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Biden's Political Future Overshadows NATO Summit; Calls for Biden to Withdraw Grow Louder; Trump Nearing Deadline to Announce His Running Mate; Brutal Heat Expected Across the U.S. this Week; Gaza Ceasefire and Hostage Release Talks Wrap Up in Doha; Suspected Crossbow Killer Captured in London. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired July 11, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from around the world. I'm Max Foster.

Just ahead, Joe Biden hosts NATO leaders at the White House as the chorus of Democrats and supporters calling for him to withdraw from the U.S. presidential race only gets louder.

Plus, a man suspected of killing three women with a crossbow has been captured in London.

And the Euro 2024 final match is set after a dramatic goal by England in the last minute.

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster.

FOSTER: It is Thursday, July 11th, 9 a.m. here in London, 4 a.m. in Washington where U.S. President Joe Biden will face a major test today when he holds a press conference at the end of the NATO summit. NATO leaders and nervous Democrats have been watching his every move over the past few days. On Wednesday, Mr. Biden hosted allies for a lavish dinner at the White House where he toasted NATO's strength.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're neighbors because we all share common beliefs in dignity, equality, democracy and freedom. And we're all neighbors because we're there for one another.

The neighborhood I grew up in, that's what you do. When a neighbor needed help, you pitched in. When the bullies threatened the block, you stepped up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, there haven't been any major gaffes or missteps at the NATO summit for him. But sources tell CNN Democratic donors are holding back pretty big checks over concerns about the president's viability. Actor George Clooney, who helped raise nearly $30 million for Mr. Biden in Los Angeles last month, now says he should exit the race. Even some leading Democrats in Congress seem to think the president's decision to stay in the race could change.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER EMERITA: It's up to the president to decide if he is going to run. We're all encouraging him to make that decision.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has said he has made the decision. He has said firmly this week he is going to run. Do you want him to run?

PELOSI: I want him to do whatever he decides to do.

SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA): I have complete confidence that Joe Biden will do the patriotic thing for the country. And he's going to make that decision. He's never disappointed me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Peter Welch of Vermont, now the first Senate Democrat to call on Mr. Biden to withdraw from the presidential race. He joins nine Democratic members of the House. Welch says he has great respect for the president and understands why he wants to run.

But he writes in a Washington Post op-ed: We cannot unsee President Biden's disastrous debate performance. We cannot ignore or dismiss the valid questions raised since that night. I'm calling on President Biden to withdraw.

But so far, despite the mounting pressure, there's no sign President Biden is willing to exit the race. CNN's Kayla Tausche has more from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN U.S. SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With world leaders at hand, President Biden eager to get back to business as usual.

BIDEN: Stronger supply chains, stronger economy, stronger military, and a stronger nation.

TAUSCHE (voice-over): And the White House wants to move on from speculation about the president's political future. But for Democrats, the domino effect continues. Actor George Clooney penning an op-ed in The New York Times calling on Biden to step aside.

Writing: It's devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe "big F-ing deal" Biden of 2010. He wasn't even the Joe Biden of 2020.

Filmmaker Rob Reiner joining Clooney, writing on X: Democracy is facing an existential threat. We need someone younger to fight back. Joe Biden must step aside.

And House Speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi noncommittal. PELOSI: It's up to the president to decide if he is going to run. We're all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short.

TAUSCHE (voice-over): And Colorado Senator Michael Bennett on CNN became the first Senate Democrat to break with Biden publicly. Bennett calling the state of the race very worrisome.

SEN. MICHAEL BENNET (D-CO): Donald Trump is on track, I think, to win this election and maybe win it by a landslide. And the White House in the time since that disastrous debate, I think, has done nothing to really demonstrate that they have a plan to win this election.

[04:05:02]

TAUSCHE (voice-over): An adviser to the president said few in Biden's inner circle are concerned enough to pierce Biden's firm position. Only family could do that. And only if there's hard data.

The adviser telling CNN of his wife and sister, Jill and Valerie, won't let him go down in flames. Since the debate, CNN's Poll of Polls shows Trump leading Biden by five points. The first time this year, the candidates are separated by a margin of more than three points.

And some donors planning events in Chicago and Florida say they're now up in the air. But for Biden, it's full steam ahead for now.

