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Ukraine Forces Advance Deeper Into Russia's Kursk Region; High- Stakes Gaza Ceasefire Talks Resume This Week; U.S. State Department Approves $20 Billion Potential Weapons Sales To Israel; Japan Pm Kishida To Step Down As Scandals Prove Too Much; Thousands flee as fast-moving wildfire reaches Athens suburbs. Father in Gaza Loses Wife, Newborn Twins in Israeli Strike; Bangladesh Interim Government Seeks to Implement Reforms; Taliban Mark Three Years Since Afghanistan Takeover; New Real Estate Commission Rules Go Into Effect This Week; Coffee Chain Taps Chipotle's Brian Niccol as CEO; Visiting Coney Island's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park. Aired 1-2 ET
Aired August 14, 2024 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:25]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm John Vause here in studio H in Atlanta. Coming up this hour on CNN Newsroom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: We'll see what Iran does, and we'll see what happens if there's any attack. But I'm not giving up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Gaza ceasefire talks set to resume as the Middle East fears an imminent direct Iranian strike on Israel could trigger a regional war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The armed Forces of Ukraine continue the operation in territory of the Kursk region.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Ukraine's incursion into Russia continues its audacious, brazen and possibly more successful than most thought possible. But now what?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At some point the fire was faster than the cars and the trucks.
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VAUSE: Fleeing the plain, wildfires reached the suburbs of the Greek capital, leaving behind a trail of devastation and despair.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: With Ukrainian forces now advancing on Russia's Belgorod region, local officials have declared a state of emergency, saying they've come under heavy shutting and drone attacks from Ukraine.
Belgorod just south of Kursk, which is where Ukraine launched a surprise attack on Russia just over a week ago, an offensive which has moved with incredible speed, leaving Moscow shocked and humiliated and the Russian president on the defensive.
Ukraine claims to now control more than 1,000 square kilometers, 40 kilometers in the past day alone, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry says there is no intention to annex Russian territory and only to protect people's lives from Russian attacks from Kursk.
Here's an ex for an exhausted Ukraine, this surprise attack has boosted morale. Here's more now from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): All of us in Ukraine need to act as unitedly and effectively, as we did in the first weeks and months of this war, when Ukraine seized the initiative and began turning the situation in favor of our state. We have done the same now. We have once again proven that in any situation, we Ukrainians are capable of achieving our objectives, of defending our interests and our independence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: According to the Ukrainian president, Russians troops are now surrendering en masse. Zelenskyy thanking them for, quote, replenishing the exchange fund, a reference to future prisoner swaps. CNN, though, cannot independently verify any of those claims.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen brings us the very latest on Ukraine's offensive. A warning first some of the images in his report, a graphic.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): A Russian attack gunship firing at Ukrainian forces from the air in the Kursk region inside Russia, while on the ground, a Russian soldier's body cam records what appear to be several killed Ukrainians near their destroyed armored vehicle. The Kremlin trying to show its forces are halting Ukraine's advances.
But the reality is this more, Russian civilians having to evacuate their towns and villages as Kyiv's troops press ahead.
We left the chickens at home, this woman says. We gave them two bags of grain, some water, and left maybe there will be nothing to return to. What seemed to be Russian prisoners of war transported in the
Ukrainian pickup as a Ukrainian soldier spray paints the Ukrainian spelling of a town's name inside Russia. Kyiv's lightning offensive caught not just its allies off guard, but Moscow as well.
Russian President Vladimir Putin trying to publicly brush off Ukraine's incursion meeting with the head of the Palestinian Authority in Moscow after earlier berating his generals to oust Kyiv's troops from Russian soil.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The main task for the Ministry of Defense is, of course, to drive and squeeze the enemy out of our territories.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Russia has vowed a massive retaliation, and Kyiv fears Moscow could launch even larger missile strikes at Ukrainian cities, but Ukraine's President vowing not to back down.
ZELENSKYY: Russia needs to be forced into peace, especially if Putin is so set on fighting.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): And Vladimir Putin's grip on power may not be as strong as some believe. Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara- Murza, who was recently released from a Russian jail in the prisoner swap, said on CNN's OutFront.
VLADIMIR KARA-MURZA, RUSSIAN OPPOSITION POLITICIAN: I don't only think. I don't only believe, I know that Russia will change, and I will be back in my homeland, and as I told him, it's going to be much quicker than you ever think.
[01:05:08]
PLEITGEN (voice-over): But for now, Moscow says it will bring more reinforcements to its southwestern regions to try and oust Ukraine's invasion force before it can dig in. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, for more on Ukraine's military offensive, we're joined by Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, CNN military analyst and former commanding general of U.S. Army Europe, and seventh Army. General Hertling. Welcome back. It's good to see you.
LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: It is great to see you, John. Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: Always a pleasure. Now, as far as Ukrainians advances concerned, I want you to listen to the commander in chief of the armed forces briefing the Ukrainian president. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLEKSANDR SYRSKYI, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF UKRAINE (through translator): Today, our troops advanced in separate directions from one to three kilometers control over 40 square kilometers of territory was taken. As of today, 74 settlements are under our control. Battles have been fought along the entire front line.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Yes, take it for is. There's been no independent confirmation. But when you look at this war with the last couple years, the front line has moved the increments of inches and feet. This advance by the Ukrainians seems to be moving at light speed.
HERTLING: It has been John. And what's interesting is you see the commanding general, John, General Syrskyi, giving a verbal report over a video teleconference to his president that would not normally happen if they weren't having success.
And I'd put it in the category of catastrophic success. He is advancing with his forces along four different access, it is something that I called, initially a demonstration, which has a doctrinal definition, that is a force that is going into an area where a decision is not sought, but it's perceived by the enemy to be a threat.
They have exceeded what I think are many people's suggestions of what they could succeed in this area. Now the question is, how long can they hold that ground, and what kind of risk are they taking on an extended front, inside of a salient. It's very good that they did what they did. It had a strategic effect, I think, on the Russian president and the Russian Minister of Defense. But now you have to always ask your question as a commander, what next? What are you going to do next, as you've achieved this end state of demonstrating what you're capable of demonstrating.
VAUSE: Well as for the sort of more immediate objectives of this offensive, here's a spokesperson for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEORHII TYKHYI, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SPOKESMAN (through translator): Unlike Russia, Ukraine does not need other people's property. Ukraine is not interested in taking the territory of the Kursk Region, but we want to protect the lives of our people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: That's one way of putting it. The reality, though, seems to the Ukrainians are not holding territory because they can't.
HERTLING: Yes, that's part of it, certainly. But I think what Ukraine has also done is extended their front lines to the area where they can affect the capability of the Russian forces to continue to do damage. They've now become in range of some of the artillery pieces that Russia has, some of the multi -- multiple launch rocket systems. In fact, some of the airfields they've been able to pull air defense
forward in a very good combined arms operation. So they are threatening the Russian forces, and they are causing Russian forces to be pulled off.
I'd agree with the Foreign Minister when he says, we're not there to seize territory. They're not. They're going to eventually go back to their front lines, into the territory of Ukraine. But what they have proven is they can go there, not that they want to, but that they can, and they can threaten the Russian forces and cause Russia to look at the disposition of their forces.
Are they in the right places? Have they defended in the correct locations? Are they going to prevent these kind of incursions by the Ukrainians in the future? Those are all questions I'm sure the Russian Ministry and the Russian Armed Forces are asking themselves right now.
VAUSE: Well, from the Russian Deputy Ambassador at the U.N. there was -- there has been outrage. He complained about a lack of condemnation from the West, and then he had this.
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DMITRY POLYANSKIY, RUSSIAN DEPUTY AMBASSADOR TO UN: I would be grateful for the explanation how internationally targeted, how intentionally targeting civilians serves the goals of disrupting attacks on Ukrainian territory, given the fact that there were no military objects or infrastructure in the area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Yes, great question. You know, if the Russian war crimes are targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure wasn't, you know, wasn't so dire and so severe and grave, that would have been a laugh out loud moment. And the Ukrainians have actually made a pretty good, credible case for this offensive and what they're actually doing, and they're not targeting civilians, of clearing out an area, essentially.
HERTLING: Yes, and it's -- the only thing we can say, John, is it's hypocrite -- hypocritical on the part of the Russians, to say something like that. They've invaded Ukraine twice in 2014 and again in 2022. They have taken ground that is not part their property.
[01:10:00]
And you see the Ukrainians doing the kinds of things that we're trying to determine from the West, what were their objectives? Is there the possibility that one of the objectives of the Ukrainian forces was to take and secure the natural gas feeder line that connects the trying Trans-Siberian pipeline with the Brotherhood pipeline just into Belarus. Could that be an objective as we head into the fall and then into winter?
Are they looking to affect the economic conditions of Russia, as well as striking some of the forces within Russia and defending against Russian forces that are carrying out just catastrophic and illegal, criminal attacks, I would say, against the Ukrainian people on the Ukrainian territory.
VAUSE: General Hertling, thank you for having with us, sir. Thank you.
HERTLING: Pleasure, John. Thank you.
VAUSE: Right now, there's reason for both hope and fear across the Middle East. On Thursday, negotiations for a cease fire and the release of hostages in Gaza are expected to resume in Qatar's capital Doha, but according to U.S. intelligence, those talks are not expected to prevent Iran from moving forward with a direct strike on Israel. Retaliation for the assassination of Hamas leader Isamil Haniyeh.
Mediators are expected to meet separately with Israeli and Hamas officials, briefing each side with a possible deal based on previous negotiations among possible deal breakers, last minute demands by Israel's Prime Minister, but Benjamin Netanyahu insists his terms for a ceasefire have not changed. In turn, he accuses Hamas of adding unrealistic demands.
