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Same Moscow Skyscraper Hit In New Drone Attack; First U.S. Nuclear Reactor In Seven Years Goes Online; An American Woman Is Charged With Conspiring To Kill Her Husband In The Bahamas; The U.K. Will Drill For More Oil And Gas In The North Sea. Afghan Taliban Burn "Immoral" Musical Instruments; Trump Co-Defendant Makes Initial U.S. Court Appearance In Classified Docs Case; China Begins Regulating Generative AI Services. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired August 01, 2023 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead here on CNN. Drone wars. Moscow hit again as Ukraine ramped up drone attacks deep inside Russia's borders. Nuclear comeback, the first new nuclear reactor built in the U.S. and three decades goes online, seven years late and $17 billion over budget. And the day the music died in Afghanistan, Taliban now burning musical instruments.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: Thanks for joining us here for CNN Newsroom and we begin in Moscow which has been targeted by another wave of drone strikes. The city's mayor says most were intercepted but a high rise building was damaged in the attack. The same building was hit during a similar attack on Sunday.
In recent days, both Ukraine and Russia appear to have ramped up the number and frequency of drone and missile attacks with airstrikes on key cities on both sides of the border. What the Ukrainian President has described as taking the water Russia, a day after that comment to Russian ballistic missiles hit a school and a residential tower in the President's hometown, killing at least six people and leaving dozens wounded.
Ukraine officials say a five year-old-girl was among the dead. Russia's defense minister had earlier warned of intensifying attacks on Ukraine in response to Ukrainian airstrikes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGEI SHOIGU, RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): Given the current situation we took additional measures to improve defense against attacks from the air and sea. The intensity of strikes against Ukrainian military facilities, including those used to conduct these terrorist acts has been increased many times over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has again raised the specter of a nuclear conflict in Ukraine and social media posts he said Russia could be forced to use a nuclear weapon if Ukraine's counteroffensive succeeds, and if Russia loses part of its territory.
The White House is pushing back against his threat saying such a scenario would be disastrous for the world and would have severe consequences for Russia. Major General James Spider Marks. He is a CNN military analyst and he joins us now from Washington. General, it's good to see you.
MAJ. GEN. JAMES MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: John, thanks very much for having me.
VAUSE: Here's the threat from Russia -- former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev he posted on Telegram, just imagine that the offensive in tandem with NATO succeeded and ended up with part of our land being taken away. Then we would have to use nuclear weapons. There simply wouldn't be any other solution.
Is there a credibility issue simply because the threat is coming from Medvedev who has been a useful idiot for Putin in the past? He says a lot of this stuff a lot of the time. And I guess also doesn't reflect perhaps growing concern inside the Kremlin about Ukraine's counter offensive.
MARKS: John, I think it's both. To your first point, I don't think it's appropriate for any nation to take a nuclear threat as a chimera as a threat that really has no backing or legitimacy. Look, Russia has a tremendous nuclear stockpile.
Medvedev has said that he would use this before he is the spokesman for Putin in this regard. But I think it's important that we take this very, very seriously. And I can guarantee you that on the U.S. side. And I would hope on the other NATO partners that have nuclear weapons, that they are various, you know, very serious about how they want to approach what their posture is relative to these threats.
You can't discount them. You can't throw these threats away. You need to take them seriously. You need to make sure that you're prepared in case there is some catastrophic mistake that's going to take place.
To your second point, I think it is important to realize that what Ukraine is doing in Moscow right now may have an effect on Russian capabilities and command and control capabilities. But also I think, at this point, it's a fool's errand. Ukraine doesn't need to be making strikes into Moscow.
The results are, I would suggest are probably sketchy at this point. And if it is demonstrating that Ukraine has the ability to do this, fine, now's not the time to do it.
Look, the only reason to conduct an event like this, strikes like this, is to try to further weaken Putin's position. The best way to do that is if you can -- Ukraine can continue to achieve levels of success tactically on the battlefield, and start sending young man home and body bags that will increase the amount of pressure that Putin knows.
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VAUSE: What was interesting though, in his threat, Medvedev also added this, our enemies should pray to our fighters, that they do not allow the world to go up in nuclear flames. So there are nuclear weapons, and then there's short range tactical nuclear weapons. And that reference (ph) seems to be, you know, talking about a full nuclear strike with ICBMs in the whole word.
That brought this reaction from U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, to my Russian friends who talked about using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, you need to understand that would be an attack on NATO itself, given Ukraine's proximity to NATO territory.
And I guess in many ways, Putin is a lot of things out there, a lot of speculation about his mental health or everything else, but he's not suicidal. Right. So any kind of nuclear strike in that regard would be the end of Putin and his regime.
