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Gaza School Strike Aftermath; Trump Campaign Says It was Hacked; Paris Olympics Coming to a Close. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired August 11, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:00]

ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all our viewers watching around the world. I'm Anna Coren.

Ahead on CNN Newsroom, the world is still hopeful for a ceasefire agreement in Gaza as leaders condemn an Israeli military strike on a school.

U.S. Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump says his campaign was hacked. The details who he says was behind it.

And as the final events of the Paris Olympics gets underway, we'll speak to one California senator about the excitement building around the next summer games in Los Angeles.

World leaders are condemning Israel's deadly strike on a school in Gaza. Gaza officials say the strike killed at least 93 Palestinians. CNN cannot confirm that number. But in the wake of the attack, more countries are stressing the need for a ceasefire and hostage release deal. Israel says the school housed a Hamas command and control center, and that a top Islamic jihad commander was likely at the school.

The White House says it's deeply concerned about the reports of civilian deaths. Vice President Kamala Harris went further saying it's time for a ceasefire and hostage release agreement now.

Journalist Elliott Gotkine joins us now live from London with more on the strike and reaction to it. Elliott, Israel defending the strike, but how is it reacting to the international condemnation?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Anna, I suppose we can summarize its reaction with three words, explain, name and blame. It has released a flurry of statements in the wake of this strike, stressing how it used precise intelligence, small munitions and aerial surveillance in order to try to minimize civilian casualties. We understand from a senior U.S. official that Israel has also told the U.S. that it used three small munitions, one of which CNN has identified with the help of a munitions expert as being made by Boeing of the United States.

At the same time, it took the unusual -- not unprecedented, but unusual step of very swiftly naming 19 of the two dozen militants that it says were killed in that strike hailing from Hamas and Islamic Jihad. And as you say, among them, it believes is likely to have been a senior Islamic Jihad commander.

And, finally, it has been blaming Hamas. It has said, and it's been quite consistent saying this throughout the ten months of fighting, saying that Hamas has been exploiting school buildings from where civilians have often where civilians are sheltering inside, using them as military facilities, command and control centers, weapons storage facilities, and also for executing terrorist attacks.

Now, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council said that they do know that Hamas uses schools and other buildings, but certainly as far as Vice President Kamala Harris is concerned, she is incredibly concerned about the number of civilian casualties that came about as a result of this strike.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Far too many civilians who have been killed. I mean, Israel has a right to go after the terrorists that are Hamas. But, as I have said many, many times, they also have, I believe, an important responsibility to avoid civilian casualties.

We need a hostage deal and we need a ceasefire. And I can't stress that strongly enough, it needs to get done. The deal needs to get done and it needs to get done now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOTKINE: And of course now that the Democrats with Kamala Harris as their candidate, according to opinion polls, seem to have a better chance of winning November's presidential election than they did with President Biden as their candidate.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be more inclined to pay closer attention to what the Democrats and Kamala Harris are saying than perhaps he might have done previously. Anna?

COREN: Elliott, I guess, in the wake of this attack, there are now concerns about the effectiveness of this week's ceasefire talks. We know that Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that he will be sending a delegation, but have we heard from Hamas?

GOTKINE: We haven't. No official statement at least confirming or otherwise if it will attend these talks due to take place on Thursday. And as far as this strike is concerned, it's clearly not going to help negotiations. That said, it may reaffirm the belief of Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza, the architect of the October the 7th terrorist attacks, and now in the wake of the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas' political bureau, it may reaffirm his belief that the longer this war goes on, the worse it's going to be for Israel in terms of it being pilloried by the international community and moving perhaps towards pariah status.

[03:05:22] That said, Yahya Sinwar's ascent now was anyway raising concerns because he's closer to Iran and seen as more of a hardliner. And let's not forget, they've been talking for nine months to try to get this ceasefire deal. There hasn't been a breakthrough. There is hope but I think it pays to be cautious now.