And still unanswered is what U.S. President Joe Biden is doing to pressure Israel into a deal. The President has spoken about his concerns over those talks continuing in the wake of an Iranian strike on Israel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think you can still get to a ceasefire deal, or is it starting to be a distant possibility?
BIDEN: It's getting hard. We'll see what Iran does and we'll see what happens if there's any attack. But I'm not giving up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are those two things tied together Do you have any understanding that Iran could cease or stop doing an action if a ceasefire deal was possible?
BIDEN: That's my expectation, but we'll see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: U.S. State Department has also approved the sale of $20 billion of weapons to Israel. Congress has yet to vote on that deal, and actual delivery of the weapons will take several years. Still there are concerns over how this deal might impact ceasefire talks. More now from CNN international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: A lot of pressure on all sides, and this weapons approval -- proposal for approval of this $20 billion worth of weapons for Israel certainly can potentially be seen in that context because of the timing, because this has been -- this approval process has been in the running for a long period of time, and when it times just before these talks, and just when other diplomats and leaders in the region are expecting and hoping the United States to put a lot of pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu to take him a more moderate course at these talks on Thursday, so that there is a chance of success, that they can produce some progress on peace in Gaza.
Then certainly it looks like a way of encouraging Israel in that direction. And certainly the defense minister Yoav Gallant tweeted that this was a positive signal of U.S. support for Israel, a message, perhaps not just for politicians in Israel, but also for the Iranians.
The Iranians are believed to be watching the talks or the potential for the torts hugely closely, because therein lies whether or not or how hard they will retaliate for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran two weeks ago, how hard, how much they would strike back at Israel. The idea is, if the torts are a success, then that will mitigate a larger Iranian strike.
But as President Biden says, it is anyone's guess, if you will, at the moment, if this is going to be successful, a huge amount of pressure being put on Hamas as well, at the moment, who are insisting that any participation that they may have in this process on Thursday would be conditional that it is President Biden's framework proposal for peace in Gaza that emerged in July, that is implemented, not negotiated.
They're very afraid that Prime Minister Netanyahu will come and make add-ons. His office has said that they haven't made add-ons, but that's the big perception in the region here.
So the idea even that the talks could happen, given that the principal negotiator for Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh was killed, is would be seen as some sort of success. But even these two days left, it is still a long way to go, and it's not clear if Iran would choose to strike before then. It's possible everyone in the region hoping that they don't. Nic Robinson, CNN, Tel Aviv, Israel.
[01:15:10]
VAUSE: With us now from Tel Aviv is Efraim Halevy, a former director of Israel's Main Intelligence Agency, the Mossad. He also served as the head of Israel's National Security Council. Thanks for being with us. So we appreciate your time.
EFRAIM HALEVY, FORMER MOSSAD CHIEF: Good morning.
VAUSE: So with ceasefire negotiations set to resume Thursday, CNN is reporting, the resumption of those talks will not prevent Iran from striking Israel, but could those talks come to a sudden end because of an Iranian strike on Israel whenever that may happen?
HALEVY: I think, as we speak at the moment, the position of all parties is unclear. I believe that the Iranians do not have an interest to attack Israel. I think they would rather this not happening. And I think that they have other considerations relating to this subject.
And therefore the Iranian position is at present not clear, but that is the same that goes for the Hamas, and the fact that the Hamas, up to this moment have not finally confirmed that they will appear on tomorrow morning in Doha to meet the Israeli team. That is also a question, which has not been resolved.
So as we talk this morning, none of the confidence we're meeting tomorrow are ready in line.
VAUSE: What you're saying there about the Iranian position, not being clear that is also supported by one U.S. official, who told CNN, Iran still has not decided on a course of action against Israel. That's for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, while he's actually visiting Tehran two weeks ago.
If we look back in recent history, in April, Iran responded within 12 days to that Israeli attack on the embassy in Syria, and then back in 2020 a response came in just five days after U.S. drone killed Qasem Soleimani, Iranian military commander.
So is there a possible explanation here as to why the response this time, at least appears to be taking so much longer?
HALEVY: Well, this is linked to the fact that in the meantime, they've had elections in Iran, and there is a new president who is now in power and in office. And I believe that there is reason to believe that this president would prefer not having to take the decision to attack Israel at this particular point in time. And therefore one key player is not the same player that has been in place in the past.
And therefore I believe that we have reason to believe that as far as we can see, whatever happens in Doha on Thursday, if the Hamas do not turn up, this does not mean to say that automatically, Iranians will attack Israel. I believe that is not the case.
VAUSE: That's something to watch for, obviously, which is, you know, in the very short term. The April strike by Iran on Israel was widely considered to be a causal fail -- failure. The Iranians telegraphed their punches days in advance, and also this time, they're being very secret about whatever they're doing. We don't even really know what it is.
If there is a response, what are you expecting? Will it be something similar to what we saw in April? Or will it be something totally different?
