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56-year-old Irish Provocateur Singer Passes Away; Interview with The Lefsetz Letter Music Writer Bob Lefsetz; U.N. Monitors Oil Drained from Corroding Tanker; U.S. Interest Rates Hiked Again; Judge Unwilling to Accept Hunter Biden's Plea Agreement; U.S. Fed Raises Interest Rates to Highest Level in 22 Years; Former FTX CEO Bankman- Fried Subjected to Judge's Gag Order; Niger Soldiers Claim President Mohamed Bazoum Has Been Ousted; Ukraine Making Major Push Along Southern Front Lines; Wildfires, High Temperatures Continue To Grip Southern Europe; Israel Supreme Court To Take Up Controversial Law In September; U.S. Fight Back To 1-1 Draw Against Netherlands In Women's World Cup; Provocative Irish Singer Sinead O'Connor Dies At Age 56. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired July 27, 2023 - 00:00   ET

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

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[00:00:27]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead here on CNN, an apparent coup d'etat in Niger. On state television, an army general announces the government has been overthrown, the constitution dissolved and borders are now closed.

And the Women's Football World Cup Team USA plays for a draw and stays on top.

And remembering Sinead O'Connor, her powerful, unique voice be it as a musician or activist, nothing could compare.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: Thanks for being with us. We begin with the president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, a key U.S. ally in the fight against Islamic extremism in West Africa appears to be ousted from power, with military leaders appearing on state T.V. Wednesday night to announce the Constitution had been dissolved or institutions suspended and the nation's borders were closed.

President Bazoum has reportedly been held by his own presidential guard since earlier Wednesday.

A small number of people gathered in protest of the military power grab, which regional African leaders have called an attempted coup.

Joining me now is Cameron Hudson, a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Africa Center. Cameron, thanks for being with us.

CAMERON HUDSON, SENIOR ASSOCIATE, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES' AFRICA CENTER: Thanks for having me.

VAUSE: OK, so just start with the basics here. Were there any signs that the military takeover or coup or power grab or whatever you want to call it, was it likely? And why now?

HUDSON: Well, it's hard to say because the coup plotters and the people who've overthrown the government seemingly haven't given us much to go on right now.

I think it's worth recalling Niger is a very fragile state in a very fragile region. Most of the region has experienced unconstitutional transfers of power just in the last few years. It's one of the poorest countries in the world with one of the highest birth rates, it has endemic problems of poverty, of terrorism. So, there are, you know, a great many factors contributing to instability in the country.

That said, it was the first transfer -- democratic transfer of power in 2021, with President Bazoum coming to power, he seemed to be at least doing and saying many of the right things, certainly to an international audience.

And I think what we're -- what we're discovering here today though, is that not all was well on the home front, that the security officers in the country, were feeling overwhelmed and under resourced. We've heard similar kinds of complaints from Burkina Faso and other countries in the region, which are fighting on the front lines against terrorist groups, you know, besieging the country.

So, it's a very fragile state and a very fluid situation right now. And until we hear more from the coup plotters themselves, it's hard to know exactly what their motivations are right now.

VAUSE: And you touched on the situation in Mali and Burkina Faso between them, they've had eight coups in four years, four a piece. I guess the fear now is that those countries which are being overrun, if you'd like by extremists linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS, is that were Niger is now heading down that road quite possibly?

HUDSON: Well, I think we're getting some indications that the military wasn't pleased with the level of support it was getting in fighting this terrorist groups. Again, we've heard that from coup plotters in Mali and Burkina Faso in the past.

So, it's, you know, it's hard to say exactly where this is going to go. But clearly, if the military is more concerned with domestic politics, then there's a risk that they are no longer going to be fighting the fight against these terrorist groups that are now encroaching in on Niger and on the Capitol.

And so, I think that presents a problem if the military has a kind of divided set of priorities, and they're not focused on the terrorist fight. And they're focused on domestic politics that I think we could see, you know, a spreading and a worsening of the terrorist situation in Niger in the coming days ahead.

VAUSE: Cameron Hudson, thank you so much, sir, we appreciate your time.

