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CNN International: Stoltenberg Expects U.S Will Remain In NATO If Trump Wins; Biden Takes World Stage At NATO Summit, Brushes Off Calls To Drop Out Of Race; Ukraine: New Weapons Will "Significantly Strengthen" Air Defense. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired July 10, 2024 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN HOST: Hello, and a very warm welcome to our viewers from around the world. I'm Paula Newton in New York.
Ahead right here on CNN Newsroom, all eyes on Washington, as NATO leaders huddle in the U.S. capital alongside President Biden. We are live at the summit with a look at today's agenda. This comes on the heels of the Ukrainian President's meeting with top lawmakers on Capitol Hill. His urgent message to them, Ukraine can't wait until after the November election for help. We are live in Kyiv with the latest. Plus, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pleads with Democrats to hold their criticism of Joe Biden until after the NATO summit. But, will her call to calm fears now -- will her call calm fears now gripping the party? I'll discuss with my political panel.
So, it's fair to say U.S. President Joe Biden has the eyes and the weight of the world on him today, as the firestorm over his candidacy spills onto the world stage. Next hour, Mr. Biden is expected to officially welcome more than 30 leaders from NATO member states to the summit going on right now in Washington. On Tuesday, the President kicked off the summit by sending a very clear message, the United States will not waver in its support of Ukraine. Now, earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addressed growing global concerns the U.S. could pull out of NATO if Donald Trump returned to the White House next January. Listen.
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JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: I expect that regardless of the outcome of the U.S. elections, the U.S. will remain a strong and staunch NATO allies -- ally for three reasons. One is that it is in the U.S. security interest to have a strong NATO. NATO is good for Europe, but it's also good for United States. It makes the United States stronger and safer because in NATO, the United States has something no other ally -- no other major power has. And that is more than 30 friends and allies. Russia doesn't have that. China does not have that. The United States has NATO, makes the United States stronger.
(END VIDEO CLIP) NEWTON: CNN Senior White House Correspondent MJ Lee joins us now from the summit. MJ, good to have you on board here, as we continue to hear so much background noise during this summit for both the President and those around him. How are they dealing with the continued turmoil, and at the same time getting ready for this pivotal summit?
MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. This is such an important and significant moment for President Biden on the global stage at a moment when he has really been met with incredible political turmoil here at home. It's been almost two weeks exactly since that disastrous debate performance that we saw on the CNN debate stage for President Biden that really shocked so many of his supporters and so many Democrats, and raised real questions about his age and his mental fitness, and whether the President is even capable of really serving out the rest of his term and another four years in office, were he to win. And those questions have really been looming over large for the President, as he is now turning his attention to this NATO summit.
And you should also keep in mind, of course, that here too, in this setting, there are world leaders, world diplomats that have raised similar questions, raised similar concerns about the viability of President Biden's campaign, and has left a lot of people wondering, how is the election here in the U.S. in November going to go? And does all of this eventually lead to the return of a second term for former President Donald Trump? And I think last night, we got a very good preview of how President Biden himself is trying to seize this moment to, in some ways, shift the narrative here at home.
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He gave this sort of defiant and forceful speech where he used and touched on the very central themes that are so core to his foreign policy that we're so familiar with, talking about the importance of protecting democracy across the world, and importantly, what he sees as the U.S.'s role in leading those efforts. And of course, as a part of that, we saw the President announcing that the U.S. and its NATO allies are going to be providing additional security assistance and air defense systems, specifically to Ukraine as it continues on in this war.
But, as for the dynamics and the political dynamics here at home, I can tell you that President Biden and his team are basically saying they are done debating the debate from two weeks ago. They are basically saying, look, people can continue to criticize. It doesn't matter what lawmakers might say. It doesn't matter what additional editorials might come out from news media outlets. It certainly doesn't matter what pundits say. He and his team have been incredibly clear that there is no question as to whether he is going to continue seeking a second term and that that is really their path forward, and that they really do believe that he is the best person to defeat Donald Trump.
NEWTON: Yeah. And yet, in the meantime, so many of his Democratic allies, in fact, are wondering if that is true. MJ Lee for us from the summit, thanks so much. I want to now welcome Fabrice Pothier. He is the former Director of
Policy Planning at NATO, and he served under current Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. I want to thank you for your insights here, as we try and parse what is supposed to be a celebration. And I want to bring your framing of this to viewers. You say this summit will either celebrate history or make history. You say those allies need to do more than show unity and stand for a photo op. So, I ask you, how consequential are the coming hours in terms of delivering?
