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Middle East On Edge; Anti-Government Protests In Israel; Closing In On A Running Mate. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired August 04, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

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[03:00:00]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers watching Around the World. I'm Lynda Kinkade, and this is CNN Newsroom.

Coming up, Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants and Lebanon exchange in new round of strikes, as the Middle East braces for a widening conflict in the region.

Israel's government faces backlash from families of Hamas hostages. We'll speak with one of them.

And who will Kamala Harris choose to join her on the U.S. Democratic ticket? The latest on the high stakes search for a running mate now in its final stretch.

We begin in the Middle East, which is on edge amid fears it could be on the verge of a full scale conflict. Several hours ago, Israel said it had intercepted a barrage of 30 projectiles coming from Lebanon, but they didn't cause any damage or casualties.

Hezbollah said it was responding to multiple Israeli strikes in Southern Lebanon earlier Saturday, reportedly going after Hezbollah targets. A Lebanese news agency says one teenager was killed and six civilians wounded. And as tensions grow, more countries are urging their citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible.

The U.S and Britain did that Saturday, while Canada advised its citizens against traveling to Israel, Lebanon or the West Bank. And that's happening after Iran threatened to retaliate against Israel for the killing of Hamas political chief in Tehran. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for that assassination.

For more, we're joined by Nada Bashir, who comes to us live from London. Nada, let's start with how Iran may respond. We've already seen Hezbollah firing rockets into Northern Israel. But Iran certainly warning the worst is yet to come.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. We've been hearing from U.S. officials. They believe that some sort of response from Iran could be imminent in the coming days. Whether or not this is a direct response from Iran, as we saw, perhaps in April, where we saw Iran launching missiles and drones directly targeting Israeli territory or whether we might see a larger, more complex response, as put by one U.S. official, where we would see perhaps more coordination with other Iranian-backed proxies in the region.

Now, of course, we have seen that continued exchange of fire by the Iran-backed group Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon and the Israeli military carrying out strikes across the region parts of Southern Lebanon and, of course, Hezbollah, again, carrying out rocket attacks around Northern Israel. This has been ongoing since the outbreak of the war in Gaza.

But tensions are certainly ratcheting up. There is a huge amount of concern, particularly from the international community that the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' political, leader earlier this week in Tehran, has put the region on a knife's edge, that we could see a further escalation. And, of course, both Hamas and the Iranian regime have accused Israel of carrying out this assassination, though Israel has neither denied nor confirmed responsibility for Haniyeh's killing.

But, again, this is a deeply tense moment for the region, real questions as to how far Iran will go, how far Iran's proxies may go. We've heard from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. They have vowed, in their words, blood, vengeance. They have said that a severe punishment of Israel is certain and that they are focusing on when and where this will be. But, again, this is definitive. There will be a response.

And as you mentioned, we have been seeing members of the international community responding, already preparing for what could be a further escalation in the region, multiple nations now telling their citizens in Lebanon to evacuate as soon as possible, including the United States and the United Kingdom. And now, of course, we are seeing that the United States is bolstering its military preparedness in the region, moving warships and aircraft carriers into the region. This is perhaps the largest movement military movement by the United States that we've seen since the beginning of the war in Gaza. So, certainly a huge moment of concern for the region.

KINKADE: Yes, it certainly is, Nada. And of course, we've seen these latest airstrikes into Gaza, Israel hitting schools, sheltering displaced Palestinians, and also hitting a place just very close to the Al-Aqsa Hospital. What can you tell us?

[03:05:00]

BASHIR: That's right. Just yesterday, we saw strikes on two schools near Gaza City, at least 17 people killed in those strikes. This was a school, two schools rather, that the Gaza Civil Defense says had been sheltering civilians. This was an area known to be sheltering civilians, dozens more injured in those strikes. And according to Gaza's Civil Defense, following an initial strike on the schools, this was followed by three missiles or at least three missiles, so a double-tap attack by the Israeli military.

We've seen the distressing video coming out from the aftermath of this attack. Again, bodies lining the area surrounding the school, so hugely distressing. The Israeli military has claimed that it was targeting terrorist infrastructure that they believe they were targeting what they have described as a Hamas command and control center.

