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American Kidnapped in Haiti; Heat Alerts Across the U.S.; Trump Keeps Campaigning Despite Growing Legal Peril; Extreme Heat Impacts Europe's Summer Tourism; Texas Police Apologize After Arkansas Family Held at Gunpoint; 46,000-Year-Old Worm Revived. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired July 30, 2023 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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

And American nurse and her child kidnapped in Haiti. The effort to free them.

Tens of millions of people across the U.S. are under heat alerts. And while relief may be in sight for some, officials warning it is still important to take precautions.

And alive after 46,000 years, we will seek to a scientist who helped revive a worm that is millennia old.

HARRAK: We begin in Haiti where the U.S. is working to free an American nurse and her charge child who were kidnapped. That's according to the humanitarian organization where she has worked. The two were reportedly abducted on Thursday. The nurse, Alix Dorsainvil, is shown here in video from the organization. She's married to the head of the group. The U.S. State Department is working with Haitian authorities to try and free the woman and her child.

Let's bring CNN's Paula Newton. She's been following this developing story and has covered the situation in Haiti for us. Paula, what more have you been able to learn about the American woman and the child abducted in Haiti?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, when we first learned about this, we learned from the organization themselves that posted on their website, in fact, that the directors life, as you just said, Alix Dorsainvil, was there as a community nursery, she's originally from New Hampshire, that both she and her child were abducted right from the campus. And what this usually means is that a lot of those charities or schools operate within a compound. This was close to the capital, Port-au-Prince, and it says they were directly abducted from there.

We also -- CNN did receive a statement from the U.S. State Department saying that they were aware of these objections and stating again that they have obviously front and center to try and get them to safety and are working with local agencies. But, Laila, as you know so well, the situation in Haiti continues to be quite grave. It was just in the last week that we had the U.S. say to Americans that it was time to leave urgently and that the situation was becoming too volatile.

For many months now, Haitians themselves, all over the country, but especially in Port-au-Prince, have been putting up with the threat of abduction, of kidnapping, as well as absolute lawlessness and violence. It definitely comes at a difficult time for Haiti.

And in these situations, Laila, I want to point out that some people are released very quickly. Sometimes a ransom is paid. Sometimes it is not. What is very important right now is that this group and, of course, the authorities trying to help them determine who exactly kidnapped this nurse and her child and why, and that will speed along negotiations

As I said, each the situation seems to be different. And whether or not this can be resolved in the coming hours is something that many authorities on the ground and here in the United States are already looking at quite closely. Laila?

HARRAK: And, Paula, the U.S. has been pushing for some time now for a multinational force to help Haiti manage its ongoing and deepening security crisis. Are these discussions still ongoing? What is the situation?

NEWTON: They are ongoing. And we actually had surprising news. It came to us as a surprise. First, we had -- a little while ago, we had authorities, dignitaries, specifically the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, saying, look, that progress is being made on a multinational force. And that comes on the heels for several weeks now that the United Nations has been saying, look, someone needs to lead that multinational force on the ground there. We have since had, in fact, confirmation from Kenya, saying that they are willing to lead that.

I want you to listen now to Antony Blinken, though, talk about the situation and the kind of force they were trying to put together. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We are also very focused on working together with partners to try to help the Haitians restore security, resource stability. That really is the necessary foundation for being able to make progress on a political way forward as well as making sure that humanitarian assistance can actually get to those in need. So, we have been very focused on trying to put in place what is necessary for a multinational force.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:05:06]

NEWTON: So, what is interesting here is that Kenya has confirmed from the foreign ministry that they're willing to deploy as many as 1,000 police officers to try and help combat that gang violence. This is, again, though, so complicated. And they themselves, the Kenyan authorities, point out that, look, this must be authorized by the United Nations. And then after that, there will be many weeks of really intense training here and understanding what resources are needed and what actually can be done in terms of the scope of the operation on the ground. Laila?

HARRAK: And, Paula, you were back in Haiti earlier this month. Share with us what you witnessed there during your time there. Obviously, the security situation is very precarious, but put it in perspective for us.

NEWTON: Well, I think as well as the security situation, which everyone is so keenly aware of on the ground, Laila, unfortunately, for so many in Haiti, this comes on top of the humanitarian situation, which means that whether you are looking for food or water or education or healthcare, anything, on a given day, becomes so much more difficult.

