Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
CNN International: Iran & Its Proxies Vow Retaliation; IDF On High Alert; Hamas Calls For Prayers & Day Of Anger Over Assassination; Israel Says It Killed Senior Islamic Jihad Figure In Gaza. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired August 02, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00]
COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: She is 24-years-old. After being suspended from the Tokyo Games due to a positive test for THC, the reigning world campion is looking for redemption. She is looking fast. The semifinals, Kate, and the final are tomorrow for the 100, hot ticket, but also a hot ticket tonight, the men's 100 meter freestyle in the pool, Caleb Dressel, Superman, looking to claim his ninth career Olympic gold and reign supreme as once again the fastest man in the pool on the planet.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The Katie Ledecky stories in the pool have been insane. How many --
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and this is the CNN Newsroom.
Just ahead, right now, the funeral is underway in Doha for assassinated Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel. And three Americans wrongfully detained in Russia are now back on U.S. soil, and have been welcomed by the U.S. President Joe Biden. And a monumental win for super gymnast Simone Biles at the Olympics. We're live in Paris for more details and find out what else is happening today.
Hamas is calling for prayers in mosques around the world and a day of anger over the assassination of its political leader. A funeral is being held this hour for Ismail Haniyeh in Doha, Qatar. Haniyeh was killed in Tehran early Wednesday. A source says he was killed by an explosive device planted in his guest house months earlier. Iran and Hamas blame Israel, which neither confirms nor denies involvement. The high-profile killings of several powerful militant leaders have led to vows of retaliation from Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah. The Israeli military says it's on high alert and ready for a range of scenarios.
We've got CNN teams on the ground covering the story. Ivan Watson is in Beirut, Lebanon. Let's begin with Clarissa Ward in Tel Aviv, Israel. Clarissa, Israel says it's ready for a range of scenarios as Israelis stock up on basic goods. So, what are those scenarios?
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, nobody knows exactly it could be or it seems like it will be some form of a direct attack from Iran. But, it could be coordinated with Iran's various proxies in the region, the so-called Axis of Resistance. I will say that here in Israel, the situation remains relatively calm, Fred.
But, as you mentioned, precautions are being taken. Preparations are being made. We spoke to one hospital that said it had cleared an underground parking lot of cars in the event that they needed to move patients in there for treatment if there was some kind of an attack. The Jerusalem municipality has reached out to people, urging them to clean and prepare their shelters to stock up on goods, warning that there could potentially be a scenario where there would be no power for several days. And the Victory supermarket chain is reporting a 30 percent increase in sales, saying those sales are largely things like toilet paper, like canned goods.
We actually went last night to a protest that was being held by some of the family members of the hostages inside Gaza and their supporters, and they told us that they had some trepidation about attending the protests because there is a growing sense that this attack, in whatever shape it takes, could be imminent, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Clarissa Ward, thank you so much.
Ivan to you now. Tell us more about the funeral underway for the Hamas leader in Qatar.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, Ismail Haniyeh is being afforded very high honors right now in the capital of Qatar, the ceremony that took place in the national mosque, the Imam Abdul Wahhab Mosque, and he is expected to be buried there. We've seen images of his widow weeping over his coffin, over two of his surviving sons back in Tehran where the assassination originally took place, also weeping over his coffin, and this funeral taking place alongside his bodyguard, who was another casualty, of what was an apparent planted bomb attack.
The President of Turkey has also declared a day of mourning in Turkey, an ally of NATO, a member of the NATO alliance, in honor of the death of Ismail Haniyeh, which has triggered outrage across the Middle East, from governments such as Egypt, Jordan, and of course, Iran and its militia allies such as Hezbollah here in Lebanon, and Hamas.
WHITFIELD: Ivan, that's fascinating.
Clarissa, back to you. Israel saying it killed an Islamic Jihad leader. What can you tell us about that?
[08:05:00]
WARD: So, what we are hearing from the IDF is that this man was the deputy in charge of weapons manufacturing, that essentially he was providing the finance -- financing for weapons manufacturing infrastructure inside Gaza. Clearly, this is a sign, and we are aware that operations are still continuing in Gaza. We know of at least one strike in which four people were killed today inside Gaza. And also worth mentioning that Al Jazeera has come back with a
withering critique of the IDF's assertion that its two journalists were in some way affiliated with Hamas, saying that this was a targeted assassination, that these were two journalists doing their jobs. As you may be aware, Fredricka, the CPJ has come out as well, voicing its dismay, more than 100 journalists killed covering this war, making it the deadliest conflict in many, many decades for journalists.