BIDEN: Every NATO member is committed to doing their part to keep the alliance strong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well journalist Carl Bernstein is reporting that Chuck Schumer, the Senate's top Democrat, is frustrated by what he sees with President Biden digging in his heels over staying in the race. And he wants to assemble a small group of top Democrats to see the president and his family for a full discussion of his political viability. Bernstein spoke with CNN's Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARL BERNSTEIN, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR: He's frustrated with the whole situation, especially the way the White House, the way Biden, the way the first family has dug in and has said that there's no more discussion of this. That's the frustration. And Schumer is hearing from every quarter, from donors, from members of the Senate, from members of the House, that he, as a leader of the party, has got to do something to see that there is an orderly process in which the best candidate who could best defeat and face Donald Trump becomes the nominee.

And there's grave doubt that that person is Joe Biden, grave doubt among senators of the Democratic Party, grave doubt among members of the House of the Democratic Party, among donors. And the fact that he, the leadership of the House and the Senate, the party itself, the donors, everybody is left a little hanging here, except for Joe Biden, who says, I'm the nominee, I'm running. And at the same time, it is the greatest secret in the world that has been unsecretized, that there is huge movement against Joe Biden running in the party right now. And that includes among the senators that Schumer is talking to and the House members.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The Republican National Convention starts on Monday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and that's the deadline for Donald Trump to announce his running mate. CNN's Kristen Holmes has new reporting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Former President Donald Trump has yet to make a decision on who his vice presidential pick will be, but he was weighing in on all three of the top contenders over the last two days, some with more negative input than others. Now, as we have reported, there are three people who have been circulating at the top of the list, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio.

Now, he did weigh in on Burgum and not necessarily in the best light. Something we have heard from allies of Rubio as well as Vance is that Burgum went too far on the issue of abortion when he passed a near total abortion ban in the state of North Dakota. People have warned Donald Trump that that could be bad for Trump because they think that it would bring the issue of abortion, something Donald Trump has tried to stay away from on the campaign trail, back into the spotlight. Donald Trump himself has said that privately, but now he was saying it publicly. Take a listen.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's a little bit of an issue. It's a pretty strong ban. You know, I think Doug is great, but it is a strong, he's taken a very strong stance, or the state has.

HOLMES: He also had a compliment for Senator J.D. Vance after reports he didn't like his facial hair, saying he actually liked it and it made him look like a young Abraham Lincoln. And when it came to Marco Rubio, he acknowledged that it was complicated because they both lived in the same state, but the residency itself was a little bit difficult. But he said that it was easily fixed.

We are still told by people close to Donald Trump that he has not yet made up his mind or if he has, he's not sharing it with anyone yet. As we have said on Monday, that is the latest that he can decide. But one source told me it could come as late as Monday morning.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Democratic U.S. Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez has introduced articles of impeachment against two U.S. Supreme Court justices. The congresswoman says justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas failed to disclose gifts they received while serving on the court and refused to recuse themselves from cases where their benefactors or spouses are implicated. The New York Democrat said the situation amounted to, quote, nothing less than a constitutional crisis.

Seven Democrats have signed on to the effort, but it's all but certain to fail since Republicans control the House.

[04:10:00]

Nine tornado warnings were issued in western New York on Wednesday by the National Weather Service office in Buffalo, the most ever issued there in a single day. At least two tornadoes were confirmed, part of the remnants of Hurricane Beryl. The twisters uprooted trees, damaged homes and took down power lines. Thousands of utility workers, rescue teams, other crews have been deployed to help with the damage. Flash flood warnings are still in effect from New York to Maine. Flood watches will remain in effect across the northeast of the United States. Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, in New Mexico, more heavy rain in the town of Ruidoso prompted flash flood watches and warnings. Mud flowed through the streets as more than two inches of rain fell. The area has been bombarded by storms over the past weeks. More storms expected in the forecast for today, too. Local firefighters are also working to contain two wildfires in that area.