MARKS: It's fair to say that, absolutely. And once again, let's be honest with each other, calling a nuke a tactical nuke, vice strategic nuke, frankly, is a distinction without a difference. They are still in the nuclear bucket. And a striker with a tactical nuke, in the in the vicinity of NATO nations is a strike against NATO. And also let's bear in mind, Putin is many would call him irrational, I would say he's incredibly irrational. He's very much a survivor. But he has not released news. He's letting others do the talking for him. And he has resisted the call to do that.
But I think it's important that we kind of put all this together, a nuke strike would be devastating for Russia, it would be devastating for Putin, it would mark the absolute end of the Russian Federation as we know it right now. And Putin would be gone.
VAUSE: And with that in mind, the U.S. President was asked about Russia using nukes in Ukraine while he was in Helsinki last month. This is Joe Biden's answer. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: with regard to -- I don't think there's any real prospect. You never know, of Putin using nuclear weapons. Not only has the West but China and the rest of the world has said that don't go there. Don't go there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: I'm wondering how closely should we or should we watch China's reaction to any kind of nuclear threat from Moscow as one of the best ways to gauge how serious or credible that threat might be? MARKS: Yes, that's a great question. But again, I go back to the point. Nukes have not been used. Putin has not chosen to use nukes. I can assume that self-control on his part may be hard to believe. But also there's external control that's come from Xi Jinping.
I guarantee Russia is acting like a vassal state of China right now. So I would imagine what we're not seeing is as a result of Xi Jinping his influence.
VAUSE: Major General James Spider Marks. Thank you, sir, for being with us. Really appreciate your time.
MARKS: Thank you, John.
VAUSE: Ukrainian officials say their South Eastern counteroffensive is making steady gains but progress is slower than expected and those gains could be tough to hold. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has the story.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voiceover): The fight so fierce and victory so bitter, there is little left of Staromaiorske to defend it from no cover for troops, no structures, just a dust of a tiny for road village. The first games of Ukraine's renewed full throttle counteroffensive, so small, but symbolic.
Russia even claimed Monday with constant shelling it had pushed Ukraine out of it again. Something these men fresh back from that fight with SCAF at. (INAUDIBLE) his call sign fought all the 10 days of the assault until the Russians finally fled. Here is the shells rain around in the initial advance.
When you assault on the enemy shelling, he says, you have nowhere to hide. That's the hardest part. They've since tried to assault again twice with small groups. And he fought for here too, Neskuchne, the town before it where the Russians hit 200 troops in the basements not even leaving the toilet. So Ukraine attacked with a smaller force.
He takes us to where the Russians made their final stand the school halls and its corridors. There is no love says the wall. They seem to relish the nothing they brought and left no clues as to why they fought.
WALSH (on camera): One of the hard things for the Ukrainians to understand is quite why the Russians are fighting so hard for here. Now Neskuchne and more recent victory of Staromaiorske down the road. Is it that these are their last lines of defense? Well, no. They think there's far more fighting to be done.
WALSH (voiceover): I hope so when we get through their last line of defense, he says, then they start to run. For now they still feel there is something behind them.
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Yes, we feel support, but we are very, very tired. There is so much more ahead to come. Ukraine may have put in its
reserves now to the fight, but they face the same Russian brutality.
The tactics haven't changed, he says. They put the Stormzy convicts in front with no communications or information. They stand till the death. I don't understand their motivation or what they're fighting for.
Reva (ph) carries a new Russian AK-12 as a trophy as he describes the gas they used on him. There was chaotic shooting he says to find out where we were then for gas, you don't feel it. It moves slow along the ground. I was packing my rucksack when I felt burning on my throat and nose.
One Mind Sapper (oh) , call sign Volt is busy telling me how the Russians have started booby trapping mines putting a grenade under an anti-tank mine when he's interrupted. Almost endless, the noise of outgoing fire. They are moving, but just not sure how much longer for. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Neskuchne, Ukraine.
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VAUSE: ISIS has claimed responsibility for Sunday's deadly suicide bombing in Pakistan, saying the attack was part of his ongoing conflict with democracy which of us is hostile to the principles of Islam. Police say the attacker detonated explosives at a political rally near Afghanistan's border. They also say a dozen children were among the 54 people killed.
Less than a week after the overthrow of Niger's democratically elected president, six senior officials from his party had been arrested by the military. The coup leaders are also accusing France of planning military action to free President Mohamed Bazoum, who's apparently being held inside the presidential compound. CNN's Larry Madowo has the latest.
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LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): France is denying that it's planning and military intervention to free after President Mohamed Bazoum. In fact, the French foreign minister saying it's absolutely not true that it's considered that, that response is necessary because the Niger (ph) junta in Niger has claimed that France has been meeting with former officials asked officials to try and get military and political authorizations to carry out military strikes around the Presidential Palace to free Bazoum.
To understand exactly what's going on, it's important to pay attention to what two key Western allies are saying about the situation the French and the Americans. The U.S. State Department has still not classified this as a coup, a technical definition that will require it to stop military support as well as aid.