COREN: Elliott Gotkine, we appreciate the reporting from London. Many thanks.

Well, Scott Anderson is the director of affairs for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency in Gaza. He joins us live from Gaza. Scott, great to have you with us.

Tell us, what are you learning from your local staff on the ground about this latest attack? And do you have a definitive death toll?

SCOTT ANDERSON, DIRECTOR, U.N. RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY AFFAIRS IN GAZA: Good morning. Thank you for having me on. And, unfortunately, we don't have definitive details on the strike that took lives yesterday at the school in Gaza City. Unfortunately, the U.N. has not been in the north in any presence since October 12th of 2023.

What we do see is a trend of schools being hit across Gaza. There were 17 such incidents in July. And as always in this conflict, it's the innocent civilians who suffer the most when the parties to the conflict don't respect the sanctity of schools and hospitals.

COREN: As you say, 17 schools -- at least 17 schools, which have been turned into shelters, have been targeted over this past month. It would seem there is no place safe in Gaza.

ANDERSON: Well, that's correct. Unfortunately, there is no place safe in Gaza. In my role, I have the opportunity to talk to a lot of people across Gaza. I met a woman and her family who said she was from the north and they told her to move to Rafah, she would be safe. And then they told her to move to Mawasi and she would be safe. And, unfortunately, she lost one of her children and another of her children were seriously injured in an incident that took place in Mawasi.

What we've seen is shrinking space for innocent civilians to find safety for themselves, for their families, and that's all they want. They just want somewhere safe to be until the conflict ends. And what is very much needed at this moment is a ceasefire deal that would return the hostages and then allow people in Gaza to be in meaningfully rebuilding their lives.

COREN: I want to talk about that elusive ceasefire deal. Obviously, there are going to be talks later this week about that. But, firstly, Israel has defended the strike, claiming that the school was a base for Hamas and another militant group. What is your response to that?

ANDERSON: I mean, we say what we've always said that all parties to the conflict includes Israel, Hamas or any other organizations need to stay out of the schools. They need to respect the sanctity of the schools. And they need to respect the sanctity of the hospitals, as well as anywhere that civilians congregate trying to find safety. The only way we can keep people safe is indeed by doing that, by respecting the schools, by making sure nobody that's armed is in there, similar to the hospitals. So, the innocent civilians, while we wait, hopefully for a ceasefire soon, can have safety for themselves and for their families until such time as the conflict ends.

COREN: Scott, an IDF chief spokesperson said there were no women or children present when they struck that school from doctor's accounts and obviously from the footage that we've seen of the wounded in the hospital. That is just plain false.

ANDERSON: Well, again, as I said, we weren't there, but I would be quite surprised if in a school where families are seeking shelter from the violence that's going on across Gaza, there weren't women and children. Children make up nearly half the population in Gaza. Women are probably a quarter of the population. Despite pure statistics alone, it's very likely that women and children were present.

Again, we can't verify that, but I think it is pretty likely women and children were there at the school, because that's where they would most likely be as they sought shelter from the conflict and tried to find safety for themselves and for their families.

COREN: Scott, the head of UNRWA, the organization that you work for, Philippe Lazzarini, he has said on social media, it is time for these horrors unfolding under our watch to end. He goes on to say, we cannot let the unbearable become a new norm, and yet I guess it has become the norm as this war now enters its 11th month with really no end in sight. What is your appeal?

ANDERSON: I mean, it's an unfortunately act description by Philippe.

[03:10:00]

The unbearable has become the new normal, especially for women and Children in Gaza. We're past ten months now of this conflict where they're unable to find safety. They don't have access to clean drinking water. I'm sure they're very concerned about an outbreak of disease, as we are. There's piles of garbage across Gaza, and it's very much becoming somewhere that's unlivable.