FABRICE POTHIER, FMR. NATO POLICY PLANNING DIRECTOR, & CEO, RASMUSSEN GLOBAL: Well, sadly, I think the answer is already saved and prepared. There is already a declaration that is -- we are waiting to read. And it seems that we are going to see more celebration of history than NATO leaders, including the U.S. President, willing to take the risk of making history, and by this, I mean of welcoming Ukraine as a new member of the alliance. Until we do so, I think the war will keep on going, and we will have to keep on managing a war with more of basically a survival strategy for Ukraine and a winning strategy.
NEWTON: And that is sobering to hear you say that because you say the litmus test here is Ukraine. I want you to listen to Zelenskyy, who yesterday during a pre-summit speech said this. Listen.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Now, everyone is waiting for November. Americans are waiting for November, in Europe, Middle East, in the Pacific, the whole world is looking towards November. And truly speaking, Putin awaits November too.
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NEWTON: When he says that Putin is waiting for November, in other words, waiting for the outcome of the U.S. election, what do you think he means by that? Is that a not so subtle warning, in fact?
POTHIER: Well, I think everybody knows that Putin is hoping for a change of U.S. President with possibly Donald Trump coming back to the White House, with the eagerness to break basically a deal with between Putin and Zelenskyy, and knowing where President -- former President Trump stands on this issue, where he is in the best case agnostic to Ukraine. There could be indeed a deal that could be more interesting for Putin under Trump than under Biden.
NEWTON: Yeah. He is not just agnostic towards Ukraine, right, also to Europe and NATO itself. I do want to go to something that Trump said last night. Listen.
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (R) AND CURRENT U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (R): I didn't even know what the hell NATO was too much before, but it didn't take me long to figure it out, like about two minutes. They said, sir, may I ask you a question. If we don't pay our bills, will you protect us from Russia? I said, you mean you're delinquent? He said, yes, we're delinquent. Let's say we're delinquent. Would you protect us? I said, no, I will not protect you from Russia.
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NEWTON: Europe is coming late to a pivot that probably should have happened when Russia invaded Crimea, instead of this happening now in the last two years. In your estimation, what do European allies have to do if they're going to essentially Trump proof this NATO alliance?
POTHIER: Well, first, I think we have to see the positive here, especially since the last Trump presidency. You now have more than two thirds of the European allies who are meeting the two percent defense spending target.
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So, I think Trump, if he were to come back, and since he likes to look at balance sheets, will see that actually Europe is faring much better and paying its due. However, and to answer your question, this is not just about spending. It's about where you spend and what you do with the money. And here the Europeans have to go, I think, an extra way to demonstrate to any U.S. President that Europe is not only talking about European defense, but is actually increasingly capable of defending itself. I think that's the real test ahead politically for the European leaders with the next occupant of the White House being a Democrat or Republican.
NEWTON: Again, though, I don't have a lot of time. But, before you go, you are in France right now. When we talk about budgets, people are talking about the fact that even countries like France need to spend more on defense, including NATO. Is that a reality that is going to fly with France's political turmoil right now?
POTHIER: Well, it's hard to say since we don't know what kind of government France is going to have in the next few weeks. But, I think the reality is France, there is a commitment across the board with few exceptions, the extremes, both the far right and far left, where there is a consensus for spending in defense and national security. It's also about the status of France with the Europeans and NATO. So, I don't think this is really put into question. The question is whether France is going to do the right kind of spending in defense to rebuild its forces that are quite thin and quite depleted.
NEWTON: Interesting there to see where a lot of these European allies bring their defense policy in the coming months. Fabrice Pothier, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.
Now, Ukraine's Defense Minister said the pledge by the U.S. and other NATO allies to supply new weapons will significantly strengthen its air defenses. The anti-missile and drone systems were promised after Monday's deadly missile -- Russian missile strike on Kyiv's children's hospital and other attacks, of course, right across Ukraine that killed more than 40 people.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen is live for us in Kyiv. Fred, I do note that Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the F-16s will be flying in Ukraine by the summer. Also Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General, said earlier that what you are seeing right now on the ground are hostile acts that are trying -- that Russia is really trying hard to make sure that they weaken NATO's resolve with Ukraine. From what you're seeing on the ground, how clear-eyed are Ukrainians about what's going on in Washington right now and how it involves their future?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think they're very clear-eyed about what's going on in Washington. I think one of the things that you're hearing from folks here in Ukraine is that obviously they need a lot of these weapons that have been talked about, especially over the past sort of day and a half, Paula, because I think one of the things that the Ukrainians have been calling for, for such an extended period of time is something that NATO seems to be at least starting to do now.