WHITFIELD: All right, Clarissa. Ivan, back to you. Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, all vowing revenge after a spate of killings. What is the likely scenario?
WATSON: We're going to -- just going to have to wait and see what happens. But, the rhetoric is that there will be a response. For example, the leader of Hezbollah here in Lebanon, he gave a speech at the funeral yesterday of a senior Hezbollah militant commander who was assassinated, killed by an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Tuesday, and Hassan Nasrallah said that many red lines have been crossed by Israel. He said that after a lull in the cross- border fighting between Hezbollah militants and the Israeli military. This is a border conflict that's been going on for some nine months now, that Hezbollah would step up again and resume that fighting. But, that would not be part of the anticipated more severe response that would be coming sometime in the future.
So, we've seen dozens of rockets fired by Hezbollah into Israel yesterday. Five of them got through, according to the Israeli military. We've had more reports of Hezbollah drone strikes today across the border into Israel. Take a listen to what Nasrallah had to say at that funeral, where he piped in from an unknown, undisclosed location. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HASSAN NASRALLAH, HEZBOLLAH LEADER (Interpreted): We are not saying we are reserving the right to respond. We will respond. This is definite. The enemy and those behind our enemy should wait for our definite response. There is no discussion or debate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Whether or not Iran's response could come in coordination with Hezbollah's fighters here in Lebanon, in coordination with the Houthis of Yemen, that's not entirely clear. But, there is one serious challenge that these armed organizations face, clearly with these two high-profile assassinations in Hezbollah and with Hamas in the Iranian capital, Tehran. These organizations have seen their security compromised. How is it possible that somebody was able to assassinate these two high-level officials, who presumably had a lot of security so close together in the same night? And both Hezbollah and the Iranian government will have to be wrestling with those failures while also vowing revenge against Israel.
WHITFIELD: Ivan Watson, Clarissa Ward, thanks to both of you on these escalating tensions. All right. Let's also talk now about a hero's welcome in the U.S., as
three Americans took their first steps on U.S. soil since being released from Russian prisons. These emotional and powerful scenes came just hours ago, right there, as U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris welcoming home journalist Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva and marine veteran Paul Whelan, part of the biggest prisoner swap since the Cold War. President Biden says it wouldn't have happened without the help of America's international allies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: So, anyone who questions if allies matter, they do. They matter. Today is a powerful example of why it's vital to have friends in this world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Mr. Biden also criticized the U.S. Republican presidential nominee, asking why Donald Trump hadn't managed to free the detainees while he was President. And Trump was quick to respond.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOICE OF DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I heard that. I heard he said this, 'Why didn't Trump get him out,' and he was taken during their time. You know, I got out 59 different people, 59, and I didn't pay money. I didn't pay money. You know, once you do that, these deals are going to happen more and more, because the amount of things including cash that we give up is so astronomical.
[08:10:00]
This is a big deal. And they allowed some really rough people out, you know that, right? And they did in the case of Brittney Griner also.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: There has been no money in exchange in this deal.
U.S. basketball star, Brittney Griner, who spent 10 months detained in Russia, says she is, in her words, "head over heels" that fellow Americans have arrived home from Russia. She said that while competing at the Olympic Games in Paris.
The freed Americans have traveled from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to San Antonio, Texas, for medical checks, and you can see right here, Paul Whelan in this video, and Evan Gershkovich following him off the plane right there to have handshakes.
CNN's Rosa Flores is also in San Antonio and joins us live now. Great to see you. Wow. What an overnight, what a day now today. So, what happens next for these freed Americans?
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, I actually was there when these Americans landed. I was there covering this. And I was actually able to ask Paul Whelan some questions, and I asked him to describe this monumental moment that we've all been talking about, but in his words, and he said that this really did not feel real to him. I mean, just imagine being in a Russian prison or jail for more than five years, and then all of a sudden you hop on a plane and you're going home. He says that it didn't feel real until he was flying over Britain, and he is also a British citizen, and he looked down at British soil, and he says that that's when it hit him that he was actually going home. And he described the welcome in the United States as just a great homecoming.