HUDSON: Thank you.

VAUSE: The Ukrainian counter-offensive appears to be ramping up, committing more troops with new fronts opening in some critical areas.

And according to U.S. officials, Ukraine has now fully committed its full military combat power which had been held back in reserve.

Ukrainian forces are said to be advancing from the south towards the Russian health city of Bakhmut. These images show Ukrainian taking over some Russian held positions.

There's also an uptick in fighting along the southern front, with reports of Russian forces retreating from some parts.

[00:05:04]

CNN's Alex Marquardt has the very latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Ukrainian troops have made a major push in the southern Zaporizhzhia region as they try to punch through the heavily defended, heavily mined Russian front line.

What we've learned from Russian officials in reports is that the Ukrainian troops used around 100 armored vehicles in this advanced, including those German made Leopard 2 tanks, the American made Bradley Fighting Vehicles.

This front has been a major priority in this counter offensive over the last few weeks since it started. We have seen Ukrainian troops prodding along that southern front trying to get through and in recent days, they have made some modest gains.

Elsewhere along the southern front today, we did see video of Russian troops fleeing from the fighting, retreating from the Ukrainian side.

And recently, we have spent time on that southern front with the 47th Mechanized Brigade. This is one of the Ukrainian brigades that got American training in Germany, they received those Bradley Fighting Vehicles and they tell us tonight that they are using that combined arms and maneuver training that they learned from the Americans that their soldiers are advancing on foot under the cover of Ukrainian artillery.

Meanwhile, those Bradley Fighting Vehicles are taking out Russian infantry positions as well as Russian equipment.

But as Ukraine presses forward in the south, we are continuing to see Russia attack all across Ukraine from the sky. Dozens of missiles fired at Ukraine all across the country.

Today, the Ukrainian Air Force says that some 40 Russian missiles were taken down, there were cruise missiles used, those hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, at least four of those were fired as well.

The Ukrainian Air Force saying that the Russian missiles enter the Ukrainian airspace from the southeast and headed west, constantly changing direction.

But as we have seen recently with the wave of strikes in Odesa, even if missiles are taken down, there can be significant damage on the ground, that falling debris hurting or killing people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: And a major shift in U.S. policy. President Joe Biden is allowing the United States to share evidence of Russian war crimes with the International Criminal Court. Neither the U.S. nor Russia are parties to the court and the U.S. has never fully cooperated with an investigation of a country which is not a member.

President Biden made the call despite Pentagon concerns it might lead to an ICC investigation into alleged war crimes by American forces in Iraq.

African leaders are arriving in St. Petersburg, Russia for a summit with President Vladimir Putin. They're expected to ask for concrete promises on grain supplies after the Kremlin withdrew from the Black Sea Grain initiative earlier this month.

Wheat prices have risen about 20 percent in less than two weeks. Some leaders also want clarity from the Russian president on the future the Wagner Mercenary group in Africa after its short lived mutiny in Russia last month.

Vladimir provides security for a number of African countries.

North Korea is rolling out the red carpet and bolstering ties with allies Russia and China, who sent high level delegations to Pyongyang, marking the 70th anniversary of the Armistice Agreement which ended fighting on the Korean Peninsula.

According to state media, leader Kim Jong-un has been discussing strategic cooperation with the Russian defense minister who presented him with a signed letter from President Putin. They also toured North Korea's Hall of Weapons.

State media also reports Kim Jong-un had a warm and friendly talk with the visiting members of China's Politburo or executive committee, who handed him a personal letter as well, this one though from President Xi Jinping.

Dozens of new wildfires are cropping up across southern Europe fueled by unrelenting heat waves. The Greek fire services reported 61 new fires in the past day alone. The spreading in central Greece killing two people Wednesday, threatening the country's main agricultural hub. Part of the country reached 46 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.

Italy is also seeing some of the highest temperatures in Europe right now. 10 fires burning in the south of the country, four elderly people died on Tuesday.

In Portugal, hundreds -- excuse me, firefighters were able to contain a fire that broke outside the capital city Lisbon, but wildfires are still burning in other parts of Portugal also in southern Spain.

