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Hawaii Misjudged Dangers Of Wildfires Despite Years Of Warning; U.S. Attorney Leading Hunter Biden Criminal Probe Named Special Counsel; Suspects Arrested In Ecuador Assassination; Maui Reels As Death Toll Now At 67, Still Climbing; U.S. Bans on Chinese Tech Investments; Australia Faces France At 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Quarterfinals. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired August 12, 2023 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of our viewers watching here in the United States and around the world. I'm Laila Harrak.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, the search for survivors in Hawaii. Teams comb the smoldering ruins and families endure an agonizing wait for news of their loved ones.
And a new twist in the Hunter Biden probe. The U.S. attorney general announcing its special counsel to investigate President Biden's son.
History taking shape at the Women's World Cup, the stage, now set for a first time winner, after Japan was knocked out in the quarterfinals.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Laila Harrak.
HARRAK: We begin in Hawaii and word of another evacuation on Maui. The police department just posted that there is a fire in West Maui and residents in the area are currently being evacuated.
That comes as Hawaii's attorney general says she will lead a comprehensive review of the decisions officials made, as deadly wildfires broke out earlier on Maui. Criticism is now growing over how authorities handled things in the early stages as flames quickly spread and destroyed the iconic area.
Hawaii emergency management says Maui's warning sirens were not turned on when the fires broke out. But many people were unaware of just how bad things got until it was too late to leave. And critics say that may have cost many lives. The state's governor talked earlier about why the notification was not given.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOV. JOSH GREEN (D-HI): What we understand is that, when those fires reignited in Lahaina late afternoon or early evening, they were focusing on fires elsewhere on the island. And the telecommunications were destroyed very rapidly.
Communication was cut off by the destruction of essentially 1,000 degree heat that was coming down the mountain. That is not, again, to make an excuse for anyone. And we will check and be very safe and sure that we did what we could.
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HARRAK: While the Lahaina fire is now 85 percent contained, at least 67 people are confirmed dead. Officials predict that number will rise, as crews are finally able to sift through the wreckage of hundreds of homes incinerated by the flames.
For a short time on Friday, many residents of Lahaina were given the opportunity to return to their community to check on their homes and salvage any possessions they could find. But the opening was short- lived. Authorities soon closed it again. Bill Weir got a look at the devastation wrought by the fires and it is heartbreaking to see.
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EDDY GARCIA, FARMER, MAUI RESIDENT: The trees that you guys see behind you right here, this was all from the tornado that came through.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's crazy.
GARCIA: Now we've never even seen a tornado in Hawaii.
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a place so familiar with weather extremes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow, it's crazy.
WEIR (voice-over): Maui locals have never seen anything like the firestorm that obliterated Lahaina.
DANIEL GOLDBERG, BOAT CAPTAIN: It can start in a little like smolder and smoke and we're like, the house had survived and now there's a little brush fire and then within like five minutes, the whole thing was engulfed just right off the frame.
WEIR: Really?
GOLDBERG: There's nobody there to put anything out.
WEIR: We're just pulling into Lahaina now, just getting our first glimpse at this town after hearing these nightmarish stories and it is worse than you can imagine.
It looks like a World War Two set, like a bomb went off here. There's just utter scorched devastation everywhere, melted boats in the harbor. (voice-over): What was once the capital of the kingdom of Hawaii and one of the most well preserved towns in the nation is ash, including Bill Wyland's famous art gallery. And he says he escaped the flames on his Harley Davidson, riding around evacuees trapped between fire and ocean.
BILL WYLAND, ART GALLERY OWNER: Had I took the car and said a motorcycle, I plugged in with everybody else jumping in the water. It was -- I mean, it was flames were shooting over the top, coming out. I didn't even want to look behind me because I knew they were behind me.
WEIR: And there's nowhere to go. You're pinned between just the --
WYLAND: Just pinned and that's what happened.
WEIR: -- fire and the ocean.
WYLAND: That's what happened to all the people, I think, is all those cars that were waiting for someone to move in front of them. No one was moving anywhere. You were dead in the water.
WEIR: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They all jumped in the ocean.
WYLAND: They all jumped in the ocean and a lot of them didn't make it, from what I heard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
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WEIR: I'm sure if the winds were 80 miles an hour, the surf must have been --
WYLAND: Just that. There was diesel fuel floating in the water as well.
WEIR: Oh God.
