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Trump Still Republican Front-Runner; Gilgo Beach Murderer's Wife Asks For Privacy; Emotional Testimony At Hearing for Oxford School Shooting; Ukraine Consolidating Battlefield Gains; Niger Rebels Announce Leadership Council; Major League Baseball. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired July 29, 2023 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A warm welcome to our viewers watching from the United States and all around the world. I'm Paula Newton. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, Republican candidates gather in Iowa. See how one found out the hard way what happens when you target the former president.
Plus when it comes to U.S. weather, even the good news says there's little relief in sight for much of the country. We'll explain and have the latest on the heat alerts.
And later, what it's like living in Odessa and seeing historic places destroyed by Russian attacks. We'll get a firsthand account of life in the war zone.
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NEWTON: So if Donald Trump or his supporters are bothered by the latest charges the Republican front-runner faces, no one is showing it.
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NEWTON (voice-over): A little joke there, I guess. The former president received a standing ovation Friday night in Iowa. In fact, it was a rare appearance where most of his Republican rivals also spoke.
Trump mostly highlighted what he considers to be his administration's accomplishments but he also went on the attack without specifically addressing those charges against him. Listen.
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: They want to weaponize the IRS, just like they have weaponized the Justice Department. If I weren't running, I would have nobody coming after me. Or if I was losing by a lot, I would have nobody coming after me.
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NEWTON: Now while Trump didn't directly address the new charges he faces in the Iowa event, he has been commenting elsewhere since they were filed Thursday. Paula Reid has our story.
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PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former President Donald Trump facing new legal peril. A Florida grand jury returned a superseding indictment Thursday.
Adding two charges against Trump for an effort to alter, destroy, mutilate or conceal surveillance footage that is at the heart of the prosecution's case. Trump reacting in a new interview right after the charges dropped.
TRUMP: It shouldn't even be a case.
REID: Prosecutors also added Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos de Oliveira to the case, charging him with obstruction and lying to the FBI during a January 2023 interview.
The indictment describes how de Oliveira told another Mar-a-Lago employee that, quote, the boss wanted the server with the surveillance footage to be deleted.
Prosecutors also added one more count against Trump of willful retention of national defense information related to a classified document he showed to visitors at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, in 2021. That meeting was recorded by one of his aides.
TRUMP: These are the papers. This was done by the military, given to me. See as president I could have declassified it, now I can't, you know but this is still a secret.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now we have a problem.
TRUMP: Isn't that interesting?
REID: CNN has learned that document, a presentation concerning military activity in a foreign country, was actually returned to the Archives in January 2022. Prosecutors will have to prove that document was willfully retained even though it was eventually returned even before Trump received a subpoena.
The former president firing back suggesting he would have Smith fired if he is re-elected.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're elected president again, is he somebody you would fire?
TRUMP: Well, I wouldn't keep him. Jack Smith?
Why would I keep him? He is deranged.
REID: Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee investigations into Trump after the former president launched his latest bid for the White House.
MERRICK GARLAND, ATTORNEY GENERAL: When I pointed Mr. Smith I did so because it underscores the Justice Department's commitment to both independence and accountability.
QUESTION: Can you tell us whether you expect to have an indictment this week?
REID: Smith has said little publicly, recently ignoring questions about another Trump indictment related to January 6th.
Trump's lawyers met with Smith and his team Thursday --
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REID (voice-over): -- ahead of an expected indictment in that case --
TRUMP: We're going to walk down to the Capitol.
REID: Amid all the legal peril, concerns, too, about security at the courts. In Atlanta, where Trump may also face charges in the coming weeks, barricades are going up around the courthouse.
Carlos de Oliveira is expected to make his first court appearance on Monday, though it's unclear how his addition to the case will impact the timeline for a potential trial.
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NEWTON: Our Paula Reid there.