So, the intolerable, the unbearable has for them become the new norm, that's their life every day when they wake up and just try to survive and find their basic necessities. And I hope that this horrible incident will get the international community to help push through a ceasefire that's so desperately needed. It would provide safety for people here in Gaza, would return the hostages to their families, and hopefully we can then all move on to rebuilding Gaza, which is going to be a very daunting and long task.

COREN: Well, Scott Anderson, we certainly appreciate you explaining to us what life is like there in Gaza for the millions who are having to live that every single day. And we thank you for the work that you and UNRWA is doing, and we also thank you for your optimism. Scott Anderson in Gaza.

ANDERSON: Thank you very much.

COREN: Ukrainian tanks were seen moving closer to the Russian border on Saturday, days after its military launched an incursion into Russia. Hundreds of Ukrainian troops pushed into the Kursk region, advancing more than 20 kilometers in the first two days of the operation. More than 76,000 people have already been evacuated amid the fighting, that's according to Russian media, and nearly 60 temporary shelters have been set up across eight regions of Russia.

Well, joining us now is CNN's Clare Sebastian in London. Clare, tell us what is the latest on the Ukrainian incursion into Russia and what are they actually hoping to achieve?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and we seem to be getting suggestions from Moscow that they are at least claiming that they continue to have some success in holding Ukraine back or pushing them back. The Russian Ministry of Defense has put out a claim in some video this morning that they have hit with military helicopters a Ukrainian convoy of armored vehicles and troops.

We haven't verified that and there's no comment on that from the Ukrainian side, but this continues a theme that we see from Russia of sort of projecting strength in the face of what was clearly a blind side from Ukraine and now almost a week in.

In terms of how far Ukraine has got, well, we have seen a footage that was released or that appeared online on Friday showing a burnt out convoy of Russian vehicles. That, CNN has geolocated to some 50 kilometers or so from the border and some 75 kilometers north of the town of Suja, where we have also been able to verify video showing Ukrainian soldiers there.

So, this does back up the sense that we're getting from unofficial sources, Russian military blogger and bloggers and the like, that this is happening over a fairly wide area and possibly spreading. The other thing of note is that Ukraine is now not silent on this after several days of not saying anything. President Zelenskyy is actually acknowledging this. Take a listen to what he had to say on Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Today, I received several reports from Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi regarding the frontlines and our actions to push the war onto the aggressor's territory. I am grateful to every unit of defense forces ensuring that. Ukraine is proving that it can indeed restore justice and ensure the necessary pressure on the aggressor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: He also, in the same speech, interestingly, seemed to acknowledge the risk that Ukraine is taking by doing this, by channeling its very scarce forces into what is essentially now a new front, saying we leave no part of the front unattended.

But, Anna, we are watching to see what Moscow will do in response. And overnight there was another missile and drone attack we're hearing from the Ukrainian Emergency Services of a father and his four-year- old son killed on the outskirts of Kyiv. that, of course, follows on from the very deadly attack on that supermarket in the town of Kostiantynivka on the eastern front on Friday.

This is a very deadly time for Ukrainian civilians. Obviously, we don't know, is it revenge, is it the general course of this war? But while Moscow accuses Ukraine of indiscriminately targeting civilians inside Russia, it continues to target civilians inside of Ukraine. Anna?

COREN: Clare Sebastian in London, many thanks.

Well, a search for answers is underway in Brazil after the devastating plane crash outside of Sao Paulo on Friday. The cause is still unknown, but investigators have started pulling data from the aircraft's two black boxes. The preliminary report could take 30 days.

An official says the bodies of 50 of the 62 victims have been recovered from the crash site. The 12 others were at the back of the plane, which suffered the most damage.

[03:15:03]

Journalist Stefano Pozzebon has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST (voice over): The plane plummeted to its demise in a matter of moments. But for those who witnessed the tragic crash outside Sao Paulo, the images will last forever.

I don't know how long it will take before I can sleep again. I'm still in shock, says Gertrude Pereira (ph). She filmed the fiery blaze from her own front yard.

