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Earthquake Hits Russian East Coast, Hawaii Now Under Tsunami Threat; British P.M. to Recognize the State of Palestine if Israel will Not Act on the Ceasefire-Hostage Deal. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired July 30, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is CNN Breaking News.

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

And we begin with the tsunami threat across the Pacific with the first big waves now hitting the U.S. shores in Hawaii after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off the Russian East Coast a few hours ago. The waves in Hawaii arrived in the past 30 minutes or so and officials reporting that some are more than five feet, well over a meter higher than the normal tide levels in some areas.

Well, the state's governor warns that tsunami waves, quote, "will wrap around the islands." Authorities are opening up shelters as residents are urged to evacuate to safer ground.

And the threat also extends to states along the U.S. West Coast, Washington, Oregon and the northern parts of California are bracing for tsunami waves to arrive any moment. The San Francisco Bay is expected to see tsunami waves this hour with Southern California not far behind.

Well, authorities in Los Angeles are preparing for possible tsunami effects. Officials are urging people to stay out of the ocean. The 8.8 magnitude quake that caused these tsunamis is the strongest since 2011 and tied for the sixth most powerful on record.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking developments and joins us now. Good to have you with us. So the tsunami waves are growing in size both in the U.S. and Japan. What are you seeing in Hawaii right now?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. We're starting to see those numbers continue to tick up. And this happens, I think a common misconception is that people always assume that the very first wave that comes in is definitely the highest, it's the strongest, and that isn't always necessarily the case. So even though we had some of these numbers sitting at two, three and

even four feet, we're now starting to see those numbers going back up. So you've got two right now in Hawaii looking at four and five feet respectively in some of the surrounding areas to about two to three feet.

So, again, those numbers, again, they may not sound like all that much, but you have to remember it's coming in very quickly. So that water rushes in very fast and it can fill up very quickly, which is why they want to get those people off of the beaches and up into higher ground.

Now, right now, we still have two places left under a tsunami warning. The areas of the western Aleutian Islands have now been brought back down to a tsunami advisory. That's where all of this yellow color is that you see here. But the orange color, including Hawaii and this small portion of northern California, they are still under the tsunami warning.

The reason why the area in northern California is like that and maybe not the surrounding areas has to do with the bathymetry of the coastline that is there. It varies greatly from the surrounding one, making them at least a little bit more susceptible and vulnerable to these tsunami waves that will be coming back in.

Now, typically, when you have these very large earthquakes like we had right here, that's the red dot that you see right there. That is the epicenter of the earthquake.

What happens is when that water gets pushed out from the initial tsunami, it pushes out in the same direction. So you can start to time out the propagation of that tsunami and all of the subsequent waves that come out one hour, three hours, five hours, 10 hours. You can know exactly when those waves are expected and anticipated to arrive in certain places like Hawaii, like Japan, like the western coast of the United States.

So Alaska and Hawaii have already started to see the waves begin to come in Washington and Oregon, they are ongoing right now. And California looking at starting to see some of those initial waves again across the extreme northern part of the state. And then about an hour from now, we'll start to see those waves begin to arrive across portions of southern California.

So, again, this is going to be an ongoing thing. Also, I want to mention, too, this is not just a one and done. A lot of these areas are going to get multiple waves.

And the second wave or the third wave could be higher than the first one. It could be the fourth or the fifth wave that ends up being higher. So keep that in mind, too.

Just because you see one wave come in, don't assume that means everything is good and you can go back out. Please stay safe until those officials, Lynda, allow those people to get back out closer to the water. KINKADE: Exactly. Heed the warnings. Allison Chinchar, thanks so much

for that update.

We are staying on the story CNN's Ivan Watson is following this live from Hong Kong. Good to have you with us, Ivan.

So, of course, this was the sixth strongest recorded earthquake on record in modern history. And of course, those initial waves that hit were small and first feared, but they are growing. What's the latest?

[03:05:00]

IVAN WATSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, it's remarkable. You had this very powerful earthquake off the coast of a sparsely populated corner of eastern Russia. And we've been documenting in real time as the power of that earthquake has rippled quite literally across the Pacific Ocean, now hitting the island chain, the Hawaiian Islands, where the authorities have taken this very seriously.

They've shut the ports, they have suspended flights at the main international airport. The emergency management on the island of Oahu, which, as you just heard, saw a four foot one point two meter wave tsunami wave coming in. They put out a warning saying take action now, tsunami waves are currently impacting Hawaii.