Of course, President Joe Biden was on the tarmac to welcome him and so was Vice President Harris and his sister. He said that he had really enjoyed hugging his sister for the first time in years. And then he also took a few moments to criticize the Russian government. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL WHELAN, U.S. MARINE VETERAN FREED IN PRISONER SWAP WITH RUSSIA: I went on a two-week vacation. The FSB grabbed me, said I was a spy. I'm apparently a general in the Army, a secret agent for DIA. This is the nonsense narrative they came up with, and they just -- they wouldn't let it go. So, yeah, this is how Putin runs his government. This is how Putin runs his country. Yeah, I'm glad I'm home. Yeah. I'm never going back there again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES: And you heard him say, and he says that he will never go back there again. Right now, he and the other two freed Americans that arrived in the United States overnight are in the building that you see behind me. This is the Brooke Army Medical Center. Now, this is an area where freed Americans, like these three Americans, are brought for a medical evaluation. And according to a U.S. government official, all the three Americans have agreed to participate in something called PISA. What it is? It is a reintegration program and really the Gold Star program for the U.S. Department of Defense. And this is a program that is fitted for civilians whenever they've been detained abroad, when they've been in isolation.
And Fred, just to give you an idea of how -- what this program is described like on their website, it says that the individuals are able to decompress and then reintegrate into regular physical exercise and a regular diet. And then the key thing here is that they also are reintegrated with their families. So, their families also are in the building that you see behind me, in this gigantic facility. They will also be part of this process. Not only will the freed Americans be evaluated medically, they will also be integrated with their families, and of course, that's one of the things that they're really looking forward to doing. Fred.
WHITFIELD: Really nice. I mean, it's so lovely in that video to see the hugs but special too to hear the laughter and see the smiles of both Gershkovich and Whelan.
Rosa Flores, thank you so much. Appreciate it. There it is, really nice embrace.
All right. Let's bring in now CNN's Priscilla Alvarez, live from Washington, D.C. All right. Tell us more about this homecoming, Priscilla, and how it came to be?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was the result of painstaking negotiations by this administration to try to secure the release of these Americans. And while they have been working on this for years, it really came down to the last few months and weeks, as the President made calls to the German Chancellor and then also had a meeting. And then similarly, the Vice President having a meeting in Munich, when she was there for the security conference. All of this was important because, as the National Security Advisor explained, they had to find Russians around the world to make this deal come together and people that the Russia was interested in having returned.
[08:15:00]
And so, that is how these puzzle pieces, as he put it, sort of came together with the help of Germany, Slovenia, Poland and Norway. But, of course, this was, as again the advisor said, a hard call, and the President went a step further, saying it wasn't just a tough call for the U.S., but also for allies. And all of this played into the theme of the day yesterday and today, which is the importance of alliances around the globe and the President's relationships with those countries and his counterparts to try to reach a deal here, which they finally did in a historic nature. Now, of course, as you see the images there, the President and the Vice President were at Joint Base Andrews yesterday evening when they arrived. They arrived just after 11:30 p.m. before making their way to San Antonio. And on the tarmac, the Vice President taking a moment to also underscore the stakes of the election through the lens here of foreign policy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Over many years, President Biden and I and our team have engaged in complex, diplomatic negotiations to bring these wrongfully detained American home. We never stopped fighting for their release. And today, in spite of all of their suffering, it gives me great comfort to know that their horrible ordeal is finally over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALVAREZ: So, certainly a lot of high emotion here at the White House yesterday. That is pouring into today, as officials are still overcome with relief that they were able to have this deal that was difficult to achieve finally come to fruition.
WHITFIELD: All right. Quite extraordinary. All right. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much.
Josh Rogin is a Columnist for The Washington Post and the author of the book "Chaos Under Heaven." He writes about foreign policy and national security, and he is joining us now from Washington, D.C. Good to see you, Josh. So, I mean, part of this deal to get the detainees freed included the release of a Russian assassin who had been convicted of a brazen execution in Berlin. So, how is a deal like this made? Is it Russia who says we'll take this person in exchange for this one, or is it the U.S. that makes the first offerings?
JOSH ROGIN, COLUMNIST, WASHINGTON POST, & AUTHOR, "CHAOS UNDER HEAVEN": Right. Well, what we know is that there were several rounds of negotiations and several rounds of back and forth over several months, and as it turns out that there were many different versions of this deal that went back and forth before the final mix was determined.
But, it's -- I think it's very telling that the people that the United States and its allies wanted out were all political dissidents, journalists, innocent people, actually, and the people that Russia wanted out were murderers and thieves and spies. And it just goes to show you which government prioritizes which type of person. And the fact that Putin prioritized this spy who murdered someone in cold blood in broad daylight just shows you that this is the type of regime that Putin is running. It's a criminal organization, essentially. And so, the fact that they got this guy out is a -- in exchange for these American and Russian dissidents and journalists shows clearly what the -- the difference between the priorities of these two governments.