Europe is not the only continent gripped by high temperatures, a large part of the United States is also suffering a suffocating heatwave, more than 140 million people are under some kind of heat alert.

More details are from CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers.

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CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, the heat is moving around a little bit across the United States what was only in the desert southwest and it's still going to be hot there. Vegas, you're going to get the 44, Phoenix all the way to 46.

Now, some of that energy, some of that heat and sunshine will be moving on off toward the east into the plains and also into the Northeast where tens of millions of people are now going to be under heat advisories or in the case of New York City, excessive heat warnings which means the heat index above 43 degrees, so it's going to feel very hot and also very, very sticky.

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170 records will be broken over the next few days, but likely only 40 few days because the cold front is actually coming through, Chicago 36 to 26 for a high by Saturday into Sunday. D.C. you go from 37 to 29. So, that's a nice big cold front with much cooler morning low temperatures as well. New York City 35, 34 to 32. But then all of a sudden a cool down into the middle part of next week.

Slightly cooler for Europe, slightly, I'd say that, you know, but still, still hot. I mean, you should be 32. That's where you shouldn't be Rome, and that's what you're going to be.

A couple more hot days in Athens, above normal, but the ramp is going the wrong way for you Madrid 35, 36, 37. And I'm afraid from there, it may keep going.

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VAUSE: Israel's Supreme Court has agreed to hear appeals over the most contentious laws in the country's history. Setting up a major legal battle between the government and opponents who warns democracy itself is at stake. Protesters have been demonstrating against the judicial overhaul plan for months. It would weaken the Supreme Court oversight of government decisions, stripping its ability to block those it deems unreasonable.

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is urging U.S. President Joe Biden to speak out more forcefully against the law.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) EHUD OLMERT, FORMER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I say to President Biden now, if you love Israel, you have to be against this government. And the Israelis will thank you for it. And the Jewish people will thank you for it, because they know that this is possibly one of the ways in which to stop this government from exercising policies which may destroy the moral fabric of what Israel was and needs to be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: More details now from CNN's Fred Pleitgen reporting in from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Israel Supreme Court has decided that there will not be an injunction freezing, the so-called reasonableness, this law which was decided by the Knesset on Monday. So, that means that the reasonableness law is enforced at this point in time, it also means that right now, Israel's Supreme Court could not shoot down measures by the government of this country on the grounds that it deems them to be unreasonable.

Now, the court also decided, however, that it would hear a case of petitions against that law in September. There's a law professor that CNN spoke to who said it really doesn't make very much of a difference whether or not there would have been an injunction because the Supreme Court is in recess anyway until September, so it wouldn't decide on any cases until then anyway.

Some of the groups that have put forward these petitions to stop, the reasonableness act say they are happy with the decision made by the Supreme Court. It was one of the bar association that says never really wanted an injunction, but they are looking forward to having their day in front of the Supreme Court to continue to fight that legal battle.

Another group came forward and said yes, they are also going to go in front of the Supreme Court. But they also say in the meantime, protests here in this country are going to continue.

In fact, the next major protests here in Israel is scheduled to happen on Thursday.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Now, for the Women's World Cup and the hotly anticipated matchup between defending champions United States and the Netherlands, a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final.

Americans were off to a fairly slow start in Wellington, giving up an early goal in the 17th minute. But in the second half, they tied it up with Lindsey Horan doing a header into the back of the net. Final score, one all. Both sides walked away with one point each in Group E but the U.S. is still on top of the table due to a goal difference. Newshub reporter Tia McDougall has been inside the stadium and comes

to us live from Wellington, New Zealand. Quite a match, quite the excitement there for yet another day of excitement of women's soccer.

TIA MCDOUGALL, NEWSHUB REPORTER: John, honestly, it was so exciting and there really was a game of two halves and you could tell that from the fans. The first half, the Netherlands really did have quite a bit of position, quite a bit of dominance, their defense up on their feet every opportunity they got and of course, the world champions conceded that goal. The place erupted. It was crazy.

