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CNN International: Tech Outage Hits Airlines And Businesses Worldwide; Trump Accepts Nomination At Republican National Convention; Growing Calls For Biden To Step Aside As Democratic Nominee. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired July 19, 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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LYNDA KINKADE, CNNI HOST: Hello, and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Ahead on CNN Newsroom, a global tech outage, airlines, stock exchanges, banks and hospitals, all feeling the impact. CNN has a team across the latest. Plus, less than a week after an attempt on his life, Donald Trump was back on center stage, his message of unity that quickly veered into old habits. And American journalist Evan Gershkovich has been found guilty of spying by a Russian court. We'll look at the reaction coming in from his sentencing.
Well, the good news, if you can call it that, is we're told it's not a cyberattack. The bad news is, well, everything else. A massive IT outage has scuttled the industries right around the globe today. Airlines are among the worst hit, scrambling to respond. Computer apps have also been affected and the source appears to be an error in a software update for Windows operating systems. Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike is apologizing and it says it's working with customers to resolve the issues. Well, the company says a fix has now been deployed. And it comes as many international banks and stock markets struggle to get back online. They include the London Stock Exchange website.
We're also tracking reports of a public transportation issue right across major cities here in the U.S. and abroad. And shipping giant UPS is warning customers that they should expect delays. City governments and healthcare systems are also reporting issues. But, the big focus remains airports and airlines. Delta had to pause its schedule, but it does say that flights are resuming. American Airlines, Ryanair, and Spirit, were also impacted, and Charles de Gaulle Airport in France is among the largest airport facing problems. And from Paris to Pittsburgh, customers are furious.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm so upset right now. There are eight people in my party, eight people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 13 hours. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: $456 a ticket and they're giving me $100 back. That is it. And we're screwed. This man is getting married. We have reservations. We have cars that we paid for. I paid $380 in a shuttle to shuttle everyone here this morning. They have been here before me with three kids. I've been here since three o'clock in the morning. $100, it's unacceptable. I am a good customer for Legion, and I feel like I'm being completely screwed over. This is bull crap.
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KINKADE: Well, we are covering this frustration right around the world. Anna Stewart is at Heathrow Airport, seeing how flights are affected there. But, firstly, I want to bring in Marc Stewart, who joins us from Beijing. Good to have you both with us.
Marc, I'll start first with you. This outage, of course, is impacting everything, from banks to grocery stores to hospitals, all because of an issue because -- with CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity firm. Take us through what you're hearing.
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Lynda. Let me just point out, it is just past 11 o'clock Friday evening here in China. It's now early Saturday morning in South Korea and Japan. And this computer- related meltdown, if you will, has been an issue that people have been dealing with since just after the lunch hour. It was around two o'clock from my spot here in Beijing that we started to hear of people across Asia dealing with blue screens on their computers. That was the indication that there was some kind of IT issue facing the region. Of course, it's turned out to be a much bigger global issue. And that's then when we started to learn about some of the issues involving airlines.
And some of these airline and airport issues are still going to be a problem Friday night into Saturday here in Asia. For example, in Hong Kong, home to Cathay Pacific, one of the largest airlines in this part of the world, there has been problem with people using the kiosks to check in, and the airline is advising people to use their apps to use basic services.
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The airport in Bangkok in Thailand also having problems. People there have had to manually check in. The airlines have had to bring in people. They've had to use their staff on the ground to help people check in. So, it requires a lot of people, also a lot of time. And then, we've seen airport problems across many of the major airports, including in Seoul, South Korea.
But, the problems that we've been seeing today and that may persist into the weekend also involve finance and banking. The Malaysia Stock Exchange was impacted by this. Banks across Australia, your home, have been dealing with some of these issues as well. Even grocery stores in Australia are having some issues of fulfilling orders. Not even Disneyland, Hong Kong, Lynda, has been immune from some of the problems. So, it is impacting every aspect of life here in Asia.
KINKADE: Yeah, it's certainly. Australia and New Zealand were two of the first countries to feel that impact. Marc, thanks to you.
I want to bring in Anna, because we obviously are seeing thousands of flights canceled around the world, thousands more delayed, and plenty of passengers are pretty frustrated by this.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And I have some good news and I have some bad news, Lynda, just from the last hour. The bad news is, the number of flights canceled today, this is globally, is more than 3,300 at that -- at this stage, which means it's actually tripled in just the last four hours. Those are the flights that are cancelled. Of course, many, many more are severely delayed, with passengers waiting in airports, struggling to check in. That seems to be one of the sort of big issues regarding this outage.