WHITFIELD: And what now for the relations between Washington and Moscow? I mean, this relationship really has been at a low point, especially after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
ROGIN: Right. There is no prospect that Russia's behavior in Ukraine is going to get better anytime soon, and therefore, there is no real prospect that U.S.-Russia relations overall can get better anytime soon. On the one hand, it shows that these two things can operate on parallel tracks, which is a good thing. We can do some business with the Russian government without ceding any territory on the things that are most important to us, including the Defense of Ukraine. And on the other hand, it also shows that the Trump people will say, and President Trump has said that this deal was done because the Russians feared him returning.
But, in my experience covering these cases, it's definitely true that once these negotiations are ongoing, if a new administration comes in, no matter which one it is, it could reset the clock. So, I think there is a window before the presidential election for these types of things to get done. And I think this deal is a good example of that.
WHITFIELD: I mean, just looking at this video, I mean, it's extraordinary, and the contrast too and some similarities, right, to the release of the American hostages. The President and the Vice President there to greet, as well as family members. Now, we're looking at Putin and -- I said hostages, didn't I, well, you know what I mean, the detainees. And then here, those who were released, they're greeted by Putin.
[08:20:00]
So, how is that reflected in the country, in Russia, that Putin allows himself to look like he benefits strongly from this deal? ROGIN: Yes. There is no doubt that there are some risks and some costs associated with making these deals. One of those costs is that, for sure, Putin will portray this as a propaganda victory and will use this to rally support domestically, and these spies and murderers and thugs that he got back in exchange for releasing innocent journalists and activists will be hailed as heroes and patriots in the Russian system. And that's unfortunate. There is no doubt that in that very controlled environment, this could boost Putin's domestic standing. But, I think it's a -- personally, I think that's a small price to pay for the release of these innocent journalists and activists in the end.
WHITFIELD: Yeah. All right. Josh Rogin, always a pleasure talking to you. Thank you so much, from The Washington Post. Appreciate it.
ROGIN: Anytime.
WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, the U.S. says Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro lost his bid for reelection, but Maduro has a different story. A live report from the very tense Caracas, Venezuela, when we come right back. And Simone Biles again shows why she is one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. After the break, we'll update her medal count as well as all the Olympic highlights.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: There is growing international outcry over Venezuela's controversial election last weekend. The U.S. now saying it is clear that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez defeated longtime President Nicolas Maduro in Sunday's vote. Protests erupted after the country's Electoral Council, which is stacked with Maduro allies, declared him the winner. Brazil, Mexico and Colombia have called on Venezuela to release detailed vote counts to prove there was no fraud. One prominent opposition leader says she is hiding and she fears for her life.
Journalist Stefano Pozzebon is tracking developments for us from Caracas, Venezuela. All right. It feels like international pressure is on Maduro. But, will he budge?
STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: Well, yes. I think that the step ahead that the United States took yesterday, Fredricka, has -- was unexpected, frankly. So far, the U.S. had taken a step back and allowed local democracy here in Latin America, left-wing democracies such as Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, to be in the lead with mediating with Maduro and demanding the release of those ballot data, that Maduro is yet to present, or the electoral authority, that is hugely compromised with Maduro, is yet to release.
Yesterday, the United States took a step ahead. They decided to declare formally that they recognize Edmundo Gonzalez as the winner.
[08:25:00]
I think that was also a way for the U.S. to try to shield Gonzalez for any trouble here in the country. Maduro has publicly demanded the detention of both Gonzalez and Maria Corina Machado, the other opposition leader, who yesterday penned a Wall Street Journal OpEd, saying that she is into hiding and that she is afraid for her life.
But, yes, this situation here in Caracas is extremely tense. It's getting more and more tense, as the international community is essentially surrounding Maduro with demands to see the data, to see the ballot data that proclaimed him as the winner. And that is very different from the data that the opposition has already released on a webpage for everybody to see that they say they have collected about 80 percent of ballot papers and those 80 percent of ballot paper give them a solid win of 67 percentage point for Edmundo Gonzalez.