Back in Iowa, criticizing Trump is a sure way to alienate a friendly crowd of conservative voter voters, as many politicians have learned the hard way. But in a high-stakes election season, the gloves have to come off sometime. Listen to Will Hurd barely get 10 words out last night before the backlash erupted. Listen.
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WILL HURD, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump is not running for president to make America great again. Donald Trump is not running for president to represent the people that voted for him in 2016 and 2020.
Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison. And if we elect ...
I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. Listen, I know the truth. The truth is hard.
But if we elect Donald Trump, we are willingly giving Joe Biden, four more years, in the White House and America can't handle that that.
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NEWTON: Now it is a crowded field of GOP contenders, all of them looking for an edge to chip away at Trump's sizable lead ahead of next January's Iowa caucuses.
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GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We want education in this country, not indoctrination in this country. We got it done in Florida. We need to get it done nationally. And I got Kamala Harris coming down to Florida, trying to create phony narratives, because she understands Florida has stood up, to the Left's agenda.
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NIKKI HALEY (R-SC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Then you go and look at the border. I know Kamala is here, in Iowa. But I bet you, she hadn't spent nearly
as much time at the border, as she's spent, in Iowa, talking about abortion. I've been to that border.
The idea that those ranchers get up first thing in the morning and go see if anyone died crossing the fence.
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NEWTON: With us now is Thomas Gift, director of the Centre on U.S. Politics at University College London.
Good to see you. Mr. Hurd there was certainly booed off the stage in a hurry. Many predicted that this would happen.
But the way that the Republicans, the GOP have rallied around Trump after charge after charge, indictment after indictment, do you believe there's any secret sauce, secret formula to try to break a stranglehold on the party?
THOMAS GIFT, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: I don't. I do think that the reaction to Will Hurd's comments are as predictable as you can get. There are two things you can't can lecture the leaders on in 2023 and that's Donald Trump and the truth.
So doing both at once, saying Trump is only running to stay out of jail and the truth hurts, it seems like Hurd was trying to elicit a negative response. He can stand up there and grandstand without much concern. The whole point of his campaign, like Asa Hutchinson, is to make a point.
But as you're suggesting for viable Republicans who are trying to compete for the nomination, you can see why there's been such a reluctance to challenge Trump head-on. You're going to put through the ringer for doing it, which is probably
one reason why Chris Christie didn't show up last night. He knew his critiques wouldn't go over. And he was right. But if you can't attack Trump and be nice to Trump and still make inroads, it almost makes it impossible for any other alternative candidate to emerge as viable here.
NEWTON: And that was my next question.
As much as Chris Christie can read the room and know he shouldn't be in that room, didn't they learn that in the 2016 primary race, that somebody needs to attack him more?
He will just become the nominee, period.
GIFT: Yes, and I think maybe there are a lot of candidates who are just vying for second place, basically a vice presidential nod. I do think that you see some change in posture from Ron DeSantis in particular. Maybe that's just out of desperation.
What he's been doing up until this point certainly hasn't been resonating with Republican voters. He's been trying to make this argument about electability, essentially saying, look, I understand your concerns, I know you're upset. I realize some of you might prefer a second Trump term.
But I'm the candidate that can win. I think the problem with that is that the right wing base isn't much swayed by the electability argument. That's more something that resonates with party elites and donors.
And Ron DeSantis has gotten off to such a poor start, both with his slippage in the polls turmoil in his campaign. His whole argument about competence --
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GIFT: -- I think, is hard to take to voters, which is one reason why I think we're starting to see a search for Trump alternatives.
I think some are looking to Tim Scott maybe as an anti-Trump candidate, because he's a more effective foil. He's more positive, a lot more optimistic and doesn't drive in that same Trump lane. But it's going to be hard for any candidate to really compete here.
NEWTON: Hard is probably the understatement of this political season as well. We heard Trump say in his address to Iowa that he wouldn't be prosecuted at all if he weren't running for president.