But, again, we've heard this rhetoric from the Israeli military before, particularly when it comes to areas known to be sheltering civilians. And, again, that is a significant civilian toll that we've seen in this attack. And then overnight, yet more strikes targeting an area near the Al-Aqsa Marty's Hospital, just outside the Al-Aqsa Marty's Hospital, actually, in Deir al Balah, the tents in the area where civilians had been sheltering on the courtyard.

And as we've seen over the course of the war, many have flocked to schools and hospitals in the hopes that these will be safe zones, but, clearly, that is not the case. Gazan authorities say at least five people have been killed, and we've seen, again, dramatic video emerging of these tents engulfed in flames. The Israeli military has told CNN that they are currently looking into these reports.

KINKADE: Yes, just horrific pictures coming into us. Nada Bashir in London, thanks very much.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is denying a report that he clashed with his top advisers over a possible deal with Hamas. Israel's Channel 12 says they pressed him to accept the latest hostage and ceasefire deal at a meeting Wednesday. Mr. Netanyahu reportedly refused and angrily accused his team of not knowing how to negotiate. CNN couldn't independently corroborate the story.

Mr. Netanyahu's office later said that the report had given a false impression to the public and that the prime minister agreed with the outline of the plan, but it's Hamas who is undermining it.

Well, protesters across Israel rallied against Netanyahu and his government Saturday, calling for a hostage deal. Several cities saw demonstrators, including Tel Aviv, where organizers say tens of thousands of people came out to support the families off the hostages. Some of those family members joined the protests and issued a statement calling Netanyahu cruel and heartless.

Now, to get some perspective from one person who has a personal stake in resolving the hostage situation, I would like to welcome Sharone Lifschitz. Her parents were kidnapped by Hamas. Her mother was later released, but her father is still being held by the militant group. Lifschitz joins us now from Tel Aviv. I appreciate you joining us today. Thanks so much for your time.

SHARONE LIFSCHITZ, PARENTS KIDNAPPED BY HAMAS: Thank you for having me.

KINKADE: I was anchoring on the night that the Hamas political leader was assassinated, the man who was playing a key role in hostage negotiations. And my first thought was about the hostages and their families. Your parents were taken hostage. Your father is still in Gaza. What does this all mean for your family? LIFSCHITZ: You know, I woke up that morning and I thought, what is my father thinking? What is my father being held in Gaza for 300 days thinking about it? And I think for us, it is less what we think than what our beloved one, Being held almost for a year soon there, I think, when they wake up and being told to see on the news, because some of them, we know, look at the news, what are they feeling about that assassination?

I think that Haniyeh, I have no sympathy for him. He is the mastermind of October the 7th, but I don't see the point of killing him now, personally. I think it's a huge achievement for the people who carried it out, but we are desperate. We are in the last hour, it feels, off this round of negotiation. This must come to good.

So, if the point of killing him is to have a better hand at the table, then we got that hand. And we now must play it in order to release the hostages.

KINKADE: And, of course, your father, Oded, is one of the oldest hostages in Gaza. Your mother, Yocheved, was released after 16 days in captivity. How did she react when she heard that the Hamas hostage negotiator was dead?

LIFSCHITZ: My mom is a sane woman in a world that has gone mad. And so her response is, you know, just desperation, just we have waited for so long for the hostages to be the number one priority.

[03:10:00]

We are being told that many other things are the number one priority, but they are not. For us, it is the hostages. And the hostages must come back. They are in harm's way every moment of every day. We know that many of them are no longer alive. We fear more assassination in Gaza of people that are surrounded by hostages.

We are with the hostages every moment of every day and we fear their fear and we hurt their hurt and my mom wants these people back home. She wants a husband of 64 years to be back home, but she also wants other people from our community, young men and women that are still being held, the children of her friends, you know, people that grew up in her home.

KINKADE: Absolutely. And, of course, Sharone, we have seen these protests on the streets in several cities across Israel this weekend, demanding that Prime Minister Netanyahu find a way to bring the hostages home. There are more than 100 hostages still in Gaza. How would you describe Netanyahu's failure to bring those remaining hostages home?