And listen to some of the warnings that came from the Hawaii governor, Joshua Green.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOSH GREEN (D-HI): If you stay on beaches, you could risk death. So, again, you can expect a tsunami wave to hit the state and it will not just hit one beach, it will wrap around the islands very likely, therefore causing a wave in Hilo, in Kona and Kauai and on Maui. You have to be safe and please do not come back out until we give you the all clear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Governor Green has gone on to say that it'll be another two to three hours before they expect to be able to issue an all clear.

Japan has been on alert throughout the day warning about the tsunami effects, issuing evacuation alerts to about two million people. We've seen scenes of people taking shelter on a rooftop in one case, for example.

And the Japanese Meteorological Agency has recorded that the waves are growing. For instance, at one port, there is now recorded a four foot wave having come in.

The Japanese, of course, very sensitive to this, because in 2011, a huge earthquake, more powerful than the one that hit off the coast of Russia, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake sent a tsunami to Japan's shores that ultimately ended up killing more than 22,000 people and causing a nuclear powered disaster. So there is tragic history there that they are working off of.

Meanwhile, in a small town, port town in Russia, a state of emergency has been declared and we've seen footage of coastal areas flooded there by the immediate tsunami aftermath of that 8.8 magnitude earthquake, as you pointed out, tied for one of the sixth most powerful earthquakes recorded ever. Some people evacuated in that area, reports of ships being ripped off of their mooring, but as of yet, no reports of injuries.

And that's what we want to see as the entire Pacific Rim seemingly braces itself for the possible impacts and consequences of this historically powerful earthquake. Lynda.

KINKADE: And certainly in the coming hour, California is on standby, on alert for potential tsunami waves. And as you pointed out, we've already seen almost two million people told to evacuate around the coastlines of Japan, well aware of the threat of what a tsunami can do. What is he hearing from authorities in and around California in terms of their advice to people on the coast?

WATSON: You know, our reporter Josh Campbell in L.A. actually filmed the sheriff department's helicopter flying over the coast, warning people to clear out of the area because of this tsunami advisory.

Further south, Huntington Beach, as a precaution, closed. That's a city closing down its beaches. And these are in kind of tsunami advisory areas less considered at risk than places like Hawaii.

So it just goes to show that across the Western seaboard, the authorities are taking this risk seriously. And we've had also alerts that you could potentially see from one to three meter waves impacting Costa Rica and Ecuador as far as the western coast of South America.

Again, just a warning here that the power of an earthquake off the coast of far eastern Russia, authorities warning that it could send a surge of water -- of ocean water hitting thousands and thousands of miles away.

And thus you have these warnings going out to locals. Stay off the beaches. Don't go in the water.

Surfers, the surf may be up, but the currents could be dangerous and unpredictable. And that's why we're getting this collective warnings coming from all across the Western seaboard.

[03:10:04]

KINKADE: Yes, certainly everyone around that Pacific coastline is hopefully hitting those warnings. Good advice. Ivan Watson in Hong Kong, thanks so much.

Well, Austin Holland is the director of operations at the Alaska Earthquake Center and joins us now from Fairbanks, Alaska. Austin, good to have you with us.

So, you know, Alaska was one of the first areas to see some of the impact of this. Just describe for us the power of this earthquake and how it triggers a tsunami.

AUSTIN A. HOLLAND, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, ALASKA EARTHQUAKE CENTER: So as was mentioned earlier, this is one of the largest recorded earthquakes. So quite remarkable, quite unique. We share our data from the Alaska Earthquake Center with the Tsunami Warning Center, who rapidly issued a tsunami warning for parts of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska.

We have worked with communities and state and federal partners to create inundation maps and evacuation plans for tsunamis. So, for instance, the community of Adak evacuated following the tsunami warning being issued. And we were fortunate in that the wave heights measured for the tsunami in Adak were much smaller than other places that have been reported.

KINKADE: And of course, we saw those initial tsunami waves hitting Alaska and Japan smaller than first feared. But of course, these waves are growing. Do you expect further aftershocks or tsunami related surges?

HOLLAND: So as was mentioned previously, it may not always be the first wave of the largest wave in a tsunami. And as well, we could potentially -- we will see further aftershocks.

There is a very small chance that there could be a larger shock to follow, but that's a very small chance. So there is potential for future earthquakes that would generate tsunami waves as well.