Listen now to what he said in an interview about how he's going to handle the charges against him, the indictments and perhaps even guilty verdicts. Take a listen.
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JOHN FREDERICKS: You get convicted and sentenced. Does that stop your campaign for president, if you're sentenced?
TRUMP: Not at all. There's nothing in the Constitution to say it could. Even the radical left say it wouldn't stop me.
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NEWTON: It wouldn't stop him either.
Thomas, is there anything that you see in this race that will change it?
I have to note that when you go to the general against Joe Biden, if you watch or listen to conservative media, right now, they are going on about the Hunter Biden situation.
As far as they are concerned, the scales are balanced in terms of political leaders facing justice, even though people mention it's not the president facing these legal troubles; it's his son.
GIFT: Absolutely. I think the Hunter Biden scandal, if you want to call it that, is a perfect rejoinder for Republicans to muddy the water. There's really no parallel here. But anytime you hear Trump and indictment, all Republicans want to do is talk about Hunter Biden.
They really do think it's evening out the scale, even if there's no reality in which that's the case. Donald Trump is not going to be deterred by any indictment or future indictment. He's really doubled down and he's used it to both fundraise and increase his position in the polls.
So to your fundamental question, is anything going to change this race?
It's always possible. There's still a long way to go. I do think that some of these indictments and potential charges could have some downstream implications for the general election if Trump is the nominee.
But in the short run, all this only helps him. He has such a stranglehold on the party, which we observed time and again, that it's going to be difficult to topple.
NEWTON: And while a reminder is that these elections and the general go state by state, when you look at the popular vote, right now, Biden and Trump are tied. That gives you a preview of what may be to come if Trump does become the nominee.
Thomas Gift, thank you so much. We appreciate it.
GIFT: Thank you.
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NEWTON: Now in the state of Georgia, officials have beefed up security outside an Atlanta courthouse as they brace for another possible indictment of Donald Trump. He's being investigated in the state over election interference and charges could be handed down as soon as next week. Sara Murray has our report.
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SARA MURRAY, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Barricades are going up around the Fulton County courthouse in Atlanta.
And on Monday, we're officially in the window for when the district attorney Fani Willis may announce charges as to anyone who may face an indictment as part of her investigation into efforts by Trump to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
We're seeing a last-ditch attempt by Donald Trump's attorneys to have her disqualified from the case, try to have evidence from the case thrown out. A judge has set a hearing in that on August 10th, which is smack dab in the middle of that indictment window.
We still think we're probably weeks rather than days away from any potential indictment. And this has been a big investigation and one that some critics believe should have moved faster. Take a look at a preview of our deep dive into what happened in Georgia coming this weekend.
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MURRAY (voice-over): We are more than two years past the pressure campaigns, the harassment of public and private citizens, the coordinating of fake electors, the breach of election equipment and we still don't know.
Will Trump and his allies face charges here in Georgia?
And if so, will there be convictions?
TRUMP: They rigged the presidential election in 2020 and we're not going to allow them to rig the presidential election of 2024.
MURRAY: Did voters deserve an answer to this question before Donald Trump became an announced candidate again?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I don't think there's any question about that. From a national perspective, no question about it. From a local perspective here, no question about it.
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MURRAY: We saw former president Trump lie to the American people. You saw him gin up this outrage.
Is it a remedy if he's charged with a crime in Georgia?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If they indict him and they can't convict him, it will be an exoneration.
Is that better or worse?
I don't know.
MURRAY: This will give you an idea of how sprawling the investigation in Georgia actually is.
Everything from Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani's false statements in front of Georgia lawmakers to try to persuade them to upend the election results to a former publicist for Kanye West, who tried to pressure a Georgia election worker into admitting that she participated in an election fraud -- that she didn't participate in.
All that and more is coming up Sunday night at 8:00 pm Eastern on our deep dive with Anderson Cooper.
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NEWTON: Our thanks there to Sara Murray.