What was stunning to me when I was there was the fact that most of the violence is centered in Port-au-Prince. The problem is those gangs and those rival territories have now blocked all arteries in terms of transportation really from one end of the country to the other. And this really seems to hamper so much of what's going on in Haiti and really does complicate and compromise people's livelihoods.

The other thing, though, that people have been talking about is a vigilante. Kind of -- it's been inspired by certain people in Port-au- Prince who have decided to take matters into their own hands. They have tried to combat some of those kidnappings we have been talking about with mixed results. There is no way CNN can verify what has been going on, on the ground there.

Others that we spoke to believe that these kinds of vigilante uprisings just make things all the more precarious for people on the ground there. But as I said, after for so many months of people wanting to know whether or not a force would actually go into Haiti and what the agreement might be, we do hopefully have some movement on the ground there, something that will be welcomed by many in Haiti, perhaps not all, but certainly good news at least that Haiti is again front and center for the international community. Laila?

HARRAK: CNN's Paula Newton in New York, thank you.

The extreme heat wave continues to stifle large parts of the United States. Nearly 55 million people are currently under heat alerts from Southern California to the Deep South. Well, the dangerously high temperatures have claimed the lives of several people in Illinois, Texas and Arizona. Parts of southwest are expected to remain in a heat wave for several days. But in the coming hours, Phoenix may actually end it's days-long streak of temperatures topping 110 degrees Fahrenheit. And relief is on the way for people in the mid-Atlantic with the heat wave expected to ease this weekend for much of the East Coast.

CNN's Athena Jones has more now on how people in New York are trying to beat the heat and humidity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ATHENA JONES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are here in New York's Washington Square Park. This is the heart of New York University's campus. And we are dealing right now with a real temperature of 91 degrees. But it feels like temperature approaching 98 degrees.

Take a look around this park, though. You would not know from the number of people out and about here that we are approaching the heat index of 100 degrees, but this is one of the areas New Yorkers come to cool off. We talked this week about the urban heat island effect, and that is cities and parts of cities with a lot of concrete, a lot of asphalt, not a lot of water sources, trees or grass, those areas can reach a temperature, or feels like temperature 10 degrees hotter than the rest of the area. This is not one of those areas.

A lot of what we have seen throughout the course of the day have been getting in and out of that fountain, looking to cool off and doing a number of other things to make sure they can beat the heat. Take a listen to what some of the folks we've talked to told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd be like lizard. You guys to stay in the shade. You've got to move slow, keep the heart rate low. Otherwise, you're just going to sweat more. So, it's too much. It's too much.

JONES: And what else are you doing? Are you going in and out, like looking for air conditioning, getting --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Air conditioning, getting a cup of ice on the neck, on the forehead, the whole nine yards. You have got to play it safe.

JONES: Does this concern you at all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is smog in the next 20 years. Like this is -- we are past the point of no return, right, like we have been. So, it's just kind of one of those things where it's the new normal and c'est la vie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Of course, given this dangerous heat, city and state officials are warning people to take precautions, to stay hydrated, to stay out of the sun, to stay as cool as possible, stay in air conditioned rooms if you can. But when it comes to air conditioning, Con Edison, the power company, is also concerned about the heat taxing the power infrastructure.

[03:10:04]

They are urging residents not to use all of your air conditioners, if you have more than one, to run one at a time and run at the highest comfortable temperature you can to avoid the dreaded power outages.

HARRAK: Our thanks to Athena Jones.

Well, there was widespread damage and power outages around Washington, D.C., after severe storms passed through the area on Saturday. The National Weather Service issued alerts for high winds. Emergency officials responded to multiple calls for trees and power lines down. And the city's rail line also reported destructions caused by downed trees and power outages. At last, report there were still nearly 100,000 homes and businesses without power across Maryland, Virginia and D.C.

Well, on the other side of the country, firefighters are dealing with a massive blaze in Southern California that started Thursday. The Bonnie Fire has led to evacuation order for some residents of Riverside County. The fire has spread across more than 2,000 acres or about 800 hectares. It's only about 5 percent contained and authorities say at least one firefighter suffered minor injuries.

And it is not heat or fires but heavy rains from Typhoon Doksuri that is lashing Beijing and several other cities in Northern China. More than 800,000 people have been affected, some 500,000 evacuated. According to the Chinese state news agency, the heavy downpours will continue over the next three days. Some places have seen the highest daily rainfall totals in more than 60 years.