And they got really confident after the Netherlands got that goal and they were really confident going into the end of halftime and then of course, I'm not quite sure what the conversation was at halftime for team USA but they came back out, they came out strong.

They got -- Lindsey Horan got that incredible textbook corner across to the header and it was -- the place erupted even probably louder. I'm surprised you couldn't hear it all the way from over there.

And the game of course wrapped up as a draw but still really exciting. And I think both teams slightly disappointed they didn't win but of course happy that they didn't lose either.

VAUSE: Tia, thank you so much. Tia McDougall there live in Wellington with the wrap up of the day's game. We appreciate your time. Thank you.

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U.S. not used to trailing at the half, let's bring in our sports analyst Christine Brennan who is with us from Washington. Christine, great to have you with us at this late hour.

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: John, great to be with you. Thank you.

VAUSE: OK, never before has a draw been such a nail biting cliff- hanger and yes, I mix my metaphors. It was a slow start for the U.S. team but you know, as Tia mentioned, by that second half, they came out, is scoring that equalizer, you know, with the best comment I think came from "The Athletic for the commentary there. The Netherlands appear to have made a severe tactical error by making Lindsay Horan angry. And she really seems to be in the game changer, especially the second half, right?

BRENNAN: Oh, she was and those clips are going to probably be viral with her pushing and back and forth the shoving and the -- and the words that they had with Danielle van de Donk who is her teammate in Lyon, in the professional -- in her professional world, but obviously the competitor and the opponent, when of course the Netherlands is playing the United States.

And yes, Lindsay Moran is the captain of the U.S. team. And she really needed to step up. And what happened was she was provoked, but you know, she was pushed to the ground. She thought there should have been a call on that, there wasn't.

And so, she's angry. And within a couple seconds, there comes Rose Lavelle on the corner kick the ball to her head. It was beautiful. It was just poetic. It was theatrical. It was soccer at its best. One of those great highlights, and reminiscent for the United States, John, of Abby Wambach, who was known for her headers.

And Moran puts it right in the back of the net, U.S. is tied one to one. Frankly, the U.S. had so many opportunities to go ahead and win the -- win the match, they did not. But it was certainly a highlight.

And to think that the U.S. had not had that. And the U.S. loses that match. Oh my goodness, the United States we know doesn't care about soccer as much as the rest of the world. But the U.S. really cares about its women's national soccer team. And that would have been a really depressing result.

VAUSE: Yes, it's been like Australia, they're not really interested in football or soccer, but they're interested when they win.

Just explain how this draw now keeps the U.S. seem pretty much in control of their own destiny, right? How does the point system actually work here?

BRENNAN: Right, so right now, U.S. and the Netherlands are tied with four points apiece with one game left to be played in the three round, you know, the three matches before they reach the knockout stage, the group stage.

And two of the four teams will move on to the round of 16, where it's one and done. And the U.S. has a goal differential right now over the Netherlands, although that could change. U.S. beat Vietnam three nothing. The Netherlands beat Portugal one nothing.

But many thought including me that the U.S. should have scored more goals against Vietnam. What could happen then on Tuesday, when the two teams play at the -- this two games are the exact same time so there's no funny business going on. I mean, you can't watch and then decide what you want to do.

It could happen that if the Netherlands really takes it to Vietnam, and scores more than three goals, or has a differential more than three goals, and the U.S. has trouble against Portugal, which could happen, then the Netherlands could be the winner of the group.

And if the U.S. were to win, if they both win, they would make it through. But the U.S. would be second in the group, and would probably have to play Sweden in that round of 16 and the U.S. does not want to play Sweden in the round of 16.

VAUSE: It is complicated. I'm glad you're here to explain to us. So finally, I just want to -- you mentioned this, there was a bunch of opportunities that the U.S. seemed to miss, especially in that second half when they came out a whole different team.

But towards the end of that game, you know, when we sort of got towards last 10-15 minutes. Did they play for a draw just to not risk that a loss and to keep that point?

BRENNAN: I don't think they did. No, John. I mean, it's a good question. And I -- and observers might wonder and fans and spectators watching it.