HALEVY: Any reply to your question is purely speculation, because I believe that the Iranians have to take into account what will be the trajectory of any attack they launch. They would have to, if they want to have a shortcut, they would have to pass into the airspace of Jordan, and I believe that Jordan is no way keen to allow this to happen in this airspace.
So there are many aspects here which have not been agreed upon between anybody in Iran and anybody in the region, and that is one more reason why I think that the fact that Iran up to now has not retaliated in any way is indicative of the fact that they have differences of opinion into Iran that they have not yet resolved.
VAUSE: Efraim Halevy, sir, thank you very much for being with us, especially this early hour there in Tel Aviv. Thank you, sir.
HALEVY: Thank you.
VAUSE: The wildfire emergency in Greece and the thick clouds of smoke over the Acropolis as flames reach the outer suburbs of Athens, forcing residents to flee. A lot more on that in a moment.
Plus, heavy rain and gusty winds slashing parts of the Leeward Islands from tropical storm Ernesto, which will soon strengthen to hurricane Ernesto.
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VAUSE: Japan's Prime Minister will step down next month, ending a three-year term marked by political scandal. During a news conference, Fumio Kishida says he will not seek reelection as President of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which, by de facto means he will not be Prime Minister.
CNN's Hanako Montgomery is covering all this life for us from Tokyo. So run us through some of the scandals here. What exactly forced him to make this decision?
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, so the reason why Kishida said that he needed to step down was because of a couple of different political scandals that we saw during his three year tenure.
First, there was the slush fund scandal, where several politicians and factions within Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party were found to have not properly reported funds raised through different fundraising events.
Now this lack of reporting or this under reporting, took place for several years, but only came to light really last year, in December, when local media outlets first reported this issue.
Now, several politicians within Japan's ruling party, including the former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, criticized Kishida for not taking full responsibility for this issue, even though his faction was part of the problem.
Now, the second scandal John that Kishida pointed to during his presser was the Unification Church scandal, as I'm sure you remember a couple of years ago, the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated by the son of a member of this religious organization.
Now, after Abe's assassination, the Japanese government launched an investigation and found that several politicians within Japan's ruling party actually had ties to this religious organization. They were receiving money. They were receiving funds.
So the Japanese government decided to strip the organization of its name. But people in Japan were still very critical of Kishida and his government because they weren't able to really fully stop this organization's activities.
And of course, also John, aside from these political scandals, Japan is not facing a very positive economic outlook. Japan's GDP has slipped to fourth in the world. The yen is also at historic lows compared to the dollar, and just last week, when the Japanese government saw interest rates rise, we saw the markets crash in Japan.
So for all of these reasons, Kishida has decided that it's time for him to step down so that his party has a better chance of winning the general elections come October 2025. Now during his presser, he said that by stepping down, he wanted to restore people's faith in politics. This is what he had to say.
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FUMIO KISHIDA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): In this presidential election, it is necessary to show the people that the Liberal Democratic Party is changing and the party is new LDP for this transparent and open elections and free and vigorous debate are important. The most obvious first step to show that LDP will change is for me to step aside.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:25:00]
MONTGOMERY: Now John, it's also really important to note that Kishida has been battling very low approval ratings for really last year or so now. So it looks as though he's finally acknowledging that this is taking a real toll on his leadership. John.
VAUSE: Hanako, thank you. Hanako Montgomery there in live in Tokyo. Appreciate it.
Firefighters in Greece still working to put out their worst wildfire of the year, more than 400 square kilometers, or 156 square miles, has been scorched, including forests in the Attica region and the suburbs of Athens. At least one person has died, and thousands of residents were forced to evacuate as the fire came close to the Greek capital, home to more than 3 million people. More now from CNN's Eleni Giokos.
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ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As morning breaks in Greece, a moment of reckoning, residents returned to their homes, not knowing what they'd find. 70-year old Sakis Morfis ran away, taking only his beloved dogs. Everything else is now gone.
SAKIS MORFIS, LOST HOME IN FIRE (through translator): My house, it was utterly destroyed. Even the walls fell down.
GIOKOS (voice-over): But Morfis lost more than his home. He also lost a colleague, a 65-year old woman who went missing after the evacuation orders.
GIOKOS: Her friends and colleagues say that they were looking for her. She went missing, and eventually her body was found here at a place of work. She spent over 20 years of her life at this business, and her co-workers are saying how she was talking about going back to home country, back to her daughters at the end of this year, and sadly, they say she just didn't make it. And today we find rose left here by someone that says we'll remember her dearly.
GIOKOS (voice-over): More than 700 firefighters, almost 200 vehicles and 35 water bombing aircraft have now managed to control the blaze, but 100,000 acres of land were lost. The extent of the damage so great it can be seen from space, a scenario of destruction just a few miles from Athens experts say the last few years of fires are drastically changing the city's climate. The loss of trees making winds and temperatures rise, along with the risk of fire, a tough challenge ahead local officials are well aware of.