The good news, though, is that some of the airlines and some of the airports are actually rebooting their services. We've had an update from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. It was one of the worst impacted airports in Europe. They're saying that their systems are currently being restarted and they're working really hard to get passengers away as soon as possible. Also, Spanish Airport Authority, AENA, saying they are restoring their main systems.
So, it does look like many of these airports and airlines are able to get things going again. Passengers hopefully will be taking off in planes, just the one that is about to go past behind me, extremely loudly. But, the question remains, how long will it take for those peoples whose flights were actually completely canceled to get flying again? This is one of the busiest days of the whole year when it comes to air travel, particularly in Europe, particularly for the UK. It's the beginning of the summer holidays. Capacity will be a bit thin. It will be hard to get everyone to where they want to be at over the coming days.
KINKADE: All right. Anna Stewart for us at Heathrow, battling through that loud noise as the plane took off, much appreciate it. Thanks to you. Our thanks also to Marc Stewart.
Well, Donald Trump officially accepted his party's nomination for President on the final night of the Republican National Convention. But, Thursday night's event showed this wasn't a typical political event.
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HULK HOGAN, WRESTLER: The next President of the United States, enough was enough, and I said let Trumpomania run wild, brother.
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KINKADE: The final night featured a variety of speeches and entertainment, including a performance by Kid Rock, remarks from the former First Lady, Melania Trump, and an introduction by the UFC's Dana White. The showmanship culminating with Donald Trump walking out to give his acceptance speech.
(VIDEO PLAYING) KINKADE: Well, Trump's speech was toned down somewhat from his usual fiery rhetoric. He touched on his campaign points and went off script quite a few times, breaking the record for the longest nomination acceptance speech in American history. And he repeatedly referenced to the attempt on his life last Saturday.
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DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: -- I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me really, really hard on my right ear. I said to myself, wow, what was that? It can only be a bullet. And moved my right hand to my ear, brought it down. My hand was covered with blood. There was blood pouring everywhere, and yet in a certain way I felt very safe because I had God on my side.
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KINKADE: Well, joining us now with more from the final night and what happens next is CNN's Jeff Zeleny. Good to have you with us, Jeff.
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So, Trump's speech started out following the script, then took a turn, stretching out for more than an hour and 32 minutes, longest on record, breaking his own record, and in typical Trump fashion, he weaved in plenty of falsehoods. You were there. How was it received?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Look, he was received in the room by Republican delegates in a very positive way, which, of course, is to be expected. The former President really received a hero's welcome all week long. But, as you just played there a few moments ago, Lynda, watching Lee Greenwood, of course, the longtime a country music singer here in America sing God bless the USA and that is the anthem played at every Trump rally, watching the former President bask in the glow there, certainly it was a history- making moment, being nominated for the third consecutive time to run for President.
But, as you said, for all the pledges -- or previews, rather, of unity, that he was going to give a different kind of speech, sure, he did at the beginning, talking in harrowing details about the assassination attempt, but then quickly pivoting to a normal Trump rally, filled with grievances, false information, disinformation, and then of course, some attacks on his rival as well.
So, in the room, it was received very well. The big takeaway question here, though, does it reach any voters or persuade any voters who were not Trump voters initially? It's an open question. It's hard to see how it will do a lot of that.
KINKADE: Yeah. And Jeff, I have to ask you about the drama within the Democratic Party, because the calls for Joe Biden to step aside are growing, as he, of course, isolates at home with COVID-19. What are your sources telling you? Is it likely he'll step down? ZELENY: Certainly, that is the wish of many Democratic leaders, many prominent Democrats who really are calling him to reconsider, why they believe that he has a diminishing chance to defeat former President Donald Trump? They say, if this campaign is truly as high stakes, as they argue, is he the best candidate for this? But, President Biden has repeatedly said he is staying in the race. His campaign chairwoman said just a couple hours ago that the President is even more committed because of that Trump's speech and the Trump rhetoric from last evening. But, it is very much an open question if the party will still stay behind him. And if he does stay in, it is a much more difficult road to hoe here. Strong majorities of American voters believe that he doesn't have the capacity and believe that he should step aside.
So, I am told by people close to the situation that the coming days, over the weekend hours, are very critical, as the President sits with his family and other advisors. He wants to stay in this race. We will see if they believe that's a tenable position. But, time is basically running short here. One month from today, Democrats meet in Chicago for their convention of their own, and this has to be a wrapped up by then. So, Democrats believe that they can sort of push back on this Trump rhetoric. But, the question is, who is the best candidate to do it? Is it President Biden? A lot of Democrats aren't so sure. Lynda.
