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CNN International: Mike Pence Defends Trump as Indictment Looms; Unarmed Black Man Attacked by Police Dog in Ohio; Sweltering Heat Wave Hits Middle East, North Africa; No Clear Winner in Spanish Snap Elections; Elon Musk Changes Twitter Logo to "X". Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired July 24, 2023 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Christina Macfarlane. If you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories at this hour.

The U.S. Justice Department has given Texas Governor Greg Abbott until later today to remove floating barriers from the Rio Grande River. Abbott says his state has the sovereign authority to defend its border.

And a preliminary vote is expected in the coming hour in Israel on a controversial judicial overhaul bill. The bill would curb some powers of the country's Supreme Court. We'll have more on this story ahead on "EARLY START."

And this could be a historic week for former U.S. President Donald Trump who is facing the possibility of a third criminal indictment this year. This time, for trying to overturn the 2020 election. Even Trump himself believes the indictment is coming. The question, really, is when. The third indictment could also be a game-changer in the battle for the Republican presidential nomination.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Well, another indictment for Trump would also add to what is already a packed political and legal schedule. As you can see here, he'll be talking to authorities in January, March and May of next year at least.

An unfarmed Black man was attacked by a police officer's K-9 in Ohio as he surrendered for authorities with his hands up. This despite, a state trooper repeatedly urging officers not to release the dog. CNN's Polo Sandoval takes us through what happened in the incident July 4th.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The footage provided by Ohio State Highway Patrol is disturbing, but now under scrutiny after a man was mauled by a police officer's canine.

July 4th, Jackson County, Ohio. A case report shows a highway patrol officer in a marked vehicle tried to stop the driver of this big rig for a missing mudflap. The man behind the wheel, later identified by authorities as 23-year-old Jadarrius Rose, drives on and a chase begins. About 20 minutes into the pursuit, the big rig is seen rolling to a stop --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of the car.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): -- but that lasts only a few seconds. The driver continues to flee and officers stay on him for another eight minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He took off again. We're heading northbound.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): It wasn't until police used tire deflation devices --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're stopped.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): -- that the chase came to a slow but dramatic and disturbing stop. That's a Circleville, Ohio Police Department K-9 unit rolling up to the scene. After repeated orders from state troopers, the driver eventually steps out of the rig, his hands in the air as requested.

A patrolman is heard asking the K-9 to not be released.

[04:35:00]

Though it's unclear if he could be heard by all officers on scene, that's when the K-9 is deployed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do not release the dog with his hands up. Do not release the dog with his hands up. Do not release the dog with his hand up, don't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get the dog off of him.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): After the K-9 takedown, an officer approaches then quickly walks away, her hands covering her face as Rose screams in pain. The frustration audible in the voice of another state officer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was I not loud enough?

SANDOVAL (voice-over): After the dog is removed, officers move in to arrest Rose and administer first aid.

JADARRIUS ROSE, UNARMED BLACK MAN: You just let a dog bite me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All you had to do is come to me.

ROSE: I was coming, all the guns pointing at me. How you do you expect me to respect you? You got a gun pointing at me. It's like 20 of y'all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All you had to do is stop brother. ROSE: I did stop.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): A spokesperson for the Ohio State Highway Patrol tells CNN, as troopers were attempting to gain compliance by providing verbal commands to the suspect, the Circleville Police Department deployed their canine, which resulted in the suspect being bitten.

CNN has reached out to the Circleville Police Department for comment. Police say Rose was taken to a local hospital where he was treated and released before being taken to jail. His attorney declined to comment.

SANDOVAL: Per that case report that was filed, Rose reportedly spoke to troopers while he was at the hospital being treated for his injuries, maintained that he had no idea why they were attempting to pull him over, that he was simply trying to haul a delivery to Grove City, Ohio, before making his way home.

Meanwhile, the head of the Columbus, Ohio chapter of the NAACP is saying that she is appalled by what she saw in this video and is calling for an investigation into the actions of that K-9 unit.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: And New York City police are searching the home of the man suspected of at least three of the state's Gilgo Beach murders. A law enforcement source tells CNN they've searched Rex Heuermann's basement but could take two or three more days to search his attic and garage. CNN affiliate News 12 Long Island reports a K-9 team and ground and penetrating radar were seen being used in the investigation. A source tells CNN it's possible police will search the back yard to see if there's something buried there.

Now, the gun violence epidemic the United States reached a grim new milestone over the weekend with 400 mass shootings so far this year. That's according to the nonprofit group Gun Violence Archive. Now, to be clear, only 204 days have passed in the year 2023, that amounts to nearly two mass shootings per day. CNN and the Archive define a mass shooting as one that injures or kills four or more people not including the shooter. And that's not counting other smaller incidents of gun violence amounting to more lost lives and heartbreak.

In Chicago, police report more than 20 shooting incidents in one weekend alone, killing at least six people and wounding more than 20. One of the dead is a 16-year-old boy.