One of them is drastically ramping up those air defenses for the Ukrainians. We heard that in President Biden's speech when he was speaking about additional Patriot surface-to-air missile systems, but also dozens of short and medium range surface-to-air Missile systems as well, obviously, to keep Ukrainian cities safer than they are right now. You see the damage behind me from that missile strike that took place on that children's hospital. But then, of course, also the Ukrainian Air Force, and that's something for the Ukrainians is very important, as they are -- for their frontline troops, but very important for the cities in Ukraine as well.
You mentioned to Secretary of State Blinken speaking about those F- 16s, which he said could be flying here in the summer. I want to listen in to a little more of what he had to say. Let's listen in.
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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm also pleased to announce that as we speak, the transfer of F-16 jets is underway, coming from Denmark, coming from the Netherlands, and those jets will be flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer to make sure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself against the Russian aggression.
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PLEITGEN: And of course, as you can imagine, Paula, the Ukrainians very happy about that. In fact, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he then went on social media and he said the following. I want to read a little quote to you. He said "This is a clear signal that Russia's ability to terrorize Ukrainian people, cities, and communities will continue to reduce. F-16s will also be used to bolster Ukraine's air defense. I am confident that they will be -- that they will assist us in better protecting Ukrainians from brutal Russian attacks, such as this week's strike on the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv". That, of course, is exactly the place where I'm standing right now.
So, the Ukrainians certainly hope that getting those F-16s and getting additional surface-to-air missile batteries and also of course interceptor missiles as well will help them a great deal in defending not just the civilians here in this country, but their frontline troops as well, Paula.
NEWTON: And F-16 is not withstanding, Fred. Zelenskyy was also clear that, look, more has to be done and more has to be done quickly.
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What, in your estimation, since you've been covering this war, really since the beginning, what will they need before year's end to make sure that they -- not just end the stalemate with Russia but hopefully try and advance a little further than that?
PLEITGEN: Yeah. It was interesting, because one of the things that the Ukrainian President talked about is that he was looking forward to drastic action by NATO, obviously increasing not just air defense and those jets, as we've seen now from NATO, but also, of course, many other areas as well. And I think it's a mix of several things.
One of the things that Ukrainians have been saying that they haven't been getting enough of, and we talked about this so much over the past couple of months, is pretty much all forms of munitions, whether it's artillery rockets, whether it's artillery ammunition, especially 155- millimeter shells, the Ukrainians say that is something that needs to happen. It needs to happen quickly. Now, of course, we know, Paula, that European countries and the U.S. have been ramping up their production. And certainly, it seems as though some of that could hit to the Ukrainian battlefield fairly quickly, if the production does continue to scale up the way that it has been.
But, the other things that the Ukrainians have also been talking about is more longer-range weapons, like, for instance, those U.S. ATACMS missiles. And of course, the thing that really the Ukrainians really want is they want to be able to use weapons like that to strike deep into Russian territory. The Ukrainians, of course, saying that is where Russia's jets take off from. That is where a lot of Russian missiles are launched from. And those are the areas that the Ukrainians wants to hit.
So, it's really a mix of a lot of military gear that the Ukrainians need, sophisticated military gear that they say they need, but also the ways that they want to be able to use them, and that's definitely going to be something that the Ukrainians have said that they are going to raise at this NATO summit, Paula.
NEWTON: Yeah. And Russia all along, saying that any of that would be a significant escalation, in its words. Fred Pleitgen again, appreciate your reporting there, live from Kyiv for us.
So, some news just into CNN, another high-profile Democrat calling for Joe Biden to drop his reelection bid. Democratic donor and actor George Clooney professing his admiration for the President in a New York Times OpEd, where he openly criticized Biden's current state. Now, remind everyone, he is a strong supporter of the President. But now, in his words, and I'm quoting him, "We need a new nominee". You will remember that George Clooney did organize significant fundraising events, most recently in the last few weeks. He is, was, I suppose, a big backer of Joe Biden. The President and the White House would shoot back, saying that they
are looking towards the small dollar donors and not the big donors in order to fuel their campaign. But clearly, this throws another bit of turmoil into the candidacy of Joe Biden, and we will have more on that in the coming hours.