KINKADE: Yeah. We will continue to follow that closely. Jeff Zeleny for us, good to have you with us. Thank you.
Well, I want to bring in our panel, Democratic Strategist Chuck Rocha, and Communications Consultant Maura Gillespie, who has served as an advisor to Republican House members, including former House Speaker John Boehner. Good to have you both with us.
I want to start first with you, Maura, because the Republicans said this speech would be about unity. It wasn't, completely. They said it would be -- they said that Trump wouldn't mentioned Biden. He did. They said that this would be a new dawn for Donald. I mean, the question is, was it? How is this speech being received by Republicans?
MAURA GILLESPIE, FMR. ADVISOR TO FMR. HOUSE SPEAKER JOHN BOEHNER, & FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL, BLUESTACK STRATEGIES: It was very long. As you mentioned, he broke his own record for the longest acceptance speech at the RNC convention. But, I think for myself, I was hopeful to hear that he had completely redone the speech and really wanted to focus on unity, and I thought it was going to be something where he would bring in those voters, like myself, who are still Republicans, but don't feel as though the tone of the rhetoric is reflective of what we stand for, and a lot of the isolationist messaging is not what we stand for as a party that I subscribed to.
And so, 15 minutes in, I'm still kind of waiting for this tone that seemed to be in line with what I was told was going to happen. And then, of course, it switched, and I was reminded again of what the Trump campaign style has typically been. I think it was a real missed opportunity for the President, the former President, to reach across to voters to really be the big tent party as we are, have reported to be. So, I found it to be a real missed opportunity, and again, way too long. I don't know that this brings anybody into the fold, just as though I don't believe it really brings anybody into the fold was its Vice President pink.
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I think that Donald Trump knows he has this election more or less in the bag and kind of doesn't seem to care too much to branch out and to reach across to people like myself and to other voters in the party who feel lost.
KINKADE: Yeah. And I want to ask you, Chuck, about how this speech is being received also by the Democrats. And I want to just highlight some of the newspaper articles reviewing his speech. We saw The New York Times say that this speech started solemn, turned rambling and showcased his all-encompassing power over his party. The Washington Post said "The speech wrapped a fresh gesture towards unity around his usual dark view of American decline and loathing for political opponents and immigrants."
Chuck, as CNN political commentator Van Jones said, Trump dodged a bullet on Saturday and the Democrats dodged a bullet last night, because it did seem like Trump had the whole world in his hands after that assassination attempt. He could have just stopped to script. But, it was the same old Trump. Is that good news for the Democrats?
CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST, & SR. ADVISOR, BERNIE SANDERS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN 2016 & 2020: That's what I'm hearing from people. And I've been to every convention for the last 30 years on the Democratic side. I understand the production, and you get an opportunity, and Maura knows this, and I think she was speaking to it, is that you get an opportunity to talk to all of America. Every news channel will cut to him. It was his first big speech. He had an opportunity to show a softer side, and I'll give him credit. In the beginning, he did. He was reading from the teleprompter. Even though he seemed very subdued, only after about 16 minutes that he went back into the same Donald Trump that we all knew.
But, he had a unique opportunity to put this whole race to bed last night if he could have done it in a different way, because he may not get the opportunity with every camera on him, all the attention on him to do that again. He is going to Michigan with J.D. today. We'll see what the speeches are like there. But, I think we're going to revert back to the samo samo (ph), and I think that's what keeps making this race anybody's ballgame. I think there is a lot of turmoil going on within my own party. I think there was a lot of turmoil going on within different parts of the Republican Party.
But, conventions are different. Democrats were prepared for Republicans to come out of this with a bump, just like Democrats will come out of their convention with a bump, and then will go back to Labor Day and fighting this thing out till Election Day.
KINKADE: And Maura, I want to ask you about the lies and the falsehoods that were in that speech. It had our fact checkers working overtime, at least 20, they counted. He said we're experiencing the worst inflation the U.S. has ever seen, which is not even close to true. He mentioned lies with regards to immigration, with -- in regards to violent crime. I just want to play some sound on crime. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Meanwhile our crime rate is going up while crime statistics all over the world are going down.
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KINKADE: I mean, violent crime in the U.S. is significantly down. It's lower than what it was when he was in office. Why does he feel the need to lie?