Before making landfall in China, Doksuri battered Taiwan and the Philippines, killing at least 39 people.

Russia's capital again in the crosshairs of alleged Ukrainian drones. Still ahead, Moscow takes fire for the second time in less than a week.

Plus, Russia's bond with South Africa continues to thrive despite the war in Ukraine. Ahead, we investigate a lucrative operation that could be influencing their relationship.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:15:00]

HARRAK: Russia is reporting the second Ukrainian drone strike on Moscow in a matter of days.

This video shows explosions and fireball after the purported attacks Sunday morning. Military officials say they intercepted three Ukrainian drones but two of them still crashed into a shopping complex. That came on the heels of another drone strike on Moscow on Monday, which did not cause serious damage or casualties.

But across the border, Ukrainian missiles went after another repeated target, a key logistical round for Russian movements in the south.

Salma Abdelaziz joins us now live from London. Salma, good morning. Bridge to Crimea has been struck by Ukrainian missiles. Is this a potential setback for Russia? SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Potentially. I mean, we are still trying to see if we can obtain any footage, get an understanding of how extensive the damage is to the bridge. But Ukraine's military saying this morning that they were able to strike the Chonhar Bridge. You can look at the map and understand why that is critical. That is a bridge that connects Russian-occupied Crimea to Kherson, to that land bridge. It is an area where Russia can use to block seaports, essentially to send weapons, supplies to that very long battlefield that has all along Ukraine driving them up to that land bridge.

So, potentially here, it could slow those supplies to troops, and that is absolutely Ukraine goal. And it's the second time that it has struck the Chonhar Bridge, just last month. I think it was around June 22nd. It also claimed -- Ukrainian forces also claimed a strike on the bridge and it comes just days after Ukrainian officials say they hit a railroad that connects Kherson to Russian-occupied Crimea.

Again, you can see the strategy here, an attempt to cut, slow supply lines to Russian troops all along those frontlines and choke them off from their much-needed ammo supplies, whatever it is that they need on those frontlines.

The second thing I really want to point out about this strike, Laila, is the weapon that was used. So, according to Ukrainian officials, Storm Shadow missiles were used. These were U.K.-provided just about a couple of months ago, in May. These are long-range missiles. They have a range of about 150 miles. That's 240 kilometers. That's nearly tripled Ukraine's reach.

Previously, it was only about 50 miles with those U.S.-made HIMARS, and they were provided -- these Storm Shadow missiles were provided by NATO specifically for the purpose of allowing Ukraine to reach into Russian-occupied regions and carry out strategic tactical strikes like this to cut off supply routes, to try, again, to harm and weaken Russia away from the immediate battlefield.

So, you are seeing several things here at play, Ukraine widening that strategy to try to reach Russia outside of the bounds of the battlefield, using the NATO-supplied weapons in a tactical way. And it comes, of course, as Ukraine says it's facing fierce resistance from Russian forces along that battlefield, but that it continues, its forces continue to stand up to the fight, consolidating gains in the south, yesterday, near Bakhmut, and area, of course, where Ukrainian forces say they continue to push back on Russian troops.

President Zelenskyy was there to provide a morale boost in the Donetsk region, visiting troops, speaking to troops. And it comes as Ukraine also tries to ramp up the cost of this conflict inside Russia. As you mentioned this morning, some 25 Ukrainian drones were intercepted over Moscow.

[03:20:00]

According to Russian officials, nothing landed, no damage, no destruction. But, again, it comes on a day that is very important for Russia. This going to be Navy Day, so there's a parade scheduled in St. Petersburg. And you can imagine officials are hoping, wishing, praying that the events go on without any interference from Ukrainian drones or the Ukrainian military.

HARRAK: Salma Abdelaziz reporting from London, thank you so much, as always.

We turn our attention now to Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to hold his weekly cabinet meeting in about two hours from now. It comes after a tumultuous week in Israeli politics, including the passage of a controversial new law that has further angered many Israelis.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen has the latest now from Tel Aviv.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it seems almost like the protesters have been jolted and the protests themselves almost supercharged by the events that happened here in Israel this week. Of course, the Knesset waving through that first bill of the planned judicial overhaul by the Netanyahu government, and then, of course, the Supreme Court saying that it wasn't going to deal with the case until September.

One of the things that people have been looking for is how many people would actually take to the streets. But if you look around, you can see that there are literally tens of thousands, and we see that signature wave of Israeli flags, of course, one of the main symbols here of the protests against the judicial overhaul.