Meantime, the clock is ticking for Donald Trump to announce a running mate, one top contender showing up at his campaign rally last night. Plus, our political panel will take a closer look at the deepening divisions in the Democratic Party that we were just talking about, as Joe Biden's team works night and day to shift the focus off the CNN debate.
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NEWTON: After suspending her campaign four months ago, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is now releasing all of her delegates to the Republican National Convention. Haley is urging her delegates to support former U.S. President Donald Trump, and says next week's gathering should be, quote, "a time for Republican unity". But, her message of unity comes without an invite to the Milwaukee convention. At the start of the year, Haley was seen as one of Trump's biggest rivals in the U.S. Republican primaries.
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NIKKI HALEY, FORMER U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We can't have someone who sits there and mocks our men and women who are trying to protect America. There is no way that the American people are going to vote for a convicted criminal. They're not. We've got to acknowledge the fact he can't win a general election.
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NEWTON: With that, we are five days out from that Republican convention, and Donald Trump has still not declared a vice presidential running mate. Florida Senator Marco Rubio spoke at Trump's campaign rally last night. He is on a shortlist of VP contenders, which also includes Ohio Senator J.D. Vance and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. Dramatic music played, as Trump highlighted the Supreme Court's recent ruling that limits prosecutors' power to pursue obstruction charges against January 6 Capitol rioters.
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TRUMP: We are a nation that allows radical left terrorists to violently attack our cities, leaving behind massive destruction and debt, and nothing happens to the criminals to do these terrible things. There is no punishment. But, when people who love our country protest on January 6th in Washington, they become hostages, unfairly imprisoned for long periods of time. But, fortunately, the Supreme Court has just ruled and they should be out soon. (END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Alayna Treene now joins us from Washington again. I want to note, dramatic music, courtesy the Trump campaign, and not CNN. Listen, it is extraordinary, isn't it, to hear Nikki Haley earlier this year talking about how Trump was unelectable, and now these delegates are released.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: That's right. I mean, look, the releasing of the delegates is more a formality than anything. But, it does really symbolize this closing chapter of Nikki Haley and Donald Trump being complete and total political enemies in many ways. And she did say, I will argue, earlier this year in May, she dropped out of the race in March, but in May, she did come out and say that she would vote for Donald Trump. But, this is really a symbolic move of her releasing these delegates to him at the convention. I say symbolic because there was no question at this point that Donald Trump is going to receive the Republican nomination next week in Milwaukee. He already has the necessary amount of delegates to do that.
But, this is just another sign of more skeptical Republicans who are stepping up and lining up behind Donald Trump, even those who have previously and repeatedly attacked him in the past. And I will argue as well that Nikki Haley had said in her statement on this that part of the reason she was making this move is because if you look at Joe Biden, she does not think that he is fit to serve for another four years, questions that many people within the Democratic Party itself are currently grappling with.
Now, another interesting thing I want to point out is that Haley is not expected to attend the convention next week. Her spokesperson said that she was not invited. So, I think the fact that Donald Trump and his team did not personally invite the former South Carolina governor to Milwaukee to attend the convention just shows again that they're not completely on great terms. We know that Trump had shut down speculation that perhaps he would pick Nikki Haley as his running mate. That is not something he is considering, I'm told, according to my conversations with many of Donald Trump's advisors and allies. But, this is a step toward more of that unity again, even though, like you mentioned, Paula, Nikki Haley had very sharp words for him in the past.
NEWTON: And again, what we will be watching for clearly is who he ends up choosing for his VP candidate. We'll see how quickly we can get that done in the next few days. Alayna Treene for us, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
We want to turn the discussion over now to today's panel. Joining us from Washington is Republican Strategist Rina Shah, and former White House Director of Message Planning, Meghan Hays. The message planning from the White House not so good, Meghan, sorry about that. But, everybody seems to be off message. I want to note the news just into CNN that George Clooney now saying that the Democratic Party needs a new nominee. Add to that, Senator Michael Bennet, in a CNN interview Tuesday night, saying this in the face of Biden resolve to stay in the race. [11:25:00]
Listen.
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SEN. MICHAEL BENNET (D-CO): Donald Trump is on track, I think, to win this election, and maybe win it by a landslide, and take with him the Senate and the House. So, for me, this isn't a question about polling. It's not a question about politics. It's a moral question about the future of our country. And I think it's critically important for us to come to grips with what we face, if together we put this country on the path of electing Donald Trump again.