VASILIS XYPOLITAS, MAYOR OF KIFISIA, GREECE: At some point the fire was faster than the cars than the trucks, and we are trying to cut the fire. We must find solutions in the way of evacuating and in being first at the time of restarting the fire.
GIOKOS (voice-over): Miles of beautiful green virgin forests reduced to charred barren hills. For residents like Sophia, the feeling of loss is beyond words.
SOPHIA, LOST HOME IN FIRE: I feel terrible. I can't explain how I feel this morning. We had such a green house is here. Now I don't know after how many years it's going to be again, and if it be like before.
GIOKOS (voice-over): Many like her now point the finger at the government, blaming the lack of prevention and care as part of the fuel feeding the fire that spared nothing in its path. Eleni Giokos, CNN, Penteli, Greece.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Tropical storm Ernesto is expected to strengthen to a hurricane as it passes northeast of Puerto Rico overnight. Gusty winds and heavy rainfall left most of Virgin Islands without electricity. And in the Pacific, tropical storm ample could impact Tokyo as a typhoon this weekend. CNN's Chad Myers has the forecast.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, behind me, here is Ernesto. There's Puerto Rico, very heavy rainfall coming down at this hour. In places, could see four to six inches of rain and with the wind, even in Puerto Rico, with even a 40 or 50 mile per hour wind, we can lose an awful lot of power here. We know that from history, maybe four to six inches even over the British Virgin Islands, as the tales, the outer bands still come over parts of the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico proper.
Temperatures in the ocean are one to two degrees, even three to four degrees Fahrenheit above normal for this time of year. And this storm is going to make a run to Bermuda. It's going to be left, are going to be right? The American model is on the west side. The European model is on the right side.
What you need to know is that this thing could be 110 mile per hour hurricane as it makes its way toward Bermuda. That's only one two miles per hour, less than a category three hurricane. And with the waters being so warm, there's no way to know whether it's going to be a two or a three.
But then where does it possibly go? Well, if you're in Nova Scotia or in Newfoundland, I want you to pay attention, because some of the models are trying to turn this back toward the west, not into the U.S. or into Boston at this point, but still, could be a brush with Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
[01:30:02]
Taking a look back out now into the Pacific. We're going to take you to Ampil. This is the storm that's going to make a run at Tokyo. Tokyo, you are in the cone of this storm, at least for now.
And it likely will be a pretty healthy storm, 160 kph maybe here as we get close to Tokyo. So the storm is back again in warm water, there's the circulation. You see the eye getting smaller and smaller, which means the wind speeds are going up and up.
Now for now, the storm stays offshore, but that doesn't mean that the winds are going to stay offshore, or that all the rain is going to stay offshore. So we have to keep that in mind when you look at the cone here, you have to watch out.
We know from history that this can go left or can go right even if it's just one degree, it's going to make all the difference whether it's a near miss, a hit, or just something out into the ocean. We hope for this scenario out over here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. federal agency, which deals with disasters in the U.S. is now out of money. For the second consecutive year, FEMA has spent its budget before the peak of hurricane season.
One official tells CNN it's s because of climate change. The agency shifted into so-called immediate needs funding last week while it waits for Congress to pass a $9 billion supplemental funding request.
FEMA's spokesperson says the agency does have enough resources to respond to impending disasters, like Ernesto. But recovery from previous disasters will be placed on hold.
When we come back here on CNN, the human toll of the war in Gaza. A father loses his wife and newborn twins in a Israeli strike
We'll have more on that in a moment.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Gaza ceasefire and hostage release talks are set to resume on Thursday in Doha, Qatar. Mediators are making a last-ditch effort to revive the stalled talks amid potential Iranian attack on Israel.
Two sources tell CNN, the renewed diplomatic efforts are not expected to stop Iran from retaliating over the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Last week, the U.S., Egypt and Qatar, the key mediators in these talks said they will use the meeting to present a final bridging proposal. Israel is sending a delegation and Hamas has indicated it's still interested in a deal.
Talk of a ceasefire is a long way from an actual ceasefire and Israeli strikes continue across Gaza. Hamas health officials say nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.
In the past 24 hours alone, those officials say more than 30 people were killed in Israeli strikes. That includes three-day old twins and their mom.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond has this report.
[01:34:54]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: How do you console a man whose whole world has been shattered? A man who hours earlier was locked in the warm embrace of his wife and newborn babies. But now cries out in agony begging to see them one last time.
His new horrific reality is too much to bear. His wife and twin babies are dead, killed in an Israeli strike on their apartment in central Gaza according to hospital officials.
Aysal (ph) and her brother Aser (ph) were just three days old. The Palestinian ministry of health says they are among 115 infants born and killed during the war in Gaza.
Hours earlier, their mother, Jumana (ph), a pharmacist, was blissfully responding to congratulations and well wishes on Facebook.
"I feel like it was a miracle, Alhamdulillah sister. Everything is going well."
Jumana, Aysal and Aser now lie here in a room consumed with Mohammad's inconsolable grief.