As they have done since January, protesters in Israel are expected to be out in force again today to demand their government stop its overhaul of the judicial system. It's become an historic showdown over the past seven months, with neither side backing down.
A controversial new law came into force Wednesday that will likely add more fuel to today's demonstrations. Critics say it has weakened the supreme court and undermines Israeli democracy.
Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed those concerns as silly. He claims the overhaul is needed to reset the balance of power in government.
Now in the U.S., more than 100 million people from Southern California to New England are waking up to heat alerts in the hours ahead. In Phoenix, temperatures are expected to stay above 110 degrees right into the weekend. The scorching temperatures are easing in the Midwest.
But people in the Northeast will have to wait until later Sunday to get any kind of relief. Miguel Marquez looks at how people are coping.
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MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Deadly heat. More than 30 states under alert. Temperatures, record breaking.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my god, this is hell on earth.
MARQUEZ: Over 150 Americans sweltering nowhere worse than Phoenix, Arizona.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is unreal. Day, night, never seen anything like it.
MARQUEZ: A city accustom to heat now overwhelmed by it. A new record, 15 days so far this year, over 115 degrees. The morgue in Maricopa County adding 10 refrigerated containers, prepping for a possible spike of heat-related deaths. Already, the morgue is over its normal capacity.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If it started to tilt, bad sign.
MARQUEZ: Arizona's ultra hardy saguaro cacti, some essentially suffocating from the heat. Wildlife suffering, too, a great horn owl cooling off at a Phoenix sanctuary. At the Minneapolis zoo, ostriches taking a shower. A polar bear in search of ice.
The Midwest baking. Indianapolis construction workers taking extra precautions. Conditions being pushed to the extreme.
DAN LIVINGSTON, SAFETY SUPERINTENDENT, RIETH-RILEY CONSTRUCTION: This isn't for the unseasoned worker. don't try to attempt to come out and start working in this heat until you have been fully acclimated.
MARQUEZ: Along the eastern seaboard, the heat index, that mix of temperatures and humidity, hitting upwards of 110 degrees in some areas.
TESSA BORBRIDGE, NEW YORKER: I'm sweating within -- I probably am sweating within seven seconds stepping outside. I'm not -- I'm not joking. And then also, like, you know, as soon as I'm on the subway platform, it gets really ugly, really messy.
MARQUEZ: Public cooling stations set up throughout the country. Power companies urging customers to conserve energy. Power grids everywhere under pressure.
COMMISSIONER ZACHARY ISCOL, NYC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: We recommend setting your air conditioning unit to 78 degrees, with the lowest of the cool settings, remembering it's about maintaining your comfort while also ensuring energy consumption for the entire city.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): While summer and heat go together, Copernicus Climate Change Service calculates July will be the world's hottest month on record ever.
MARQUEZ: So the good news is, in places like New York and much of the U.S., the temperatures are going to come down in the days ahead. The bad news is, we're all going to have to live with more extreme weather in the days ahead -- back to you.
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NEWTON: Our thanks to Miguel Marquez there.
Much more to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, including comments from a soon-to-be ex-wife of the Gilgo Beach murder suspect.
Plus a major Ukrainian city caught in the crosshairs of Russian missiles.
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NEWTON: The wife of the accused Gilgo Beach killer is asking for privacy for her family and neighbors. On Friday, news cameras caught her filing divorce this week as she returned home.
She spoke about the condition of her house after police searches.
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ASA ELLERUP, REX HEUERMANN'S WIFE (from captions): I got over the hurdle of what I saw inside.
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NEWTON: Her lawyer also released a statement asking the media to be mindful of her neighbors. In her words, "They deserve to live peacefully. They should be able to walk their dogs and go to the grocery store without cameras shoved in their faces.
"I am pleading with you all to give us some space so that we may regain some normalcy in our neighborhood."
A Michigan court heard harrowing testimony Friday from two students and an administrator in a hearing for Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley. Jenn Sullivan has our story.
