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Growing Diplomatic Efforts To Avoid Wider War In Region; Israel Bracing For Potential Attacks By Iran And Hezbollah; Sudzha Mayor: Situation "Tense" Amid Kyiv's Incursion; Muhammad Yunus to Return to Lead Interim Government in Bangladesh; Harris, Walz Campaign in Wisconsin and Michigan; Republicans Attack Walz Over His Visits to China; Starliner Safety Issues Leave Astronauts Stuck on ISS; Scientists Discover Arm Bone of Extinct Hobbit People. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired August 08, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:42]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our -- excuse me -- to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm John Vause. Just ahead here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW MILLER, SPOKESMAN, UNITED STATES STATE DEPARTMENT: Look, this is obviously a very delicate time for the region.

VAUSE (voice over): A ceasefire agreement in Gaza hangs in the balance, as Iran and its proxy Hezbollah, inch closer than ever to a major strike on Israel.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna have been canceled in connection with a planned terror attack.

VAUSE (voice over): Almost 200,000 Taylor Swift fans all in the crosshairs of two alleged terrorists with ISIS-K.

And on Wednesday, Britain's silent majority made their voices heard, bringing a pause to more than a week of violent protests by far-right extremists and thugs.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: It's Just gone 9:30 in the morning in Tehran, and an advisory to Egyptian air traffic to avoid Iranian airspace ended about three hours ago.

The warning had been in place for about three hours, and with tensions at breaking point across the region, there was concern that could have been a window for Iran to launch a major strike on Israel, retaliation for Israeli assassinations of a senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, while he was visiting Tehran last week.

So, for now, though, the waiting continues and Israel bracing for an attack, not just by Iran, but also from the Iranian backed militant group Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon.

A senior leader with Hezbollah was also assassinated last week by Israel. The latest U.S. intelligence believes an attack by the militant group which has more than 100,000 rockets and missiles on Israel's northern border could come at any time, independently of any action taken by Iran.

And at an urgent meeting, Wednesday by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Saudi Arabia described the assassination of Haniyeh as a blatant violation of Iran's sovereignty. Still, a flurry of diplomacy by the U.S. continues across the region, urging Israel, Iran, and Hezbollah to stand down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MILLER: We would hope that at that OIC meeting, the same thing happens that we have been hope -- that we have been trying to effectuate throughout the last week, which is that all parties that have a relationship with Iran impress upon Iran the same way that we've been impressing upon the government of Israel that they shouldn't take any steps to escalate the conflict.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Just Elliott Gotkine has reported extensively from the region. He joins us now live from Manchester in England.

So, Elliott, just start with Hezbollah and their possible attack here. There's U.S. intelligence that says, they may, in fact, go it alone. What do we know about that?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN JOURNALIST: Yes, that's what we understand from U.S. intelligence and also U.S. military officials, saying that, look, because Hezbollah is literally on Israel's doorstep, it could strike with little to no notice.

And, of course, Hezbollah itself, as you mentioned, has its own personal act to grind, despite, you know, it's -- you know, they are being backed by Iran and being Iran's most important proxy in the region.

Hezbollah has its own ax to grind with regards to the assassination of its top military commander, Fuad Shukr in Beirut, just last week as well, which in its -- which itself was Israel said, you know, in retaliation for a missile, which it says came from Hezbollah, which killed those 12 children in Majdal Shams, in the Israeli occupied Golan Heights.

I should also note that on Wednesday, there were another 10 projectiles, Israel said, that were fired by Hezbollah, along with three drones towards Israel, and that Israel retaliated, it says, by destroying the launcher for some of those. And so, you know, we're seeing the ongoing, simmering conflict, but we still haven't seen the big one, the big response that everyone is expecting. And of course, you know when it comes -- you know, it could come, as we understand it, independently of Iran, though presumably Hezbollah will, of course, be coordinating.

But because of its proximity to Israel and because of that arsenal of weapons, there is the possibility we understand that it could act alone from U.S. intelligence officials.

But it's also worth noting that the general consensus is that Hezbollah doesn't want a war with Israel. It's got this huge arsenal, and that is generally seen as a deterrent to Israel, particularly vis- a-vis any possibility of Iran taking out Iran's nuclear facilities. And so, won't want to. use up, you know, that dry powder, if you like.