No, they certainly had some opportunities. These young players who are so fascinating, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith, Smith had the two goals in the Vietnam game. They're 22 years old. They're really young, and they're fun to watch.

And they're starting to connect with their teammates. Alex Morgan is the veteran and she's the one that's been done dishing out the passes. And sometimes they click and sometimes they don't and so, I think they definitely wanted to score. They also wanted to make sure to play strong defense the Netherlands and score.

But I think the U.S. needs to get crisper. They can have a half like they had in the first half and then expect to win the World Cup U.S. If the U.S. plays the way they did tonight, they're not going to win the World Cup, not because they're not good, but because they're going to have to put together two halves that are much more like that second half.

[00:20:01]

VAUSE: Just overall, I mean, we talked a lot during the FIFA World Cup, which was held in Doha, you know, which one that's actually the most smooth sailing World Cup you have ever seen. By comparison, so far, this tournament has been, you know, night and day (PH) in so many ways.

BRENNAN: Oh, it has. Well, it's in a democracy. It's in countries that have human rights. In Australia and New Zealand there are LGBTQ rights, women's rights, etcetera.

So, those issues obviously are gone because Australia and New Zealand are doing things the right way and treating people equally.

And so, I think that's it and you know, it's nice to be talking about sports, isn't it? As opposed to all the other issues, but that was all self-inflicted in Qatar. That was all self-induced, and FIFA deserved all of that conversation. And now we're talking sports and it's the women and it's wonderful to see the support that women are getting in 2023.

VAUSE: Hopefully a lesson learned here. Christine Brennan, as always, so great to have you with us. Thank you.

BRENNAN: Thank you, John.

VAUSE: Well, late Sinead O'Connor only had one mega hit in her career, but she made a beautiful impression during her time in the limelight. Coming up, music insider explains why no other singer compares to her or ever would.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) VAUSE: That was Sinead O'Connor singing I Don't Want What I Have Not Got. And sadly, that uniquely, beautiful and powerful voice has gone silent. Longtime friend musician Bob Geldof confirming Sinead O'Connor's death. She was just 56 years old.

To many, she will always be remembered for a shaved head, wide eyes often filled with pain as much as a huge hit. A remake of Prince's hit song Nothing Compares 2 U. It earned her global fame which soon turned to infamy after this moment on the late-night comedy show "Saturday Night Live".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SINEAD O'CONNOR, SINGER: Fight the real enemy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: For years she battled depression and other mental health issues. Last year her 17-year-old son took his own life and the acute pain from that loss cut like a knife in one of her last messages on social media just over a week ago, Been living as undead night creature since, he was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul. We were one soul in two hearts. He was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally. I am lost in the bardo without him.

[00:25:15]

With us now is Bob Lefsetz, one of the most respected, influential voices in the music industry, author of the wildly read and highly regarded Lefsetz newsletter. Bob, it's good to have you with us.

BOB LEFSETZ, MUSIC WRITER, THE LEFSETZ LETTER: Good to be here, John.

VAUSE: I want to share part of your newsletter from Wednesday, which you wrote about Sinead. This is one of the lines. Sinead was possessed by the music. She felt the music, she was the music. It was transcendent. It's one thing to take the stage, it's another to lift the entire auditorium.

And you made the argument that while she may not have died at age 27, she shares the lineage of so many other great artists who did, why is that?

LEFSETZ: Well, it's like the Brian Wilson song I Just Wasn't Made For These Times. The reason these people are so great is they can channel these feelings that we have but we bury when we try to comport to society. So, these are our beacons.

Unfortunately, all these acts today become brands they want to sell perfume. Were with Sinead, it was always about the music and the lyrics and the statement of the music. In addition, she had that unbelievable voice in an era pre auto tune, pre studio trickery. You heard that and your -- the hairs on your arm started to stand up.

And it's kind of like the Supreme Court Justice said about pornography. You know it when you hear it. And the line you said about lifting the audience. I saw performance of her on David Letterman show that I still get chills thinking about singing The Thief of My Heart from the movie in the Name of The Father in 1993.

VAUSE: What have we lost?

