations with folks or other brands that resonate with your consumer that you're going after, right? So, you are definitely going after that family.

I think of the numbers I saw, Mattel is targeting teens and the female moviegoer, grandmas. I think they even termed it Glammas. And so you want to make sure that you're partnering with brands that really focus on that same target, right? Otherwise, you're going to be lost in that mix, so to speak.

But everything is pink. And I think everything can go pink this month as well as the brands. We're seeing things like fun buoy floats, swoon lemonade, pink lemonade. So, it's pink. You better believe they're trying to partner with Barbie. And if they're targeting females and young women, they're going to be trying to partner with Barbie. It just makes so much sense.

HARRAK: And, Professor, are you planning on going to see the movie? Have you bought something Barbie-related? Spill it. LAMBERT: Oh my gosh. So, I have to confess, I tried so hard to go to the opening night. Sold out, sold out, sold out. Tried today, sold out. I had my tickets purchased and bought for tomorrow at 11:20. And I'm so excited to see this movie.

HARRAK: All right. Professor Sherri Lambert, a pleasure, thank you for joining us, and have fun.

LAMBERT: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

HARRAK: Twitter's famous bird logo is about to fly away. CEO Elon Musk has announced Twitter will be changing its logo to an X against a black background, similar to this only with an X instead of a bird. And he's asking users to offer design suggestions. He posted, if a good enough X logo is posted tonight, well, we may go live worldwide tomorrow.

And we are hearing from Jamie Foxx for the first time since he was hospitalized in Atlanta with a medical complication. The actor thanking fans for their support in an Instagram post Friday night. He also addressed the rumors surrounding his hospitalization.

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JAMIE FOXX, ACTOR: I know a lot of people were waiting or wanting to hear updates. But to be honest with you, I just didn't want you to see me like that, man. I want you to see me laughing, having a good time, partying, cracking a joke, doing a movie, television show. I didn't want you to see me with tubes running out of me.

I went to hell and back and my road to recovery has some potholes as well. But I'm coming back.

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HARRAK: Well, Foxx also thanked his family and doctors for keeping him alive.

Malaysian officials called off a music festival this weekend after members of the British pop rock group, The 1975, shared a kiss on stage at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur. Video from the crowd shows the moment lead singer Matty Healy kisses a band mate. Healy had finished delivering a speech full of expletives, slamming Malaysia's stance against homosexuality.

Well, Malaysia responded by canceling the rest of the three-day festival. Some members of the country's LGBTQ community criticized the onstage kiss, calling it performative, and warning it could lead to further discrimination.

Football competition is under way right now at the Women's World Cup. England won its opener against Haiti, as expected, but not without difficulty. Highlights of that and all of Saturday's matches just ahead.

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HARRAK: The match between the Netherlands and Portugal is now under way at the Women's World Cup. France and Jamaica also have their opener later today. Sweden and South Africa just wrapped up their opener a short time ago with Sweden winning 2-1 with a goal in the 90th minute.

For more on all of the action in Saturday's matches, here's CNN's Patrick Snell.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: As we saw on Saturday, a winning start for the United States, but I wonder who, if anyone, is best equipped to try to stop them from winning a third straight title and a fifth overall. Maybe the 2019 finalists from Holland or perhaps the reigning European champions, England. The Lioness is, though, struggling, I will say, to beat tournament debutant Haiti on Saturday, and Brisbane had to having to rely and a retake and penalty before they could claim three points.

Now, no question, it was a clear penalty, for sure, and Georgia Stanway's initial spot kick appearing to be well-saved by the Haiti goalie, Kerly Theus. England, though, get the retake. The keeper was well off her line when she makes that save there, no question. Stanway, the Bayern Munich midfielder, making no mistake this time around, 1-0 the final score. The English happy to get that first game out of the way with three points in hand.

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GEORGIA STANWAY, SCORED GOAL FOR ENGLAND FROM PENALTY SPOT: Yes, definitely. I think you have a really long buildup and we've been at camp for I think it's five, six weeks now. We've been here along for two week realize. So, yes, I think the first game is just to settle the nerves, you can kind of build momentum. And, yes, it's just kind of nice to get that feel after watching two days.

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SNELL: Well, China were World Cup runners-up back in 1999.

[03:55:00]

They opened their campaign against Denmark. The Danes back in the World Cup for the first time since 2007, and it would be the European nation who escaped with three points right at the end of this game. It was scoreless until a minute from time. The corner kick from the skipper, Pernille Harder, and it's the sub, Amalie Vangsgaard, who had only just come on to the field, a play looping headed from her finds the back of the net for the all important winner. That result moving Denmark to the top of group D level on points and goal difference with the English.

Now, the 2011 world champions are currently ranked 11th in the world, and they got their campaign off to a good start against World Cup debutant Zambia. Goalless until just before halftime, and that's when Hinata Miyazawa breaking the deadlock with a very nicely taken goal, indeed, really good finish. Japan's lead was doubled as well 10 minutes after the break thanks to another superb team effort, as Mina Tanaka sliding home the cross at the 2-0 there.

Miyazawa adding one more to complete her brace, Tanaka playing her part in the goal with the assist. 5-0 the final score in favor of Japan, emphatic victory, indeed.

Now, over the years, Japanese fans have become well-known for their efforts to clean up the ceasing (ph) areas in the stands after the matches. We saw it in the men's 2022 and the 2018 World Cups. And now, we're seeing it, look at this, at the Women's World Cup following that big win over Zambia. And Japan's players also thanked by FIFA on Twitter for leaving their dressing room spotless, complete with a thank you note written in both Japanese and English, wonderful to see each and every time. Such a wonderful, fine tradition we've become so accustomed to it at each and every World Cup, whether it'd be women's or men's.

Three more matches taking place on Sunday, Australia and New Zealand. We'll be happy to bring you highlights of those right on CNN. Right back to you.

HARRAK: Thank you, Patrick. And that wraps up this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Laila Harrak.

Paula Newton picks up our coverage after a quick break. Do stick around.

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