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for parts of southern Texas, including the city of Houston. They warn the heat index could top 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Texas experienced Beryl as a Category 1 hurricane, which knocked out electricity to millions of customers. More than 1.3 million of them are still without power days later, according to the tracking website PowerOutage.us. That affects people, that affects pets, and Houston's mayor also said it affects first responders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN WHITMIRE, HOUSTON, TEXAS MAYOR: We have nine fire stations closed, had to relocate because when the power went out, they didn't have generators. Great cities do not operate like that. It's neglect, it's severe neglect, and we're going to fix it as we go forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: CNN meteorologist Chad Myers has more on the effect of the heat, not just in Texas, but other states across the country as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Another hot day in Houston in store for us, yes. 105 could be the heat index in some spots around Houston later today. Not so much maybe at the airports, but we'll have to see. Officially, the number says 97, but some of the suburbs could be without a doubt 105 later on today, and without electricity and without a fan. It feels significantly better in the northeast today, at least it

will, as we cool things down probably 10 to 15 degrees with the cold front as it comes on by. It felt like over 105 in D.C. yesterday, and now we're only going to be around 92 for the actual air temperature and a lot less humidity as well as those storms went by.

Back out to the west, we don't have to worry about the humidity, just the heat itself, where Vegas was 118 today, likely 117. I don't think you can feel the difference. Even for Phoenix, another day in a row above 110 in the afternoon, and the morning lows aren't cooling down either, so it's not like you can open up the doors and let in some cool air because it's well above what your air conditioner is probably set at there all across the desert.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Still ahead, Gaza ceasefire talks wrap up in Qatar, as Israel's prime minister shares his position on the discussions as it stands now.

Plus, three British women killed in an attack that authorities say involved a crossbow. Now the suspect has been found in a quiet North London neighborhood.

Plus, England clinches a spot in the Euro 2024 final, but only after a nail-biter win over the Netherlands in the semis.

[04:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Now, Gaza ceasefire talks have wrapped up in Doha as the Israeli military expands its evacuation orders to the entire Gaza City. In Qatar, a diplomatic source says mediators from the U.S., Israel, Qatar and Egypt were cautious but hopeful when heading into talks, but it's not clear if any progress was made.

Israel's prime minister met with the top U.S. envoy for the Middle East in Jerusalem. Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized his commitment to a ceasefire deal as long as Israel's, quote, red lines are preserved.

This comes as the Israeli military ordered Palestinians to evacuate all of Gaza City, urging more than 250,000 people to head south since Sunday amid ongoing Israeli operations. Doctors Without Borders says its last health facility in northern Gaza is closing following the evacuation orders.

The IDF says it has opened a safe passage route for civilians to reach humanitarian zones. Hamas says the evacuation threatened to return negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal to point zero. But the Israeli army is defending its actions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERZI HALEVI, CHIEF OF THE GENERAL STAFF, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES (through translator): In the end, it reduces Hamas's capabilities, allows us to advance with the achievements, allows us to carry out a very important mission, pressure. We will continue operating to bring home the hostages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The Biden administration is set to resume shipping 500 pound bombs to Israel. The delivery was paused in May because the shipment contained both 500 and 2,000 pound bombs. U.S. officials were concerned the larger bombs might be used by Israel to attack Rafah, an area that was densely populated with civilians. While the U.S. is releasing the 500 pound bombs, the 2,000 pound bombs are still on hold.

The White House is explaining the decision to permanently remove the troubled floating pier off Gaza. It was being used to deliver life- saving humanitarian aid to the enclave but had been plagued by rough seas, forcing it to shut down multiple times. The Pentagon says it will be removed as soon as next week after the remaining aid has been uploaded. A top White House official told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that the pier didn't work as well as they had hoped.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: We said from the beginning that that wasn't exactly what this pier was designed to do over a long period of time and that it would be a hard, complicated task. It proved to be that. It's also very susceptible to the weather.

If we can get this ceasefire deal in place, and we've got negotiators in Cairo right now talking about this, it would give us six weeks of calm in phase one, which would allow for a much more freedom of movement of that humanitarian assistance inside Gaza.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:20:00]

FOSTER: Salma's with us. Just about the talks, we're not hearing how they ended. Is that positive or negative?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, it's only been a few hours, quite literally. I mean, these talks ended last night. Of course, you can imagine diplomats, mediators are making their way back home. And so is the news. So we're working our sources to find out more.

But what you need to know is that there was some cautious optimism, some hope before this new round of talks.

What were they discussing? What was on the table? You had the spy chiefs, right, including the head of the CIA, all in Doha, working on the details of what would be the first phase of a three-part deal that had been proposed by President Biden.