Now, one thing that we need to understand here is that this election was meant for Maduro to receive international legitimacy. Maduro already had in his control all the levers of power here in Venezuela. He controls the judiciary. He controls the police, the armed forces. He controls the Parliament. The only thing that was missing him was international legitimacy. So, he tried to go to an election to get out of that situation. Right now, he is even more of a pariah than he has ever been. Many people are asking the data, and there was some international monitoring here, one center, the Carter Center in Atlanta, allowed to send 17 people here in Caracas, and this is what they said about the election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIE LINCOLN, CHIEF ELECTORAL OBSERVER, CARTER CENTER: Always a chance to correct an error. And this is what the Venezuelan CNE needs to do. And they have the capability. They have the data. They have the ability to do that. It's the political will behind the machinery that will determine the fate of this election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POZZEBON: Political will, that goes, then calls directly Maduro into question. Will he budge to the international community that is pressuring him as hard as ever to release those data and to clarify, transparently, who won that election? Two things are going to happen in the next few hours and days. Today, the Supreme Court, which Maduro called on to rule on the -- on that election, will receive some of the ballot data from some of the candidate, and tomorrow, the opposition has called for new street protests here in Caracas.
WHITFIELD: All right. Stefano Pozzebon in Venezuela, keep us posted. Thank you so much.
All right. Also overseas but in a different direction, America's superstars had a phenomenal day at the Paris Olympic Games Thursday. Simone Biles, arguably the star attraction at the Summer Games, narrowly beat Brazil's Rebeca Andrade to win her sixth gold medal in the women's individual all-around final. Biles' teammate, Suni Lee, took home the bronze in swimming. Katie Ledecky made history yet again, Ledecky's silver medal in the women's 4x200 meters freestyle relay made her the most decorated U.S. Olympian of all time. China currently leads with the most gold medals, but the U.S. trails closely and is leading with the most medals overall. All right. Now, it's track and field taking center stage today.
Amanda Davies is in Paris with all the Olympic news. All right. So, there were some amazing moments last night in gymnastics and swimming. I watched, I stayed up, and I'm paying for it today, but it was worth it.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, it was. We're all paying for it. I was there as well. I had a 5:45 alarm call this morning. But, I wouldn't have given up that opportunity for the world. And it takes some swagger, doesn't it, to celebrate your success, wearing a diamond-encrusted goat necklace. I mean, you have to have the ability to backup something like that. But, if anybody does, Simone Biles does. And really, that's a great saying in terms of her performances as well. She has changed the game at this Olympic Games. Never before have we seen the likes of Vogue and Vanity Fair covering the gymnastics.
We had Kim Kardashian. We had Steph Curry. We had Seth Rogen. All there last night wanting to see, be there to witness this moment of history. We did get a little scare, didn't we, with Simone Biles on the uneven bars. But, there was this big intake of breath when that happened, but she absolutely dominated in terms of the beam and the floor performance. And then, as you rightly said, successfully claimed that all-around individual medal, the second time she has done so, eight years after the first, which in gymnastic terms is absolutely huge.
[08:30:00]
It's her sixth gold medal overall, and she is just getting to grips with life as well and truly a goat.
WHITFIELD: Yeah. She is indeed. Only she could get away with wearing that necklace, that diamond-encrusted goat. OK. And now track and field, or athletics. That's getting underway. Some of the fastest men and women on the planet, and all eyes are on Sha'Carri Richardson. Can't wait to see her. What else is up today?
DAVIES: Yeah. It's that brilliant melting pot this kind of first Friday of the games where you got the swimming. You got gymnastics. You've got the athletics. You've got the rowing. It's all happening. And it's been -- I mean, we have waited until day seven of the games for the athletics to get underway.
Sha'Carri Richardson has waited three years for this moment, hasn't she, after that disappointment after testing positive for marijuana after qualifying for Tokyo in 2021. She has said she is not back. She is better. It's a very different looking Sha'Carri in the 100 meters. She is very much the favorite but she has not got the bright-colored hair that we've seen in years gone by. She has got the nails, but she wants her performances to do the talking. She is not only the world record holder in this, in fact, the world champion, I should say, in this event, she posted the fastest time in the U.S. trials and eased through the early rounds earlier today. And she is hoping to break that Jamaican dominance. She has been done something of a favor with the withdrawal of Shericka
Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah through injury. Shelly-Ann Fraser- Pryce, a great -- another goat of track is there. This her fifth Olympic Games. She said it's her last. But, from what we saw earlier this morning from Sha'Carri Richardson, things are looking good that this might be her game to carry on that mantle.
WHITFIELD: Oh, yeah. The nails, we'll that slide, right? I mean, that's our tribute to Flo-Jo. So, when she says she is going to scale everything else down because you're just going to watch the speed, you're also going to see the nails. Lots of fun.