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NEWTON. Meghan, to you first, and also the news that George Clooney has said, is being very categorical and blunt. He obviously feels that he in defiance of Joe Biden has to come out and say this. Why?
MEGHAN HAYS, DNC CONVENTION CONSULTANT, & FORMER WHITE HOUSE DIRECTOR OF MESSAGE AND PLANNING: Look, I think that this is what the campaign and the White House would refer to as the elites, the chattering class. So, I don't know if they're going to put a lot of stock in what George Clooney is saying here. But, I do think that the President has been taking his case to the American people since the debate happened. He has been in Pennsylvania. He has been in Wisconsin. He goes to Michigan on Friday. He has been at NATO for the past few days. He did an interview. He has been speaking to folks and out talking to voters.
So, I think that he is doing what he needs to do to show people that the debate was a bad night, and that he is ready to serve for another four years. The press conference tomorrow at NATO will be a really big determinant of where the party stands with him, if the House members and the senators still continue to stay in his corner. So, I just -- there is a lot of pieces moving around here. But, the President has been really affirmative, and that he is not dropping out, and that he is not stepping aside. So, I think that the Democratic Party needs to make a decision at some point, whether we're going to continue to fight about Joe Biden's age or if we're going to continue -- or we're going to turn and fight to Donald Trump, because we're kind of missing the plot here on what the important thing is in November.
NEWTON: Yeah. And I take your point there, and yeah, we'll get to what Nancy Pelosi said in a minute. But, Rina first, you as well, given what is happening to Biden's candidacy here. And I take what Meghan says about the high-value donors, but they do matter. If they didn't matter. Joe Biden wouldn't have shared a stage with those high-value donors earlier in June. I should note George Clooney was also there.
RINA SHAH, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST, & FORMER SENIOR PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN ADVISOR: I think the political winds have changed so greatly since the debate that we're sitting in a moment where the Republicans got the greatest gift they could get going into their convention next week. And that's one thing that I think Donald Trump has gotten right, in listening to his advisors and rather keeping mum on the issue of everything that's percolating within the echo chambers here in D.C., but also looking at the situation and pulling back and saying this could be a very different convention for the Republicans.
For many months, folks like myself, and I'm a former convention delegate, and longtime party insider, having served in my local Republican Party at various levels in years past, I can tell you, we thought we were looking for at a broker convention because of Donald Trump's convicted felon status. So, again, in this very changed moment, a very charged moment, the Republicans could really benefit from a convention that sounds more hopeful than Donald Trump's rallies, that continues to take the message to voters that says you can't trust the Democrats. That's how Republicans can win.
Now, do I trust Donald Trump to exhibit this type of message, discipline at the convention? That's a different story. I don't really think he'll be good at it. But, another real win in his box is this beefsteaks and how he is gaming it out. It gives a little bit of sensationalism at a time when the Democrats are looking like this disarray.
NEWTON: Sure, given the interest. And I will say, I don't think anyone would have argued that at this point in time in this campaign you would have seen the Democrats with this kind of disunity, acrimony and division, and the Republicans actually cruising to unity going into their convention, I have to bring up Nancy Pelosi here. Obviously, the matriarch of the Democratic Party, in many ways. Listen to her just a few hours ago.
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REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): It's up to the President to decide if he is going to run. We're all encouraging him to make that decision. I want him to do whatever he decides to do. And that's the way it is. Whatever he decides we go with, I think it's really important, and I would hope everyone would join in. Let him deal with this NATO conference. This is a very big deal. Let's just hold off whatever you're thinking, either tell somebody privately, but you don't have to put that out on the table until we see how we go this week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Meghan, I don't know if anyone read the letter to Nancy Pelosi that the President put out on Monday. I don't -- she makes it seem as if there is still a question mark to his candidacy, when he and the White House have said categorically he is in. So, what's going on here? What was she trying to say to the Democratic Party there?
HAYS: I think she is trying to tell the members to stay quiet and to keep their opinions to themselves until after the press conference tomorrow, until after these 30 plus world leaders leave the United States.
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I don't think it's a good luck to have all these folks here, and we're having these battles about Joe Biden's age when he is hosting all of these countries and with NATO at an incredibly important moment in time. So, I think what she is trying to say is, everyone, take a breather. Just give him until the end of the week, and then if you still feel the way you do after his press conference, then that's a different conversation to have. So, I think she is just -- I think she is more talking to her members and to the members of the Democratic Party on the Hill.