WYLAND: And the Coast Guard couldn't come in too far because of the reefs and a lot of the people can't swim that far. And then a couple of people died of smoke inhalation as well. They were just inundated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know a lady that stood in the water for eight hours.
WEIR: This is the historic banyan tree, 150-year-old majestic tree at the center of Lahaina town. It looks like it may have survived. It needs water desperately to survive right now.
But for the locals who are coming down and looking at the damage, this is such a sign of hope that maybe their iconic tree will have lived when so much else is gone here.
But the history can never be replaced. Right here, this is the first hotel in Hawaii. The Pioneer Hotel, Pioneer Theater. It's completely gone.
Right over here was the library. It's just now a stone shell of scorched. Blocks around Front Street there Fleetwood's -- Mick Fleetwood of the band Fleetwood Mac. His place is gutted out with flames. It's just unrecognizable.
One of the most charming, beloved port cities anywhere in the world is just scorched like a bomb went off.
(voice-over): Farmer Eddy Garcia lost a small fortune in crop damage but now is bracing for much bigger losses.
EDDY GARCIA, FARMER, MAUI RESIDENT: My God. Like, when I was down there early, there were uncles and people I know in the street, dead. People were trying to get to the end of the street. You can tell by where the cars that were parked. They say hundreds of people jumped in the water.
WEIR: You personally lost crops?
Like, what is that?
GARCIA: I lost nothing compared to what people lost. I lost farm stuff and food and whatever, tiny little things compared to what people lost. People lost their family, they lost their houses. Everything we've seen, all the landmarks, everything that we've seen for years, history, it's all gone.
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HARRAK: Alice Lee is the chair of Maui's county council. And she joins us live, from Maui.
Welcome, thank you for joining us at this very difficult time. We understand that Hawaii emergency management agency has said on Friday that Maui's warning sirens were not activated.
Has it been determined what was behind that?
Was that a system failure, a human error?
ALICE LEE, CHAIR, MAUI COUNTY COUNCIL: I think that is still being investigated. But I do want to point out one thing. Most of us were aware that we were about to be hit by a very severe storm. For days, we were forewarned that Hurricane Dora was going to pass the islands to the south, packing winds up to 80 miles an hour.
So even my family and I sort of battened down the hatches, knowing that we needed to prepare for this severe weather. So I think people need to understand that we all were advised about this oncoming storm. And when it hit, it was well beyond anybody's expectations.
We lost power, we lost the use of our cell phones, not in central Maui but in West Maui. People lost the use of water; we lost internet. Communications became extremely difficult. People need to take all of those facts into consideration, that we could not have anticipated dealing with all of these adversarial challenges.
And today, I flew over Lahaina. I was in a helicopter, with our fire chief, Brad Ventura. And the site is unbearable or barely bearable. It is heartbreaking to see the desolation.
And one of the things that stuck in my mind was passing over some of the leveled homes. And yet people were parked near their homes, just crying, because in disbelief that this could happen so swiftly and so completely.
So this is the sad part that we all have to deal with and now it is our turn, the county council and the administration, to do something about it.
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LEE: You mentioned-- someone mentioned that the death toll has risen but it is probably going to go up a little higher, because what has happened, the rescuers have, at this point in time, covered the streets and the yards of these hundreds of homes that were burned down.
Tomorrow, they will enter the homes. They had to make sure, before entering the homes, they had to make sure that the gas lines and electrical lines and the houses ready to collapse would not impede searching within the houses. So tomorrow might be an even more difficult day.
HARRAK: Yes, very difficult days and months ahead for your community. Criticism is growing, in terms of the handling of this, in the early stages.
How do you respond, for instance, to the records, showing that Hawaii underestimated the increasing deadly threat posed by a wildfire, exacerbated by hurricane force winds, like the Lahaina blaze?
LEE: Again, it was hard to predict that the hurricane winds would turn upward, toward our islands, instead of the expected path below the islands. So that was something that nobody knew was going to happen, although we need to keep in mind that this is hurricane season for Hawaii.
So that is one area that we have to look more closely at and see if there is anything that we can do, to provide more -- provide more -- whether it is alerts or sirens or other ways of advising our people ahead of time.
But the fires were wild. The fires were relentless and, once they started, you should have seen the site that we looked at today in the helicopter, overlooking the entire Lahaina. It is just flat to the ground.