Brazil has declared three days of national mourning as rescue workers tirelessly comb through the wreckage to recover the bodies.

RODRIGO SANFURGO, FEDERAL POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: I can say that we are working here now since yesterday. We have a hundred police officers working here.

POZZEBON: 62 people have died on Flight 2283, but only a handful of bodies have been identified. Among the victims, a mother of three, a pharmacist traveling to visit her family, teachers at a local university, and the crew of the plane.

Brazilian authorities say they recovered two black boxes that could help clarify what really happened. The cause of the accident still a mystery.

But in such a tragedy, there is also relief for those who felt it could have turned out much worse.

The pilot was a real hero. He managed to crash in an open field without causing damage on the ground. Had he crashed two seconds before, we would be dead.

A community and a nation looking at the sky, still waiting for an answer.

Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Vinhedo, Brazil.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Well, still to come, Donald Trump's campaign blames Iran for hacking thousands of internal documents. Those details ahead.

Plus, Kamala Harris borrows a page out of the Trump playbook as she campaigns in the battleground state of Nevada.

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[03:20:00]

COREN: Former U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign says it has been hacked. In a statement, the campaign blamed foreign sources hostile to the United States trying to interfere in the upcoming presidential election.

CNN's Jeremy Herb has the details.

JEREMY HERB, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: The Trump campaign revealed on Saturday that it has been hacked. These hacked documents were sent to Politico, which reported on Saturday that it received emails from an anonymous account containing internal Trump campaign documents.

Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement that foreign sources were behind this attack, and he blamed Iran for the hacking. He said in a statement, these documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our democratic process.

Cheung pointed to a report from Microsoft that was released this week. In that report, Microsoft revealed that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had attempted to hack a high ranking official's emails in June. The Microsoft report did not say which campaign it had targeted or if the hack was successful.

CNN reached out to the Trump campaign asking if it had sought more information from the FBI and the Trump campaign declined to comment. Microsoft also declined to comment on this report.

It's worth remembering now that in 2016, it was Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, who was hacked himself, and his emails were published by WikiLeaks in the days and weeks before the 2016 campaign.

In a statement on Saturday, the White House condemned all forms of election interference from foreign countries.

Jeremy Herb, CNN, New York. COREN: Kamala Harris is vowing to eliminate taxes on tips for hospitality and service workers if she becomes president. Her promise came as she was campaigning in the battleground state of Nevada, along with her running mate, Tim Walz.

CNN's Eva McKend has more.

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: At a worker focus rally in Las Vegas, Vice President Harris pledging her support for eliminating taxes on tips for hospitality and service workers. It was the first time that she has made such a pledge. And also notable because this is a policy former President Donald Trump also supports and has been campaigning on for weeks.

Harris really aiming to go after the support of workers in this critical battleground state, she received the support of the culinary union and their 60,000 members. This message seemed tailor-made for them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And it is my promise to everyone here, when I am president, we will continue our fight for working families of America, including to raise the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: The vice president will hold a fundraiser in San Francisco Sunday. And then next week, she will roll out her economic policy vision where she says she will address inflation and how to bring costs down.

Eva McKend, CNN, Las Vegas, Nevada.

COREN: Japan is no stranger to strong earthquakes, but for the first time ever, the country is now under a mega quake advisory. We'll explain what that means and dig deeper with an expert, next.

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[03:25:00]

COREN: Welcome back. Well, Japan is now under its first ever mega quake advisory. That means meteorologists believe an earthquake with a magnitude larger than eight has a higher than average likelihood of happening in the next few days.

The advisory came after a 7.1 magnitude quake shook Southern Japan on Thursday. It started in the Nankai Trough, a hotbed of seismic activity. Experts say there's a high chance that zone could produce a mega quake in the coming decades.

Well, CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers has the details.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. So, on Thursday, the 7.1 magnitude earthquake, a very large earthquake in itself, 25 kilometers deep, about 15 miles down into the ocean.