LIFSCHITZ: I think that he has other interests. It's very clear. And so it's very hard to trust him in coming to the negotiation. As you just said, most people that are surrounding him explained to us time and again that the time is now, that the deal is done, that we can proceed with it. He refuses to do it and it's hard to trust him, because he has his political survival, what we assume, is his number one priority. KINKADE: And, of course, some protesters in Israel say Netanyahu must reduce the bloodshed. From your friends and your family in Israel, what are they saying? Talk to us about the appetite for a ceasefire at this point in time.

LIFSCHITZ: Look, you know, you're talking about two schools being bombed, but you don't talk about Hamas. There is Hamas who placed its military operation within every civilian infrastructure in Gaza. And I can see why it will be very hard to reach long-term agreements with Hamas. I have no sympathy for Hamas and for what it's done to its own people and the devastation it brought on its own population.

I think that the way forward now is to work towards the deal as the first part of a regional security deal. And it seems to me, from what I've spoken to many people, that the regional security deal would be the best way to secure the future of civilians on both sides.

KINKADE: We wish you and all the other families who are waiting for loved ones to come home, all the very best. Our thoughts are with you and your family. Thanks so much for your time. Sharone Lifschitz in Tel Aviv, thank you.

LIFSCHITZ: Thank you for having me.

KINKADE: Well Kamala Harris' campaign has to make up for lost time. Still ahead, we're going to find out about any sort of decision she might make with regards to a running mate. See who is still in the running just before that expected announcement.

Also ahead, Florida preparing for heavy winds and rain is a tropical storm. Debby makes its way towards land. We'll have an update on the tropics when we come back.

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KINKADE: We are now in the critical final hours of Kamala Harris's search for a running mate. A source telling CNN that Harris will interview top candidates, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, in the coming hours. Harris is also expected to speak with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. And sources familiar with the selection process say there has been a renewed focus on Walz.

Harris campaign is having to move at lightning speed as the presumptive nominee is expected to appear with her new pick on Tuesday in Pennsylvania.

Christopher Devine joins us now. He's an associate professor of political science at the University of Dayton. Good to have you with us.

CHRISTOPHER DEVINE, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON: Thank you for having me. KINKADE: So, with the vice president now the presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, so much of the focus has been on who she'll pick as a running mate. You literally wrote a book titled, Do Running Mates Matter? Well, do they?

DEVINE: I got through this book with Kyle Kopko of Elizabethtown College, and to give you a pretty short answer to the question, yes, they matter, but not for the reasons that people usually talk about. And as you hear about Kamala Harris' potential pick right now, a lot of the focus is on picking someone who can deliver a key swing state. Josh Shapiro is getting a lot of buzz, governor of Pennsylvania, probably the most critical swing state in this election. So, people focus on that, where they focus on picking up a key group that the V.P. might belong to, a demographic group, for instance.

And that's not really how we find that running mates matter. The main consequence of choosing a running mate in terms of the election is to influence how voters think about you, the presidential candidate who picked them. Because, hey, you could have picked anyone, right? What does it tell me that Donald Trump, you pick J.D. Vance, or Kamala Harris, you pick Josh Shapiro or Andy Beshear or Mark Kelly or whoever it may be. You get a lot of insight into the way that person is going to govern, how good is their judgment, their leadership skills, what are their political values. It's a very important decision.

KINKADE: It certainly is. And, of course, Kamala Harris will be the first black American, the first South Asian American at the top of the ticket. So, you know, it makes sense that there is a straight white man from a swing state likely to be her running mate.

[03:20:00]

I just want to play some sounds from some of these potential running mates.

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KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: How far have your conversations gone with the Harris team for this?

SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): Well, Kaitlan, I'm not going to comment on that.

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): I think any process questions like that should go directly to the Harris campaign.

PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: Every day, we have to tweak the schedule a little bit because things come up, calls and meetings that we have to take care of.

GOV. J.B. PRITZKER (D-IL): Lollapalooza is happening this weekend here in Chicago. And my kids and, I mean, tens of thousands of others are going to be there.

I was going to perform, of course, with Blink 182 on Sunday but I canceled in order to clear my schedule. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: So, give us a sense of your advice if you were assisting and advising Kamala Harris to pick a running mate, who would be your top choice?