KINKADE: And how does your center partner with other agencies to monitor these sort of events in real time? How quickly can new warnings be issued?

HOLLAND: So we partner with a lot of different agencies that's coordinated through the Tsunami Warning Center, a lot of different agencies providing data to them. The warnings can get issued usually within a few minutes.

And so for these type of tsunami waves where there is greater distance to larger populations, that provides ample warning for communities. It's the local nearby communities that get much less warning time in the event of the tsunami.

KINKADE: All right. Well, hopefully those that are getting these warnings heed the advice of authorities.

Austin Holland at the Alaska Earthquake Center, appreciate your time. Thank you.

HOLLAND: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well still ahead, no new trade deal for China and the U.S. We'll talk about what could happen next and why this is a hugely consequential week for the U.S. and global economies.

Plus, New York remembers the four victims of Monday's shooting in Manhattan as police try to find out more about the government's motive. What we're learning about his past.

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[03:15:00]

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KINKADE: An update on our breaking news, tsunami waves have now reached the Hawaii coastlines after a powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia's far eastern coast, sparking tsunami advisories and warnings across the Pacific. Water levels rose above four feet on the north shore of Oahu Island. And as emergency management warned residents there to take action and go to the evacuation zones.

Well, a tsunami wave over five feet has now been reported on the island of Maui. Water levels will likely continue to rise and fall as more waves approach.

The U.S. Federal Reserve is once again expected to hold interest rates steady when the board meets later today. And despite President Trump's loud and frequent demands for lower rates and his attacks on the chairman, Jerome Powell, whom he has threatened to fire.

New data released Tuesday shows Americans are growing more hopeful about the economy. Consumer confidence rose two points this month, staying stable since May after April's big plunge, but remaining below last year's levels.

Global economic data is showing signs of similar optimism. The International Monetary Fund has bumped its global forecast up 3 percent. It was at 2.8 percent in April. That's after the U.S. GDP was raised by 1.9 percent and China's economy performed better than expected.

But the IMF warns there are still risks, especially from the ongoing trade uncertainty. Earlier this week, the Trump administration announced the contours of a trade agreement with the European Union, calling it the biggest deal ever made. But after three rounds of talks, U.S. negotiators have failed to reach any such agreement with China.

It's not clear if the country's 90-day pause on tariffs will be extended. Tariffs are set to skyrocket on August 12th without a deal or an extension.

To discuss all of this, we're joined now by CNN global economic analyst Rana Faroohar. She's also a global business columnist and associate editor at the "Financial Times." Good to see you, Rana.

RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST, GLOBAL BUSINESS COLUMNIST AND ASSOCIATE EDITOR, "FINANCIAL TIMES": Great to see you.

[03:20:09]

KINKADE: So no deal on tariffs for the U.S. and China after another two days of negotiations. Are we likely to see yet another extension of the deadline or is there potentially real economic pain ahead for both sides?

FOROOHAR: You know, this week is going to be a big tell. You know, we heard in the first day of negotiations the president saying, oh, things aren't going so well. Then we hear they are going well.

You know, he ended with an upbeat note. We don't have news yet, but it's going to be very interesting because in the U.S., this is a big week, not just because of tariffs, but we've got GDP figures coming in, we've got a Fed ruling, whether rates are going to remain as they are, whether they're going to hike, whether they're going to lower. I think they're probably going to stay as they are.

Tariffs is going to be the third piece, really, along with jobs of the U.S. economic picture. And I think that whatever happens this week is going to set the tone for the next few weeks, if not months.

The China deal is very important. You know, E.U. is important. But at the end of the day, the entire Trump trade paradigm and the shifts that have happened are because of China. So everyone's waiting to see what's going to happen.

KINKADE: Yes, I want to get more from you about the overall economic outlook. But I also want to ask you about what potentially Beijing can learn from, how trade negotiations have been handled between the U.S. and the U.K., the E.U. and Japan. What lessons can be applied to potentially break the ongoing deadlock?

FOROOHAR: Well, it's interesting because the Chinese were already sounding off on the E.U. deal earlier and saying, you know, the E.U. should have hung tight. This was not a good deal for the E.U. And I think a lot of people would agree with that.

Trump actually lowered the proposed tariffs by about 10 percent. But that still leaves the E.U. with a 15 percent tariff. That's about three times as high as it was before.