So what are we talking about here? Well, I guess the answer to this is, was this the quake? Because we've already had aftershocks, but was this a foreshock to what could be the mega quake in the Nankai Trough? So yes, at a 7.1 we should be seeing aftershocks, and we are.

But the Ring of Fire can also produce larger quakes than this. There are stresses in this Ring of Fire that can produce significantly larger than 7.1. We know that from the Sendai, all the way here from the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate crashing together right here in Kyushu.

So, here's the Nankai Trough. This is what everyone is concerned about. Thursday's quake was very close and in the Nankai Trough's southern extent, way down south in the trough. But this has the potential to make a mega quake, an 8.0 or more. In fact, the authorities are saying that this is a potential 9.1 stress on this compared to how long it's been since the last earthquake, what the trough can produce a mega quake about every 100 to 150 years. And there's a 70 to 80 percent chance of something like this happening in the next 30 years.

Now, this isn't an advisory for the next 30 years. This is a week advisory to see whether that 7.1 was, in fact, the foreshock to the main quake here, or was that just an earthquake, and all we're going to get is aftershocks after that.

So, yes, people on edge, making preparations, doing everything they can to prepare for this, at least for the next few days.

[03:30:02]

COREN: For more on this, I'm joined by Harold Tobin, professor of geophysics and director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network at the University of Washington, Seattle. Harold, great to have you with us.

Tell us why was this mega quake advisory issued on Thursday? What does it mean? And are you expecting a bigger, more devastating earthquake to follow?

HAROLD TOBIN, PROFESSOR OF GEOPHYSICS, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, SEATTLE: Well, the first thing to say is probably that while the likelihood of an earthquake has been deemed to be a little bit higher than before, that doesn't mean it's probable. It's still a very -- a relatively low probability that we'll have one in the short-term, but the probability is elevated in the judgment of the Japanese government through JMA, the Japanese Meteorological Agency.

The reason they've done it is because the portion of the offshore region of Japan just adjacent to where this earthquake occurred, the 7.1 is a region known to produce really large earthquakes, more like magnitude 8, even 9 scale earthquakes with tsunamis associated with them. And it's done so frequently in the past, most recently in 1946.

So, the hazard is there. They knew about it and the possibility of this being a foreshock to that is not negligible. It's not zero. It's still relatively low probability, but it's not zero.

COREN: But Japanese authorities have of course asked residents prepare. But let me ask you, how do you prepare for what could be a 9.1 magnitude quake triggering, you know, a devastating tsunami?

TOBIN: Well, fortunately, people in Japan do know a great deal about preparation because they've experienced, unfortunately, quite a lot of earthquakes and tsunamis. I think what people are probably doing, and what I would be doing in that situation, is double checking again that my, you know, own sort of safety kit for events like earthquakes is up to date, that we have some food prepared, flashlight batteries, a plan with the family if you're in different locations at the time of the disaster to get back together again, and then most importantly, if you're in a location that's a tsunami zone, you know, know your evacuation well, a very good time to sort of re-check that you know what the best places to go during a tsunami are.

I don't think people should panic or be evacuating at this time, and that's what the Japanese government has instructed people as well. But it's a time of a little bit heightened awareness of safety.

COREN: As you say, you know, Japan is unfortunately very well acquainted with earthquakes, obviously one that comes to mind more recently, the 2011 earthquake of its east coast, which killed more than 18,000 people. Can you explain to us how the Nankai Trough in the south of the country, how that compares?

TOBIN: Yes. The Nankai Trough is similar in many ways to the region in the north, off Northern Honshu Island, which was the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. It's a subduction zone, a place where the oceanic plate is diving down beneath the Japanese islands. Nankai Trough is a little further south. It has not experienced one of these very large earthquakes since the 1940s, but it had previous ones to that in 1854 in 1707 and on back through time and we know about the historical record.