GILLESPIE: I can't speak to why he feels the need to lie. I think -- and again, I see this as, he is playing to the 2016 voters that he was able to get to the ballot box, right? I mean, there are people in the Republican Party now that have never been politically active before, and they are because they believe in Donald Trump and they believe what he tells them. And so, he knows -- and we were talking about this moment that he had, the whole world in his hand, essentially, and he knows he has it and floats these theories, and he still refuses to acknowledge the results in the 2020 election, and things of that nature, because he knows it excites those 2016 voters that he galvanized in the first place. And so, he is really speaking to them.
And to Chuck's point, what we're talking about here is that there was an opportunity to speak to the broader coalition of Republicans, the broader nation, truly, the world essentially is watching. And he again chose to focus on just those base voters and to share with them things that he knows will galvanize them. It's an unfortunate use of the power that he really has and the podium that he had to use, and instead of doing it in a way that was respectful and opening up to others, he kept it really just in the MAGA world.
KINKADE: Yeah, exactly. And Chuck, to you on Biden's future, the number of Democrats who are coming out publicly and saying that Joe Biden should step aside is growing. I just want to play some sound from Senator Chris Coons, who spoke to my colleague Wolf Blitzer.
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WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Has he 100 percent ruled out the possibility of leaving the race during the course of all of your conversations with him?
SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): In my conversations with the President, he has been asking for input. He has been asking from all of us, who talk to him regularly, for advice, for counsel, for input.
BLITZER: Is he even considering it leaving?
COONS: Look, I think he weighs very seriously the input of those he trusts and admires, those who'd served with him, and beyond that, I'm not going to get into the details, Wolf.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:20:00] KINKADE: Chuck, from those you're speaking to, what are the chances that Joe Biden pulls out of the race? And if he did that, who is likely to take the top spot on the ticket?
ROCHA: Look, I've been doing this a long time. I've been running campaigns for 34 years. I said two weeks ago, there is no way once you're in this job that you ever give this job up, and it's only up to him. He is the only one that can determine it. Everybody can say everything that they want to, but it's up to Joe Biden and the smaller little group of people behind him. But, that's really been changing over the last few days. You're seeing more calls for more influential Democrats. I think everything is up for grabs. I still don't think the President will step down. But now, I'm seeing more and more echoes to where, in my mind, it seems like it could be possible, but I will literally believe it when I see it.
To your second point, obviously, Kamala Harris is the natural pick. She is the one who the money could easily move to that he has raised. It would be seamless. She would pick a Vice President candidate at the convention and then we would move on from there, and I think that's what's really interesting.
KINKADE: All right. Chuck Rocha, Maura Gillespie, good to have you both on the program. Appreciate your time today. Thanks so much.
Well, the Democratic Party is, of course, engulfed in this controversy over their presidential candidate. Joe Biden's campaign chair says the President is absolutely staying in the race, despite those growing calls for him to step aside. And right now, the DNC Rules Committee is meeting to deliberate and set in motion a timeline for virtually nominating Mr. Biden. We're just seeing some live pictures coming into us from Chicago where the Democratic convention will be held next month.
Well, I want to bring in Priscilla Alvarez, who is in Delaware, who is tracking this controversial meeting. Of course, it's about 20 minutes into this meeting. What are the big takeaways so far?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the meeting is essentially to get the process underway. What had occurred prior to this meeting had essentially been a debate about whether or not the virtual roll call should start earlier or later, ahead of the Democratic National Convention. Now, what we learned this week in a letter is that there will not be a virtual roll call before August 1. This is important because, as you've been mentioning, there has been a growing call for -- from Democrats for the President to step aside.
So, the drama there had been that there had been some pushing allies, in particular, for this virtual roll call to happen faster than had originally been expected or anticipated. But, the meeting today and the meeting that will follow on Sunday had already been previously scheduled, and again will sort of lay out this virtual roll call process. But, we should note that when we were talking about these growing calls, just within the last hour, four more House Democratic lawmakers have called for the President to step aside. So, while the Biden campaign is maintaining that the President is
staying in the race, this is also the reality that they are grappling with. Earlier this morning, we heard directly from the Biden campaign chair and a pretty rare TV appearance where in an interview with MSNBC, she acknowledged that there has been party turmoil, that there has been some slipping in the polls, when you look at those head-to- heads between President Biden and former President Donald Trump, but also made the case that it is important for the President to continue to get out there and engage with his allies and his voters directly, something that is much harder at this stage simply because he has been diagnosed with COVID.