"These are the birth certificates," he says. "While I was getting them, I received a phone call telling me our apartment was targeted and that my wife and children were at Al-Aqsa Hospital."
Neighbors are still sifting through the aftermath of that strike. Hospital officials saying Israeli shell hit the building. The Israeli military did not respond to CNN's request for comments.
The victims of several other strikes in central Gaza also pour into Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital where more parents grieve the deaths of their children.
"How can I live after you, my son," this mother cries.
Amid the grief there is also anger and exasperations including from a dead man's father.
"The entire unjust world does not care about this. That's all I can say," Hassan says. "Just numbers. We are just numbers. But for God we are martyrs."
One by one, their bodies are brought out of the morgue so the living can pray for the dead, including nine-month-old Jamal (ph) and his father, Uday (ph).
Mohammad is performing the same rituals for his wife and twin babies. But prayers offer little comfort for a man who has lost everything, for a new father with no children to raise.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN -- Haifa, Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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VAUSE: The former prime minister of Bangladesh is now the focus of a murder investigation. State media reports, the case involves the police killing of one man as he was crossing the street during recent student-led protests.
Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India last week, and in her first statement since leaving Bangladesh, Hasina called for an investigation into what she described as heinous killings and acts of sabotage in July.
[01:39:53]
VAUSE: The protests against the quota system for government jobs escalated into deadly clashes, nationwide in parts (ph) leaving at least 300 people dead and the unrest is yet to fully subside.
Violent student-led protests broke out in the capital Dhaka Tuesday causing damage to office buildings, government vehicles, and public property.
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, a longtime critic of the former prime minister is now leading the interim government until fresh elections are held.
To Melbourne, Australia and joining us this hour is Thomas Kean, a senior consultant on Myanmar and Bangladesh for the International Crisis Group. Thank you for being with us.
THOMAS KEAN, SENIOR CONSULTANT ON MYANMAR AND BANGLADESH, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: Thanks, John. Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: So ok, so after overthrowing the government, student protesters are part of the interim government and there are some pretty big plans.
Listen to this.
NAHID ISLAM, STUDENT LEADER AND MEMBER OF INTERIM GOVERNMENT: This is an interim government, not a caretaker government that will only arrange for an election. Instead, we are going to work on various reforms of the state structures that we have been discussing. We want to create a blueprint for the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You know, to quote Mike Tyson, everyone has a plan until they're punched in the face.
So given the state of the economy, which was precarious before the uprising, the sovereign dead (ph) currency ratings have been downgraded, the foreign currency reserves almost gone. There's violence as well and unrest after the former prime minister fled.
So how challenging will it be for the (INAUDIBLE) to create this blueprint for the future, but implementing it as well. And what are the most important reforms they have to get right here.
KEAN: Yes, they have a huge task ahead of them. They have to implement both political and economic reforms at the same time while also managing the politics which are tricky to say the least.
The established political parties particularly Sheikh Hasina's Awami League. You know, I think from what we've seen, we can expect them to oppose some of the reforms and also to push for elections to happen very quickly.
But as you've heard in the grab, student leaders are adamant that the elections can only take place after reforms are undertaken. And this is going to be a very contentious issue because the constitution says that elections should take place within 90 days. The consensus in Bangladesh is that it could be one to two years to implement the reforms.
VAUSE: So with that in mind, over the weekend, Sajeeb Wazed who is the son of the former prime minister, he questioned the legitimacy of this interim government. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAJEEB WAZED, SON OF SHEIKH HASINA: This government is completely unconstitutional. There is no provision for a selected government -- selected by a small minority because even the demonstrators, what you're seeing, we have 170 million people in Bangladesh.
20,000, 50,000 protesters are a tiny fraction of the minority. No one has voted for this government. And so whether they can restore law and order, well it remains to be seen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: I guess at best you could call it a gray area right now. So where do things stand constitutionally and other legal mechanisms for, you know, opposition to this interim government?
KEAN: That's right. It is a bit of a legal gray area. The constitution does not mention an interim government. It does talk about emergency governments, but this is not an emergency government.
So we are in a constitutional gray area and certainly political forces will challenge the legitimacy of the interim government.
However, I think the important thing is that the interim government, appears to have a high level of support and is engaging with different political actors to get them on board.
So the main opposition political party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has said it will give the interim government the time it needs to implement reforms.
VAUSE: Well, they've already appointed a new governor to the central bank. Ahsan al Mansur who's 72-years-old. He's worked for the IMF in the past, almost three decades, and that included the time serving as a senior representative to Pakistan.
His first challenge seems to be negotiations for more funding from the IMF and other creditors. It kind of seems like a good idea to put a former IMF official in those negotiations with the IMF?
KEAN: The appointment of Ahsan Mansur as the Bangladesh bank governor is a really smart one. He knows the IMF well from his decades of experience there. But he also understands the Bangladesh economy extremely well.
He's been talking for several years about the reforms that Sheikh Hasina's government needed to undertake to get the economy back on track. Ultimately, she didn't do that. And it was a combination of economic and political issues that brought her down.