[02:05:02]

But at the same time, it will clearly have to be careful with if it does carry out, you know, a significant attack on Israel, because, inevitably, there will be another retaliation from Israel, and things can escalate from there, John.

VAUSE: Yes, that's the problem. Yes, one strike begets another.

What we know, though, specifically about what Iran is planning, it seems that this is going on for quite some time. It's the concern here, the longer the plans go on, the more severe, the more serious the strike could be.

GOTKINE: I think from what we understand from U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence is that Iran is still pondering exactly how to respond. You recall back in April, with that barrage of somewhat 300 missiles and drones that Iran fired towards Israel. That, that was a couple of weeks after Israel took out a senior IRGC official in a -- Iranian consulate compound in the Syrian capital Damascus.

So, it does seem to bide its time. It will, of course, be trying to work out how it can best calibrate its response. It says that it wants to still, in its words from the from its mission to the United Nations, it still intends to punish Israel, but also to restore some kind of deterrence to Israel, to stop Israel from doing anything like that.

Again, it's worth noting, of course, that Israel has still yet to claim the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, in an apartment block in Tehran. And at the same time, Israel's Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, saying in response to Yahya Sinwar, the military leader of Hamas who's believed to be underground in Gaza, in a tunnel somewhere after he was appointed the replacement, if you like, of Ismail Haniyeh, Israel, saying that, you know, they will still -- they still have a target on his back, and their intention is still to take him out if and when they get the opportunity.

So, things still very tense. Israel still very much, you know, expecting and on edge, an expectation of some kind of retaliation from Hezbollah, from Iran, perhaps, a combination of Iran and some of its proxies.

But still my sign of precisely when that might come, but it is -- it is expected to come, and there are still very genuine concerns that that could drag -- that could escalate into all that war, and drag the region into a war as well. John.

VAUSE: Elliott, thank you. Elliott Gotkine, there, with some analysis and the very latest developments there from the Middle East. Thank you.

Ukraine special forces appear to carry out an overnight raid on a Black Sea Island under Russian control.

According to officials in Kyiv, Tendra Spit, which is actually a sort of land and not an island, was the target of this raid. Ukrainian officials say Russian equipment was destroyed and troops were wounded or injured or killed, and that the exact number not known at this point. Moscow, though, says the raid was actually thwarted.

Ukraine's announcement comes a day after a ground incursion into Russia several kilometers near the town of Sudzha. This geolocated footage shows the town has been taking artillery fire, which reportedly left more than 30 people wounded. Russia's president had to say this about the Ukrainian incursion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): We'll have to start with the events in the Kursk region. As you know, the Kyiv regime has undertaken another large-scale provocation, is conducting indiscriminate shelling with various types of weaponry, including missiles of civilian buildings, residential buildings, and ambulances.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: According to some reports, this was a major incursion by the Ukrainians with a number of brigades involved. Russian officials say the area remains under control, which can often be code for the area not being under control.

More now, from CNN's Nick Paton Walsh.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: We have been seeing, perhaps for two days now, is one of the most significant incursions into Russia since the start of the war, and total silence from Ukraine on the record about whether their troops are genuinely behind it.

In the past, we've seen Russian citizens volunteering to fight for Ukraine, making those short incursions into Russian territory.

But this, if you believe the Russian narrative, is potentially the Ukrainian regular military striding five kilometers, three miles deep into Russian territory, possibly further.

The target of much of the assault appears to be a town called Sudzha. Russia, calling this a major provocation. That's the words of President Vladimir Putin, suggesting that the Ukrainian has been firing on residential areas, but rich after Moscow has been doing that in Ukraine for over two years.

But he was assured by his chief of staff that the advance had been halted, a very different picture, though seen on social media videos, some suggesting, without what we can confirm ourselves, that even Russian servicemen were surrendering to Ukrainians, according some Ukrainian accounts, showing damage inside the town of Sudzha, and potentially a multi-pronged Ukrainian move inside of Russia.

Why? Well, some analysts are pointing towards a gas terminal near Sudzha, which controls Russian gas that moves through Ukraine to Europe, still now in the third year of the war.