They're not getting a whole lot in return. They really need the U.S. market for their pharmaceuticals, for their automobiles, their white goods. And so this does come across as making the E.U. look a bit weak.

And so I don't think the Chinese are taking any lesson aside from don't come out with this kind of unilateral deal.

The U.K. is a little bit different. You know, it was the first deal cut. The U.S. and the U.K. have the special relationship still.

But the U.K. is a small country. You know, this is this is not as strategically important to the U.S. as what happens with China. I think the Chinese are going to play hardball.

You know, that's the line that they've stuck with since the beginning of the trade wars and since Liberation Day. And I don't expect them to veer from it now. KINKADE: Yes. Well, overall, looking at the big picture, U.S. consumer confidence rose less than it's expected in July. Job availability is now seen at its weakest in over four years.

So the labor market seems to be cooling. But overall, sentiment hasn't turned negative. How do you interpret that disconnect?

FOROOHAR: You know, the jobs numbers have been really mystifying for the last few months. There's been a lot of predictions that they would weaken, they've come in stronger than expected, many times there's a prediction again this Friday that they're going to weaken from the month before.

Whether that's the case, who knows? But again, if you see a real directional shift from what's being predicted, if they really come in hot, that's going to put pressure on the Fed. That's going to, you know, maybe kind of create more tension in the Powell-Trump relationship.

If you see them coming incredibly weak, then that's going to make people worried that, well, you know, maybe we are in for more pain. Maybe the U.S. isn't as resilient as it looks, despite all the shocks that's weathered in the last few months.

And, you know, maybe this is time to come back down to earth. Whatever happens, these next three days are going to be a big deal.

KINKADE: And speaking of Wednesday, President Trump has renewed calls for a rate cut, calling it a very simple request. What do you think is going to happen? And Chairman Powell certainly doesn't seem the type of person to cave to any sort of political pressure, right?

FOROOHAR: No, he's not. You know, I think he's done a really admirable job of dealing with the situation that he's in, not just politically, but economically.

I mean, this is an incredibly difficult moment to be making monetary policy. It's really difficult to tell which direction the winds are blowing.

You know, companies are actually more bullish than you might imagine given everything that's going on. But I've spoken to labor representatives that say, you know, we think a recession may be coming in the fall, maybe in the winter. And we are worried that the pain of tariffs is just beginning.

So it is just very difficult to tell what's happening on the ground. And that's because we're coming out of a cycle, out of a period that has been so unusual from the pandemic to the big fiscal stimulus, the Biden administration to the war in Ukraine.

[03:25:04]

I mean, conflict in many places, tariff and trade issues. It's just a very unusual situation. I don't think I've ever seen this many economic vectors in play in the 30 plus years that I've been doing my job.

KINKADE: Wow. Well, we will discuss all of this, no doubt, again very soon. Rana Foroohar, always good to get your analysis, thank you.

FOROOHAR: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, the multi-faith prayer vigil is held in New York Tuesday for the four people killed in the Manhattan skyscraper mass shooting. The New York Governor, Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams are among those in attendance. While authorities learned of the government's grievances against the NFL and its handling of the brain disease, CTE, they still want to know more about his motive.

CNN's Shimon Prokupecz reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D-NY): Our city and our state are grieving right now.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SR. CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The investigation into the deadliest shooting in New York City in 25 years now stretching across the country as authorities try to understand who the shooter was and why he did this.

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS (D), NEW YORK CITY: We're sending two teams to Las Vegas, one to execute a search warrant and the other to look at the two firearms and guns that were recovered.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Authorities have identified the shooter as 27 year old Shane Devon Tamura of Las Vegas. He drove across the country. They believe he started his journey last week and arrived in New York just hours before the shooting on Monday.

JESSICA TISCH, NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: According to our law enforcement partners in Las Vegas, Mr. Tamura has a documented mental health history.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Security footage shows Tamura entering the lobby of 345 Park Avenue, opening fire on an NYPD officer, then spraying the lobby with bullets. He killed a security guard and then took the elevator to the 33rd floor, killed another person there and then shot himself in the chest.

Photos surfaced today showing office workers barricading doors to protect themselves as the chaos unfolded. In his car, investigators found Ziploc bags of ammunition, additional loaded magazines for his rifle, a loaded 357 magnum pistol, two cell phones, cannabis and antidepressant medication.