What we're also learning is that behind the scenes, his inner circle is getting tighter. And so, while there are some who say the walls are closing in and that it is becoming untenable for him to stay in the race, there is certainly those loyal aides who believe that he should say in and that he is the best candidate to go up against former President Donald Trump.
And so, there are -- there is a lot that is continuing to unfold and developments almost minute by minute within the Democratic Party and how they are wrestling with this very moment. But, the campaign again says that he is staying in the race. They also note that he will have campaign travel next week, assuming that he recovers well from COVID. The White House up until this point have said his symptoms are mild and that he is getting Paxlovid. So, the expectation at this point is that he may be able to hit the campaign trail again after being sidelined following this diagnosis.
KINKADE: All right. Priscilla Alvarez near Joe Biden's home in Delaware, good to have you with us. Thanks so much for that update.
Well. Still to come, Democratic Representative John Garamendi will join the show, as President Biden's political future remains in limbo. Details ahead on the President's plans. Plus, a global tech outage impacting banks, hospitals, airports. We will be live from one of the busiest airports in the U.S., next.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. President Joe Biden plans to return to the campaign trail next week once he is done isolating from mild COVID symptoms. Mr. Biden's campaign chair says he is quote "absolutely" staying in the race. But, many senior-ranking White House and campaign officials still privately believe that he might abandon his fight to win a second time. In the three weeks following Mr. Biden's disastrous debate performance, a growing number of congressional Democrats have called for him to step aside.
I'm joined now by Democratic Congressman John Garamendi. Good to have you with us, John.
REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA): My pleasure to be with you.
KINKADE: So, for the last couple of weeks, obviously, we started talking about Joe Biden's terrible performance at the debate. What followed were some pretty terrible gaffes in several interviews. 23 Democrats are now urging Joe Biden to step aside. Here is just a few. I just want to play a couple of soundbites.
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REP. SETH MOULTON (D-MA): As painful as this is, as much as I respect Joe Biden, as much as I love the work that he has done as a President and as a Senator for decades, we need a change. We need to change so that we can win.
REP. SCOTT PETERS (D-CA): As a candidate, he is -- I'm not sure he is bringing what we need to the table. We have to have someone who both can explain his record in an articulate way and take it to Donald Trump. And we're already facing a situation where we have big headwinds in the swing states and inside this race. I think we would be better off looking to our deep bench of elected leaders.
REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): Imagine that three months from now we get another performance like there was in the debate right before the election. Do you want to take that risk? I don't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: I mean, it is a huge risk. What is the likelihood Joe Biden will step aside at this point in time?
GARAMENDI: Well, if you're listening to Biden and Biden campaigns, their likelihood is it's not going to happen. He is going to stay in the race. You mentioned some 20 members of Congress, at least about 180 or 190 that are not asking Biden to leave. So, this is very much up in the air.
What is very interesting at this moment is Trump's speech last night. It was a terrible speech. It rambled. It was not coherent. And it was more of the same Trump, grievances, and a whole lot of I'm going to make the world better without saying one thing about how he is going to do it, climate change, drill baby drill, that's the answer to climate change. Take a look at Ukraine. You look at the issues that he raised last night, and you go, oh, my God, this guy is going to be our next President? And those are the things he wants to do. So, that speech last night has to figure into the question of Biden. Biden is going to look at that and go, I'm better than that, and he certainly is.
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KINKADE: Yeah. It certainly seems that Trump not sticking to the script is certainly boding well for the Democrats. But, of course, it is less than four months away to the election. Is there time, if the Democrats were to get together, Joe Biden says, I'm going to step aside, is there time to find someone to lead the party and rally around them in the next few months? Given that so many other elections, election campaigns around the world, like the UK, like Australia, are only six weeks long, can it be done in four months?
GARAMENDI: Oh, absolutely, it can be done. We have a month to the convention. I don't think Biden is going to leave. But, if he were, the natural step would be Kamala Harris, one that I've worked with since 1991 when she was the District Attorney in San Francisco, and we went after insurance fraud, and then the attorney general for the state of California going after organized crime, and more recently as a Senator and now three and a half years with national and international experience. So, we actually have a terrific team. We've got a President that has proven himself putting together the most important legislative agenda perhaps in the last 60, 70 years. And in addition to that, we have a great backup quarterback, and that would be a Vice President Harris.
So, going forward, we're in good shape, and particularly given Trump who cannot be anything except what he is which is a very dangerous, dangerous person who is filled with revenge and anger, and has policies that are serious to our national security. He has said repeatedly, and his Vice President now -- Vice President candidate has said repeatedly that they're going to abandon Ukraine. They're going to end the war in one day. To what terms? Basically turning over Ukraine to Putin. He has all but said that.