[02:10:06]

That may now be under Ukrainian control, that may have been the objective, Kyiv often looking to get control or inflict damage or influence on Russian infrastructure.

But it's also a rare moment of good headlines for Ukraine in a war where they have seen the Donbas front line find Russian forces moving forward incrementally, deliberately, but very steadily, towards Ukrainian military harms.

It's been simply bad news for Kyiv for quite some time about manpower, and frankly, in public too, disputes about the effectiveness of so much of their military strategy. Those same disputes were around this day in reference to the incursion into Russia.

A questions about whether this is the best use of Ukraine's skin military resources. That question, I think, will persist in the days ahead as we learn exactly what the objectives of this incursion has been. But it has certainly caught the Kremlin off guard, scrambling to try and bring reinforcements to this area, and having to deal with a totally unexpected after so many months of Ukrainian probing around those border areas.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

VAUSE: With us now this hour from Washington, retired U.S. Air Force colonel and CNN military analyst, Cedric Leighton. Thanks for being with us.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: You. Bet, John. Good to be with you.

VAUSE: So, here is how Russia's highest ranking military leader described the clash with Ukrainian forces, which is ongoing on Russian soil. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VALERY GERASIMOV, CHIEF, RUSSIA'S GENERAL STAFF (via telephone): The enemy's losses amounted to 315 personnel, including at least 100 killed and 215 wounded. 54 armored vehicles were destroyed, including seven tanks. At the end of the operation, the enemy will be defeated, and our troops will reach the state border.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Forget everything, apart from the bit where he said, the enemy will be defeated, not has been. So, this appears to be a major incursion by Ukraine, by regular Ukrainian forces, two brigades, perhaps, not, anti-Putin Russian militia. And it seems they have some momentum, and it continues shooting down helicopters, capturing Russian troops, and by some reports, the Russians are in disarray.

How much of this do you believe? How much of this is going on? What do we know about this, from your point of view? What is credible here?

LEIGHTON: Yes, this is going to be a really interesting story to really unscramble, John. I think what we're really seeing here is, in fact, a major incursion by the Ukrainians. Now, is this going to change the outcome of the war? No. But is it going to change the way in which Ukraine is perceived in Russia and basically among their own population, as well as in the West? Yes, I think it probably will.

So, what we are seeing, I believe, is a movement by the Ukrainians to capture some territory, perhaps, that a gas pipeline, that transshipment point within that pipeline that could have a major impact, because it turns out that 50 percent of Russia's gas actually goes through that pipeline at that particular location, that is the gas that's exported to Europe.

And that's a major, major piece for the Russian economy. And if the Ukrainians gain leverage over that and turn that off, that would not only affect Europe, but it would also affect Russia's ability to collect some of the -- some of the monies that they have collected, even during the -- this war, in spite of the sanctions.

And from a military standpoint, what this does is it gives the Ukrainians an opportunity to force the Russians to move some of their forces from other areas where the Ukrainians are feeling pressures, such as in the Donbas region, especially around the town of Pokrovsk.

So, that is going to make, I think, a big difference in this particular case, but it shows that the Ukrainians are willing to try some fairly audacious tactics at this particular point in time. And that much, I think, is fairly certain.

VAUSE: OK. So, here's the thing. You make a very good point there about the gas pipeline and, you know, the choke point there. But this is not without risk. It is a very risky play, at least according to some.

Ukraine analysts from the Blackbird group in Finland wrote this. "It's still not sure what the goal here is. According to unreliable reports, Ukraine has concentrated elements from two to four brigades in the area. These we gravely needed in the east."

And the point is that this is a country which is stretched thin. It's a 700-mile-long border, which its military is struggling to defend right now. The Russians certainly have been, you know, chipping away at the Ukrainian defense forces.

So, this could either be a brilliant tactical move or a total disaster.

LEIGHTON: That's right. And I think we're basically working on the knife's edge -- it could -- if it succeeds, be that brilliant move that we read about in history books, or it could be the disaster that is, you know, a complete, you know, complete mess.

So, hopefully, for the Ukrainian side, it turns out to be the former. I -- in this particular case, I think what the Ukrainians are trying to do is they are trying to, at least, achieve some territorial gains that they can then use, potentially to swap land with the Russians if and when there are some peace negotiations.