In fact, a U.S. State Department official telling CNN that they still consider this a domestic dispute between the presidential guard and President Muhammad Bazoum. So, some Western allies essentially believe that there's a path to restore President Mohamed Bazoum to the presidency.
But for ordinary people, they worry about the likely effect of the sanctions announced by the Economic Community of West African States for a country that's already had been through so much turmoil.
BOUNTY AMADOU DIALLO, RETIRED TEACHER (through translator): I think the sanctions were initially taking the heat of the moment, and then apparently dictated by outside powers, because Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea were in the same basket as us before, but we didn't sanctions them as heavily. They say they want to set an example. They want to make an example.
MADOWO: The clearest path out of this crisis in Niger appears to be the mediation efforts by the transitional president of neighboring Chad. If President Deby cannot get General Tchiani and Muhammad Bazoum to agree on some path out of this, that it means ECOWAS has no option but to use force like they threatened. And on Tuesday, they would have five days after that one week deadline to have some kind of military intervention. Larry Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.
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VAUSE: To Spain now where at least six people have been seriously injured Monday when their tourist bus overturned, after veering from the road and rolling down a hillside. 49 people were on board including many children, most of whom sustained minor injuries.
The U.S. is quietly and cautiously working to secure the release of an American nurse and her child, but he's been abducted by criminal gangs in Haiti. According to the U.N. authorities have already registered more than 1,000 kidnappings in Haiti this year, and the country's rapid gang violence only seems to be getting worse. More details out from CNN's Paula Newton.
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ALIX DORSAINVIL, KIDNAPPED AMERICAN NURSE: Haitians are such a resilient people.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Alix Dorsainvil in her own words, saying how much her work in Haiti means to her. Now her family and friends are asking for prayers and mercy and the safe return of this nurse from New Hampshire and her child.
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They were snatched Thursday from the grounds of the faith based charity El Roi near the Haitian capital Port au Prince. Her husband Sandro is El Roi's director. The statement from the charity reads our team at El Roi, Haiti is grateful for the outpouring of prayers, care and support for our colleagues. We continue to work with our partners and trusted relationships to secure their safe return. The U.S. State Department says they're aware of the abductions and doing all it can to assist.
MATTHEW MILLER, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: We are in regular contact with the Haitian authorities. We'll continue to work with them and our U.S. government interagency partners,
NEWTON: Patient police and government authorities have not responded to CNN inquiries about the kidnappings. But on the same day, Dorsainvil and her child were taken the U.S. ordered all non-emergency staff to leave Haiti and again warned that all Americans should leave, citing the increase in violence and the risk of kidnapping.
But it was the dire need in Haiti and the hope that gang recruitment could be stopped that Dorsainvil said so compelled her to live and work in Haiti over the last several years.
DORSAINVIL: Lots of people who would just have turned to games are turned to the streets, they're able to get vocational training people are learning how to read the community is being transformed where it was once Ash is now viewed is coming up from it.
NEWTON: Brutal street battles and evermore violent incidents still plagued the streets of Port au Prince and beyond. And now with an equally violent vigilante uprising, wakala in recent weeks, that has seen suspected gang members stoned and burned to death.
In fact, the U.N. reported earlier this month that an alarming cycle of violence persists. The U.N. continues to plead for a multinational force to move in and quell the violence. The U.S. Secretary of State saying Saturday there has been some progress.
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We've been very focused on trying to put in place what's necessary for a multinational force including finding a lead nation to take this on.
NEWTON: Kenya now says with a U.N. mandate, it is willing to send up to thousand officers to train and assist Haitian police, but an international intervention may not come soon enough for Dorsainvil and her child who at this hour are at the mercy of their captors, with their demands unknown. Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.
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VAUSE: American woman has been arrested in the Bahamas and charged with conspiring to kill her husband. Lindsay Shiver and her husband Robert visited the island last month together just months after he filed for divorce. CNN's Nick Valencia has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Two local Bahamian men were also taken into custody and according to prosecutors, the accused agreed to carry out a murder for hire plot on the husband of American Lindsay Shiver on the island of Abaco in the Bahamas, on July 16. That plot was foiled. It's not entirely clear how there is some reporting out there that CNN has been unable to verify.
We do know that the three defendants were in a courtroom in the Bahamas on Friday and they were not required to enter a plea but they were told if they were seeking bail that they could appeal to the Supreme Court on the island. Social media that appeared to belong to Lindsay Shiver showed that her
husband and she attended Auburn University and it appeared to show a happy church going family but it was back in April that her husband filed for divorce, citing his wife adulterous conduct as the reason for that divorce filing. The next day Lindsey Shiver also have filed for divorce.