So, we've got some very, very serious problems, this nation does, in fact, this world does, with Donald Trump ever becoming President again. Climate change. Oh, my goodness, the answer is to get more oil? That's the answer to climate change? And he said very clearly last night that he would take all of the green money in the Inflation Reduction Act, billions upon billions or hundreds of billions of dollars, and simply terminate it. And so, where are we going to go on climate change? Nowhere with Trump. And it is an existential risk to this planet. So, it goes on and on and on. All of that is policy issues that the Democrats will rally behind in the four months ahead, and we will rally on the policy issues, and the convention will set in place a unified Democratic Party.
KINKADE: Congressman, you make some really good points and valid points about Donald Trump's speech. But, I do want to just play a TV ad that's just hitting our airways, calling for Joe Biden to step out.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Biden, you saved democracy in 2020.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, you have a chance to do it again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's time to pass the torch and let us choose a new nominee --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One who can bring new energy, new hope --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- and make sure Donald Trump never gets near the White House again.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our country's future is in your hands.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, please be the leader we know you are, pass the torch, Joe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pass the torch.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pass the torch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pass the torch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pass the torch is responsible for the content of this advertising.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: So, if Joe Biden does not pass the torch, what sort of damage do those ads do to the party's chances of winning this election?
GARAMENDI: It makes no difference, because that ad clearly indicated that the Democrats are going to be unified, regardless of what the situation is. We'll take what we have and we will be unified, because once again, I want to go back to the fundamental differences here between the Democratic Party, which was displayed in that ad, and the policies of the Republicans. The policies of the Republicans are extraordinarily dangerous to this world and to the United States, to our national security, to our ability to grow the American economy, all the good words last night, well, actually, the words not good, last night that Trump said about making it in America, it is in fact a fact that in four years Trump repeatedly every month talks about an infrastructure plan. He did not do it. It didn't happen.
[11:35:00]
Biden came into office, the Democrats controlling the House and a margin in the Senate with the Vice President put together with him for five months an infrastructure plan that will build the foundation for America's future economic vitality and competitiveness around the world.
In addition to that, you take a look at the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS Act, all of those things by Democratic initiatives that we will go into the next election as a unified party, putting that up on the board against what Trump said last night, which is to move away from our international obligations for national international security, becoming an isolationist party, an isolationist nation once again if Trump gets into power.
And beyond that, he will dismantle the absolutely necessary effort to go with renewable resources and move away from coal and oil. That's where he is headed. These are fundamental policies. And I will tell you, the American public is understanding this.
KINKADE: All right. Democratic Congressman --
GARAMENDI: And he said last night, oh, you can keep on --
KINKADE: -- John Garamendi --
GARAMENDI: -- go on and on. (CROSSTALK)
KINKADE: You could go on and on. We have to leave it there for now. You've made some very valid points. I appreciate your time. Thank you.
GARAMENDI: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, still to come, we are going to go to the world's busiest airport, as a global tech outage grounds tens of thousands of flights around the world. That story next. Plus, we'll look at how this could happen when a cybersecurity expert joins us.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Good to have you with us.
An update on our breaking news this hour. Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike apologizing for what experts now say could be the largest tech outage in history. Its CEO saying, the company is deeply sorry, and quote "We understand the gravity of the situation." Airlines, banks, and healthcare are just some of the entities across the world trying to regain footing. CrowdStrike says a defect in one of its software updates for Microsoft systems was behind the incident. Earlier, it said a fix had been deployed but there is ongoing uncertainty around any timeline. Meantime, its misery for airline passengers, with more than 25,000 flights delayed worldwide and thousands more canceled.
Well, I want to get the view from the world's busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta. Isabel Rosales joins us now live. Good to see you, Isabel. So, certainly, plenty of frustrated passengers right around the world right now.
[11:40:00]
We know that more than 1,700 flights in the U.S. alone have been canceled. What are you seeing from those you're speaking to?
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lynda, it is a mess. And this is not just the world's busiest airport, but also the airport with the most cancellations in the entirety of the U.S. Over 400 flights canceled or delayed so far here at Hartsfield-Jackson, to the point now that we're just seeing people like this, and these massive lines barely budging, just waiting to get answers and hoping that they can make their flights. We've also have heard from a spokesperson for the airport that they've brought an extra manpower to help out these airlines. We've seen people coming out with bottles of water, giving them out to passengers who are understandably frustrated by the situation.