DEVINE: Good question. If they are listening out there, yes, here's what I'd say. Number one, you have to pick someone who's credible as a vice president or even potentially a president. Remember, this is the person that's a heartbeat away. If something should happen to the person in the White House as president, whether that's death, could be temporarily as illness, could be resignation, impeachment, removal, any of those circumstances, this person who could take over. Even short of that, there's still someone giving critical advice in the White House, often referred to as the last person in the room on major decisions with the president.

So, the American people expects one who is up to the job. And if that sounds obvious, you know, I don't know that it always is because people talk so much about just gaming the election, trying to pick off a state here, a bloc of voters there, and often they, they stretch things, so they start talking about people who really are not the most credible vice president.

I would say, by the way, J.D. Vance holding his first political office now, he was only sworn in early last year as a senator, a year-and-a- half of service. I'm not sure the American people are seeing him or will see him as a credible V.P. six months from now. That's the first test that Kamala Harris has to pass.

After that, you think you get other electoral advantages, fine. But that is what the American people expect first and foremost.

KINKADE: And that's an interesting point you make because J.D. Vance, as a pick on Trump's ticket, seems to have backfired every single day. We are hearing more and more details about where he stands when it comes to women and children, families, domestic violence.

In terms of Kamala Harris' selection, how challenging is it for her team given the length of time they have to really vet and do these background checks on these potential candidates?

DEVINE: It's an important question, and it's really why it's hard to excuse on Donald Trump's end that he either didn't know about these things or I guess didn't care enough about them. These videos of J.D. Vance that we're seeing right now, they're not being, you know, unearthed from some surprising sources. These are things that were out there during the campaign. This is part of how J.D. Vance campaigned for office heading into the 2022 primary and then election in Ohio.

So, they should have caught these things, had months to do it. Donald Trump knew early on the spring or late winter, early spring that he was going to be the nominee, and so they had time to prepare and go through this intensive vetting process.

The Harris campaign doesn't have that luxury. They have an accelerated vetting process, you know, two weeks, if that, to find out everything they need to know about these potential V.P. candidates. And I can tell you what, things that don't come out during the vetting process. They're going to come out later. Things get discovered, especially as the other campaign, their opposition research teams, are trying to find out everything they can, whether those are public statements or private statements, these things are going to be found out.

So, the Harris campaign has to find them out now. Hey, everybody has their weaknesses. Everybody has, you know, some kind of skeleton in the closet. They just need to be able to price those things in before the selection say, could we live with it if that came out? If so, fine, but, you know, they can't miss anything.

KINKADE: Christopher Devine, great to have you on the program. Thanks so much for joining us.

Thank you. I appreciate it.

KINKADE: Well, Trump says he'll see Harris at the September Fox News debate or not at all after he backed out of the ABC one. But it appears that Harris is planning to show up for the previously agreed upon ABC debate even if Trump does not.

According to a source, ABC News would provide airtime to whichever candidate showed up, even if it's only Harris. Trump claims his rival doesn't have the mental capacity to do a, quote, real debate against him.

Well, Donald Trump hit the campaign trail here in Atlanta Saturday. The Republican presidential nominee participated in a roundtable with black business owners. He claimed that businesses were better off if he's elected.

And during a rally afterwards, the Republican nominee admitted his campaign needs to update its messaging now that its running mate is Kamala Harris,

CNN's Alayna Trene has more.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, former President Donald Trump at a rally in Atlanta on Saturday tested out new lines of attack against Vice President Kamala Harris.

[03:25:03]

And remember, Donald Trump is still trying to figure out which attacks work the best against her. At one point in that speech, he even said the quiet part out loud and said, we need to define her. And then he caught himself and said, actually, I don't need to define her, going on to criticize her further.

Take a listen to what he said.

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DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: You know, four months ago, she was considered grossly incompetent by the fake news. Now, they're saying, oh, isn't she wonderful? Isn't she wonderful? No, she's not wonderful. So, we have to work hard to define her. I don't want to even define her. I just want to say who she is. She's a horror show. She'll destroy our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, I found those remarks so notable because it really lines up with what I'm hearing from Donald Trump's senior advisers, which is that they have to create an entirely new playbook now that he is facing a new opponent.