A three-page suicide note was also found on the suspect's body in which he complained of suffering from CTE, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, something often associated with football players who experienced repeated head trauma.

He wrote, quote, "Study my brain, please. I'm sorry." And then expressed anger towards the NFL.

ADAMS: The motive appeared to be connected to the shooter's belief that he was suffering from CTE and he was an ex NFL player. Those items just don't pan out.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Though the shooter did play competitive football in high school, he never played for the NFL. And the NYPD said he had no nexus to the league.

The NFL had offices on the fifth floor in the building where the shooting took place. But the gunman seemed to unknowingly bypass the elevator bank that would have taken him to their offices.

But that didn't stop him from taking four lives.

NYPD officer Didarul Islam was a father of two and expecting his third child with his wife next month.

Wesley Le Patner was a senior executive at Blackstone and considered a role model for young women.

Alana Tien was an unarmed security officer and devoted father of two, according to his family.

And Julia Hyman was a recent Cornell graduate who worked for the owners of the building.

PROKUPECZ: The building here where all this happened, 345 Park Avenue, the front now boarded up because there are shattered glass everywhere because of the gunshots that were fired. Also, crime scene investigators spent the entire day inside the building processing the crime scene. More than 24 hour later, they have been here since this happened.

And also the city preparing a vigil to honor those who died as funeral preparations are now underway for the fallen officer.

Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: The tsunami waves are already hitting U.S. shores with initial waves reaching Hawaii's coastlines. The latest on the far reaching impact of the massive earthquake in Russia's far east. That story, next.

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[03:30:00]

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KINKADE: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Lynda Kinkade. Let's check today's top stories.

Tsunami waves are hitting U.S. shores after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off Russia's eastern coast a few hours ago. Hawaii has reported waves of more than five feet, well over a meter higher than normal tide levels. Authorities along the U.S. west coast are now preparing for tsunami effects and urging people to stay out of the ocean.

[03:35:01]

New York officials confirmed that the autopsy of the gunman behind Monday's mass shooting in Midtown Manhattan will include a brain examination. Shane Tamura killed four people in a busy high-rise before turning the gun on himself. Sources say his suicide note claimed he suffered from a disease known as CTE, which is linked to repeated head trauma, sometimes the result of playing football.

India could soon face high U.S. tariffs. President Trump has threatened to raise them up to 25 percent if there's no trade agreement. It's not entirely clear what the sticking points are, India's commerce minister recently sounded optimistic about striking a deal before the U.S. self-imposed deadline of August 1st.

More now on our top story this hour. The first tsunami waves have begun to hit Hawaii according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The tsunami wave over five feet has been reported on the north central shore of Maui.

Evacuations have been well underway across the island after a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia's east coast. Hawaii's Governor is urging residents to stay away from coastal areas as a potential tsunami could wrap around the islands.

We want to welcome back CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar. So Allison, we've heard that the first tsunami wave isn't always the biggest for Hawaii. How long could the danger last and what kind of wave patterns are we seeing?

CHINCHAR: Right, this could end up lasting for a few more hours. If you think about when you drop a rock into a body of water you get that rippling effect. It's not never just one ring, there's multiples and that's what's going to happen here.

It could be multiple waves of waves coming through into the Hawaii area. Now in theory is the more of them you receive the weaker they get but it's not always imminent. It doesn't always mean the first one is the strongest and then the second one and the third one.

In some cases it can be the second, third or even the fourth wave that ends up being one of the highest. Now when we look at some of the wave heights that we've already had in Hawaii specifically we've already had reports of four and five foot waves and nearby areas have reported two and three foot waves.

This is why we still have that tsunami warning in effect not only for Hawaii but also for a small portion of northern California. Now the reason why this area is under a warning instead of an advisory like the surrounding areas that is because that particular portion of the northern California coast the bathymetry of the coastline is a little bit different there. It makes them a little bit more susceptible to some of those higher waves and also to have the waves come inland a little bit farther so that is why that particular region has the warning instead of the advisory.

Essentially what happens here this red dot this is the epicenter of that earthquake. Initially after the earthquake if there is a tsunami and that depends entirely upon where the earthquake takes place and what type of fault line it is this was a thrust fault and what you're noticing is if a tsunami does occur from that typically what happens is the water gets pushed out in one singular direction.