But the economy got into trouble because of the patronage networks that she set up to keep her government in power. They were ultimately -- that was ultimately what brought her down.
And one of his major challenges will be to clean up the mess that Sheikh Hasina's government has left behind, particularly in the banking sector.
[01:44:47]
VAUSE: Just to quickly end it up here with the loan that Bangladesh received from the IMF. Some say it came with some very harsh, very tough reforms, you know, which Bangladesh had to implement as a condition for receiving the loan in the first place.
Were those reforms so tough that it actually led at least in part to the turmoil that we saw over the last couple of months?
KEAN: On the contrary, the conditions that were put on the loan actually introduced some sanity to economic decision-making. And really if Sheikh Hasina's government had implemented more of the conditions attached to the loan, it would have been good for the Bangladesh economy.
And I think that's the direction that we can expect things to go in. The challenge for the government, the interim government under Muhammad Yunus and the Bangladesh bank, as well under Ahsan Mansur will be to implement those reforms in a way that protects the most vulnerable people in Bangladesh because if they go too hard and too fast, you know, it can have a lot of negative impacts on people and that can undermine popular support for the interim government.
But if we look at who Muhammad Yunus is, you know, coming from this background of pioneering microfinance, I think he'll be acutely aware of the need to protect the most vulnerable people in Bangladesh society.
VAUSE: Thomas Kean in Melbourne, Australia, thank you, sir. Appreciate your time.
KEAN: Thanks so much, John.
VAUSE: The Taliban, the misogynistic child bride-marrying Islamic fundamentalists who are running Afghanistan into the ground are marking three years in power. They took control of the capital Kabul in August 2021 after a chaotic and at times (ph) tragic withdrawal of U.S. forces ending 20 years of U.S. occupation.
From that moment, the Taliban implemented their harsh laws based on their own misinterpretation of Islam, imposing strict restrictions on women.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALISON DAVIDIAN, U.N. WOMEN COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVE IN AFGHANISTAN: The first, most striking trend is the erasure of Afghan women from public life. To date, no woman in Afghanistan has a leadership position anywhere that has influence politically either at national or provincial level.
Just to give some context three years ago, a woman in Afghanistan could technically decide to run for president. Now she may not even be able to decide when to go and buy groceries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It is hardly surprising that right now the U.N. warns all of this is impacting the mental health of women across the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIDIAN: Linked to the loss of rights, our data also points to an escalating mental health crisis. 68 percent of the women we surveyed said they had bad or very bad mental health. And 8 percent of women said that they knew at least one other woman or girl who had attempted suicide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Something to think about.
We'll be back in a moment. You're watching CNN.
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VAUSE: Realtors across the U.S. are bracing for a seismic shift in how they do business. Beginning this weekend, new rules will overhaul the commission agents receive from property sales especially how they get paid.
CNN's Karin Caifa has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARIN CAIFA, CNN REPORTER: New rules for realtors will eliminate the longstanding 6 percent commission paid by a home seller and potentially lower overall home prices.
[01:49:50]
STEPHEN BROBECK, FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CONSUMER FEDERATION OF AMERICA: For a century, the industry has essentially set commission rates.
CAIFA: The changes effect of this Saturday, August 17th, are part of a settlement announced in March by the National Association of Realtors.
For decades, a seller's agent typically charged the seller 5 or 6 percent of a home's purchase price intended to be shared with the buyer's agent. That put sellers on the hook for an additional cost some experts say inflated home prices.
Now sellers will no longer be expected to make commission offers to buyer agents.
Vanessa Perry, interim dean of the George Washington University School of Business says the new rules provide more transparency, but don't necessarily simplify the process.
VANESSA PERRY, INTERIM DEAN, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS: Increased transparency does not mean increased understanding.
CAIFA: Additionally, homebuyers will have to sign a representation agreement with an agent before even touring a home, which could be challenging for less experienced buyers.
PERRY: They're trying to navigate an already complex set of transactions. Maybe the biggest transaction they'll ever engage in in their lives. CAIFA: That's why Steve Brobeck of the Consumer Federation of America
says it's more important than ever to find an agent who knows the new landscape.
BROBECK: Consumers talking to agents who don't really understand the new marketplace need to find another agent.
CAIFA: Homebuying is already a very complex financial process and both Brobeck and Perry said that consumers should not hesitate to ask questions.
Realtors are going to be navigating this new process as well. The Consumer Federation of America says to feel free to ask an attorney or another independent expert to review any documents in the process before you sign them.
In Washington, I'm Karin Caifa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Starbucks has a new CEO tapping Brian Niccol to lead the company, replacing the current chief executive who lasted only a year. Sales have been struggling. Niccol has led the Mexican food chain Chipotle since 2018 growing revenue there nearly 800 percent.
CNN's Nathaniel Meyersohn has -- Meyersohn rather has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Big changes at Starbucks. The company is going to have its fourth CEO in just two years, as Brian Niccol takes over the company from Chipotle.