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JENN SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Day two of a critical court hearing for a school shooter, Ethan Crumbley, featuring an emotional testimony from a school administrator and to students, describing coming face to face with the gunman.
HEIDI ALLEN, SHOOTING SURVIVOR: It was very quiet, there was no screaming, nothing, it was just the gunshots. Those were my last moments.
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SULLIVAN (voice-over): Because both students are minors, no cameras were allowed to show their face. One of them, Keegan Gregory, at a therapy dog at his testimony, saying that he escaped after Crumbley shot and killed another student hiding in the bathroom with him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why did you do that?
KEEGAN GREGORY, SHOOTING SURVIVOR: Because, I think when I saw his body, I realized that if I say it I was going to die.
SULLIVAN (voice-over): The shooting, back in November of 2021 in Oxford high, school in Michigan, killed four people and injured seven others. Crumbley pleaded guilty in October of charges stemming from the mass shooting.
Friday's hearing, aiming to determine if the underage shooter can be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole as family members of the victims teared up in the courtroom.
An assistant principal of Oxford High School also taking the stand, saying that she has known the shooter since elementary school because she was his principal. She testified that she was walking the hall as Crumbley was shooting and approached him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I said are you OK?
And what is going on?
SULLIVAN (voice-over): I am Jen Sullivan, reporting.
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NEWTON: Russian missiles take aim at a new target in Ukraine, its cultural heritage. We go to the historic city of Odessa to talk about the damage to its cultural sites.
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NEWTON: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Paula Newton. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
We are getting reports of a Russian strike on Ukraine's Kherson region. Officials say artillery fire hit a residential area near a grain terminal, leaving four people wounded. It happened after Ukraine and Russia traded missile fire Friday --
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NEWTON: -- including this attack on the city of Dnipro.
The strike left at least nine people wounded, according to Ukraine. It also damaged multiple buildings in the downtown area, including one belonging to Ukraine's security service.
Moscow says it shot down two Ukrainian drones over southwestern Russia, including one that reportedly injured 14 on the ground.
Back in Ukraine, Kyiv is working to consolidate recent gains, including capturing this village in the Donetsk region Thursday. Video showed troops dodging explosions in front of their vehicles. Ukraine is now expected to go after another settlement to the east, which Russian officers believe is hard to hold onto.
Kyiv say it is has also repelled Russian attempts to regain some of the lost ground in the region.
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NEWTON (voice-over): This is part of the footage that reportedly shows Ukrainians clearing Russian positions near Bakhmut. Kyiv is continuing its push north and south. It says the situation is very tense. Salma Abdelaziz joins us now.
You have been talking for days now about Ukraine's counteroffensive and how it is going. Secretary of state Antony Blinken has weighed in again today with blunt language about Russia searching far and wide for new weapons of war.
What more are you learning?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and this comes during a week that President Putin is doing a great deal of outreach, if you will. The Africa-Russia summit is taking place right now.
Actually just a short time ago, President Putin was meeting with Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, as the Kremlin tries, again, to hold on to any friends, any allies across the globe.
It is, of course, a country that is increasingly isolated and this week the other country that President Putin reached out to is North Korea. A delegation, a Russian delegation including the defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, was in Pyongyang to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War.
President Putin sent -- delivered remarks to North Korean officials on, that thanking them for their firm support of what he calls is special military operation in Ukraine. As you said, the U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, saying that these are desperate attempts, again to hold on to friends. Take a look.
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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I strongly doubt he's there on holiday. We're seeing Russia desperately looking for support for weapons wherever they can find them to prosecute its aggression against Ukraine.
And we see that in North Korea. We see that as well with Iran, which has provided many drones to Russia that it's using to destroy civilian infrastructure and kill civilians in Ukraine.
China has assured us repeatedly -- and not just us, many other countries -- that it is not providing material lethal assistance to Russian use in Ukraine. And we take those assurances very seriously.