Remember, they had spent the entire election cycle thus far focused on going after President Joe Biden. And so they're really trying to work on what works with the crowd, what is the energy in the room when he delivers those types of attacks, and we saw that on Saturday night.

Now, I will note Donald Trump did argue that he found Harris' speech and rally earlier in the week also in Atlanta, Georgia, not even just in the same city, but at the exact same venue, he criticized that she had celebrity performers, like Megan Thee Stallion perform. He said that he thought that was phony. That is a line I can tell you from my conversations with Trump's team that he is planning to use in the coming weeks in an effort to frame her.

He also tried to tie her to his former political opponent, Hillary Clinton. He said he would never forget that Clinton also had celebrity entertainers, name dropping Bruce Springsteen and saying that he has a bad trait. He only likes people who like him.

Now, another thing I want to point out that I found interesting was that he repeatedly went after Georgia's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, as well as the state's secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger. Remember, they were both key to trying to deny reports of fraud during the 2020 election. Trump repeatedly called them disloyal. And I also will note that Kemp, meanwhile, even though he said he wasn't supporting Donald Trump in the primary, he did ultimately say he would support him in November.

Alayna Treene, CNN, Atlanta, Georgia.

KINKADE: Well, still to come, parts of the U.K. are on edge as violent protests sweep several cities following a deadly stabbing attack on the most vulnerable of victims. Our latest on that just ahead.

Plus, Venezuelans at home and abroad showing solidarity with the opposition movement as they stand firm in contesting Nicolas Maduro's re-election.

Stay with us. You're watching CNN.

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[03:30:00]

KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Linda Kincade. The Ukrainian military claims it has sunk a Russian submarine and hit an S-400 anti-aircraft missile system in Russian occupied Crimea. Ukrainian officials say the submarine, quote, sank on the spot, adding that the same sub was severely damaged in a Ukrainian missile attack last year. Russia has yet to comment on that alleged attack.

Ukraine's military says it also carried out strikes inside Russia Saturday, including at an airfield where Russian forces allegedly were storing guided aerial bombs, as well as other equipment.

Former U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper spoke to CNN about the submarine attack, and he explains how Ukraine has been successfully targeting Russia's Black Sea fleet.

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MARK ESPER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: It's one of nearly two dozen major Russian ships that they have sunk in the Black Sea in the two- plus years of this conflict. This submarine was damaged a few months ago, and then Russia purportedly tried to hide it in another part of the Sevastopol port, and it looks like the Ukrainians found it and have sunk it.

So, at this point in time, they've either sunk or severely damaged about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which for years and years was very respected and if not feared among some. And now it's been pushed into a corner of the Eastern Black Sea where it's really having no impact on the conflict. So, it's quite significant.

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KINKADE: Well, Esper went on to say that this should be a wakeup call for other countries about the importance of drone warfare, which Ukraine has relied on for many of its attacks on Russia's navy.

In the U.K., dozens of people have been arrested as violent protests fueled by far right groups gripped several cities for a third day. Tensions have been flaring since the stabbing attack last week, which left three children dead.

Journalist Elliott Gotkine has more from London.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Less than a week after three small girls were killed in a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport near Liverpool in Northwest England. Far right protests, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim protests have continued to take place in cities across the U.K.

On Saturday, they took place in cities, such as Bristol in the west of England, Hull in the northeast, Belfast in Northern Ireland, Liverpool, Manchester as well. There were scenes of violent clashes between far right protesters and police, a number of whose officers were injured when they had things like bricks and bottles thrown at them.

There were also violent scenes when anti-racist protesters and far right protesters managed to get to one another. For the most part, they were kept apart by police officers. We also saw vehicles being set on fire. There were also reports of looting in some instances as well.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying that the police had the government's full backing to try to keep the streets of Britain safe and to take full measures that were necessary against those that, in his words, were looking to sow hate.