So, they share many similarities. We know that the Nankai Trough has been accumulating the stress and strain that builds up towards a very large earthquake. So, all the ingredients are there for a future event. And, in fact, for that reason, the Japanese government has deemed it to have a very high probability of an 8 or 9 scale earthquake in the next 30 years.

COREN: Can you explain to us how it compares to other fault lines or subduction zones around the world?

TOBIN: Yes. Well, as you said in your introduction I'm at the University of Washington in Seattle on the West Coast of the USA, the Pacific Northwest region. And the Nankai subduction zone and what we call the Cascadia Subduction Zone in the northwest, extending from Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, right down the coast in Northern California.

These two have been seen as sort of mirror image, sort of twins of each other, both subduction zones that share some characteristics that unfortunately include very little in the way of sort of day-to-day, small scale earthquake seismicity, but building up the strain for very large events. And we think the Cascadia Subduction Zone is also potentially one that can generate a magnitude 9 class earthquake in the same sort of way. We've never seen something like a 7.1 in the midst of the Cascadia Subjection Zone. So, if we had a similar event in the Northwest, we would be paying close attention and talking about whether some sort of alert to the public was needed there as well.

COREN: Harold Tobin, we're going to have to leave it there, but we really appreciate your insights. Thanks for joining us.

TOBIN: Thanks for having me today.

COREN: Well, Team USA came out on top in one of the must-see events of these summer games.

[03:35:02]

When we come back, a recount of Saturday's thrilling men's basketball final, the U.S. once again proving its dream team status.

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COREN: Medal Mania at the final full day of the events at the Paris Games. Well, 39 gold medals were awarded on Saturday with China squeezing past the US to reclaim the lead with the most gold medals. Team USA has 122 medals overall right now, putting it far ahead of the pack, and there's still a chance for the U.S. to come out on top in the gold rush.

Well, 13 more golds will be awarded before today's closing ceremony, including the women's marathon, which is underway right now. The women's basketball gold medal game might induce deja vu. Like the men's final, Team USA will face host nation France, and the U.S. and Italy will vie for gold in women's volleyball.

Well, let's go live now to Paris and CNN World Sport Anchor Amanda Davies. Amanda, wow, almost there, Sunday night. It might be the closing ceremony, but there's still plenty to talk about.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: There is, yes. Sad to say all good things must come to an end. It's been such a treat over a couple of weeks, but we are hanging on to every last medal event. And there was a real buzz on the streets here in Paris last night around that men's basketball final, the one that scriptwriters had been wanting. The stars were out in force on and off the court, and the game more than lived up to the hype as host France took on what might well be one of the most talented U.S. teams ever assembled in the quest for gold.

20-year-old Victor Wembanyama more than held his own against some of the all time greats, the reigning NBA rookie of the year scoring 26 points and keeping his team in it to the very last. But in the end, the new dream team of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Co. just proved too strong.

[03:40:06] And it was Curry, whose late game heroics have made him a four-time NBA champion, adding to his legend by scoring 25 points and hitting a couple of three pointers in the closing minutes, including one over Wembanyama that all but sealed the gold for the USA, first for Steph, third for LeBron and a record fourth gold medal for Durant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPH CURRY, TEAM USA, WON FIRST OLYMPIC GOLD: It's everything I imagined and more. Just the excitement of doing it with, you know, the guys in our locker room. We all signed up for this mission to continue the USA basketball dominance, obviously understanding is going to be a really tough task with some great teams that we're going to have to face.

And, you know, there's a sense of relief at the end, but it's more like a sense of accomplishment, obviously, knowing what we were able to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIES: Well, the U.S. women's basketball team will try to make it a double gold against France, their eighth straight later on Sunday. It would also mean they join the women's football team at the top of the podium, something that felt like it was an impossibility a year ago after that early exit from the last 16 at the World Cup.