And Starbucks has really struggled the last several years. Last quarter, its sales were down 3 percent. Customers are really frustrated with higher prices. People are paying $5, $6, $7 for iced coffee, even more for lattes.
At Starbucks, the business model has completely changed over the past several years. You think back at Starbucks during the 90s and 2000s, people used to go inside, stay for a while, sit down. Now, everybody's ordering on their phone. Sometimes the service is often slow.
But investors are very confident in him. The stock is up about 20 percent at Starbucks today. It shows, you know, excitement for Niccol. He's known as a turnaround expert, having turned around Chipotle after its E coli and food safety issues. Also has a track record of turning around Taco Bell.
So, Wall Street really thinks that Starbucks has picked the right man for the job.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, the ratings are in and Comcast and NBCUniversal say their coverage of the Paris Olympics drew an average of more than 30 million viewers across all platforms. An 82 percent increase compared to the Tokyo Games.
NBC's streaming app Peacock featured more than 3,200 live events over the course of the games, including generative A.I. daily recaps, and a multi-view feature which viewers could watch several events at the same time. New York City may be famous for its bustling streets and skyscrapers but in Brooklyn, there's something of an oasis. Coney Island, home to one of America's best-known boardwalks and famous Wonder Wheel, which is now more than a century old.
CNN's Richard Quest, not quite a century-old, stopped by for a ride.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DENO VOURDERIS, CO-OWNER, DENO'S WONDER WHEEL AMUSEMENT PARK: This is the jewel of Coney Island right here.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Right.
VOURDERIS: That's the Wonder Wheel. It's 104 years old, but it's not a Ferris Wheel. It's an eccentric Ferris Wheel because it's part Ferris Wheel, part roller coaster. It's part of the whole Coney Island, United States ingenuity.
QUEST: What is the attraction to it, do you think?
VOURDERIS: I mean, it's full of history. It means -- what makes the Wonder Wheel so special is it means different things to different people.
It could be a first date. It could be a proposal. It could be an anniversary. It's the most romantic ride in the world. And in 1920 it was the most thrilling ride in the world.
QUEST: Are you looking to a good summer this year? What's your gut telling you, Deno?
VOURDERIS: My gut is telling me that people need, not want, people need a place to unwind. I mean, we're always looking down on our devices. We're not actually living anymore. So I think places like Coney Island are essential businesses.
QUEST: People meet here.
VOURDERIS: People meet here. My grandparents used to date right on the beach out here in 1948.
[01:54:49]
QUEST: And you sir, you sir, don't follow me around, tell me what your --- come in. What's your history?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My parents met here on the beach.
QUEST: Your parents met here on the beach? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They lived here in Brooklyn and they would take the train in. They came as two groups of friends and they met right here on this beach.
VOURDERIS: 1920, we have the Coney Island's oldest attraction. When COVID came by, everybody was cutting and running, we doubled down. We opened Coney Island's newest attraction because you either believe in what you're doing or you don't.
QUEST: OK.
VOURDERIS: And we believe in this place. We believe in its future.
QUEST: Right. Should we go on this?
VOURDERIS: I mean, I'm ready. Are you ready?
QUEST: I mean --
VOURDERIS: We haven't killed anybody all day. Let's go.
QUEST: OK. Let's go then.
VOURDERIS: You know about salt water corrosion. Yes. We're constantly repainting, we're constantly resurfacing, we're constantly x-raying all these pieces of metal and make sure there's no cracks.
That's some new stuff that's been around now, but the Wonder Wheel has definitely stood the test of time.
I'm not going to tell you when it's going to swing. We're just going to keep talking and we'll see what happens. You don't have to hold on. Hands up.
QUEST: No. I --
VOURDERIS: You're not supposed to make that sound.
QUEST: Looks like we're swinging -- oh. Whoa.
VOURDERIS: There you go.
But here it is. This is Coney Island, guys.
QUEST: Right.
VOURDERIS: We have --
QUEST: What do you need?
VOURDERIS: What do we need here?
QUEST: Yes. What do you need? As you look around at it, what is it that you actually now need in Coney Island?
VOURDERIS: I think we could use a little more investment. I think people are still a little afraid. I think we need more people to not be afraid.
When COVID hit, we knew the future of this place. And that's what always kept Coney Island coming back is there was always somebody who knew this place has potential. There was always somebody who believed in its future. And honestly, I believe if we remember who we are, then our best days are ahead of us. There's so much potential.
Coney Island has always had that reputation of being a little, you know, old New York, right? Let's say old New York.
QUEST: Showing in your face.
VOURDERIS: Show in your face. And you know what, some of it is still is like that. And we don't want to lose everything that we are but we want to kind of find that middle ground. And I think we're slowly getting there.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thanks to Richard Quest for that report.
And thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.
Please stay with us. CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague Rosemary Church, after a short break.
Hope to see you right back here tomorrow.
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