NEWTON: All right. Rina Shah, Meghan Hays, we will have to leave it there for now. Thanks so much to both of you.
Now, still ahead for us, the fourth time in four days, an Israeli strike has hit a school complex sheltering displaced families in Gaza. A live report from Jerusalem ahead. Plus, parts of Texas are trying to recover after storm Hurricane Beryl then turning into storm -- Tropical Storm Beryl. Many communities are now having to deal with extremely high temperatures and no power. More on that story, coming up.
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NEWTON: And welcome back. You are watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Paula Newton in New York. Here are some international headlines we are watching today.
A chemical explosion ignited a massive fire at a factory outside Melbourne, Australia, earlier today. More than 180 firefighters responded to the fire which they say took -- could take, in fact, days to finally put out. No one was injured in the blast, which caused a huge plume of black smoke, you see it there in the city, and shut down nearby highways. This is the second fire at that site in less than a year.
The nationwide death toll in Ukraine has reached at least 44 after Monday's Russian missile strikes. Meantime, the UN said a direct hit by Russia likely damaged Kyiv's children's hospital.
Meantime, at the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, in light of recent Russian hostilities, he expect allies to agree on substantial aid package for Ukraine.
So, at this hour, a manhunt is underway in and around London, as police search for this man who they say may be armed with a crossbow. 26-year-old Kyle Clifford from north London is being sought in connection with the deaths of three women. They were found seriously injured Tuesday evening, and died from their injuries shortly after police arrived on the scene. The BBC says the victims are the wife and two daughters of BBC horse racing commentator John Hunt.
We want to stay on this developing story and CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has been following all the latest from London. Just incredible details here, as police continue to search for this man.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is absolutely shocking, Paula. It is sending shockwaves through not just the BBC, but the local community that John Hunt is from, of course, Bushey, this quiet leafy neighborhood north of London where nothing really happens, and now people are coming to grips with a triple murder that took place last night.
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Here is what we know so far, Paula. Police say that at about 7 p.m. local time, paramedics responded to a call to a home. There they found three women seriously wounded. Despite attempts to resuscitate them, all three women unfortunately died at the scene. There is one crucial detail here that I think is really quite devastating to the family and to those listening in, and that's the use of a crossbow potentially in this incident.
There is now a massive manhunt underway for that man that -- the picture you have up there on the screen, Kyle Clifford. He served in the British Army for a brief time. He is believed to still be armed and dangerous. Police have asked anyone who comes across him, who has any information, to contact them immediately, not to approach this man. There are armed police specialists teams all working at pace, the authorities say, to try to find him. But again, this incident took place last night. So, you can imagine there is a great deal of concern right now as to where he is, when this manhunt will be able to identify and locate him.
And again, I want to emphasize the victims here John Hunt, a racing commentator, a well-known sports voice on the BBC, three family members, his wife, Carol, his two adult daughters, victims in this attack. It is Carol -- I was reading a biography of John Hunt, it is Carol his wife who inspired him to become a journalist. And so, you can imagine right now, his community, his loved ones are seeking answers.
NEWTON: Actually, in fact, Salma, it is absolutely unimaginable, as you said, to have this kind of shock in that community, in that family. Salma Abdelaziz, thanks for staying on top of the story. Appreciate it.
Now, opening statements have just gotten underway in Alec Baldwin's criminal trial in New Mexico. We're going to listen in for a bit here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. Proceed.
ALEX SPIRO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Thank you, your honor. Good morning. This was an unspeakable tragedy, but Alec Baldwin committed no crime. He was an actor acting, playing the role of Harland Rust. An actor playing a character can act in ways that are lethal, that just aren't lethal on a movie set. These cardinal rules, they're not cardinal rules on a movie set. And I don't have to tell you much more about this because you've all seen gunfights in movies. And the reason that can happen is because safety is ensured before the actor. On this movie set, there were people responsible for ensuring the safety of the set and the firearm. Those people failed in their duties. But, Alec Baldwin committed no crime.
The most critical issue in this case is how a real bullet got on a movie set. The evidence will show that real bullets are never supposed to be on movie sets. Movie sets use dummies and blanks. Movie sets use dummies, fake inert bullets that look like real bullets, they don't go bang, for when you want a close-up of the gun. You can't tell them apart from live bullets by looking at them, which is why live bullets can be nowhere near a movie set. And if the director wants a shot of the gun going bang poof, there is blanks that they can use, and those blanks look nothing like real bullets. And they are used for those shooting scenes.