That first phase, as you heard, is a potential six-week ceasefire that would see Palestinian prisoners, some of them released from Israeli detention, in exchange for Israeli hostages held in Gaza, the most vulnerable among them, women, the elderly, the sick, to be released.

We could also potentially see, during the ceasefire, Israeli troops withdraw from major population centers and potentially some Gazans able to return to certain parts of Gaza. That's the proposal. That's the idea. That's what's on the table.

The U.S., Egypt and Qatar, of course, being the key mediators in this. But it all comes down to the details, of course. Which hostages will be released? Which Palestinian prisoners will be released? What is the ratio? What is the logistics? What is the sequence of the release that will take place?

And time is of the essence here, of course, Max. We are talking about a deteriorating humanitarian situation on the ground that gets worse by the minute. Israel has launched a fresh offensive on Gaza City.

FOSTER: Which doesn't help the talks.

ABDELAZIZ: Doesn't help the talks at all. Hamas says this takes the talks back to square one. Others, you know, may say, well, this strengthens Israel's hand on the negotiating table.

The practicality of it, the nitty-gritty of it is this impacts families and people's lives who are quite literally right now running, fleeing from their homes because of this offensive. You already had nearly the entire population of the Gaza Strip displaced. You have some 38,000 people killed so far in this conflict, according to Gaza's health ministry.

The United Nations is warning famine is spreading through the Gaza Strip. So you have this worsening situation on the ground, this increased pressure on talks in Doha, but no resolution yet.

FOSTER: OK, Salma, thank you.

British police have captured a man wanted in connection with the deaths of three women in an attack police believe involved a crossbow. Officials said suspect Kyle Clifford was found in North London on Wednesday afternoon, less than a day after the wife and daughters of a BBC journalist were killed.

CNN's Nic Robertson has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): It began Tuesday night. Emergency services called to the house of a BBC horse racing commentator, John Hunt, after women's screams were heard coming from the home. Medics found Hunt's wife, Carol, and his two daughters, Louise, age 25, and Hannah, 28, seriously injured. They'd been brutally attacked.

The medics were unable to save the women and a massive 24-hour manhunt began in search of their killer. CCTV video captured near the family's house appeared to show a man leaving the vicinity carrying an object tucked under his arm, covered in a white cloth. Police believe he may have been carrying a crossbow.

Police tracked the 26-year-old suspect to a North London cemetery, 45 minutes' drive away. Police say the suspect, Kyle Clifford, is a British military vet, and police believe he knew the victims.

Police say when they captured Clifford, he was injured and taken away on a stretcher.

ROBERTSON: This is where they brought him out of the cemetery on the stretcher into the street here, put him on an ambulance, took him to a nearby hospital. And for all the neighbors around here watching this, it was utterly shocking.

YOLANDA NDUNGUNE, ENFIELD RESIDENT: In the morning, I went to the work. It's a quiet place. I didn't see anyone, anyone.

When I come back to the work, I saw the policeman. Over here, in the bus stop, I saw the policeman in the cars. And here, I saw the policeman.

I was asking, what happened? One people told me they looked at one man, killed the lady.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Other nearby residents described seeing ambulances, fire trucks and heavily armed police around the cemetery where Clifford was captured. The police believe it was a targeted incident, but aren't specifying how he knew the Clifford family, although he appears close in ages to Hunt's daughters. The BBC called the murders utterly devastating in a statement released to staff.

[04:25:00]

Late into the evening, police investigators were still searching for evidence in the cemetery. However, they are not, at this time, searching for any other suspects.

Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: World leaders pledge more military aid for Ukraine on the sidelines of the NATO summit. We'll have the details ahead.

Plus, an inside look at a children's summer camp in North Korea, where a big part of the curriculum is hatred for the West.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster. Here are some of today's top stories.

Ten Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. are now publicly asking Joe Biden to step aside and not run for re-election. This comes despite comments from the president that he is, quote, not going anywhere. Recent polls show him trailing Donald Trump in key swinging states. An American Airlines flight aborted its takeoff after multiple tires exploded on the runway. You can see smoke and debris billowing from the wheels of the Boeing 737 as it attempts to take off from Tampa, Florida. No injuries reported.

And "Inside Out 2" is now the highest grossing Pixar movie ever. Globally, the film has already earned $1.25 billion and it still isn't out in theaters.

[04:30:00]