Now, Spain's snap election was meant to choose new leadership for the country but with almost all of the votes counted it remains far from clear who will take power. We're live just ahead from Madrid, next.

Plus, temperatures soar across the Middle East forcing people to get creative and keeping themselves and their animals cool. How they're beating the heat, when we return.

[04:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: In Afghanistan, dozens of people have been killed and many more injured due to flash floods over the weekend, according to the Taliban. Heavy seasonal rains in seven Afghan provinces has damaged or destroyed more than 600 homes and hundreds of acres of farmlands. The Taliban say Afghan families impacted by the national disasters have been received food and cash assistance.

Millions of southeastern China officials say major flooding has killed five people and another three are missing. Torrential rains slammed the area over the weekend, triggering flash floods and landslides. Government officials say more than 1,500 people had to be evacuated and more than two dozen homes were damaged.

And the search continues in Nova Scotia, Canada for at least four missing flood victims including two children. Officials say rushing water swept all four away from their vehicles. Rescuers had to be lowered by chop to save several other people stranded by the flooding on Saturday. Roads and homes have been damaged, as well as a major rail line. It's believed to be the heaviest rainfall in the Halifax region in more than 50 years. The city's mayor called it biblical proportions of rain, three months' worth in just 24 hours. There's now a state of emergency in effect in August 5th.

Well, people across the Middle East and North Africa are finding it hard to cool off amid scorching heat waves as it sweeps through the region. Some have figured out ways to lessen the impact of the soaring temperatures, but many are finding the heat just too much to bear. CNN's Michael Holmes reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR (voice-over): On any given day, hauling sacks of wheat in Syria is backbreaking work. But some workers say the oppressive heat makes the loads feel that much heavier.

MOHAMMAD AL-AHMAD, SYRIAN WORKER (through translator): We're suffering from the high temperatures, but we're forced to be here. We have to feed our families. We cannot survive if we don't work.

HOLMES (voice-over): Getting enough drinking water in this town, in the Northeast of the country, is also hard work. Even before the heat wave, aid agencies reported that many households had insufficient access to water.

These women line up to fill their containers from a local tank. They, too, complain that it's just too hot.

HAYAT HAMOUD, HASAKAH, SYRIA RESIDENT (through translator): The temperatures exceeding 42 degrees Celsius. We're dying from the heat. Moreover, we're transporting water in the heat at 60 years old.

HOLMES (voice-over): Across the Mideast, July and August are normally the hottest months of the calendar, some countries enduring long stretches of extreme temperatures. But this year, not even halfway through the summer peak period, forecasters say they are already seeing red flags.

According to the National Weather Service, one airport in Iran recorded a heat index of nearly 68 degrees Celsius on Sunday, or 154 degrees Fahrenheit. Experts say that's so high it would be difficult for human bodies to properly function.

For years, Iraq has been paralyzed by high summer temperatures, the sizzling heat striking again in Baghdad, temperatures hovering near or above 47 degrees Celsius over the last few days.

Air conditioners and misting fans help to cool people down, but power cuts in the city make it hard to run them around the clock without a generator.

The heat wave extending the Egypt, too, with temperatures in Cairo expected to top 40 degrees Celsius through mid-week.

[04:45:00]

City trains and metro lines are operating at reduced speeds to avoid any problems from the high heat. There have been power cuts here too, though some residents have found simpler ways to chill out.

AHMED HASSAN, CAIRO, EGYPT RESIDENT (through translator): The heat wave this year is stronger than any other year. We tried to stay in the shade more, drink more water, and eat more iced food, drinks, and ice cream.

HOLMES (voice-over): Many people preferring to stay off the streets in other cities. In Doha, this delivery driver one of the few to brave the heat. He says he's grateful his company allows him to use a car during the hottest parts of the day. Qatar banned the use of motorcycles for deliveries last year during certain hours to protect drivers from the torrent temperatures.

In nearby Dubai, some beaches have opened at night, so people can take a dip when it's cool enough to enjoy it. A welcome break from the sun's glare, that in so many places right now, is just too hot to handle.

Michael Holmes, CNN.

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MACFARLANE: Now with more than 99 percent of the vote counted, there's no clear winner in Spain's snap elections. The center-right People's Party is set to come in first, winning 136 seats in Parliament. But in order to governor, a party or coalition must have at least 176 seats in the 350-seat legislature. And because no single party won enough seats from the government on their own, the tough task of trying to build a coalition must now begin.

Journalist Al Goodman is joining me now live from Madid. And Al, I mean, this was an unexpected tight result. So what comes next here, are we head for weeks of political gridlock in Spain?

AL GOODMAN, JOURNALIST: Hi, Christine. Well, the existing government under Prime Minister Sanchez, the socialist, that continues a caretaker government. But the political horse trading as you mention is beginning right now. Although there is expected to be a bit of a break while the horse trading continues.