Now we have reached out to the attorneys in those divorce proceedings, but we have not yet heard back. Meanwhile, the next court date in the Bahamas for those three defendants is October 5th. Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Still to come here on CNN, China prepares for a six typhoon to make landfall this year, but so far the storm is following an unpredictable path. Also ahead, climate activists called the UK's proposal to expand oil and gas drilling in the North Sea a wrecking ball. Details while the British government is planning to do, that's next.
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VAUSE: Was the remnants of Typhoon Doksuri weaken over China, hundreds of thousands of people now waiting to return to their homes. Torrential rain cause flooding across the country. Heavy downpours are expected to continue through Tuesday. CNN meteorologist Chad Myers has the latest forecast for the region.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): Well, the Western Tropics obviously heating up now, the water is warm, the storms are here. We had Doksuri making all of that rain into parts of China now dying off quite a bit. But it's still going to rain for a while, it's just spreading out now moving away from where the main flooding was. And obviously the next storm system here 215 kilometers per hour already. And it still could grow just a little bit.
But here are the numbers from the last storm from Doksuri over 300 millimeters of rainfall causing rivers to swell here, cars were floated wave some pictures there we have there. This is the area now that we're going to see the heavy rainfall with the remnants of Doksuri over the next couple of days where Beijing well down to the south away from the bulls eye there of the heaviest rainfall at least spreading out that rain a little bit.
But here is typhoon Khanun. This is the storm that is really concerning for places like Okinawa, north of the Philippines, east of Taipei, and also east of China. Because the storm is no -- it's moving to the west now will likely not continue either stall stop or possibly turn a little bit to the right and spend days over the islands here very close to Okinawa and the like. Why don't you know where it's going to go, because this is what the
model runs look like. Some of them take it to the south, some of them all the way to the North. And some just really just stop it there in the middle. So possibly day after day of wind, waves and of course, the possibility of very, very heavy rainfall.
If this thing does stop, and then just keeps raining for days or hours, we are going to see some significant flash flooding even in these low lying islands. So rain after rain after rain could be in some spots in the ocean could be a half a meter to a meter of rainfall. That's not out of the question, if this thing's just sits there and stalls and rains and rains and rains. So yes, it's heating up. The water is warm, and the storms are in play.
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VAUSE: Thanks, Chad. Well, it's a simple formula. Well, carbon emissions mean a hotter planet. A hotter planet means more severe, deadlier and devastating climate extremes. Burning fossil fuels is the biggest source of carbon emissions.
So why did the U.K. announced plans to drill for more oil and gas? Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has committed to grant hundreds of new licenses for companies to expand drilling operations in the North Sea to max out their fossil fuel reserves. He says it will provide the U.K. with its own domestically sourced energy as a country transitions to a net zero carbon emissions economy.
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RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: 25 percent of our energy will come from oil and gas even in 2050 for better than we get that from here at home, better for the economy better for our energy security better for jobs and better for climate emissions.
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VAUSE: But environmental activists say the plan will take a wrecking ball to Britain's climate commitments.
Matthew Bunn is a professor and nuclear energy expert at Harvard University's Belfer Center. He joins me now from Watertown, Massachusetts. Professor, thank you for being with us.
MATTHEW BUNN, PROFESSOR OF THE PRACTICE OF ENERGY, HARVARD'S BELFER CENTER: Well, thanks for having me.
VAUSE: Okay. One of the big concerns of renewable energy right now is capacity and during the transition from fossil fuels, nuclear power is seen as an option to kind of make up the difference. And so with that in mind, the first new nuclear reactor built in the U.S. is now online here in Georgia, operated by the Southern Company. And here's part of that announcement.
Today is a historic day for the state of Georgia Southern Company and the entire energy sector. The project shows just how new nuclear can and will play a critical role in achieving a clean energy future for the lights states.
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We'll get the costs of nuclear power in a moment but, you know, yes nuclear energy is carbon free but spent fuel from a nuclear reactor remains radioactive for tens of thousands of years, and using nuclear energy to low carbon emissions. In the past, it's been said it's a bit like smoking to lose weight. Yes, it works. But it comes with a whole lot of other problems.
BUNN: Well, I do think this is a historic day to have this new nuclear reactor connected. But as you say, there are many issues that nuclear energy has to address in order to grow at the immense scale that any energy source has to get to, to really be an important part of mitigating the terrible threat of climate change.
This particular reactor unfortunately, has taken twice as long to build as expected twice as much money more than, twice as much money as expected. And so the market is not that interested in the United States, and building a whole lot more of this type of reactor.
VAUSE: As you mentioned this nuclear power plant here in Georgia seven years longer than the initial plan, it came in $17 billion over budget. What we have -- when we compare this to wind farms and renewable energy source? Well, the World Nuclear Association puts the costs of building advanced nuclear reactor north of $5,000, for every kilowatt of capacity.