Now, these protests began in the wake of this stabbing that, as I say, left three girls killed, seriously injured eight others and left two adults in hospital. There was misinformation spread on social media, particularly X that said that the perpetrator was a recent migrant and who was Muslim. As a result of this misinformation, the judge presiding the case took the unusual step of lifting reporting restrictions on the 17-year-old-boy who turns out to be born in Cardiff, in Wales, and whose parents came to the U.K. in the wake of the Rwandan genocide. They came from that country.

Now, the 17-year-old boy, one Axel Rudakubana, has been remanded in custody.

[03:35:02]

In other words, he's been kept in prison until his pre-trial hearing, which is expected to take place in October.

Elliott Gotkine, CNN, London.

KINKADE: We are learning more about an attack on Friday on a beach restaurant in the Somali capital of Mogadishu that left at least 32 people dead and injured dozens. State media, say a Somali militant group used a suicide bomb, five attackers who reportedly killed, but it's unclear what happened at the six. A witness says he saw some people bleeding and crying after a huge blast filled the room with smoke.

Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for that attack, saying they were targeting Somali officials and officers. That was according to analysts.

Well, Venezuelans came out in droves on Saturday at home and abroad to march in rallies supporting either the opposition coalition or the incumbent president, Nicolas Maduro.

Journalist Stefano Pozzebon brings us the latest from Caracas.

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: Caracas saw two competing rallies this Saturday. Here we're coming to you from the pro-government rally, where Nicolas Maduro is using the public workers and the machinery of the state to move the people and reinforce his claim that he won the election with 51 percent of the vote.

Earlier this Saturday, opposition protesters also took to the streets in another rally where Maria Corina Machado, the opposition leader who has been in hiding for a few days, was present. Caracas did not see major clashes this Saturday as the two marches were separate one from each other. But the situation remains very tense and there is the distinct presence of fear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFAEL MOLINA, OPPOSITION SUPPORTER: Very worried about being here in the streets. I'm actually afraid to just walk here or to post something on social media. I don't even know if I'm safe in my house. And that doesn't stop me, but I still want to do something about this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: The opposition has presented more than 22,000 ballots so far, and yet Nicolas Maduro is refusing to release any further documentation. More and more, it looks like that the only solution from these Venezuelan standstill can be provided by the international community, who is urging and putting pressure on the government to release all the data.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Caracas.

KINKADE: Well, Tropical Storm Debby is strengthening as it heads towards Florida's Gulf Coast. The latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center shows the outer bands of Debby impacting parts of the Lower Keys and Southwest Florida. Debby is expected to make landfall in the big bend area of northern Florida sometime Monday.

CNM meteorologist Allison Chinchar joins us in studio now with the latest. Good to have you with us.

So, talk to us about this track that Debby's making. What sort of strength and speed is it picking up and what's expected to happen when it makes landfall?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, there's been a lot of changes in the last 24 hours, notably that it's moving a little bit farther west. The concern there is it's over open water, very warm water, and it's now having the chance to strengthen a little bit more than originally anticipated.

So, still right now, Tropical Storm Debby sustained winds of 45 miles per hour gusting to 60, but because it's going to move into this open water, we actually anticipate this storm will make it to hurricane strength before it makes landfall. So, here you can see some of those outer bands already starting to spread across portions of southern half of Florida and some very heavy rain across the keys. You have a lot of these watches and warnings up and down the western side of Florida, including the red color here that indicates the hurricane warnings.

Tropical storm warnings for the southwestern portion because it's not expected to be as strong there, still dumping a tremendous amount of rain. And flooding is going to be the big concern. When you look at the storm surge totals, places like Tampa, Naples, you're looking at three to five feet. But this area right here, which is commonly known as the Big Bend region of Florida, six to ten feet above that ground level.

So, again, you're talking pretty significant flooding for a lot of those homes and businesses that would be right there near the water. But that's just storm surge. Now, we factor in a lot of the rainfall. Look at this, widespread areas of four to six inches. So, you're talking well over 100 to 200 millimeters total.

But it keeps going because notice, that's not just in the area of Florida. You're talking Georgia, South and even North Carolina, all of these areas getting a tremendous amount of rain, because this system is expected to slow down. And when it does, it's got a lot of time to dump a tremendous amount of rain. So, you have a moderate risk for three days in a row for somewhat different areas in terms of flooding.