[02:15:14]

So, I think that might be the real effort here. Certainly, they're putting pressure on the Russians. They are surprising them, and for the moment, at least, that is a good thing for the Ukrainians.

VAUSE: I guess it shakes things up, if nothing else. But another problem here all it seems to be it was a bit of a surprise at the White House. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: But as for the specific operation, we are going to reach out to them to see what their objective is, and continue to stay focused. We are going to continue to stay focused on making sure they have what they need to defend themselves against Russia's aggression.

PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS CHANNEL WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Was the White House made aware prior to?

JEAN-PIERRE: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Is this the type of military action, which the U.S. should have been told about ahead of time?

LEIGHTON: Well, from the Ukrainian standpoint, probably not because they wanted to keep operational security a paramount consideration as they were developing this plan, and then executing this plan.

So, the fewer people that we talk to about it, the better off they are, in their view. Should the U.S. have been notified? Well, apparently, they are not using U.S. weapons in a way that's unauthorized, if at all. And in this particular case, the U.S. basically has allowed this kind of action to occur and for the Ukrainians to control the tempo of their actions, as well as the actions themselves. VAUSE: Thank you for the clarification. Cedric Leighton, always good to see you, sir. Thank you.

LEIGHTON: You bet, John. Good to be with you.

VAUSE: Russian dissident, Oleg Orlov, who was released in last week's historic prisoner swap, has hinted at ongoing discussions with future exchanges. He also says he never wanted to leave Russia in the first place.

Orlov is a former head of the human rights organization, Memorial, which was banned in Russia in 2021. Then, while a share (PH) of the Nobel Peace Prize a year later. Orlov was arrested for criticizing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLEG ORLOV, FREED RUSSIAN HUMAN RIIGHTS ACTIVIST (through translator): The opposition itself being abroad, no, of course not. It cannot achieve anything on its own. And this can only be achieved by huge, complex actions from all sides and with a good set of circumstances.

That is why I say that helping Ukraine is the most important thing for Russia. If we want to think about the future of Russia as democratic, free, and non-threatening to the outside world state, then, it is necessary to help Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: In a moment, here on CNN, 200,000 disappointed Taylor Swift fans, as Austrian authorities canceled three Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna over an alleged terrorist plot.

Also, reclaiming Britain's streets from far-right extremists. How a peaceful anti-racism protesters ended a week of outrage and violence.

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[02:20:06]

VAUSE: 19 minutes past the hour, welcome back.

Three Taylor Swift concerts scheduled for this weekend in Vienna have been canceled after police say the stadium where Swift was scheduled to perform was the target of a possible terrorist attack.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is following development. She joins us live from Hong Kong.

Early days in the investigation, but we're still learning more about who was supposed to be behind this attack and where they are from.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's still very much early on investigation, John. We don't know the nature of the planning in this plot, how far along it was, but already, we know that the ripple effects here are massive. Taylor Swift's three concerts in Austria have been canceled, this after Austrian police arrested two people on suspicion applauding a terror attack.

Now, she was scheduled to perform three shows in Vienna, starting tonight, August 8th, as well as the 9th and the 10th. And police, they were expecting around 65,000 people attending each show, and up to 15,000 additional people outside the stadium without tickets. So, that fed security concerns.

Now, on social media, we heard from Barracuda Music. This is the promoter for Swift's concerts in Austria, and the if issued the following statement, let's bring it up for you, saying this, "With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone's safety."

Now, Swift's official web site says all tickets for the shows will be automatically refunded.

Let's talk about the arrests. On Wednesday morning, police arrested a 19-year-old Austrian citizen, who is a sympathizer of Islamic State. This arrest, let's bring up the map for you, it took place in turn in Ternitz, which is located south of Vienna.

And there, that's where officials found chemical substances at the suspect's home. So, that's a possible link to bomb making. Later on Wednesday, they detained another person in Vienna. And police say that the two suspects, they were radicalized on the Internet, and they were taking, "concrete measures" for a terror attack, and they assumed target were events in the greater Vienna region.