Earlier, I spoke to a woman who has a time-sensitive situation. She is trying to make a funeral that's happening tomorrow. I've spoken with other passengers too, trying to make weddings, including one who is a bridesmaid and has the bride's jewelry in her luggage. So, clearly, people need to make these flights. Let me introduce you over here to Orlando (ph), who is on vacation.
Orlando, I know that you're a patient person, right? What have you seen here these past couple of hours?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I mean, pretty much everybody has been kind of just waiting around, trying to see if they're getting an opportunity to be able to get on. For the most part, everyone is going to kind of cool and chill. You have some people who are kind of disgruntled about it. They've been here for hours. And I understand that. But, for the most part, everyone has to have to wait around and just see what happens. I mean, if you're going to be frustrated, you can be, but it's not going to make the line move any faster. So, you might as well just go with and roll with the flow.
ROSALES: And I've seen some people who have actually given up on the whole airport experience. They're getting a rental. They're hitting the roads and trying to get to where they need to get that way. So, you're just going to wait around until you get some answers, essentially.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's all you can do.
ROSALES: What can you do?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's nothing can do. And you -- I mean, you have to accept it, and just kind of, like I said, go with the flow. If you don't, you'll just be frustrated, mad.
ROSALES: And let me point this out right here. You have airline staff yelling out certain flight numbers or cities. They are actually manually being checked into the flights because they can't check in through the kiosk. So, Lynda, that has been the issue. It's not necessarily the flights that have since not been grounded any more. Flights have resumed. But, the problem is with the booking and checking situation. Airlines staff have to manually check them and yelling for that. And even when people make it past TSA and security, they're confused. They don't know what concourse to go into the information boards, I'm told from the inside, wiped out with a lack of information. And one last thing, Lynda, 300,000 passengers expected at this airport today alone.
KINKADE: Unbelievable. And I think you found the coolest, calmest passenger there is today compared to some of the others we've seen expressing their frustration. Hopefully, this all gets sorted today. I'm flying tomorrow. So, hopefully, this will come tomorrow. Isabel Rosales, good to have you with us. Thanks.
All right. I want to bring in Jake Moore. He is a Global Cybersecurity Advisor for ESET, and he joins us from Wimborne. England. Good to have you with us.
JAKE MOORE, GLOBAL CYBERSECURITY ADVISOR, ESET: Hi, thank you.
KINKADE: So, CrowdStrike is a -- it's a U.S.-based company. It's based in Texas. But, of course, it provides antivirus software for Microsoft, which of course is used by all these businesses right around the world. They say the issue was a software update problem. I just explain what could have happened here, because surely they would have tested this before sending it up.
MOORE: Yeah. So, with computers, we need to update them all the time. You're probably used to your phone saying, oh, there is another update on your iPhone or Android, or your home computer. The same thing goes for businesses as well. And so, that update goes through a testing phase, and when they're happy with it, they send it out. But, in this case, it's gone around the world and affecting a load of computers, thousands, maybe even millions. We're not too sure yet on the numbers.
But, it's all about that testing phase. And this is the balance between making sure that that security update is safe and going to work. But, at the same time, you don't want to spend too long on testing it because they want to get that update out to all those potentially vulnerable computers out there who could be vulnerable to an unknown attack that we don't know about yet.
KINKADE: Exactly, because we have to question whether this could be malicious or not, and point out the fact that it's -- it shows how fragile the global economy really is when you've got a monopoly like this, a company that's responsible for so many businesses around the world, from airports and airlines to hospitals, banking systems, even stock exchanges. I have to ask, like what sort of investigation would be happening right now into this, whether it is human error, whether it is a bad file, whether it is some other issue.
[11:45:00]
MOORE: So, it's unknown yet exactly what caused it. But, it's probably going to come down to the testing phase that didn't have enough resources or time on its side to do that test. But, you say vulnerability, we are vulnerable, because we all use so many of the same systems. I think we're in to the vast majority of the world using Windows PCs, threat actors. So, cyber criminals, of course, know this, and they do take advantage of this. That's why some viruses will only work on Windows machines that won't then work on Apple products. And this is just a numbers game for them, and they go for the vast majority to get those effects.
But, this isn't a financially motivated attack. It's not even seen to be a cyberattack. It may mean that we get threat actors looking at this as a potential in the future. But, hopefully, CrowdStrike and all the other companies watching will learn from this and put far more into that testing phase in the future.
KINKADE: And it was interesting reading your history too, because you've worked in digital forensics and cybercrime. But, you've also ethically hacked into companies. Explain how you used AI to do that.