So, it's mainly going to be focused over Florida for today. Monday, it's Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, and then it begins to spread northward on Tuesday. Again, the main concern here is that just not really moving all that much. You can see up to landfall is expected likely very early Monday morning, but then when it gets back out over here, it just kind of sits, Lynda.

[03:40:06]

It doesn't really do much, and that's the concern for where the flooding comes from.

KINKADE: Yes, major concerns, and, of course, the governors of Florida and Georgia are already declaring states of emergency in preparation for what's to come. Allison Chinchar, good to have you with us. Thank you.

Well, another nail-biting and history defining day at the Paris Games. When we come back, we'll unpack all the action that unfolded on Saturday, and look ahead to today's events.

Stay with us.

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KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Linda Kinkade.

The excitement and medal count continues to grow at the Paris Games. China still holds the lead with the most gold medals. Team USA is close behind but leads the pack with the most overall medals. France and Australia are each tied with 12 gold medals.

Well, looking ahead to Sunday's must-see events, the men's 100 meter final, where America now allows once to break Usain Bolt's world record. And last night, a swimming for men and women featured four finals, and a rematch of Wimbledon, as Spain's Carlos Alcaraz goes off against Serbian legend Novak Djokovic in the men's final at Roland- Garros.

It was an action-packed Saturday saw Team USA superstars Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky go for gold, and stunning upsets from the Netherlands and tiny island nation St. Lucia. CNN's Coy Wire has the latest from the City of Lights.

COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: We have a new fastest woman on the planet. It was pouring down rain in Stade de France. There were puddles on the track. Crowd was hype. No Jamaican Sprint Queen Shelly-Ann Fraser Price though. She was a late scratch from the event. It was Julien Alfred of St. Lucia, shocking the world, making history in the 100- meter dash. She beat out American star Cha'Carri Richardson to take the gold.

[03:45:00]

It's the first ever Olympic medal of any kind for St. Lucia in any sport. It's an island nation of just about 180,000 people.

The reigning world champion, Richardson, on a redemption tour after missing the Tokyo Games due to testing positive for THC, was clapping afterwards, showing great sportsmanship. Her teammate, Melissa Jefferson, took the bronze.

Drama in the 400-meter mixed relay, Americans had an enormous lead at the final turn. The Netherlands' Femke Bol was behind by about 12 meters, but apparently for the Dutch, that ain't much. On the final stretch, the defending world 400-meter hurdle champ came out of nowhere to take the lead and the gold. The Americans just set the world record yesterday in qualifiers. That stays intact by just two one hundredths of a second. Team G.B. the bronze.

More history, Team USA's two-time defending Olympic shot put champion Ryan Crouser has done it again, gold for a third straight Olympics. Nobody's ever done that before. He's self-coached, practices on his property back home at 31 years old. He battled back, right back to the top of the mountain. American Joe Kovacs took the silver. And how about Jamaica's Rajindra Campbell taking brone.

Katie Ledecky, the stuff of legend, winning her fourth straight Olympic gold in the 800-meter free. She beat out her rival, Ariarne Titmus of Australia, by more than a second. American Paige Madden took the bronze. Ledecky, the fastest swimmer in the world in her event over a span of 12 years. She's 27 years old, most decorated female American Olympian of all time, 14 medals in all, four of them coming here in Paris, and she's never ruled out going for more in L.A. and 2028.

Canadian teen sensation Summer McIntosh has done it again, beating out America's Kate Douglas and Australia's Kaylee McKeown to win another gold at just 17 years old. She already set a new Olympic record in the 200 flies. She's the first Canadian to win three gold medals in the games.

Simone Biles, another gold, reclaiming her Olympic title in vault from 2016. She did the Yurchenko double pike, a vault that includes a full extra flip, one more than any other gymnast there. She says she's terrified every time she does it. After landing, she smiled inside. Simone became just the second ever to win two Olympic vault titles. Rebecca Andrade of Brazil took the silver. Jade Kerry took the bronze. Here's Simone smiling still after the big moment.