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ABDELAZIZ: Last year, according to U.S. officials, North Korea sold thousands of rockets and artillery shells to Russia. Now the concern is that that continues. You also heard there, secretary of state mentioning Iran.
That is a country that has provided countless drones that have been used to target civilian areas across Ukraine. And, of course, Beijing remains, although it has, as you heard there, promised not to provide material support to President Putin.
It remains a concern, as NATO allies, U.S. officials try to ensure that Russia is unable, rather, to resupply its arsenal.
NEWTON: All right, Salma Abdelaziz for us in London. Thank you for staying on top of those developments, appreciate it.
Now the Ukrainian city of Odessa is trying to get back on its feet after a barrage of Russian strikes that shook it to the core. Russian missiles repeatedly pounded Odessa in recent days, damaging more than 2 dozen of its architectural monuments.
You see some of the damage there. They include the city's historic orthodox cathedral and other sites protected by UNESCO.
But apart from its cultural heritage, we also remember that Moscow went after the cities' residential areas and it's grain infrastructure and it played a key role in Ukraine's food exports.
My next guest is Michael Bociurkiw. He is a global affairs analyst and senior fellow at The Atlantic Council. He has been living in Odessa and has watched its port and cultural institutions attacked as never before.
Michael, good to see, you and it is good to see you safe. I know that you, along with the other residents of Odessa, have been through a lot in the last few weeks. I want to get to the opinion piece that you wrote for cnn.com.
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NEWTON: But first, give us a sense of what it has been like. Many fail to realize that life was fairly normal in Odessa up until the last few weeks.
MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, SENIOR FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Sure, good to be with you again, Paula.
Thankfully, we had a quiet night last night, although there were nationwide air raid sirens later in the evening.
As I have written before, Odessa basically has two industries. One is the port and the other is the tourism industry, the night life, restaurants, bars. Both are suffering very, very badly.
You can see it on the faces of neighbors walking down the street. You can especially see the pain on the faces of the owners of small- and medium-sized businesses. I have a lot of friends in that sector.
Some of them have left. Some of them are saying we can only hang on a few months longer because the economy has been so battered by the threat of Russian strikes.
And then the port, aside from being a huge channel for Ukrainian grain exports, the noises from the port provide comfort to people because it's such a big industry here. It's spread across educational institutions. People come here to learn how to work in the maritime sector. So it's had huge ramifications.
NEWTON: Yes, and as you wrote in your opinion piece, you quoted an expert, who said that such assaults on priceless cultural heritage should be seen in the similar prism as the destruction of the Statue of Liberty in New York City or the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The bottom line, as you write, is that this constitutes cultural genocide.
Can you explain what is meant by that?
BOCIURKIW: Sure, well, basically from the start of the invasion, we have seen history repeat itself through the weaponization of grain. It reminds us of the Holodomor of '32-'33, where millions of Ukrainians died.
It reminds me -- a lot of us of the Soviet times, where Ukrainian language, religion, cultural institutions were suppressed. Same thing is happening now but on a much more physical scale.
I just walked through that neighborhood yesterday, Paula. And, for example, I will give you a real, tangible example. There is a music school that has been there forever. Students actually board there and it was very badly damaged.
And music is a huge thing here in Odessa and people being denied access to that. Also, many places you go in Ukraine, now the statues, the monuments are shrouded or taken away. So that also denies people access to the culture and history.
And finally, of course, no lack of stories of Russian troops looting museums and other cultural places on a scale of the Nazis in the previous war. And so it is really damaging. These things, a lot of them are priceless and irreplaceable.
NEWTON: Yes, and you also say that that lends its spirit to the city of Odessa. I love this line from your piece. You say its seemingly endless seaside promenade, its joyful outdoor gyms, its Miami-like flair and New York chutzpah.