And for that to happen so quickly, it is hard to imagine fire traveling that fast. But it had to have. It was terrible and just a horrific experience. HARRAK: Terrible and breathtaking in its devastation and speed. Alice
Lee, we thank you for talking with us and appreciate you taking up the time to speak with us and share what you have seen at this very, very difficult moment.
LEE: Thank you for having me.
HARRAK: And we are going to turn our attention now to the federal judge presiding over the election subversion case against Donald Trump put Trump and his legal team on notice on Friday, warning them to be extra careful what they say publicly about the case or risk the trial date moved up.
She said, "The more a party makes inflammatory statements about this case, which could taint the jury pool or intimidate potential witnesses, the greater the urgency will be that we proceed to trial quickly, to ensure a jury pool from which we can select an impartial jury."
The judge granted the special counsel's request for a protective order on the most sensitive evidence, effectively barring Trump and his team from sharing those details in public. The judge also told Trump's lawyers that she didn't see any evidence the case was politically motivated.
Republican critics have demanded that Hunter Biden be investigated by a special counsel. But now that it has happened, there are complaints it is too little, too late. President Biden's son has for months faced an on-again, off-again plea deal on back taxes and a gun charge.
But that deal has fallen apart, which means he will most likely head to trial. David Weiss, the Trump appointed prosecutor who has been handling the case, was elevated to special counsel on Friday to prepare for their trial. CNN's Paula Reid has more now on why this decision was made at this time.
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PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, according to the Justice Department, on Tuesday, U.S. attorney David Weiss, asked the Justice Department to change his designation to special counsel, for the purposes of the Hunter Biden investigation.
Now Weiss is a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney and has been investigating Biden for five years but the Justice Department has not put forth any official explanation for why he suddenly wanted to change his status and become a full-blown special counsel.
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REID: But there are some clues in the court documents and court filings, because, on Friday, court filings reveal that the plea agreement that had been reached between the U.S. attorney and Hunter Biden has fallen apart. It has reached an impasse, after a judge expressed some concerns and had some questions about this plea deal. And according to court filings, it appears that case related to some
tax charges and one charge related to gun possession could go to trial. Once you are special counsel, not only can you bring a case in any jurisdiction, you also have to write a full report, detailing your findings.
The Justice Department emphasizes that that will help with the transparency around this investigation. But it is not clear that Republicans on the Hill are going to see it that way, because they wanted Weiss to come and talk to them, testify, answer questions.
And it is unclear how becoming a special counsel could impact his willingness to testify before them. We know the previous special counsels, like Robert Mueller and John Durham, have testified but only after their investigations and after they submitted their reports.
Now a source tells CNN that what the White House was not notified before the special counsel announcement nor for Hunter Biden's lawyers.
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HARRAK: A deadly Russian strike caught on video in Ukraine.
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HARRAK (voice-over): Still ahead, a Russian missile strikes a children's daycare but the young ones were saved by a stroke of sheer luck.
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HARRAK: We are just getting word of a new Ukrainian drone attack in Crimea. Russia's defense ministry claims it destroyed 20 drones targeting the peninsula overnight. He says there are no casualties or damage; 14 drones were reportedly shot down by Russian air defenses, while six others were intercepted with electronic measures.
Dozens of military recruitment officials are out of their jobs, amid a major corruption scandal playing out in Ukraine. On Friday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired all heads of regional military recruitment offices across the board.
The reason?
Mr. Zelenskyy says they used their jobs to commit serious crimes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Some took cash, some took cryptocurrency, that's the only difference. The cynicism is the same everywhere. Illicit enrichments, legalization of illegally obtained funds, illegal benefit, illegal transportation of persons liable for military service across the border.
This system should be run by people who know exactly what war is and why cynicism and bribery in times of war constitute treason.
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HARRAK: President Zelenskyy says military recruitment from now on will be managed by soldiers, who can be trusted, including those who suffered serious injuries in battle.
Meanwhile, the city of Zaporizhzhya is reeling once more from a Russian missile attack that hit a hotel, which also served as a children's day camp. Two missiles struck on Thursday and, as Nick Paton Walsh reports, one of the strikes was caught on video.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first strike brought horror, a riverside hotel struck. This man with his family strolling in a Zaporizhzhya park at 7:20 Thursday evening.
Terror, then another roar. The son spots it first.
WALSH: As though the hotel they targeted where a kid's camp had ended just an hour earlier needed to be hit twice.