And according to the World Energy Information Administration, it says a new wind farm costs about a quarter of that. So why don't invest the billions of dollars that may go to nuclear, into renewable, safe forms of clean energy, getting more bank for your buck and have a whole lot clean, have true clean energy, not no radioactive waste that can last for hundreds of thousands of years.
BUNN: Well, to be fair, the great advantage of nuclear energy is that it is not intermittent. Unlike wind and solar, you need something when the sun doesn't shine, and the wind doesn't blow. Now, that's something doesn't necessarily have to be nuclear. It could be geothermal, it could be fossil fuels with carbon capture, could be a variety of things.
Batteries are extremely helpful for shifting from a sunny afternoon to energy you want to use in the evening, but they're not as good yet for being able to shift from July to January when there's a lot less sun. So having some kind of backup to intermittent energy sources is probably important for the overall energy system in the future as we move towards zero carbon.
VAUSE: And just bring this back to the decision by the U.K. to max out its fossil fuel reserves, widely condemned by conservation groups and other groups like Oxfam, extracting more fossil fuels from the North Sea will say the wrecking ball through the UK's climate commitment at a time when we should be investing in just transition to a low carbon economy and our own abundant renewables. Was part of the statement they released. Our Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pushback with this statement, there are
those who would rather oil and gas come from hostile states, then from suppliers we have here at home.
You know, that seems to be a reference to Russia, obviously, which is weaponized its supplies of oil and gas. Um, doesn't true energy independence come from ending and addiction to fossil fuels and moving towards renewables just ending fossil fuels completely?
BUNN: Well, unfortunately, the world is not in a position to end use of fossil fuels completely anytime soon. The world remains extremely dependent on coal, oil, natural gas, especially in the transportation sector, but also in electricity and industry. So there's really an immense amount of work to do to get to that net zero carbon that we all want to shoot for, to limit the damage of climate change.
One of the things that's driving interest in reactors, like the one that was connected in Georgia today, is the desire to get off of dependence on Russian natural gas with the war in Ukraine. So while there isn't much of a market for this reactor design in the United States, but Ukraine and Poland, have expressed interest in building reactors like someone in Georgia, whether they'll find the money to pay for it, especially Ukraine is an interesting question.
VAUSE: Professor Bunn. Thank you, sir, for being with us. We really appreciate your time.
BUNN: All right, thank you.
VAUSE: UNESCO has recommended listing Venice as a World Heritage Site in danger because of deterioration and damage to building structures and urban areas caused by tourism and climate change.
Meantime, the agency has recommended that Australia's Great Barrier Reef should not be placed on a list of places considered in danger. But we're -- one of the world's biggest coral reef eco system remains under serious threat and urgent and sustained action is needed to save it.
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Coming up next year on CNN, the Taliban enforcing its harsh version of Islamic law on nearly every aspect of Afghanistan's life, we'll take a look at the cultural toll it's taking.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, I'm John Vause, you're watching CNN Newsroom. The grand jury investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election is expected to meet in Washington in the hours ahead. Meantime, the newest co-defendant in the classified documents case against the former President made his first court appearance in Florida. CNN's Jessica Schneider has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JOHN IRVING, REPRESENTING TRUMP'S CO-DEFENDANT: The Justice Department has unfortunately decided to bring these charges against Mr. De Oliveira. And now (INAUDIBLE) put their money where their mouth is.
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Carlos De Oliveira leaving the federal courthouse in Miami Monday, escorted by his lawyer and federal agents. A 20-year employee at Mar-a-Lago, De Oliveira walked out of court on $100,000 bond after being charged along with former President Trump and Trump's close aide Walt Nauta with attempting to delete security footage from Mar-a-Lago after it was subpoenaed by a federal grand jury.
De Oliveira allegedly telling the director of IT at Mar-a-Lago, the boss and apparent reference to Donald Trump wanted to delete the server where security footage was stored. CNN also reporting that another Mar-a-Lago employee received a target letter from federal prosecutors.
Yuscil Taveras oversees the property surveillance cameras, and as met with investigators in recent weeks. It's unclear if he is cooperating. So far he is not facing charges, but at least some of the allegations in the latest indictment were based on information he provided.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: You know, they're not indicting me. They're indicting you. I just happened to be standing in their way. That's all it is.
SCHNEIDER: Trump's defiant as he continued campaigning over the weekend, even as he was charged with additional crimes in the special counsels classified documents case.
TRUMP: 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.
SCHNEIDER: Plus, all signs point to another indictment. Soon out of DC's Federal Court.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you tell us where they expect to have an indictment this week?
SCHNEIDER: Likely against Trump and his allies for their efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
FANI WILLIS, FULTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We're ready to go.
SCHNEIDER: And in Georgia, indictment watch kicks into full gear. Fulton County's District Attorney likely a week or two away from presenting her case to a grand jury and announcing whether Trump will be charged for trying to overturn the 2020 election results in that state, ramped up security measures are already in place around the local courthouse.