We managed to speak to some of the protesters who are here, and here's what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I prefer that the power will be in the court and not in the government.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whenever I think the government is not taking care of us as citizens, the only thing we can do is come here. Well, this is our duty and it's the only thing that we can do as citizens. We come here every week for almost seven months. The law, the past week, maybe they thought we would be tired, but we're here to show that we are not tired. We're just beginning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: Now, there's a lot of things that the folks here are extremely angry about. Of course, one of the things is the fact that the Knesset has waved through that first law, that judicial overhaul, then, of course, also that the Supreme Court itself decided not to hear the case until September.

But I think one of the things that also makes a lot of people very angry is the way that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has conducted himself in this. One of the things that many people tell us about is they're extremely angry, for instance, at the way he conducted himself in that interview that he gave to our own Wolf Blitzer, where seemingly Netanyahu would not commit to abiding by a Supreme Court verdict if the Israeli Supreme Court decides to shoot down that first law that was passed on Monday.

So, a lot of people here want to bring that anger to the streets. They say that they feel they need to keep the pressure up on the government. They know the Supreme Court is going to deal with this law in September. They want to wait and see what happens then, but they do say until then they are going to keep coming out and they are going to keep voicing their anger.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tel Aviv.

HARRAK: Criminal charges only seem to have endeared Donald Trump to supporters more than ever, and kept him the undisputed favorite among Republican voters. The latest from the campaign trail just ahead.

Plus, new barriers on the U.S.-Mexican border failing to deter migrants who are trying to cross over. You'll hear why they believe that giving up is not an option.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:25:00]

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

The imminent threat of more criminal indictments doesn't seem to bother Donald Trump very much, at least not when he's campaigning. Appearing in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, the former president was defiant about the legal peril hanging over him and complained it amounted to, quote, election interference. With his frontrunner status secured for now, it's questionable whether additional indictments will make any difference to Trump or his supporters. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: The radical, lunatic Democrats, they impeach me, they indict me, they rig our elections, and the Republicans just don't fight the way -- they're good people, but they don't fight the way they're supposed to fight. The others are dirty, sick players and the Republicans are very high class. They've got to be a little bit lower class, I suspect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: While Trump's former vice president and current challenger Mike Pence was in Iowa Saturday stumping for votes in smaller but more personal settings.

CNN's Kyung Lah reports. KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Former Vice President Mike Pence continues his Iowa strategy of going county to county, trying to convince voters one at a time to choose him in the Iowa caucuses.

He spent part of his day here in Nevada, Iowa, talking to first responders, talking about public safety at the community level. And he told reporters afterwards that his campaign is slow and steady. He still is a couple weeks away before making that debate stage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I think I think we're maybe a couple of weeks away yet, based on the pace of things coming in, because our focus is on the campaign. To be honest with you, the criteria of 40,000 donors being added to the requirement of being at a certain place in the polls is somewhat new. We accept that criteria, confident that we'll get there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAH: Pence did not directly attack Trump in this event. This comes on the heels of Will Hurd being booed off an Iowa stage after he took on Trump.

And we spoke with caucus goers who say to us that they are dismissing these new charges in the indictment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People see through this as a political trial. It's just political by nature. So, people see through that and they're supporting him in the polling is just reinforcing the fact that they see this as a politically driven trial.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think Trump is undermining. I think the acts that he's being accused of will play out in court. I think they're doing a level fishing expedition, looking at all sorts of avenues of his life and they're digging for things that are going to stick and things that they're going to come up with.

I think the Republicans are starting to catch up and looking at the Biden family corruption.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAH: Pence continues his Iowa barnstorming on Sunday.

[03:30:01]

Kyung Lah, CNN, Nevada, Iowa.

HARRAK: a legal battle is heating up over floating barriers being placed on the U.S.-Mexican border. The state of Texas is putting them in the Rio Grande River to try to prevent migrants from crossing into the U.S. But despite the fact that the barriers can't put them at risk, migrants are not turning around.

Rafael Romo has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A mother and her young daughter attempt to cross the Rio Grande in broad daylight. Orange buoys four feet in diameter and anchored to the riverbed, as well as concertina wire, stop them at the Eagle Pass border in Texas. A migrant family from Venezuela says they have been in Piedras Negras on the Mexican side of the border, gauging the risk of trying to cross the river with young children in tow.