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SIMONE BILES, TEAM USA: I'm really excited to be competing again, and obviously the negative comments. They're painful after a certain point, they hurt, but I'm still in therapy working on all that stuff to just make sure my mental health is well. But they're really quiet now, so that's strange.

But, no, after all these years of putting the mental work in, it's paid off, so I'm super excited to be on this stage again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Simone Biles now has three golds at these Paris Olympics with a chance at two more. And the way things are going, maybe we can count on it.

KINKADE: Our thanks to Coy Wire there.

Well, Ukrainians are watching from the Fazoin in Paris as their women's team competed in saber fencing, and they won gold.

That is Ukraine's first gold medal in the Paris Olympics. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy posting on X, I thank them for the result, for the spirit, for showing that Ukrainians can win, a welcome moment to celebrate for the population of the war-torn country.

Well, these Paris Games have been very successful for Chinese badminton star Huang Yaqiong, and her story has given new meaning to those symbolic Olympic rings. First, she won gold with her teammate, defeating South Korea in the mixed doubles, final, and then her boyfriend and fellow team member dropped to his knee and popped the question on live television. The crowds cheered as Huang said yes and he slipped on an engagement ring.

Well according to olympics.com this isn't the first engagement at the Paris Games. Two Argentinean athletes said, I will, in the Olympic village earlier. Congratulations to them.

Well, still to come, heat waves are gripping parts of the world. Battling those scorching temperatures can do a number on your body and your mind. We'll have the details ahead.

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KINKADE: Welcome back. The Park Fire is continuing to ravage parts of Northern California. It's now burned more than 400,000 acres and destroyed more than 560 buildings. The massive fire started just a week-and-a-half ago and is already the fourth largest wildfire in Californian history. Fire officials say it's only 28 percent contained and it's still spreading rapidly. Well, the Earth just saw its hottest day on record last month, and as we see spiking heat triggering extreme weather, it's also important to understand how it affects our bodies.

CNN's Laura Paddison hops into a heat chamber to find out.

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LAURA PADDISON, CNN SENIOR CLIMATE EDITOR: Everything that's going on with my body made that hard.

We are here at the University of South Wales in the U.K., and behind me here is an environmental chamber where scientists can control the temperature. And so they're going to crank the temperature up to about 40 degrees Celsius, 104 degrees Fahrenheit. And the whole point of this exercise is to see what impact extreme heat has on my body.

This on my head is measuring brain blood flow. Here is measuring skin temperature on my leg. They're going to be looking at cognitive functions, like how is my decision-making affected by the heat? We need to understand what it's going to be like living in a much hotter world.

DAMIAN BAILEY, PROFESSOR OF PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH WALES: Okay, Laura, so you're fully instrumented. You're ready for action, ready for liftoff.

PADDISON: It's 40 degrees now, 20 percent humidity, and I can really feel it starting to sweat.

[03:55:00]

My face is getting very hot. My skin temperature's gone up by a couple of degrees.

BAILEY: You're doing a really good job here.

PADDISON: It's 40 degrees Celsius, but it's 85 percent humidity, and the difference is intense. It's like a sauna in here. This is really, really tough. My hands feel a bit shaky. Everything feels tiring. Even breathing feels weird.

BAILEY: Stop, great job.

PADDISON: Thank you.

BAILEY: Mission accomplished. So it's not easy. Now, you've got a markedly depressed increase in exercise induced blood flow to the brain. It's gone from 600 milliliters per minute to 400.

PADDISON: That's really significant.

BAILEY: Which is huge. You're not getting enough fuel into the brain. You're not burning enough fuel to be able to make the right decisions. You would make potentially wrong decisions, rash decisions and a much larger increase in pressure during exercise. So, your heart is working a lot harder, probably about 30 percent harder just because of that increase in temperature and humidity.

Older patients, you know, this is a big deal for them. And they wouldn't be able to do the simplest tasks, even stand up to get out of a chair. From a cardiovascular perspective, that would just be too demanding.

PADDISON: We're seeing now around the world is this really humid heat that is pushing places to the limits of survivability? We're seeing stronger heat waves, more humid weather, and the impacts on the body are pretty overwhelming.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, that does it for this edition of CNN Newsroom. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

Stay with us. The news continues with Kim Brunhuber in just a moment.

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