Imagine how the children in the hotel pool felt. Dozens of guests injured, one dead, who did not walk away. This is how it looked before the two Iskander missiles hit a pool and playground in the car park. A Russian official then declared all hotels in the city to be targets, saying they're full of Ukrainian soldiers.
In the hours after, sirens sounded in Kyiv, as Ukraine only managed to take down one of four hypersonic Kinzhal missiles. Officials saying another target was an F-16 training facility in the west.
These nightly strikes, Russia's response to the pressure on the southern front, where Friday importantly small gains were claimed.
President Zelenskyy has urged patience and Friday moved to steady a slow-moving ship, firing the heads of regional military recruitment after a series of corruption scandals, replacing them with wounded veterans.
ZELENSKYY (through translator): Warriors who have lost their health, limbs but maintain their dignity and don't have cynicism can be trusted to run the system.
WALSH (voice-over): Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Ukraine. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: Supporters of Niger's coup have staged a large protest against the regional bloc, ECOWAS, a day after it activated a standby force for potential military intervention.
On Friday, thousands of people condemned the bloc, as they demonstrated in the Nigerien capital. Many voiced their support for the leaders of the coup. Others rallied behind Russia, which has warned against military intervention by ECOWAS but has backed the group's mediation efforts.
Meanwhile, the African Union says it strongly supports the decisions ECOWAS has adopted on Niger. In a statement, it also urged the coup leaders to release the ousted president from detention.
The U.N. human rights chief says he is concerned about the treatment of Mohamed Bazoum, warning that he could be facing inhuman and degrading conditions.
In Ecuador, the shocking assassination of a president candidate has left the country deeply shaken and increased calls for better security. On Friday, the slain politician's casket was taken to an exhibition hall, so that more people could come and pay their final respects. Afterward he was buried in a private ceremony.
Prosecutors say their investigation has turned up a lot of evidence.
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HARRAK: It is still not known who directed the attack or why. All six suspects in custody are Colombian nationals, said to be part of criminal gangs. One other suspect was shot dead, in an exchange of gunfire with police.
As the number of dead in Hawaii's wildfires rises, there are questions now about what could have been done to prevent the disaster. How records show state officials underestimated the threat posed by wildfires, next, on CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRAK: There is word of another evacuation on Maui. The police department just posted that there is a fire in West Maui and residents in the area are currently being evacuated.
The number of people confirmed killed in the wildfires of Maui now stands at 67. But Hawaiian officials warn that number is likely to go much higher as rescue crews sift through the charred remains of homes and buildings in the Lahaina area.
[02:30:00] HARRAK: Newly released video from the U.S. Coast Guard shows the view of the Lahaina fire on Wednesday, shot from rescue boats just offshore. Coast Guard crews were able to rescue 17 people, who fled into the ocean to escape the spreading flames.
A TikTok video appears to show some of those desperate people, who took shelter in the water. Dense smoke and high winds can be seen in the video, making for what must have been an incredibly chaotic and terrifying situation.
There is growing criticism now over how authorities handled the early moments of the wildfires, as flames spread across the island. No warning sirens were activated, which critics say cost untold lives. And as our Pamela Brown reports, that is not the only concern about Hawaii's wildfire preparedness.
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PAMELA BROWN, CNN CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): CNN is learning Hawaii officials underestimated the risk of wildfires in a recent report, even as other documents show official knew they lacked resources to prevent and fight fires.
ABBY FRAZIER, CLIMATOLOGIST, CLARK UNIV.: We had advanced notice coming into the summer. This week, the winds, the low humidity and the fuels, any ignition would have sparked a pretty big fire and that's exactly what we saw.
BROWN (voice-over): In a state report out just last year ranking natural disasters, Hawaii officials classified the wildfire risk to human life as low in this color coded chart.
The assessment, though, coming years after Hurricane Lane fanned the flames of fires in Hawaii ravaging Maui and Oahu in 2018. That perfect storm of conditions highlighted the threat and how unprepared officials in Hawaii were dealing with such a disaster.
With a county report in 2021 noting Hurricane Lane made small fires swell and stretch public safety resources, with strong winds, grounding air support. That storm should have been a wakeup call, according to this planning document from Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency.
Other state and local documents show Hawaii lagged behind in preparedness for the devastating wildfires playing out now that have killed more than 50 people, left countless people missing and triggered widespread evacuations. A cruel deja vu for some residents.