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And a county judge just rejected efforts by Trump's legal team to toss evidence in that criminal investigation and to disqualify the district attorney.
WILLIS: Some people may not be happy with the decisions that I'm making. And sometimes when people are unhappy they act in a way that could create harm. The work is accomplished. Looking for two and a half years.
SCHNEIDER (on camera): And Donald Trump's legal bills are mounting so much so that sources have told our Kristen Holmes that his team is now creating a legal defense fund to help offset some of the costs. Up to this point, it's been Trump's political action committee Save America that has been fronting those costs already spending more than $40 million just this year to pay for the legal fees for Trump and many of his associates, Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.
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VAUSE: Add music to the Taliban hate list. And to prove it, they're now burning musical instruments. Authorities from Afghanistan's Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, created a bonfire from a number of seized instruments and a loudspeaker in Herat province over the weekend.
More on this joining us now from Braga in Portugal is Dr. Ahmad Sarmast, Director of Afghanistan's National Institute of Music. Thank you for being with us. We really appreciate your time.
DR. AHMAD SARMAST, DIRECTOR, AFGHANISTAN NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MUSIC: Thank you very much.
VAUSE: You spent two decades bringing music back to Afghanistan, that's after the Taliban banned it during their first time in power. What are your emotions? What are you thinking when you look at these latest images of these instruments just being set on fire and destroyed?
SARMAST: For me, the burning of the musical instrument by the Taliban was not unexpected. It was very clear from the moment that the Taliban returned back to power that's in spite of all speculation that the Taliban of 2021 are different than the Taliban of 1996. But it was clear they did not change. They're not capable to change. And they will never change.
So from the day that the Taliban returned back to Afghanistan, the burning destruction of musical instruments and parading musicians as criminal in the streets of Kabul thing took place.
VAUSE: Yes, because this is not the first bunch of musical instruments, the Taliban have actually put up in flames. In January of last year, a local musician was forced to watch as his instrument was set a light. Before that, and December 2021, they didn't set it on fire. But the end result was pretty much the same, they destroyed it. And the message was the same as well.
As you mentioned, musicians have been paraded and publicly humiliated, walk through the streets in Afghanistan. And not long after Taliban seize power in August of 2021, a well-known folk singer was dragged from his home by the Taliban is shot dead.
And this is what is known. This is what's been reported. So, there's so many other events like this, that happen almost on a daily basis. So to be a musician, and Afghanistan professional or amateur, to listen to music is to risk your life.
SARMAST: Unfortunately, Afghanistan is the only country in the world where the entire nation is silence. The people of Afghanistan denied all their musical rights, including artistic freedom. The people in Afghanistan are not allowed to listen to music, to practice music, to play music, to make music and to make a living through music.
So, making music if you found by musical instrument or you if you found by the Taliban making music, you will be treated as a criminals. It is a crime according to the Taliban and musicians are the people who are corrupting the nation, according to this narrow interpretation of the Taliban, or most, even most precisely, probably the wrong interpretation of the Taliban of their holy teaching of Islam.
VAUSE: Just to your point, the Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice as the instruments were destroyed, because music can destroy society. What is their problem with music? Why are they so afraid of music?
SARMAST: They have good problem with the Afghan society. They have problem with the happiness of the African people. Anything that to me that makes Afghan people happy and happy, anything that bring prosperity to Afghanistan, it is strange for the Taliban.
Of course, what they are interpreting the bad in music on Islamic teaching, which is totally wrong. There's not nowhere in the Holy Cross, any reference to banning music, where even to music at all. But to my perspective, the banning of music may indicate to two things.
First, the ignorance of the Taliban about the teaching of Islam. And secondly, the Taliban are aware of the power of music that are -- that music is came about to deliver the most important messages to the far, far places and to make any messages understandable to the wider community of Afghanistan. They're afraid of the power of music.
VAUSE: And that's interesting because the Taliban can announced the ban on music in Afghanistan, but they cannot silence Afghan music. Afghanistan's National Institute of Music lives on with you and almost 300 of your students and teachers and their families now living there in Portugal.
[01:40:04]
How important is it for you and for Afghanistan and for the future of Afghanistan to prefer -- to preserve this cultural heritage.
SARMAST: The musical heritage of Afghanistan, part of the cultural and musical heritage of the world is not only important for Afghanistan, but it's important for diversity, musical diversity of the world. And therefore, if the Taliban policies will not be changed, if the music rise up the Afghan people will not be on the table in all negotiation with the Taliban, if the Taliban will not change their policies towards music, I'm afraid soon, the rich musical age of Afghanistan in Afghan -- of Afghanistan will be lost.