Austrian police, they also add this is interesting that "further detentions"" have been made in relation to this terror plot, and they have also increased surveillance as a result. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERHARD PURSTL, PRESIDENT, VIENNA STATE POLICE (voice over): The concrete danger has been minimized, but there is an abstract increased danger. We have, therefore, increased surveillance to the extent that we will, in any case, carry out increased searches, both on site and during access controls.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, these canceled shows, they were part of the record- breaking Eras Tour, which started in March 2023, started in Arizona, set to end December of this year, December the 8th in Vancouver. CNN has reached out to Taylor Swift's team for comment. We are still awaiting a response. John.

VAUSE: Kristie, thank you.

Kristie Lu Stout, live for us there in Hong Kong with the very latest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: This was the scene Wednesday, thousands of anti-racism demonstrators gathering in dozens of cities and towns across the U.K.

The often-silent majority turning out to stand up to bigots and thugs behind days of anti-immigrant violence. And the racists and thugs were indeed a no show.

Police had been bracing for a day of clashes to far-right groups held on social media had called for the targeting of immigration and visa processing centers.

We have more now from CNN's Clare Sebastian.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're here in the East London, there were rumors that far-right groups would target an immigration lawyer's office.

You can see that it was boarded up already before this even started. But what we got instead was a very large counter protest, anti-racism groups, members of the local community coming out and really trying to shift the narrative of the past week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a lot of community cohesion here. Walthamstow has always been like that for the EDL or the far-right, to target this kind of area. The reason they are doing it is because they know that they are going to create disharmony, or they're going to try to create the disharmony and stuff here. But it's just shows everybody's very strong here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, there is no space for fascists here, and that's who they are.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a Muslim woman as well, thoughts do creep up into my head, am I safe? Am I able to walk on the streets without being attacked. And to come here and to see that, yes, I am safe, because the people within my community are against this, and are shown that they are against this is also a sign of relief.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Black and white, unite and fight!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Together we are going to fight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Together we are going to fight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Black and white, unite and fight!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: And the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer did promise that those involved in violent protests would feel the full force of the law. That has already started to play out. We got the first sentences handed down on Wednesday to those involved in the violence. They range from 20 months to three years, they were fast tracked through the courts.

[02:25:04]

And here in London, there was a heavy police presence. The Met Police had made an extra 1,300 officers available. But in East London, a sense of relief, a sense of community spirit, and no sign of the violence that we have seen over the past week.

Clare Sebastian CNN, London.

VAUSE: The recent violent protests were fueled by misinformation and prejudice, leaving many Muslims and other minorities questioning their own personal safety in the U.K.

Former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf, says he is concerned about his kids.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUMZA YOUSAF, FORMER FIRST MINISTER OF SCOTLAND: How is the last week felt? It's felt frankly bloody horrendous. I mean, I am, as you just said a moment ago, I'm Scottish as they come. I was born in Scotland, raised in Scotland. I don't want to leave Scotland. I was the leader of the Scottish government for over a year, leader of the Scottish National Party. I'm as Scottish as they come (PH).

But in the last week, I have genuine doubts about whether or not my children will be safe in the United Kingdom. How can I say otherwise, when Black and Asian people have been targeted with violence, when mosques have been attacked, when the most violent Islamophobia has been chanted on our streets.

And I don't have any other home. This is the only home I have. So, I have to say every Muslim I know in the United Kingdom, and I suspect this is true across many parts of Europe too, they are questioning whether or not the future for their children is in the United Kingdom, and whether they can be safe here or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Coming up, the possible dawn of a new era of Bangladesh, hopes of thousands of protesters as a new interim government leader, starts to take work. More on that in a moment.

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VAUSE: In the next few hours, Bangladesh will have its new interim head of government, Muhammad Yunus is expected to arrive in the country or be sworn into office, marking the end of weeks of protests amid a deadly government crackdown.

Yunus is an 8-year-old banker, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his pioneering work in micro financing, developing small micro loans, which lifted a lot of people at Bangladesh out of poverty.

Student protesters called for him to temporarily lead the nation. Anna Coren, joins us live from Hong Kong. This is a guy who was a very popular choice. I guess, you know, we're seeing how popular he is right now by how he's being greeted as he returns to the country.

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, John. Muhammad Yunus is en route to Dhaka from Paris. He's expected to land in less than two hours, and there is so much, you know, hope and expectation that he will be able to form this stable interim government that so many people are craving to restore law and order, and really to return Bangladesh to democratic rule.