LEFSETZ: We've lost another unique voice. It's from another era, I always view it like the Renaissance. They've painted and sculpted since the Renaissance. But there was only one Renaissance. The era in which Sinead O'connor triumphed is 30 years past, the landscape is completely different. No matter how talented you are, you can't reach the world in an instant.

So, we had a combination of a great song, great performance, great video, and it suddenly made her a star around the world, which you can't even do.

And in addition, that was when you read about credibility and not selling out. Today, everybody sells out. So, she is we say in a music business was the real deal.

Now, unlike today, she didn't sound exactly like anybody else. And you can't say someone else had the same career. And when you have that amount of talent and that quality, it sustains, forget the last 25 years of her unfortunately troubled life. Those songs still have the same impact.

VAUSE: And years after she ripped the photo of the Pope. She told NPR, she knew what she was doing. She knew what to expect. She told them. I am an intelligent woman. I knew how the people would react. I consider myself a spiritually, intellectually, developed woman, I was perfectly willing to deal with the consequences, the main one of which was people saying I am a nutcase which I agree with anyway.

And she goes on in her memoirs to say that she considers that moment a righteous act of protest and a success.

So, despite what it did to her career afterwards, she sees that as a moment with no regrets it would seem.

LEFSETZ: That's really rationalization 30 years after the fact. These people from the U.K. especially Ireland, they don't understand a country with 300 million people. They don't understand the impact. She absolutely chose what to do.

But the incredible blowback she was not prepared for, I know people who work for the record company, etcetera. She had to accept her behavior.

Now, a true artist does what they want, and therefore they can feel good about it despite the consequences, as opposed to so many so called artists who do what the label or managers tell them to do.

The fact that there was this amount of blowback, this was not the first time we had John Lennon saying that The Beatles were bigger than Jesus. We had Elvis Costello breaking the rules of SNL starting one song and another. But this really had incredible shock value. In addition is what you we have the Irish Catholic ethos. America is a really puritanical country, and could not accept that.

VAUSE: You know, in recent months, we've had K-pop singer Moonbin from the boy band Astro, Hong Kong singer CoCo Lee, and now quite possibly Sinead O'Connor. They're all very different performers, but they have one thing in common, it appears they've all taken their own lives. Is it something different now? Or is this how it's always been?

LEFSETZ: No, it's the same thing. These are not well adjusted people, OK? That's why they are artists.

[00:30:00]

In addition, you get into the maelstrom and you lose perspective. Now, we talked about her young son who took his own life, that's tragic for anybody. But an artist feels things at a deeper depth and therefore, is affected by them.

Also, she came back them to work into McDonald's, even if she wanted to, people would gawk at her. She's in her own unique space. And unless you've been in that space, no one can understand. The old line was, who does Madonna talk to who has the same experience. Ed Sheeran lost a good friend. There aren't people at this level. There aren't people who push the envelope like Sinead O'Connor because there were afraid to put everything on the line and risk everything. That was her reputation.

However, it was backed up with talent, which is rarely the case, especially in an era today where everybody can make music and have it distributed. She really climbed the ladder on pure talent and had incredible success.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Bob, it's so great to have you with us on what is a very sad day. But it's good to hear from you. It's also good to see you, sir. Thank you.

LEFSETZ: Until next time, John.

VAUSE: Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm John Vause. You're watching "CNN Newsroom."

A never before tried salvage operation to unload more than a million barrels oil from a rusting oil storage platform off Yemen's coast appears to be off to a good start. The U.N. is overseeing the project and has warned if the oil is not removed, the area could be facing an ecological disaster. Details now from CNN's Eleni Giokos.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Attempting to avert an environmental disaster. This United Nations' team is off- loading 1 million barrels of oil from a rusting supertanker.

ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL: The ship-to-ship transfer of oil, which has started today, is the critical next step in avoiding an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe on a colossal scale.

[00:35:00]

GIOKOS (voiceover): The FSO Safer tanker has moved (ph) off the Coast of Yemen for more than 30 years but has not been maintained since 2015 when the war broke out. And the U.N. says that a massive spill from the Safer would destroy pristine reefs, coastal mangroves, and other sea life across the Red Sea, expose millions of people to highly polluted air, and cut off food, fuel and other lifesaving supplies to Yemen with 17 million people already need food aid.