And yet, how much do you worry, given the escalation here in this conflict, is clear, from what we covered in the last few minutes?
BOCIURKIW: I worry a lot. This is exactly as I described it in that piece -- thank you for quoting it. And there is no place like it on Earth and there's no place like it in Ukraine. In fact, normally during the summer months, people would come not only from neighboring countries but also from places like Kyiv to rest on the beach.
But now we can't even go into the Black Sea waters because of the threat of mines but also I just got a text yesterday from city officials, saying entering into the waters is forbidden because they fear it's still contaminated from when the dam was destroyed. So many factors working against Odessa. I often talk about the
irresistible resilience here of the people. But as I said, you can see it wearing them down. Some have left. Those who are staying say they can't take much more.
NEWTON: I only have 30 seconds left.
But do you note a sense of abandonment from the West?
I sense some fatigue, from what I have been reading.
BOCIURKIW: Yes, people are saying here words of condemnation or words of support welcome. But what's really needed here are Patriot missile systems. You can see how that has helped Kyiv spring back to life. It has protected skies. That's what Odessa needs for the economy to come back and for people to feel protected.
NEWTON: And we will leave it there for now. Please stay safe. We'll continue to check in with you.
BOCIURKIW: Thank you, Paula.
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NEWTON: Now we want to talk more cultural heritage. We learned that Ukraine is moving its official holiday to December 25th. That's the Christmas holiday. Now this is a break from the Russian Orthodox Church, which celebrates in early January.
The legislation was submitted to parliament and signed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday. The parliament's website says the idea is, quote, "to abandon the Russian heritage of imposing the celebration of Christmas on January 7th."
So the U.S., meanwhile, is reacting to another potential conflict, this one in Africa. Niger has become the latest democracy on the continent to be toppled by its military. Coming up, what Washington is saying and why it has such a stake in the outcome. A live report from the region, next.
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NEWTON: The United States is joining other countries in calling for the return of democracy to Niger. The U.S. State Department says top diplomat secretary of state Antony Blinken reiterated America's unflagging support for ousted president Mohamed Bazoum when the two spoke by phone.
He emphasized the importance of the continuing leadership and a democratic government. The E.U. denounced the coup as an attack on stability and democracy and threatened to suspend all aid.
The French president called the coup deeply dangerous for Niger and the whole region and backed the possible use of sanctions. Listen.
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EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): France absolutely condemns in the strongest terms this military coup against a democratically elected, courageous leader, who is making the reforms and investments his country needs.
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NEWTON: The coup plotters announced the so-called National Council for the Preservation of the Homeland, with the council's president to serve as Niger's new head of state. A spokesperson appeared on state television to give this warning to the world.
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COL. MAJOR AMADOU ABDRAMANE, NCSH SPOKESPERSON (through translator): Despite the measures taken by the CNSP for a rapid return to normalcy, certain former dignitaries holed up in chancelleries in collaboration with the latter are pursuing a confrontational logic with a view to distracting deposed authorities.
This belligerent, dangerous and perilous (ph) attitude will only result in the massacre of the Niger population and chaos.
Therefore, the CNSP calls on national and international opinion to bear witness to the consequences of any foreign military intervention.
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NEWTON: CNN's Larry Madowo has been following these developments from Nairobi.
The world has been reacting. But as we just heard, words of their own there as these new leaders try to take over.
Do you have any indication that anyone will have any sway over what's going on?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We have not seen president Mohamed Bazoum since Wednesday. Then the CNSP took over.
But the international community, the European Union, suspending all (INAUDIBLE) support to Niger and saying there has to be consequences for this unconstitutional takeover power.
I want to read a statement for you. It says that in addition to the immediate decision to (INAUDIBLE) support, all corporation actions in the security field are suspended with immediate effect. So this unacceptable attack on the integrity of the republican
institution will not remain without consequences. And this tracks along with something that America has threatened, because the U.S. secretary of state is also speaking to the support that it received from the U.S.