[02:30:10]

As you mentioned, he is a Nobel Peace Prize winner. He is founder of Grameen Bank, which created this microcredit and financing for the poor. And he has been asked, John, to head an interim government following the mass student-led protests and the violent government crackdown that ensued, that saw more than 300 students killed and ultimately, lead to the toppling of Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government.

Now, over her years in power, she had grown increasingly authoritarian and had crushed all dissent and opposition. Now, Yunus, he congratulated the brave students who took the lead in the protests. But he has also appealed for calm, warning, and let me read to you what he issued in a statement. "Let us make the best use of our new victory. Let us not let this slip away because of our mistakes. I fervently appeal to everybody to stay calm. Please refrain from all kinds of violence. Violence is our enemy. Please don't create more enemies, be calm and get ready to build the country."

Let's have a listen to what but Yunus told reporters at Charles de Gaulle Airport before he boarded his flight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MUHAMMAD YUNUS, NOBEL LAUREATE, BANKER: Just I'm looking forward to going back home and see what is happening there, and how we can organize ourselves to get out of the trouble that we are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: John, let's recap really what has happened in Bangladesh this last month. I think a lot of people probably have been caught up in the news cycle and not aware of what has taken place. But this began is a student-led protest at the beginning of July. It was over a quota system that gave preferential treatment in government jobs. Now, this then morphed into something far greater when Hasina ordered her police, her security forces to crack down on the protesters, leading to the deaths of more than 300 over the following month.

And it really reached a tipping point last Sunday when protesters gathered in the tens of thousands on the street, calling on Hasina to resign. And I think it is important for our international audience to know that her father was the founder of Bangladesh when it was liberated from Pakistan in 1971. Well, she responded in force on the weekend and nearly 100 protesters were killed on Sunday in what was the deadliest single day of protests. Then, at the beginning of this week, on Monday, protesters began their march towards her residence. Hasina then fled the country by helicopter, flying to India, really leaving her country in chaos.

Now, this power vacuum has really caused a great deal of concern within Bangladesh and amongst its neighbors, particularly India. There have been attacks on the Hindu minority, which make up something like 8 percent of the population, a population of more than 170 million people which are predominantly Muslim. We know that Hindu homes, temples have been attacked, and neighboring India is extremely concerned that there will be this mass exodus of Hindus trying to flee across the border. So obviously, Muhammad Yunus arriving in Bangladesh in the next few hours, there are real hopes, John, that he will be able to bring peace and stability.

VAUSE: Yeah, after the riots on the streets, (inaudible) celebrations on the streets, I guess, for his arrival there in Bangladesh. And I thank Anna Coren, live for us in Hong Kong.

Now to the race to the White House, Democrat Kamala Harris rallies voters in Michigan and Wisconsin Wednesday. She (inaudible) capitalize on the Midwestern appeal of her newly announced running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. They'll campaign in Arizona and Nevada this weekend. And on her visit to Detroit, Harris addressed a raucous crowd chanting, lock him up. That's referring to Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, (D) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Someone who suggests we should terminate the Constitution of the United States should never again stand behind the seal of the President of the United States.

(CROWD CHEERING)

HARRIS: We believe in the promise of America.

(CROWD CHEERING)

HARRIS: And are we ready to fight for it?

CROWD: Yes.

GOV. TIM WALZ, (D-MN) DEMOCRATIC VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: These ideas that they are putting out there, they are weird as hell. No one is asking for it. No one is asking for it. We are asking a fair shot. We are asking for health care and childcare. We are asking for an education. We are asking for safety in our streets. And we are going to get it because that is what this campaign is about. It is about moving forward.

(CROWD CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Republican Vice Presidential Nominee J.D. Vance also made stops in Wisconsin and Michigan. He took aim at the economic record of the Biden-Harris Administration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE, (R-OH) REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We have a country that is going in the wrong direction, thanks to Kamala Harris, and I think that it is important to say we could be doing so much better. And not just that we could be doing so much better, we were doing so much better when Donald J. Trump was president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:35:00]

VAUSE: Now, his sudden rise to national prominence, Tim Walz is under growing scrutiny from Republicans who are looking to attack his record, anything really, and that includes his long history with China. GOP seizing on dozens of visits to the country over the past 35 years. Walz taking students on school trips, he even went there on his honeymoon. More now from CNN's Will Ripley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the summer of 1989, about two months after China's military massacre, pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square, Tim Walz, an American teacher fresh out of college, traveled halfway around the world to China, paying respects in Beijing where so many people died.