And therefore the Afghanistan needs that instead of music in exile will do everything to preserve these traditions. But of course, being away from your roots, it makes our job and our task more difficult, but we are committed to preserve the musical erasure of Afghanistan. And I'm confident when the Taliban are gone. And I hope that they will be gone very soon, we'll be able to bring music back to the Afghan community.
VAUSE: You've done it once. Done once before. I hope you get a chance to do it again. Dr. Sarmast, thanks so much for being with us. All the best.
SARMAST: Thank you very much.
VAUSE: With a short break when we come back, can AI and socialism play together nicely. Beijing now plans to tap into his power without giving up too much control more on that in a moment.
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VAUSE: The latest numbers for the 20 country Eurozone shows modest economic growth with inflation easing. But as CNN's Clare Sebastian explains there are still many signs that have economists worried.
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CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, on the surface, this looks like a sign of resilience in the Euro area, a modest growth rate of 9.3 percent compared to the previous three months after flat lining in the first quarter year of shrinking in the one before that.
Overall inflation also fell to 5.3 percent in July, which is exactly half its peak rate last October, when of course the war in Ukraine had caused energy prices to skyrocket. That shock now clearly receding.
But dig into the detail. And there are still worrying signs. GDP growth seems to have been driven by just a few countries. Ireland grew by more than 3 percent. France by half a percent. Well, on the flip side, Germany, Europe's biggest economy was flat, and Italy actually contracted.
And as for inflation, that top line number also not a whole story. Core inflation and when you strip out food and energy didn't change at all in July compared to June, and it's still more than twice the European Central Bank's medium term target.
But for economists, all this just really adds to mounting concerns as data in recent weeks has shown business activity dropping, business loans falling to a record low as banks tightened credit standards and an ongoing decline in economic sentiment.
[01:45:00] Well, (INAUDIBLE) say means recession is still a risk. And this will definitely raise the stakes for the European Central Bank as it tries to balance that risk with persistent inflation. Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
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VAUSE: From the country which gave the world the Great Firewall, now comes the first guardrails for the technology that powers popular artificial intelligence services. China recently announced guidelines for generative AI and will take effect in about two weeks. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout has details.
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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Meet Xi Jaja (ph), a virtual idol powered by artificial intelligence to Sell Burgers in China, McDonald's hired Jaja (ph) to interact with Chinese customers.
The U.S. may be curbing AI chip exports to China. But the nation is fast becoming an AI powerhouse. The country's home to top tech firms leading the AI charge like Alibaba, Huawei, Tencent and Baidu creator of Xi Jaja (ph) boasts that its chatbot Ernie has beaten open AI as ChatGPT on several metrics.
At the state back world AI conference in July, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk praised China's AI Prowess.
ELON MUSK, CEO, TESLA MOTORS: China will have very strong AI capability is my prediction.
LU STOUT, China has become one of the first countries in the world to regulate the technology that powers popular services like ChatGPT. In July, it unveiled interim rules to manage Generative AI, seeing it needs to be aligned with the core values of socialism.
ANGELA ZHANG, CHINESE LAW PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: The Chinese government is trying to ensure that the use and application of AI will be aligned with its own set of moral principles that underscores its political and social stability. The government not only placed the burden on the service providers, but also on the users of AI services.
LU STOUT: In January, China's new rules against deep fake technologies came into effect. Chinese authorities have detained people for allegedly using Generative AI to commit fraud and create fake news.
LU STOUT (on camera): And while China is moving fast to regulate the industry, some critics warned that it may not be equipped to avoid an AI disaster.
BILL DREXEL, ASSOC. FELLOW FOR TECHNOLOGY AND NATIONAL SECURITY PROGRAM, CNAS: Most societies to kind of learn from disasters, but the PRC has a kind of propaganda machine that makes it hard to do that where there's a sort of disaster amnesia. There's a kind of a chronic culture of crisis mismanagement in authoritarian regimes generally, and China's no exception.
LU STOUT (voiceover): Drexel cites China's zero COVID policy as a recent example of crisis mismanagement. But the danger posed by AI is not limited to one country, top technologists the world over including China have signed this petition to warn of the risk of human extinction from AI.
SAM ALTMAN, CEO, OPENAI: As these systems get very, very powerful. That does require special concern and it has global impact, so it also requires global cooperation.
LU STOUT: China's new AI rules have a provision to encourage participation and global standards setting.
ZHANG: They are very keen to take part in shaping global regulation of AI.
LU STOUT: For now, Beijing is steering its own AI future with a heavy hand to encourage Chinese tech success and ensure that artificial intelligence will not undermine the state. Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.
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VAUSE: Well, that didn't last too long the huge flashing X which was has now been removed from the building, formerly known as Twitter's headquarters, the signage is part of Elon Musk rebranding of the microblogging site. But on Friday building inspectors in San Francisco issued a violation notice for putting the sign up without a permit after receiving at least two dozen complaints.