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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We are united in condemning the actions that have taken place in Niger, calling for the immediate release of the president, calling for the immediate restoration of the democratic order.
Our economic and security partnership, which is significant, hundreds of millions of dollars, depends on the continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order that has been disrupted by the actions in the last few days.
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MADOWO: Like we mentioned in the last hour, money is key here. The European Union is become the first partner of Niger to cut off support. And this is a double-edged sword. Niger has been a key partner for the West in the fight against terrorism and extremist activity in the Sahel.
NEWTON: We continue to follow the situation in Niger. Larry Madowo in Nairobi, thank you so much.
Now World Cup action resumes in New Zealand and Australia. Ahead, we'll bring you the latest scores, the preview of the most anticipated matches.
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NEWTON: Weekend number two for the Women's World Cup. It's really heating up now. It's stressful to try to advance past the knockout round. Andy Scholes is with us this morning.
Sweden putting on quite a performance in that second game. I'm sure you wished it was a little closer at this point in time.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORT CORRESPONDENT: You never want to see the games getting out of hand. But Sweden, you have to tip your hat to them. They just handed it to Italy in their second group stage game. This one ended just a little while ago.
As we mentioned, this was all sweet. They poured it on Italy in the first half. They scored three goals. They netted all three in an 8- minute span. The Swedes only the second team to score three goals in a first half at this World Cup.
They added two more to win 5-0 with the victory. Sweden advances to the knockout stage. They have never won the World Cup. They were runners up in 2003.
Coming up in a few minutes, one of the most anticipated matches of the opening round. France taking on Brazil. So rematch of a 2019 World Cup knockout game won by France.
Entering the tournament, the French are viewed as a top contender but they could be in some trouble after a draw with Jamaica in that opening game. A win by Brazil would put them in great shape to advance. That's a game to watch.
Turning to baseball, Shohei Ohtani continues his assault on the American League home run record, the Japanese superstar hitting his 39th homer for the Angels on Friday night.
He had three home runs in three at bats over the last two games. He left this one in the 9th inning with some leg cramps. Second straight game he left with cramping. Angels ended up losing, they lost 4-1.
[05:55:00]
SCHOLES: Ohtani has a legitimate chance to break the Yankees' slugger Aaron Judge's home run record in the American League that he set just last season. Ohtani's on pace for 62 home runs, which would tie that record. It's just incredible what he's doing, because he's hitting all these home runs and he's also pitching every five days.
So guy can do it all.
NEWTON: Truly we are going to enjoy watching him for years to come. Andy, thank you so much.
And to another phenom, they call him Thor, although the man does not have a superpower. CNN's Christina Macfarlane explains.
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CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's home, sweet home for the first time in a decade for Danish traveler Torbjorn Pedersen, also known as Thor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations.
TORBJORN PEDERSEN, DANISH TRAVELER: Thank you very, very much.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You did it. We did it. We survived.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Seeing his father for the first time in 10 years, embracing his wife and relatives after completing what he calls a trip around the world without flying.
PEDERSEN: Mixed emotions, mixed emotions. I'm so happy to be back home in Denmark. MACFARLANE (voice-over): Inspired by an article his father sent him, he began his world tour on October 10, 2013, journeying over land, over mountains and seas on foot, trains, buses, motorcycles and even camels.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's very stubborn and when he has a goal, he wants to reach it.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Even two years of COVID restrictions in Hong Kong could not stop him.
PEDERSEN: I look back at Hong Kong today and I'd have to say that was simultaneously perhaps the best time of my life and the worst time of my
life.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Thor filmed his trips and uploaded them to his blog and on social media, where he has over 71,000 followers. He also made a documentary about his decade-long journey to 203 countries and territories, a feat which he says the world may never see again -- Christina Macfarlane, CNN, London.
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NEWTON: I'm Paula Newton. Do stay with CNN. More news is coming up.