MARK STEFL, LOST HOME TO FIRE TWICE: About four years ago, we had another hurricane and we lost our house in a fire. Rebuilt and what happened yesterday is killing me right now. We just lost our house again twice in four years.
BROWN (voice-over): A 2021 report also makes the troubling point that despite the increasing number of wildfires, fire prevention was given, quote, "short shrift" in a strategic plan from Maui County's Department of Fire and Safety.
The plan also included, quote, "nothing about what can and should be done to prevent fires," which it called "a significant oversight."
FRAZIER: Given how catastrophic this event was, I think there will be a lot of pressure on the state and other organizations to improve their fire prevention actions that they're taking statewide.
BROWN (voice-over): The increase in fires in Hawaii comes as Maui has faced increasing drought conditions in recent years, contributing to warnings like this in a May webinar from Nani Barretto with the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization.
NANI BARRETTO, HAWAII WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT ORG.: Hawaii has a big wildfire problem. We are on par with the most fire prone states in the western continental U.S. The impacts of fire are broad and long lasting.
BROWN (voice-over): Now residents like Mart Stefl are left to rebuild again as the threat of future disasters looms with no clear plan in place.
STEFL: I mean, I know what I need to do. We've done it before. It sucks.
BROWN (voice-over): Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.
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HARRAK: Well, the fires in Hawaii are already the second deadliest in the U.S. in the last 100 years, second only to California's Camp fire in 2018. All of the others in the top five most deadly fires have also been in California. Here's how one Maui resident described it.
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KEITH HUNTER, LAHAINA RESIDENT: I've fought wildfires in California and I've never-- I was here yesterday when it flared up. I've never seen something ravage so fast.
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HARRAK: Well, the devastating fires of Maui were fanned by a combination of strong winds and drier than usual conditions.
But how and why did the fire spread so quickly?
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HARRAK: For more information on how to help those impacted by the Hawaii wildfires, please go to cnn.com/impact.
This week, the Biden administration announced new rules limiting U.S. investments in Chinese technology industries in an effort to protect national security. The restrictions apply to the field of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and semiconductors.
The goal is to prevent American knowledge and money from flowing to China's military. Beijing calls the move, quote, "a blatant act of economic coercion."
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HARRAK: Joining me now, Emily Benson, director of the project on trade and technology at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
So good to have you with us.
To help frame our conversation, how important is U.S. investment into China's economy, specifically the tech sector?
EMILY BENSON, DIRECTOR, TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY PROJECT, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Hi, thank you so much for having me on.
The U.S. investment in China is actually on the decline. So the (INAUDIBLE) group has a study out (INAUDIBLE) that was published today that shows a precipitous drop in U.S. investment into high-tech sectors in recent years.
And so this comes at a time amid increasing tension between China and the United States. At the same time, the investment profile between the two countries is quite different from the trade profile. Bilateral trade hit a peak last year, exceeding $600 billion between the two.
HARRAK: That is fascinating, that distinction that you just outlined there. The Biden administration says that what underpins this decision is national security.
Are there some concrete examples out there of AI companies that raise a red flag?
BENSON: Yes, so, that is really the crux of the question that confronts the administration right now, which is why it created this new authority for the U.S. government to screen outbound capital and (INAUDIBLE) benefits to China.
They say there is currently a gap in U.S. policymaking automobile. We already screened outbound technology and items going to China that could be used by the military. We also screen inbound investments for national security purposes.
(INAUDIBLE) pretty obvious question about why do we not screen outbound capital close to China?
The purpose of the southbound investment screening executive order is to close that gap in U.S. policymaking to ensure that U.S. funds are not being used to advance military capabilities.
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BENSON: And there are targeted cases, where we have definitive proof that Chinese companies are using U.S. investment to advance high-tech military applications that could potentially be used against foreign entities.
HARRAK: Now if you happen to be a U.S. company doing business in China right now, what does it mean?
Will things become more difficult?
BENSON: The administration has guided the Treasury Department to stand up this new program that would screen outbound capital closed. That's open for public comment for the next 40+ days. The administration will take what they've learned and update this rule.
So if I'm a company, I'm waiting to see exactly how this rule becomes finalized over time. But either way, it is a very clear signal that relations are changing between the United States and China.
This, of course, aligns with the administration's de-risking approach, which is to minimize exposure to China but not to pull out completely. And that is really reflected in the targeted nature of the administration's approach with this new executive order.