Amanda Davies, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
All right. Still to come, images of unimaginable joy, three Americans freed from Russian prisons are greeted with tears, hugs and a message from U.S. President Joe Biden. Ahead, a look at the painstaking negotiations that led to their release. Plus, a heart-wrenching interview with the family of Marc Fogel, one of the Americans who didn't win release from Russia in this latest prisoner swap.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:35:00]
WHITFIELD: All right. Finally free and home at last, the nightmare imprisonment is over for three Americans wrongfully detained in Russian jails. Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and Russian American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, arriving back on U.S. soil Thursday night. Hours later, smiles, hugs and emotional greetings with family members after they arrived in San Antonio, Texas, for medical checkups.
It all comes after a massive prisoner swap with Russia, involving seven other countries all together. At least two detained Americans remain in Russian prisons, as others went home. They include Ksenia Karelina, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen arrested earlier this year while visiting her grandparents. She is on trial in Russia for allegedly donating about $50 to a Ukrainian charity. Also detained, teacher Marc Fogel, who is serving a 14-year sentence on drug charges for bringing cannabis into Russia. His family says the drug was recommended by a doctor to treat severe spinal pain. Family members were hoping all along that Fogel would be included in the swap. But, his sister told CNN's Erin Burnett earlier that they found out through Fogel himself that he was not.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNE FOGEL, SISTER OF MARC FOGEL: The last 36 hours have been -- had been gut-wrenching. We knew that something was going on yesterday from the news feeds, and we started calling our senators and the ambassadors that we knew, and the State Department, and we really hoped that they were going to get Marc on the plane. We knew that it was going to be happening very quickly. But, Marc called me yesterday morning. And when I realized that he was in Rybinsk, I knew that things were not going well. I feel like we've been kind of collectively stabbed in the back. Marc is -- they've asked for his humanitarian release. But, of course, Russia does not release on humanitarian grounds and has had no history of ever doing that, and then not really liking us very well anyway. So, it's kind of insult to injury that he still has not been designated as wrongfully detained.
ERIN BURNETT, HOST, OUTFRONT: You and I have spoken about that over these years. And you've been pleading with the Biden administration, because those words matter. There is a formal designation wrongfully detained. It's official, and it's an important first step in terms of any kind of a release or negotiation. They used the words today when talking about him, but that formal designation has not happened. Why not? Have they said anything to you as to why?
FOGEL: No. And after multiple documents signed by Marc, by our family, they will not give us any adequate answers as to why he has been designated as Brittney was. I mean, their cases are nearly identical --
BURNETT: Brittney Griner
FOGEL: -- same court, different sentences. Both were sentenced to the maximum, one of the most frustrating times of my life to not be heard or taken seriously. We don't have the NBA and we don't have The Wall Street Journal backing us. And so, we've been -- Marc has been largely ignored, and he needs the designation because he needs real medical treatment. He fell -- he has fallen multiple times. It's very cold where he is, and there is lots of ice, and things are just not going well for him. He spent the last month in a hospital where there are no doctors, but he is given multitudes of injections and not having any clear understanding of what they're giving him (inaudible). And you can imagine how terrifying that would be.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: A senior U.S. official says the White House tried to include Fogel in the swap but was unsuccessful. The official also said the administration will keep redoubling its efforts to get him out of prison.
[08:40:00]
The prisoner swap involved what's being described as a secretive painstaking negotiation with allies.
CNN's Kylie Atwood joins us now live from the U.S. State Department. Kylie, good morning to you. So, tell us more about what you're learning about these negotiations, how this deal ultimately came together.
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, Fred, it's really interesting to talk to U.S. officials and have them detail what the last really eight months here looks like. Our understanding is that this really -- the deal that came to fruition here, the foundation begun being built in January. That is when President Biden had a phone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and he said, when you come to the Oval Office later this month, there is something I want to talk to you about that, Vadim Krasikov. That is, of course, that former FSB member who shot someone in broad daylight in Berlin, Germany, and was serving a life sentence in Berlin.
And up until that point, U.S. officials had had conversations with Germany about Vadim Krasikov, but they had resisted any outreach by the U.S. to include Krasikov in any sort of prisoner swap. But, President Biden was determined to change that because it became clear that Russia simply wasn't going to go ahead with any deal without Krasikov included. And so, it was in that January conversation between Olaf Scholz and President Biden, where Olaf Scholz effectively said, according to a senior administration official, for you, I will do this, giving the green light for U.S. officials to begin working on the constructs of a deal that included Krasikov.