The U.N. chief warning that cleanup could cost $20 billion. Complicating matters is the ongoing conflict in Yemen, now under a ceasefire since April. The U.N. says, getting permission from the warring parties to empty the tanker has taken two years of difficult negotiation.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been battling a Saudi Arabian laid military coalition supporting the internationally recognized government. The U.N. salvage efforts which could take 19 days has started positively.

DAVID GRESSLY, U.N. HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR IN YEMEN: We have over 120,000 barrels already transferred. But over the next two weeks, we hope to complete that, then the next set of critical steps will take place. So, the hard part, in many ways, technically, is over in getting the vessels stabilized and that's what allowed us to start the pumping yesterday.

GIOKOS (voiceover): What's still not clear is who will get to sell the oil once it's safely off the ship? It's mostly owned by SEPOC, a Yemeni state firm.

GRESSLY: The first thing we wanted to do is to get the oil off the old vessel. So, we're no longer worried about the spill happening. Getting it onto a new vessel gives us the time for all of the political and legal discussions that need to take place before the oil can be sold.

GIOKOS (voiceover): Talks with the U.N. about the fate of the oil continue. But, for now, the parity remains to avert a calamity on an immense scale. Eleni Giokos, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Still to come here on CNN, 11 in 17 months may not be enough to tame inflation with the U.S. Fed warning of more possible rate hikes later this year. More on that when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) VAUSE: The son of U.S. President Joe Biden is in legal limbo after a dramatic day in court in the U.S. State of Delaware. Hunter Biden had agreed to plead guilty to two federal tax charges. But the judge raised concerns about another felony charge involving a firearm which was part of the deal. A revised agreement was then reached during the hearing about the judge who is not willing to accept it, at least not immediately. Now, the Hunter Biden team has to wait and see if the judge will ultimately agree to that deal, if not, Hunter Biden is likely to stand trial.

[00:40:00]

The U.S. Federal Reserve is still not satisfied, inflation is under control. On Wednesday, raised the benchmark rate to the highest level in 22 years. The 11th time the Fed has raised the prime lending rate since March of last year. Speaking to reporters, after the announcement, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said, inflation had improved but not enough.

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JEROME POWELL, CHAIR, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE: I would say it is certainly possible that we would raise funds again at the September meeting, if the data warranted. And I would also say, it's possible that we would choose to hold steady at the meeting. We're going to be making careful assessments, as I said, meeting by meeting.

And I'll close by saying, we've raised the federal funds right now by 525 basis point since March 2022. Monetary policy, we believe, is restrictive and is putting downward pressure on economic activity and inflation.

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VAUSE: On the market though, there's not much reaction. But the Dow's modest rise did mark the 13 straight day of gains, the longest streak since 1987. Let's take a look at the futures here in the United States. We can see the Dow is at the top. Nasdaq is up by two thirds of one percent. S&P features is up by a third of one percent. There are the futures, let's see what happened.

A federal judge in New York has issued a gag order on Sam Bankman- Fried, the former CEO of bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX. Prosecutors want him jailed ahead of his trial in October for alleged witness tampering. They accused him of leaking the personal writings of his ex-girlfriend and business partner to "New York Times" in an effort to discredit the prosecution's star witness. His lawyers have pushed back. The judge is giving both sides more time to prepare arguments before ruling on the prosecution's request. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of fraud and conspiracy.

And finally, the late rapper Tupac Shakur set a lot of records during his career.

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VAUSE: And now, here's another one, this gold ruby and diamond crown ring is the most valuable hip-hop artifact ever sold at auction. If there's such a thing as a hip-hop artifact. That's according to Sotheby's which auctioned off the ring for $1 million. See that commission of the ring in 1996, he -- the year he died. He wore at his final public appearance at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards.

I'm John Vause, back at the top of the hour with more "CNN Newsroom." All sit up straight until then. World sports is up next after a very short break. See you in less than 18 minutes.

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