HARRAK: Right. You used there, the magic term de-risking, which the E.U. has coined because the U.S. started with decoupling.
Is anybody else following the U.S.' lead, is the E.U. following the U.S.' lead?
BENSON: So a few international partners already maintain some kind of similar authority. That includes the Republic of Korea and Taiwan. But (INAUDIBLE) there are quite different authorities. And so the United States is really taking a lead on establishing this broad (INAUDIBLE).
The European Commission under President Von der Leyen has expressed interest in her speech in March, again at the G7; more recently in their economic security strategy document in June and we will probably see more forthcoming guidance from them in December timeframe.
HARRAK: Now we just saw, not so long ago, a host of high-level visits by U.S. officials to China, all part of a concerted effort to reengage with Beijing, avoid miscommunication.
How does this latest move by the Biden administration fit into that strategy?
BENSON: Well, the administration, of course, has to walk a fine line amid rising tensions with China. But overall, the way that this interim rule is written is really a victory for moderates. It could've been much broader. It could have been much harsher.
Largely, it consists of a notification regime that is ex post facto and so it requires notification after investment deals have already been concluded. And so, if I were the Chinese government, I would be at least somewhat relieved that this didn't go much further.
And so I think that creates a very viable opportunity for ongoing dialogues. And I'm very optimistic that the U.S. Secretary of Commerce (INAUDIBLE) will be able to visit China toward the end of the month.
HARRAK: Emily Benson, thank you for joining us.
BENSON: Thank you for having me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: France are seeking their first World Cup semifinals in 12 years.
But can they get past co-host Australia?
We will have a preview of their match after the break.
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HARRAK: Sweden and Spain have booked the first two spots in the Women's World Cup semifinals. They will face each other next week after they were knocked out the Netherlands and Japan. Today, four teams are in the quarterfinals. First up, France. And later England will try to avoid an upset against Colombia.
CNN's Amanda Davies joins us now.
So great to have you with us, Amanda.
Who will round out the final four?
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: That is a very big question and a great question for what is set to be a fantastic day here at this 2023 Women's World Cup. New Zealand may be out but even here, I have to tell you, at the fan fest, there's a whole lot of support for their cohosts, Australia.
Ahead of their match, which kicks off in 15 minutes or so's time, with Australia not only looking to make a semifinal in the Women's World Cup for the first time but also to overturn the curse that has hit the hosts of this tournament in recent times.
For the last four editions of the Women's World Cup, the hosts have been knocked out in the quarterfinals and a team that knows all about that are Australia's opponents this evening, France. It happened to them on home soil four years ago in the quarterfinals against the USA.
A whole lot is being made about the fact that, just a few weeks ago, Australia caused an upset beating France, 1-0 on home soil in Melbourne. France, very much playing that down, saying it was just a pretournament friendly.
Also saying that it has been given a boost that Australia's Sam Kerr is not back in the starting lineup. There was some suggestion she would be back from injury but she is on the bench once again.
France, very much, though, are going to be up against not only a team but also a nation; 50,000 expected. The grounds in Brisbane all be decked out in the famous green and gold. Everybody watching at home the team. Others supporting Australia. Talk of a public holiday.
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DAVIES: If they book their place in the semifinal, where they will be expected to meet England, as you mentioned. But Colombia very much will have something to say about that.
HARRAK: And Amanda, can we really talk about Team Japan?
I know they are out but what a tournament.
DAVIES: What a tournament. And I have to tell you, Laila, there are so many people here at the tournament, watching around the world, who just really feel so sad, so sorry for Japan, the team who arguably played some of the best football of this tournament.
And it was the ease, the style of play. There is a huge Japanese contingent here in Auckland. After they suffered their first defeat, the most important defeat, it has to be said, against Sweden. Their overwhelming feeling afterwards were that they were proud. That was the message from their coaches.
They had a really tough few years, Japan. But they've been on their way back. They won 217 tournaments and won under 20 tournaments and the future is certainly looking bright.
HARRAK: The future is looking bright for Japan. Amanda Davies, thank you. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. We will be right back.
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HARRAK: In the U.K., it is up, up and away for what is billed as Europe's largest free hot air balloon festival. Dozens of balloons started soaring across the skies of southwest England Friday. It is all part of the Bristol International Balloon Festival (sic). Balloonists come from around the world for the annual four-day event.
Spectacular.
I am Laila Harrak, I will be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment. Stick around.