The Parliament building, which is that building way in the back behind me, that will reconvene in the middle of the August before they can swear in the new members of Parliament. Then the King of Spain, the head of state, will meet with the leaders of each party and hear what they have to say about which candidate should be the candidate for investiture, and then he'll propose a candidate.

Now even though the main Conservative Party candidate won and did better for his party than in previous elections, it was his first time standing for a national election, he did not get close to the coveted estimated majority. And his only dance partner in the game -- according to most analysts -- is the far-right Vox Party. So the left is very happy right now that the Vox Party, the far right, has been kept out of Spanish government as it has been for more than 50 years going back to the era of Francisco Franco, the late dictator.

The person, according to analysts, who is in the best position, although a difficult position, to get back into power is the existing Spanish Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Because although he came in second, he already has a coalition government with other leftist parties and with nationalist parties in Catalonia, that's the area around Barcelona, and the Basque region, the area around San Sebastian and Bilbao, those parties care much about their regions.

I jut talked to a senior member of the Socialist Party who said that Sanchez will have a tougher time getting a coalition this time because the national leaders are going to exact a higher price -- Christina.

MACFARLANE: Interesting. Al Goodman there live there from Madrid with the latest on those Spanish snap elections. Thank you so much, Al.

All right. Coming up, "Barbie" wins the weekend box office. How the summer blockbuster is making history in the movie theaters, after the break.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Another day of Women's World Cup action is now under way with Germany and Morocco facing off at this hour in Australia. Germany has already scored one goal in the early minutes of play. And a short time ago, the first match of the day wrapped up with Italy grabbing a 1-nil win over Argentina with a goal in the final minutes of play. We'll also see Brazil take on Panama later today.

American golfer Brian Harman is celebrating his first win of his career after taking the title at the Open Championship. Harman, ranked 26 in the world, showed steady nerves, as he shot a 1 under par 70 Sunday to hold off several high-ranked golfers chasing him on the links at Royal Liverpool.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN HARMAN, WINNER 151ST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP: I want to thank the R&A for putting together such an incredible championship. You know, I couldn't be happier to be its champion. And to all of the fans, to all the nice words and all the people back home who are rooting me on, I appreciate it so much, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: The weather really was dreadful on Sunday. This is only Harman's third victory since joining the PGA Tour in 2012 and his first in more than six years.

Now a Danish cyclist, Jonas Vingegaard, has claimed his second consecutive win in the Tour de France. Fan lined the Champs-Elysees to cheer on the 36-year-old rider as he finished about 7:30 faster than the second placed rider from Slovenia. Vingegaard says already looking forward to defending his title next year, when he hopes to try for a third consecutive win.

And the stories in the spotlight at this hour. Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen made his rivals look like a field of Formula 2 racing against a Formula 1 car. According to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolfe. The statement comes after Verstappen scored his seventh win in a row at the Hungarian Grand Prix. His latest victory, as teammate Sergio Perez recovered from ninth to third, and landed Red Bull a 12th consecutive victory.

Now, big changes are afoot at Twitter. And they apparently spell the end of the iconic bird symbol. CEO Elon Musk is replacing the logo with his "X" which has been projected on the exterior of the headquarters.

[04:55:02]

Musk tweeted about his plans over the weekend. And quickly sprang into action. CNN's Claire Duffy takes a look at what's going on.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: I think in some ways this is an evolution, a continuation for what Musk's vision was for this company has been since he bought it. He bought Twitter with a company called X corp. And he talks about the idea, the goal of turning Twitter into this everything app called "X."

Sort of in the style of China's WeChat. Wanting to make it a place where users, not only communicate but they can also shop and consume entertainment. And so, in some ways I think this moved to get rid of the Twitter branding and to replace it with X is a service of that vision.

It's also in timing. Musk said just last week that Twitter still has negative cash flow because of 50 percent decline in ad revenue. And so, I think this is can also be an effort on his part to continue to try to shift the image of the company in the mind of advertisers as a way of trying to lure them back on the platform.

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MACFARLANE: While Musk's new branding seems to be a work in progress, the bluebird can still be seen on the site. But X.com currently will send you directly to Twitter.

Now you can annually start to Barbie's long resume. For now queen of the box office. Brought in $155 million in U.S. box office, up against the thriller Oppenheimer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBIE: WHAT do I have to do?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have to go back to the real world. You can go back to your real life or you can know the truth about the universe. The choice is now yours. The first one, you have to know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: The "Barbie" feature film debut marks the top grossing opening weekend and U.S. so far this year. But also the biggest debut for a female director ever.

But the weekend wasn't a total loss for "Oppenheimer" either. The Christopher Nolan film scored than $80 million in the U.S. over the weekend. The film's marketing was helped by a healthy competition with "Barbie," with many fans opting to see both films as a double feature. I haven't quite got there yet. I'm one half of the way through, Barbie up next.

That does it for this edition of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London. Stay tuned for "EARLY START" with Christine Romans next.

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