MOORE: So, part of my job is to test security and make sure those companies are up to scratch. And then, if I'm able to get through, it might be a typical phishing test or some social engineering where I use people to try and get through to those vital areas of the company, and then able to showcase that to them where they need to go and patch, just like with the updates that we've seen today. Recently, I've been using AI a lot, because it's available and it's
what's coming in the future. These days, you can actually copy people's voices. And so, recently, I did copy someone's voice and sent a voice note to the financial director of a company asking to move money into account, which was my account. This is all with permission, of course. And that money was sent into my personal account, because the financial director believed they were speaking to the CEO of the company. Even though they had procedures in place, they cut the corner and thought, well, it must be them. I'd looked online to see where they were and I added that all into it. And of course, this is what comes down to the fact that we're vulnerable because people can be very good at manipulating other people.
KINKADE: All right. Well, we'll see what comes of this issue, because obviously, this problem is costing businesses around the globe a fortune and certainly delaying many, many flights, canceling many, many more. We will continue to cover this story. Jake Moore, thanks so much for your insight.
MOORE: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, U.S. officials have denounced it as a sham, a Russian court issuing a verdict in the espionage trial of an American journalist. Just ahead, CNN's Matthew Chance has the latest on that verdict.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. You're watching CNN Newsroom. Good to have you with us.
[11:50:00]
I want to get to some of the other headlines we're following this hour. Five people were hurt in a drone attack Friday in Tel Aviv. They are now out of hospital. One person was killed, 10 others injured. Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for that attack, though CNN can't independently confirm that claim. Israeli officials say the drone was detected by its aerial defense system that wasn't intercepted due to human error. Hamas released a statement praising the strike.
In Bangladesh, massive protests have turned deadly. Dozens of people have reportedly been killed this week with hundreds of others injured. Many of the demonstrators are angered by civil service job quotas, calling them discriminatory. Police have used rubber bullets, tear gas, and riot battens against those protesters in university campuses and streets of major cities.
16 years, that is the prison sentence given to American journalist Evan Gershkovich, after a Russian court found him guilty of espionage. The trial of The Wall Street Journal reporter has been denounced as a sham by the U.S. State Department. The White House issued a statement after that verdict, saying it was pushing hard for his immediate release. U.S. President Joe Biden says Russia targeted Gershkovich because he is a journalist and an American. The proceedings were closed to the press. Gershkovich pleaded not guilty and has denied allegations that he was spying for the CIA in Russia.
Well, earlier, CNN's Global Affairs Correspondent Matthew Chance spoke about whether the Wall Street reporter was treated fairly by the Russian courts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: It's been less than three weeks that the trial has been formally underway. I mean, he has been in detention for the 15 months before that, simply to prolong his period in -- behind bars on remand. And so, that does raise questions about the politicized nature of the Russian legal system. There is a sort of sense amongst critics that, was due process given to consider and to weigh the evidence, before the court made this very serious guilty verdict and handed down a prison sentence of 16 years. And I don't think there were many people that really expected there to be anything other than a guilty verdict in this case, because it's become such a political issue between Russia and the United States.
I suppose, on the positive side, if you can draw some positivity from this, it's that a bureaucratic obstacle to him being swapped, Evan Gershkovich going back home, has potentially been removed, because the Russians made it quite clear they wouldn't consider a prisoner exchange, even though behind-the-scenes conversations have been underway about that, but they wouldn't consider actually making that happen until a verdict have been handed down. Now, it has been. It sort potentially opens the gates to that. But, I mean, that deal, if one has ever agreed, could take months or even years to come to fruition. And so, this is still a very stressful time for Evan Gershkovich, of course, and his family.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Our thanks to Matthew Chance there.
Well, still ahead, an Emirati royal throws shade at her husband in a heated Instagram post. One more thing, after the break.
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[11:55:00]
KINKADE: Well, before we go, one more thing. In a rare move, a Dubai Princess airs some dirty laundry on social media. The UAE royal announced her divorce on Instagram by posting, "Dear husband, as you are occupied with other companions, I hereby declare our divorce. I divorce you. I divorce you. I divorce you. The princess invoking the controversial practice of triple divorce where a Muslim man instantly divorces his wife by declaring it three times. Some thought the post may have been fake, but it's still there more than 24 hours after it went up. The pair married just a little over a year ago. Neither the UAE nor the princess's husband has publicly commented on that post. CNN has reached out to Dubai's media office for comment.
And that does it for us. Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Stick with CNN. One World is up next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