And they'll play these videos that they described of Alec's firearm in the movie going bang poof, and people are conditioned to seeing people firing weapons and thinking that's a dangerous act. That's a dangerous act. And they will play those videos and give you that image to try to tarnish him in your eyes. But, that's not what happened here.
On this set, there was a real bullet, something that should never be on a movie set, something which has nothing to do with making a movie. And you will hear no evidence, not one word that Alec Baldwin had anything to do with that real bullet being brought onto that set. The second critical issue in this case is, why did a real bullet get loaded into a prop movie gun? It is undisputed that the bullet was loaded into the gun by the armorer, the person on set whose responsibility it was to ensure the gun was safe.
And so, picture that moment of the armorer placing a live bullet into that firearm. You hear the prosecutor say, he did this or he performed in a certain way. He picked out the biggest gun as his prop, which is to tarnish him in your eyes.
[11:40:00]
You will hear no evidence whatsoever, no evidence that anything Mr. Baldwin did, that's something he did in that moment, that horrible moment when she put that bullet in that gun, none of it had anything to do with Alec Baldwin. And finally, the first assistant director's job, the head of safety, Dave Halls, checks it before it goes to the actor. And he will tell you he made a tragic mistake. He failed to detect a live bullet. And Alec Baldwin had nothing to do with that either.
So, all this evidence that the prosecutor just outlined, all of it, has nothing to do with these critical issues, nothing, which leads us to this. The evidence will show that on a movie set, safety has to occur before the gun is placed in the actor's hands. In this case, this unique case on a movie set, the prop gun was placed in Mr. Baldwin's hands and cold gun was announced, meaning it had been checked and double checked by those responsible to ensure the gun was safe. It was just a prop. They all thought it was just a prop and could do no harm.
The actor's job is to act, to rehearse, to choreograph his moves, to memorize his lines. He is Harland Rust. He is an outlaw running for his life, who, in the incident in question, he is pulling a six- shooter to try to defend himself. That's why the gun has to be safe before it gets into the actor's hands. His mind is somewhere else, in the being of another, a century away and outlaw. He must be able to take that weapon and use it as the person he is acting with, to weave it, to point it, to pull the trigger like actors did, in ways that would be lethal in the real world but are not lethal on a movie set. And I'm going to show you that see now before lunch, and if we could just play action.
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NEWTON: We were just listening in to those opening statements there in New Mexico from Alec Baldwin's trial. You are seeing there that the defense is actually bringing in footage from the movie itself.
I want to bring in from Los Angeles now our Elizabeth Wagmeister, who has been following all of this. I mean, look incredibly dramatic there. The key point that the defense wants to make here is that this was an actor acting and that whatever he did was not criminal. What they're outlining now is to try and prove that, right, that this was an accident, that it's the armorer who was already found guilty, it was her responsibility to make sure that these were blanks and not live ammunition. Given the opening statements there, they are running pretty hard, right, against that argument from the prosecution that it doesn't matter if this was an accident. That doesn't mean it wasn't criminal.
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right. And this is going to be Baldwin's defense, is that he was an actor, is not his responsibility to make sure that this gun was safe. That responsibility would have solely been with the armorer who, as you said Paula, was already convicted on the same charge that Baldwin is facing.
[11:45:00]
Now, whether that will help his case or not, that's up for the jury to decide. But, we saw the prosecution going in hard completely against that. They were saying that this armorer was clearly inexperienced. They told the jury that they will hear from people who were on that set, who said it was obvious that she was inexperienced and that Baldwin acted with complete disregard for the safety of Halyna Hutchins, who was tragically and fatally shot.
Now, I'm glad that you brought up that his defense is saying this was an accident, it's not his fault, because what the prosecution has been saying all along is, just because this was an accident, it doesn't mean that it can't be criminal. This was not fake. This is very much real life. Even though this is a movie set where they are playing make believe, it becomes very real when somebody's life was now cut too short. That's how the prosecutor started her opening statement, saying that this is very much real life. This is a real set, even though they were playing make believe and that these are actors.
NEWTON: Yeah, and everyone spare a thought for Halyna Hutchins, who is a cinematographer, who died, and her husband and her young son, who are now having to listen to this play out, as we will have a live stream of this trial as it continues.
Elizabeth Wagmeister, thanks so much for the update. Appreciate it.