This was the one I was lucky enough to attend last night. In a matter of weeks, Emma Hayes has injected a whole new life into this set up, bringing her winning ways from Chelsea as the USA beat Brazil for a third time in the Olympic final loss, even the legendary martyr still all smiles with silver, but without that major tournament title, as she retires from international competition after her sick Olympic Games.

A really tough end to the games for U.S. Gymnast Jordan Chiles whose celebrations have been put on hold with question marks about whether or not she will be able to keep her bronze medal from the floor competition. We're talking about the event that gave us that iconic podium photo with Biles, Chiles and Rebecca Andrade of Brazil, the floor final and the first all-black Olympic gymnastics podium.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on Saturday that the inquiry Chiles filed in the moments after her routine, questioning the difficulty level scoring, just came too late. Chiles initially finished fifth with Romania's Ana Barbosu in third. But after petitioning her score, Chiles was awarded an additional 0.333. That was just enough to edge out Barbosu for the bronze, much to the outrage of the Romanian delegation. They then lodged their own complaints to CAS and CAS have ruled in Romania's favor. What that means for the medal awards remains unclear. So, a really tricky last couple of days here in Paris for Jordan Chiles.

COREN: Yes, I bet. Amanda, we thank you for your coverage. You enjoy the closing ceremony tonight. Amanda Davies from Paris, thank you. Well, no sooner had the Paris Games kicked off and the world started looking ahead to Los Angeles 2028. The official countdown for L.A., which last hosted the games back in 1984, will commence at tonight's closing ceremony.

Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, will hand off the Olympic flag to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in what's sure to be an unprecedented moment in Olympics history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR KAREN BASS (D-LOS ANGELES, CA): You know, to receive the flag is going to be a tremendous honor. Knowing that the first woman mayor of Paris will be handing me the flag as the first woman mayor, I think it will be a historical moment that I will feel incredibly privileged to participate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Joining me from Paris is U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler from the great state of California. Senator Butler is a member of the U.S. presidential delegation at the Paris Games. Senator, welcome.

Well, it's certainly been an incredible Olympics for Team USA, and you've certainly cleaned up in the last 24 hours. Tell us, what have been your highlights?

SEN. LAPHONZA BUTLER (D-CA): Thanks so much for having me. And being in Paris has been electric. The people of Paris have really thrown their arms open to the entire world. And the highlight truly has been just being a part of this electric environment.

Of course, seeing U.S. teams compete and win the basketball games last night, the diving and track and field, it has been incredible. But, again, the most exciting part has truly been how we've experienced people all over the world, athletes, spectators and fans alike, young and old, just come together and experience the true power of sports.

COREN: Senator, I can sense a little bit of a hoarse voice, so no doubt a lot of cheering for your team.

[03:45:06]

But obviously always a sense of joy and euphoria, you know, surround the Olympics. I mean, we're celebrating the world's greatest athletes, but France has put on an incredible show. Tell us, will this be a hard act to follow?

BUTLER: It definitely is going to be a hard act to follow. France, again, and the people of Paris have just been outstanding in their just neighborliness and, you know, the precision by which these games are being executed is top quality.

We are here in Paris really learning about how we can execute at such a high level in four years in 2028, when these games get to return back to the United States in my hometown of Los Angeles, California. But this is definitely a high bar to clear, but we're excited about being able to, again, bring the world together in the unified spaces of sport and competition and doing it in the United States on a global stage is going to be the opportunity of a lifetime for Los Angeles and the people of California. And we are incredibly excited to welcome everyone to the United States to do this all over again.

This is going to be one of the most ecologically and climate sustainable Olympics that we're going to be pulling off. That's going to be drastically reduced cars. It's going to be open and inclusive to the people of Los Angeles and California. And so these are all things that we learned from the execution here in Paris. And we are excited about the partnership that we have been building and look forward to continuing to build over the next four years.

COREN: Yes. Senator, tell us more about what you have learned these past few weeks in Paris on how to stage a successful and importantly a very safe Olympic Games.