What we have seen is that people have gotten hurt with the razor wire, he says, adding that they're thinking twice before taking any risk.

But his wife says the family fled Venezuela for reasons that are much more compelling than floating barriers, including crime, extortion and living under a dictatorship.

Others say barriers are not. Returning home is not an option.

This migrant father, traveling with his wife and young son says the buoys and razor wire are indeed going to make it more difficult to cross. But their mission, he says, remains unchanged, making it to the United States, barriers or not.

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): This is what they look like up close.

ROMO: Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced last month a plan to deploy the floating barriers on the Rio Grande to deter migrant crossings.

ABBOTT: We're securing the border at the border. What these buoys will allow us to do is to prevent people from even getting to the border.

ROMO: Mexico's top diplomat blasted the barriers, claiming they violate two international treaties, and more than 80 Democratic members of the U.S. Congress signed a letter urging President Joe Biden to challenge their installation in court.

The Justice Department filed a federal lawsuit on Monday to try to force Texas to remove the floating barriers on the Rio Grande and then filed a motion to seek in a preliminary injunction Wednesday in an attempt to put the case on a fast track. The response from Governor Abbott, Texas will see you in court.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMO (on camera): The mayor of Piedras Negras, the border city on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, told CNN that in recent weeks, anywhere from 600 to 700 migrants arrive there daily, only about a third as compared to last year, although the number of minors traveling with their families has recently increased in a noticeable way. Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

HARRAK: The police chief in Texas, in a Texas town is apologizing after an Arkansas family was pulled over in a so-called high risk stop due to an officer's error. The family, including a sixth grade boy, was held at gunpoint until police realized their mistake.

CNN's Camila Bernal has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): An overwhelmed father. Police say it was all a mistake.

On July 23, a Frisco Texas Police officer ran plates on a black Dodge Charger. But instead of typing AR for Arkansas, she says she typed AZ for Arizona. The information came back as a possible stolen car. Police say it was a high risk traffic stop and at least one officer had his weapon drawn.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody in the car, hands outside the window, hands outside. Maintain your hands outside. Hey, find out if there's any weapons in the car.

BERNAL: The family tells police they have a gun in the car.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the glove box. In the glove box.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you reach in that car, you may get shot. So, be careful. Do not reach in the car.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have (INAUDIBLE) already.

BERNAL: Demetria Heard was behind the wheel. In the car were her husband, her son, and their nephew.

They were on their way to a basketball tournament. She explains what it was like to see her sixth grade son involved.

DEMETRIA HEARD, PULLED OVER IN HIGH-RISK TRAFFIC STOP: They actually bring him in, cuff him, and put him in the car. They're walking him to put him in a police car. And I'm already have been -- I'm crying. I didn't hyperventilate.

BERNAL: She says they were instructed not to move.

HEARD: My husband explains to me that my nephew is in there literally screaming for his life and telling him, uncle, we are about to die.

BERNAL: But, finally, the officer realizes it was a mistake. An incident review is now underway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not justifying anything. I'm just saying like it wasn't a computer that read it. It was our human error that did this. And so please forgive us.

[03:35:00]

BERNAL: The ongoing review would identify further changes to the department's training policies and procedures.

HEARD: I thank God that we were not physically injured, but we have suffered a lot of mental and emotional trauma from this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERNAL (on camera): And in his statement, the chief of police admitting to the mistakes, saying the department does not hide from their mistake and instead learns from them. He says, he spoke to the family and understands why they're so upset.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

HARRAK: Extreme heat along the Mediterranean is pushing many to look for other destinations for their holiday this summer. How the heat is impacting this tourism season, that's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRAK: The extreme heat wave that scorched Southern Europe for the past few weeks is taking a toll on the summer tourism season. Greece, Italy, Spain, France and Croatia are still the most popular tourist destinations, but travel to cities on the Mediterranean coast later this summer and fall is down about 10 percent compared to the same time last year.

And Italy is adopting measures to tackle the fallout from extreme climate events. The government is setting aside some 10 million euros to refund airline tickets and hotel reservations to tourists who don't have travel insurance.

Joining me now is Simon Calder, a travel journalist for The Independent. Simon, a very good morning to you. Welcome back.

How is the extreme heat affecting the tourism industry in some of Europe's southern tourist hotspots this summer?