Now X will have to pay fees for the permits it didn't get.
There were teams to book their spots in the Women's World Cup knockouts. Will the defending champs be joining them for a turn of events has been for the Americans. We'll have a live preview of the final groupie matches.
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[01:51:44]
VAUSE: Pee-Wee Herman that brought to life by actor and comedian Paul Reubens who died on Sunday. Reubens was best known for the Emmy award winning Pee-Wee's Playhouse, which spawned film streaming specials and even a Broadway show.
But in 2002, the actor was arrested in an adult theater in Florida charged with obscenity, much more serious charge was dropped during a plea deal.
In recent years, he fought a private battle cancer and left a message to be released after his death which was posted to Instagram that reads please accept my apology for not going public with what I've been facing the last six years. I've loved you all so much and enjoy making art for you. He was 70 years old.
Hollywood also morning Angus Cloud a rising young actor best known for his breakthrough role in the HBO drama Euphoria. He played a sweet natured drug dealer named Fisco, who quickly became a fan favorite. Cloud also had a few other projects in the works. No cause of death has been released but his family says he lost his father recently and struggle intensely. Angus Cloud was 25 years old.
Defending Women's World Cup champion U.S. are on one way -- one match away from a spot in the knockout. But first they must get past Portugal making their first ever appearance in the tournament.
CNN's Angus Watson following live for us from Sydney. So, you know, when the Americans arrived, I mean, that was a really hot favorites to win this thing. And now there's I mean, not so much doubt that there's some questions about whether they'll get there.
ANGUS WATSON, CNN PRODUCER: Well, John, Team USA needs to win in their match tonight against Portugal or draw to make sure they get to their knockout stages of the tournament and this is what they are fighting for. We're here in the FIFA Museum at in Sydney, Australia, where they have the World Cup Trophy here.
The 1990 design that Team USA has lifted three times, their fourth. Their victory in 1991 was with a different design. Can they raise it for a fifth time the question on everybody's lips around the world, all football fans want to watch Team USA play the stars that they have Sofia Smith, Trinity Rodman, Lindsey Horan will all be needed tonight to make sure they get past Portugal who are playing in their first ever Women's World Cup match.
In the opposite match, we've got the Netherlands playing against -- playing against Vietnam of course that USA played three -- beat three nil in the first round who will come first in that group stage. We'll see. John.
VAUSE: Feel like Coast Australia have sailed into round 16 after a four nil thrashing in Canada, the defending Olympic champions. CNN's Don Riddell has the highlights.
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DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT (on camera): The Australian team is planning ahead for the knockout stage at the World Cup having survived a very tricky group B and Matildas has faced arguably their toughest challenge in their third match against the reigning Olympic champions, Canada but a big win has ease their fears and sent the Canadians packing.
Australia star striker Sam Kerr missed the first two games for the injury and although she was said to be fit for this one they kept her on the bench and they never needed her.
[01:55:08] That's because the Matildas scored early. Hayley Raso on target in the ninth minute, and they never looked back from there. She scored again late in the first half. And when Mary Fowler made it three nil just before the hour mark, the Aussies knew they had done enough, having lost their second match to Nigeria. This has been a stressful tournament for the co-hosts, but there was a jubilant atmosphere in Melbourne. And Steph Catley's late penalty means that they will move on to the last 16 with that confidence restored.
HAYLEY RASO, AUSTRALIA FORWARD: Ecstatic. I can't really describe the crowd. They lifted us tonight. Just to go in front of my family, in front of this amazing crowd is so, so special.
RIDDELL: Was it one of the best performances you've ever experienced with the Matildas?
RASO: I think so. We knew we had to win our backs are against the wall. We showed that never say die attitude and we're absolutely delighted.
RIDDELL: Nigeria will be joining Australia in the next round. Their goalless draw against Ireland was enough to lift them ahead of Canada in Group B. But second place in the group means that their next game could be a tough one. They might have to play the European champions, England.
This is how it all finished up. Everybody knew this was the group of death a big team was always going to miss out but Canada will be bitterly disappointed to be leaving early. As co-host, Australia's progress is good for the tournament. And the place was really rocking on Monday.
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VAUSE: Thank you, Don. Well, we'll finish it with a zoo and he said China trying to reassure visitors, their sun bears are not people dressed up in costumes. Rumors and conspiracy theories have been scrolling on social media after a viral video of a sun bear standing on his hind legs. Looking quite the human bear and appearing to wait for the crowd. Not only the fur appears to be loose and wrinkled in places always like an ill-fitting bear suit.
There it is. Hello. Sun bears are the world's smallest bear species and the zoo insists people just don't understand their behavior. Sometimes it's hard to bear.
Thank you for watching CNN Newsroom. I'm John Vause. News continues here on CNN with Rosemary Church, my friend and colleague right after this and see right back here tomorrow.
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