BUTLER: Attention to detail. I think that is if there is one lesson that I think all of us as a part of the presidential delegation have really taken to heart is the attention to detail. There is not a thing that is too small or too large that someone on the team isn't taking care of or paying attention to. There is the incredible energy that is being built amongst the volunteer core. There are tens of thousands of volunteers that are here at every site.

And so the importance of including the community into the planning of the games and building the excitement, inspiring them to be a part of that volunteer core, whether they're greeters or cleaners or just helping to make sure that they are directing traffic and making sure that people find their way to all of the venues. It is that attention to detail, that inclusion of the people here in Paris and really, I'm sure, volunteers from all over the country of France.

And then it is truly about the partnerships that are required to work together, the precision with which the Olympic Games teams are coordinated clearly with the local police, national police. It is so incredibly important, the things that -- the ways in which these Olympic Games are being pulled off, being modeled after having our last Tokyo Games in COVID and having not being able to bring the world together in the way that the Olympics truly does, but to know that it is a muscle that we've not lost, that as the world, we know how to do this and we know how to keep communities safe while we do it.

COREN: And can you give us some insights into how L.A. 2028 will differ from Paris? Any sneak peeks you can share?

BUTLER: Well, I think the L.A. 2028 team and that committee has been working incredibly hard to keep as many secrets and tidbits to themselves as we start to plan. But, no, I mean, I think one thing generally that I will say about the games for 2028 is that we truly want to make sure that the globe and the world gets to see the beauty that is California, the diversity that is our geography, and, you know, being able to make sure that everyone can experience the existing venues that are there, the historic ones, from the 1930s 1984 games that were in Los Angeles in California, and we look forward to continuing to share those gems of history with the people around the world as they come.

And so no big secrets to release this morning, but we think we are excited about what we have in store for the people of the world as they come to celebrate sport and competition four years from now.

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COREN: I had to try. I had to try and get a scoop. Look, Senator, you enjoy the final day of the Olympics and certainly the closing ceremony. Senator Laphonza Butler in Paris, thank you so much.

Well, coming up after the break, even presidents need some R&R every once in a while. Joe Biden was spotted soaking up the sun in Delaware this weekend. All about his trip to the beach, that's ahead.

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COREN: A shopping mall in Colombia has been transformed into a magical marine world. The display includes a colossal seahorse surrounded by more than 180,000 flowers. The marine masterpiece was created to bring awareness to environmental issues and marine life. Many tourists flock to the mall over the weekend to see the floral phenomenon. The mall's manager tells us he hopes people will be inspired to take care of the seas, the rivers, and oceans.

A new animal artwork by Banksy appeared on a billboard in London early Saturday, making it the sixth piece to show up in a single week.

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The black cat attracted photographers and onlookers, but they were soon disappointed. Three men appeared, saying they were hired by a contracting company to take down the billboard for safety reasons.

The artist also had a series of other animals pop up earlier in the week, including two pelicans eating at a fish and chip shop.

Well, sweltering temperatures in Spain didn't stop people from strolling the streets of Madrid this weekend. Residents and tourists looked for ways to stay cool on one of the hottest days of the year. It hit 38 degrees Celsius, or 100 Fahrenheit, in the Spanish capital Saturday. Some restaurants turned on water misters for their customers. Spain's meteorological agency is warning another heat wave looms.

Well, Joe Biden spent Saturday having fun in the sun. The U.S. president enjoyed a beach day with the first lady and his granddaughter at a popular seaside town in Delaware. He sat under a pair of beach umbrellas with his wife and granddaughter, Naomi. This was Mr. Biden's first visit to his Rehoboth beach house since he announced he would not run for re-election. Good to see him having a break.

Well, thanks so much for your company. I'm Anna Coren live from Hong Kong.

There's more of CNN newsroom with my colleague, Kim Brunhuber, after this short break. Stay with CNN.

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