WALZ: I felt it was more important than ever to go, to make sure that story was told and to let Chinese -- the Chinese people know we were standing there, we were with them.

HARRIS: Welcome the next Vice President of the United States, Tim Walz.

RIPLEY (voice-over): 35 years before becoming the Democratic nominee for vice president, Walz volunteered to spend a year in China, teaching English and American history to mainland Chinese students. The Nebraska native, later telling his hometown newspapers, he who is treated like a king and there was no anti-American feeling whatsoever.

Walz moved to Minnesota, teaching high school there for years. He got married on June 4, 1994, the fifth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. He wanted to have a date he'll always remember, his wife told a local paper at the time. They spent their honeymoon taking students on a two-week tour of China, Hong Kong, and Macau. Those student trips became a summer tradition.

CARA ROEMHILDT, STUDENT OF TIM WALZ: I will go back in a heartbeat, in a heartbeat, because it wasn't political for us. It wasn't any of that. It was -- it was an educational trip with one of our favorite teachers.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Cara Roemhildt says, she and her classmates still talk about their trip to China with Mr. Walz in 1998.

ROEMHILDT: It felt very, very comfortable and we went all over, you know, train rides, a whole bunch of different places. Just seeing a different culture, and having respect for it while seeing it. Knowing that it is different, but knowing that that is OK too.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Since entering politics in 2006, Walz has consistently criticized China's human rights record. In congress, he co-sponsored a resolution condemning the arrest of Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo. He also met with the exiled Dalai Lama in 2016.

WALZ: (Inaudible), Governor Tim Walz here. Happy Chinese New Year.

RIPLEY (voice-over): All the while advocating empathy for everyday Chinese people. Supporters say his understanding of the country could lead to more informed, pragmatic policies. Critics like Republican Richard Grenell, a former Trump Ambassador to Germany, label Walz pro- China. And on China's tightly controlled internet, some question Walz's reasons for traveling to China the same year as the Tiananmen protests.

1989, great timing, the years he was in China make him suspicious, comments untouched by government censors.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY (on camera): But they are censoring CNN's live signal inside China. Earlier, when this report aired, they went to (inaudible) the minute that we started talking about Tiananmen Square, and this illustrates the challenge that China will face in portraying Tim Walz. Yes, he made around 30 trips to China. He humanizes the Chinese people. He knows how things work over there, but he has also co- sponsored a series of resolutions supporting human rights in China and Hong Kong, and has been a fierce critic of the Chinese government.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

VAUSE: With that, we'll take a short break. You're watching CNN.

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VAUSE: Officials at NASA are divided over the safety of Boeing's Starliner. Two U.S. astronauts have been marooned on the International Space Station for more than 60 days now. And there is concerns about using the Starliner to return them to earth. Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore were scheduled to stay a few days on the ISS, but now, they could be stuck there for six more months. (Inaudible) Boeing Starliner that brought them to the ISS has issues with its thrusters. NASA officials are not sure how the problems might affect the Starliner on the return flight. Officials are looking at other contingency plans, including bringing the astronauts back on a SpaceX vehicle which will be arriving in February 2025.

Scientists this week announced the discovery of an arm bone from an extinct species of tiny hobbit-sized humans. The fragment of an adult's upper arm bone is about 700,000 years old. Researchers say it belongs to a species discovered over 20 years ago on an Indonesian island of Flores. Scientists think this individual should be one meter tall, about three feet -- little itty-bitty.

Analysis was published Tuesday in Journal of "Nature Communications" are finding support for the island effect theory, which holds that larger bodied mammals living on the islands diminish in size, over time, become little itty-bitty humans like that one there.

VAUSE: Thank you for watching "CNN Newsroom." I'm John Vause. "World Sport" is next. "CNN Newsroom" continues with Max Foster in London at the top of the hour where it is going on until 9 a.m.

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