And we'll be right back with more news in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NEWTON: In southeast Texas, nearly two million homes are still without power after storm Beryl hit the region Monday, and now life- threatening heat is posing concern for many communities. Children, the elderly, the homeless, the medically vulnerable, are facing significant health risks from this persistent heat. Cooling centers have been open throughout the state to try and protect those at risk. Temperatures have risen into the high 90 degree Fahrenheit range, and the heat index, which is so important in some areas, is now up to 105 degrees. That's as high as 40 degrees Celsius.
Ed Lavandera has the latest.
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ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Paula, frustration and concern settling in in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl in southeast Texas, 1.7 million customers are without power right now. Statewide, about 1.4 million of those are in the Houston area alone. Houston is one of the largest cities in the United States. This is all serviced by a company called CenterPoint Energy. That company says it is working as fast as it can to restore power, and it's expecting to get at least a million customers back online by the end of today. We'll see if that happens.
But, this race to get the power back on in the aftermath of this hurricane is really troubling because heat indexes are approaching 100 degrees in many areas of southeast Texas.
[11:50:00]
So, there is some real concern about that. The power utility company says it's working as fast as it can. But, it will take days to restore power to everyone.
PAUL LOCK, CENTERPOINT ENERGY: It's going to be days. I mean, look at the last event in June, I mean, in May. We had just under a million people without power. I don't know if you recall that. We restored power to a million people in four and a half days. And now, we're at 2.2 million.
LAVANDERA: So, as those power line crews work to restore the much needed electricity to this region, there is a political squabble unfolding as well. President Joe Biden speaking with a reporter from a local newspaper in Houston said that he was quote "trying to track down the governor to get the federal aid into this area to help in the recovery". But, Biden said he had not been able to communicate with the governor. Governor Greg Abbott is overseas in Asia on a business development trip. He has handed over power to the Lieutenant Governor here in the state. But, both the Lieutenant Governor and the governor say that Biden is politicizing all of this, that they could have easily reached them, that the President has their phone numbers. And they say that Biden is politicizing all of this.
So, in the midst of all of this, we're seeing a rare public squabble between political leaders dealing with the aftermath of this hurricane. Paula. (END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And our thanks to Ed there from Texas.
Still ahead for us, we're just hours away from the Netherlands versus England at Euro 2024. Who will book that last spot in the final? We are live in Germany.
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NEWTON: And before we go, one more thing.
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Do they look ready to you? We are just hours away from the Netherlands taking on England in the Euro semifinals. The game is taking place in Dortmund, Germany. England, of course, hoping for a bit of redemption after losing on penalties to Italy in Euro 2020. They'll face a Dutch team that made its way to the semifinals despite finishing third in their group.
Joining us now from Dortmund is CNN's Sebastian Shukla. Two strong European teams here, although their fans have a very different approach. Don't they?
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: They really do, Paula. I mean, we spoke yesterday in Munich and the difference between Bavaria and the rural region where we are today in terms of fan support is chalk and cheese. Downtown Dortmund this afternoon has basically become an extension of a new province of Holland. We were talking to some of their fans, and one told me that they come just two hours across the border with Holland into Germany and that there was maybe as much as 100,000 Dutch fans, and there is no way that this stadium takes 100,000 fans of any team.
And the gates have just been opened here at the stadium. There are fans, you'll probably see them in a second, running past me to ensure that they get to those seats in prime time. We're just about three hours away from kickoff, 3 p.m. Eastern Time, in what will be, should be, is all set up to be an absolutely scintillating game of football, particularly -- with a particularly raucous atmosphere. And you see even fans coming in here and the Dutch fans over here on my right. It should be, what it really should be a fantastic game of football, hopefully something that will stand up to the fantastic game that we had last night in Munich.
And obviously, the winner here, Paula, goes into that have final in Berlin on Sunday.
[11:55:00]
So, we'll have to wait and see who that will be. For both of these teams, it will mean the first trophy in many, many years, for the Dutch not as long as the English. But, like you say, there is a feeling of mission, mission not quite completed yet for Gareth Southgate and his teams. They have unfinished business when it comes to finals in European tournaments. So, we will see, Paula. We don't have long left to go and then we will find out who the last team is. Paula.
NEWTON: Good job, Sebastian, for holding it together, and we had a good mix there, I want to say. We had the Dutch. We had the English. It's all good. We've been fair. Sebastian, enjoy the game. We will see you on the back end.
I want to thank you for spending part of your day with us. I'm Paula Newton in New York. Stick with us. "One World" is up next.
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