Now, there were challenges along the way. The first road bump that the Biden administration hit was when Alexei Navalny, that Russian opposition leader, died in prison in February because they had begun to think of a deal that included him. And without him, that was a major missing piece. They had to go back to the drawing board. It was in late March when they actually came up with a new construct for the deal that included Krasikov. Biden wrote a letter to Olaf Scholz, and then it was in June where Germany actually agreed to include Krasikov. This deal was presented by U.S. intelligence officials, CIA officials to Russian intelligence channels later that month. And then it was about two weeks ago, just two weeks before this all came together, that Russia actually formally transmitted its acceptance of the deal that was on the table.
So, this has been a very complicated process. It has included different iterations of this deal. But, effectively, the deal that we saw come together yesterday that released these Americans, and of course, these other political prisoners from Russia, really gave the green light from Russia about two weeks ago.
WHITFIELD: And Kylie, I mean, this is a huge triumph for the Biden administration, especially ahead of the elections. Biden has always touted his foreign relations. And so, he underscored the importance of maintaining great relationships with allies, and if not for that kind of relationship, this kind of a release might not have happened.
ATWOOD: That's exactly right. We've heard that across the board from administration officials over the last 24 hours. This simply couldn't have happened without that relationship that the U.S. had with multiple countries, of course, with Norway, Slovenia, not the least of which, as I was discussing, is Germany. And when they've faced criticism about the Russians who had been released as part of this deal, they have said that they don't welcome the fact that folks like Vadim Krasikov are now free. But, they also didn't want the folks who were innocent in Russian prison, some of them sitting there for years, to stay there.
Listen to what the NSC's John Kirby said about that earlier this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR:
Nobody is delighted or doing backflips over here because Mr. Krasikov is now a free man. That's what negotiations are all about. They require tough decisions, tough calls. The President was willing to make that tough call in order to get these -- all these individuals, not just the Americans, all of them released. In the end, Bret, when you weigh it, yes, these are all criminals that are in the Russian side. And yes, they're all innocent on the West side. In the balance, I think we could all agree that it's better to have innocent people no longer rotting in Russian prisons for the rest of their lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ATWOOD: So, this is the deal that the Biden administration was able to put together, and it's worth putting a finer point on the fact that this deal is different than prisoner swaps that we've seen in the past, Fred, because of its complexity, because of the number of countries involved, because there were 24 prisoners in total involved in this. This was historic. This was an undertaking unlike anything we've really ever seen before.
WHITFIELD: Indeed. All right. Kylie Atwood, thanks so much.
[08:45:00]
All right. Still to come, it's already stifling in the western U.S. and now it's about to get even hotter. More on that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Dangerous heat escalating across western U.S. on Friday. It's particularly worrying for firefighters in California who are still battling the massive Park Fire. Temperatures there will likely reach into the 100s, bringing oppressive conditions for the teams working to stop the blaze. It's by no means the only fire in the area. There are 92 other large active fires across the west right now, as the high temperatures and tinderbox conditions continue.
CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is with me now. Derek, I mean, what's the latest on this bout of extreme heat, and what can we expect this weekend?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. Fredricka, this heat brought to you by climate change. I mean, we talk about that show frequently. But, there is actually some analysis by Climate Central about the heat that we're experiencing across the United States today. And what they're saying is that half of the U.S. population will experience heat that has been influenced by climate change, meaning that what you see here along the East Coast, that is three times more likely achieved by the atmosphere's influence with climate change, this out here, that shading of red, you can see the climate shift index at the top portion of your screen, that is five times as likely to experience the heat they see today by climate change.
So, here are the numbers, very hot. That's obviously well discussed and ad nauseam sometimes. But, when we're talking about how much heat and how this is impacting people, we've got over 100 million Americans under these heat alerts. And it's not just the mercury in the thermometer. It's when you factor in the humidity levels that makes it so oppressive for many of the East Coast cities. Look at our nation's capital, flirting with 100. We'll reach triple digits for Rapid City all the way to Dallas, even portions of the Intermountain West. And then baked into all that heat, of course, are the ongoing wildfires over the western parts of the country, 93 active wildfires, some in California, some in the state of Oregon as well.