SIMON CALDER, TRAVEL JOURNALIST, THE INDEPENDENT: Well, it's certainly having an impact that ranges from annoying to really quite alarming. So, of course, just one week ago, we saw those terrible wildfires spreading across the Greek Island of Rhodes, very close to the coast of Turkey.

[03:40:02]

We had many hotels evacuated. Tens of thousands of tourists were actually put up in emergency shelters on the island. Many of them slept at the airport. There have been evacuations going on pretty much all week out of the island of Rhodes. That's now settled and actually tourists are going back in, in large numbers, on flights from particularly Northern Europe.

But more widely, there has been a sense among tourists that actually a European vacation isn't necessarily very much fun if you are in the south this summer. So, we had Rome with very high temperatures above 40 Celsius. That's around 110 in Fahrenheit. And if you are trudging around the sites in that sort of heat, well, it's extremely debilitating and not much fun. And the official advice was stay in your hotel room with the curtains closed between 11:00 in the morning and 6:00 in the evening, which is not really many people's idea of a vacation.

So, certainly, it's in some cases been extremely scary and others just generally upsetting that people aren't having the vacation they hoped for.

HARRAK: Exactly. And they look forward to it for such a long time. Now are travelers rather rethinking going to these traditionally popular summer hot spots? Have you observed a growing preference, for instance, for cooler vacation spots? And are these new potential destinations prepared to absorb a potentially significant increase in visitors? Do they want crowds?

CALDER: Well, okay, really, really good questions. And I think there're so many different factors at work here that it's not possible to pull out definite trends at this stage. And, certainly, the thing is Northern Europeans, the people who are most in the frontline of this heat wave, they have, for many decades, been flying in the summer from their homes to the Mediterranean to get sunshine and warmth. And if you were sitting around in Gothenburg, in Sweden or maybe Glasgow, in Scotland, in the depths of winter, then you're going to be wanting to book ahead.

However, I think the cumulative impact of these stories and the fact that we've seen families fleeing for their lives with whatever possessions they can grab will make people think maybe it is time to look at cooler temperatures. The obvious places are actually destinations, which Northern Europeans typically went to before the jet age started. So, we're talking here about the coast of Northern France and Belgium, the Netherlands, the Baltic and North Sea coasts of Germany, and in particular, and I think this is where we could see quite a lot of growth, the coast of Poland. There are some lovely resorts there.

It's much cooler than the Mediterranean, but still warm enough for most people in the height of summer. And prices are also much more appealing, particularly if you happen to be like me, from the United Kingdom, where the pound is not doing particularly well.

HARRAK: Right, yes. I mean, there are lots of options out there, some undiscovered little jewels that visitors will take a liking to.

Very briefly, if you can, Simon, if there is a shift towards destinations in -- towards these places that you just mentioned, might vacationers just opt to go to the Mediterranean during the winter or start their summer holidays earlier in the calendar year?

CALDER: Absolutely, we will see those moves. The Mediterranean always used to be a winter destination for people from Northern Europe. And in particular, I think people will now be looking at May and September, October as the ideal months to be in the Mediterranean and avoiding late June, July and August.

HARRAK: All right. Just a final thought from you. Despite the suffocating heat, vacationers still going to the Med?

CALDER: Oh, they are, yes. I'm here in Southern France, in beautiful Beziers. It's a bit of a cool start to the day today, but, yes, the beaches are absolutely full and most people, when it's not too hot and it hasn't been too bad in this part of France, having the time of their lives, and quite right, too.

HARRAK: All right. Simon Calder, thank you so much, great catching up with you.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:45:00]

HARRAK: Tiny round worms been chilling below the Siberian permafrost for some 46,000 years are now up and moving again. Russian and German scientists say these frisky fellows were dug up in a deep dormant state from 40 meters, about 130 feet below the ice. And after for 46 millennia, just a few drops of water brought them back to life. It's called cryptobiosis.

And some plants, viruses and even animals are known to be able to survive in a state between life and death for incredible periods of time. And these worms are a living example.

Dr. Teymuras Kurzchalia is a professor emeritus at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics and was closely involved in the research, and he joins us now from Berlin. Professor, so good to have you with us.

So intriguing, so many questions. Why revive a worm that has been frozen for 46,000 years?

TEYMURAS KURZCHALIA, MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE OF MOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY AND GENETICS: Why this? I think this is a question to all scientists, why we do all these things. But I think that it was a great thing that Russian scientists, under leadership of Mr. Kilichinsky (ph), he's late, he's dead, they started to collect the samples from permafrost just to see which bacteria are there and what life is there.