So, when we have this amount of heat, it gives our tropical systems more ability to hold water vapor and eventually rainfall in the atmosphere. So, we're monitoring the tropical wave or a tropical disturbance that's traversing the rugged terrain of Cuba right now. Lots of clouds, showers and thunderstorms right here. The National Hurricane Center has this moving into the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Remember, water temperatures here are at record levels for this time of year. And that gives us about a 90 percent formation rate here within the next seven days, about a 60 percent chance of developing some sort of a depression or tropical storm in the next three days.
So, we want to be agile. We want to make sure that we listen to the weather forecast because we know how quickly things can change into Florida. One thing is for sure, Fredricka. It will be a wet weekend for Tampa Bay, Fort Myers to Tallahassee and Jacksonville. But then, what it does once it exits into the Atlantic Ocean, that's the big question.
[08:50:00]
Will it re-intensify and impact the Carolinas and the coast of Georgia next week? TBD.
WHITFIELD: Oh boy.
DAM: We'll keep an eye.
WHITFIELD: Let us now. All right.
DAM: All right.
WHITFIELD: Derek Van Dam, thank you so much.
All right. U.S. jobs numbers for July, well, they're out, and they are an unpleasant surprise for investors. After the break, we'll talk about what it means for the U.S. economy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. New numbers just released show the U.S. labor market is cooling off more than expected. The U.S. added 114,000 new jobs in July. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate rose to 4.3 percent. That's underscoring concerns that the economy has slowed down too quickly.
Paula Newton joins us now to crunch some of the numbers for us. All right. So, help us understand these jobs members, worse than expected. PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. 114,000 jobs in total. That is at least 60,000 less from where economists thought we were supposed to be. And Fred, it is quite concerning. The Federal Reserve, which is in charge of interest rates in the United States, just met this week and did not cut interest rates. They might have thought better than that if they thought this jobs number was going to be that low. And the reason is that we were looking at an unemployment right now at 4.3 percent in the United States. And we didn't see an unemployment rate like that until -- from 2021. That was when everyone was coming out of the pandemic.
What is interesting here is that this may also propel the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates even further. So, they were going to do a quarter point cut in September to try and stimulate that economy. They might do more this year. They might do more in September. We'll have to wait and see.
What's also a bit unnerving is the fact that Amazon reported its results. Now, Fred, you and I, when you look at Amazon, think about all the consumers involved there, and Amazon reported a more cautious consumer, all of that pointing to an economy that, we call it a soft landing, right, the economy is going to slow so that we can get rid of some inflation, but it's just going tap on the brakes. It is not at a full stop because it's at a red light that it didn't see. And then, that's what we're trying to get to, right? We want to avoid recession. And these numbers are a real cautionary tale for the Federal Reserve, and quite frankly, the American economy.
WHITFIELD: Oh boy. And then the futures don't look so good either. So, I wonder how all of this might impact the Fed's next move?
NEWTON: Yeah, absolutely. If you look at futures right now, they are sliding. They continue to slide. We'll see if anything can study them throughout the day, and what might study them, in fact, is the fact that they will believe that the Federal Reserve will be more aggressive in lowering interest rates. Remember, Fred, the good news from earlier in the week in the U.S. economy was the fact that mortgage rates started to come down finally, and that in itself can help to stimulate the economy and perhaps put the jobs picture back in balance.
This isn't an absolutely terrible number. I mean, new jobs were created. But, it is absolutely what I said, a warning and a real pivot point for the U.S. economy. I don't have to remind everyone about all the economies around the world that hinge on that U.S. economy. So, all eyes now on what the Federal Reserve will do with interest rates. Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Paula Newton, thank you so much.
All right. Spotting a dolphin is frequently considered a good thing, but one seen swimming in the River Thames towards Central London, well, it's causing concern to British Divers Marine Life Rescue.
[08:55:00] The adult mammal may be disoriented and that's an indication that it might also be in distress. This year alone, they say at least five dolphin pods have come far inland via the river. Sadly, three did not survive. Let's hope for the best for it.
And finally this hour, Britney Spears' best-selling memoir is headed to the big screen. Universal Studios has landed the rights to the book "The Woman In Me" after a competitive bidding war. It is being developed as a biopic of the pop star's life to be directed by Jon M. Chu, who directed the highly anticipated "Wicked" movie that's coming out later on this year. On Thursday, Spears posted on social media that she is excited about working with Oscar-winning producer Mark Splat -- Platt rather, who is also attached to the film. We all look forward to that.
All right. Thank you so much for joining me here in this CNN Newsroom. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Connect the World with Becky Anderson is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