[03:50:12]

And I think it's a great discovery of them to find these worms which revived after such a period.

But why? This is actually great answer to our questions, let's say, what are the principles? And as you said, life, death and something in between. And this will help us to understand what actually life is.

HARRAK: Professor, what have you been able to learn so far about this particular organism? And what are some of the practical reasons to study these types of worms?

KURZCHALIA: We learned quite a lot about this. Also, this paper is, in a way, for me, a culmination of my previous work. because I spent another 15 years to understand this cyptobiosis and using beloved model of biologists (INAUDIBLE) elegance, it is another nematode.

And we have several publications about how they survive the (INAUDIBLE) part or freezing, and how, what they want need for this, okay?

But to answer the second part of your question, in the meantime, I don't see any practical -- let's say, I don't know. There're no practical reasons to do this. But I may say that, no, not any important discovery has practical, let's say, consequences very fast.

For instance, in 50s, when people discovered the structure of DNA, was it practical? No. Only in 20, 25 years you get this practical attitude. So, therefore, I hear also saying that practical understanding and the consequences will come later.

HARRAK: Right. Now, Professor, a fellow researcher in your study, Dr. Philipp Schiffer of the zoology department at the University of Cologne, he says in terms of the practical applications of the findings might be in terms of better understanding global warming and adaptation. Is that something that you're exploring further?

KURZCHALIA: Yes, it could be, but I am not exploring this. I'm more interested in the mechanisms of how this state achieved. Yes, I agree with him that it's very important to have this understanding of global warming. But for me, as a molecular cell biologist, actually, it's more important to understand how organism can go into state between life and death.

HARRAK: I mean, it is fascinating. And also just the idea that just a few drops of water brought this worm back to life. Were you surprised by that?

KURZCHALIA: Yes. I have a video which was done by my PhD doctor ten years ago or more. And it is really fascinating. Always I'm looking at the -- you put on a dead matter water and it comes back.

By the way, may I tell you a very important story? Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, who was the discoverer or constructor of the first microscope, actually, he discovered this phenomena. He took dust from his gutter at home in Amsterdam or Leiden, I think, and put water on it, and has seen these living organisms. And he was so (INAUDIBLE) I'm a believer, actually.

HARRAK: Professor --

KURZCHALIA: So, I think that it's really great.

HARRAK: It is fascinating. I mean, just the thought of something as simple as water bringing things back to life. I mean, there's just so much symbolism in that, isn't there?

Final question for you, could we see other organisms being brought back and are there risks to doing that?

KURZCHALIA: There are actually two questions in your (INAUDIBLE), organisms which are there at a permafrost or, say, engineering cryptobiosis? Did I understand correctly?

So, first one, I actually don't know. But the second one, the engineering of cryptobiosis, I think, again, coming to your first question about practical (INAUDIBLE), I think that it will be possible.

[03:55:08]

Not now and not in 20 years and maybe not 30, but it will be possible to understand this process and we can, let's say, engineer it by transferring genes, which are important for cryptobiosis in nematode, into human cell cultures or organoids or organs. And maybe one day we can also produce a human which can, say, go into the state. But it is really science fiction to predict something which I don't know and which I don't see myself.

HARRAK: All right, well, we'll wait and see what happens. It's exciting times, very intriguing. Professor, thank you so much for speaking to us, Dr. Teymuras Kurzchalia of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics. Thanks so much.

Now Yosemite's half dome standing nearly 5,000 feet high is every outdoor adventurer's dream climb but it's not for the faint of heart. For 93 year old Everett Kalan (ph), it was a chance to accomplish another life goal alongside his son and granddaughter. The retired professor jumped out of an airplane for his birthday last year and people cheered his feat when he reached the top.

His son called him stubborn. Everett said he didn't huff or puff, and it felt pretty good.

Now, in Ohio, a moment that must be seen to be believed, a bumbling would be robber is caught on camera falling down from the ceiling of a bank drive through and right into a recycling bin. But it was the police who actually got the drop on him. They were on the scene already and were there to nab him.

The man had a backpack of tools. He's now booked on suspicion of breaking and entering and safe cracking. Bad luck.

I'm Laila Harrak. Paula Newton picks up our coverage after a quick break. I'll see you tomorrow.

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