You can see that here it kind of just propagates outward away from the center of where the earthquake took place. The key thing here is that we can actually time those waves relatively accurately. You can see you know three hours, five hours, 10 hours when those waves are expected to first arrive in a variety of places and that's how we've been able to time out when these first waves will arrive in places like Alaska, Hawaii, Washington and Oregon.

Now we're still starting to see some of those first waves begin to arrive across portions of central and southern California and that will likely continue for about the next 20 to 30 minutes. Again this is going to be more than just one wave so you're going to have multiple rounds of these waves coming in so even though the first one may impact portions of California now through the next 20 to 30 minutes there's going to be a several more that come in after that.

The hope here is that for some of these areas especially in California the southern area that these waves are just going to be very small and folks don't really have too much to worry about in terms of damage or destruction.

With that said even just a small wave the speed at which these waves come in is more than enough to knock you off your feet. That's why these officials have urged people to get away from the beaches, get away from shores, piers, things like that and you kind of dock an area that are around them and to seek higher ground because again even if you only get a one-foot or a two-foot wave instead of the four or fives again the speed at which that water rushes in is enough to knock you off your feet. Lynda.

KINKADE: All right. Allison Chinchar, good to have that update, thanks so much.

We want to go to Seattle, Washington. Joining me now is Vasily Titov, the chief scientist of the NOAA Center for Tsunami Research. Great to have you with us.

VASILY TITOV, CHIEF SCIENTIST, NOAA CENTER FOR TSUNAMI RESEARCH: Good to be with you.

KINKADE: So Dr. Titov, what does your modeling show you about the size, the speed, the reach of the tsunami across the Pacific and where's the greatest concern right now?

[03:40:03] TITOV: Well as you said before the concern now focused on the west coast of the United States and particularly Northern California is known to be a focal point of any tsunami that's propagating in the Pacific Ocean.

The area around Crescent City is known to have larger than average tsunami waves there so that's where the focus of our forecast is now and you can see well there are some larger amplitude waves we're expecting but more importantly we expect potentially even some flooding which may be dangerous for the people on the coast that's why the evacuation is being called for these areas.

KINKADE: And we know tsunami waves can wrap around coastlines as we've heard from the Governor of Hawaii. Are we still in that window where larger more dangerous waves could arrive after the first ones?

TITOV: Absolutely. Tsunami wave is never the single wave, it's usually a series of wave and in this case the wave propagating from Kamchatka from the other side of the Pacific, will have several waves of about the same intensity. So the first wave is by no means as an indicator of the largest potential impact, and that will be especially true for the west coast because the wave has more area to propagate and it will separate to more waves and most certainly the first wave is not going to be the largest.

So be careful there to take you go away from the coastlines and don't go close to the water.

KINKADE: And Dr. Titov can you explain how NOAA models and forecasts the tsunami impacts like what data are you using in real time to update your projections?

TITOV: Absolutely. The key is two -- the two components of the forecast is the key of the data and the models. The models we were working on both of these very diligently and now we're working on the next generation of models that will show us not only the arrival time of the wave but also the amplitudes and more importantly again the potential flooding which is the biggest danger from tsunami.

So to make it happen to make these models to show us the accuracy, the forecast we need data, and the data we were getting from a number of specifically designed tsunami buoys. And in fact for this particular event for this tsunami from Kamchatka there were tsunami buoys called DOARTs, Deep Ocean Assessment and Reporting for Tsunami placed next to Kamchatka, so that we can get the data early on and we use this data to feed the models and now the models show us that our forecast is fairly good so we're very confident that we will see some impact but the impact for the west coast is going to be fairly modest and that's all is because we're working on this new generation models and we're implementing it to make it faster and more accurate forecast.

KINKADE: So as we've heard some regions have already seen moderate wave heights four to five feet above the high tide does the data you're seeing so far you know show that there's potential for much higher waves? TITOV: A wave has already arrived in Hawaii and it caused flooding. We

know that the flooding has occurred in many locations in northern shores of many islands of Hawaii.

So it's night time in Hawaii so the impact of the wave of this tsunami is going to be known only in the morning. Our models show some flooding in Hawaii that flooding occurs and our comparison with data showed that the model did very well so it gives us confidence that the model that shows some modest impact in the west coast is accurate. So there will be some impact so people should stay away from the coastline but hopefully we're not going to see you know Kamchatka.

Kamchatka should probably saw quite a disruptive waves.

KINKADE: All right. Vasily Titov in Seattle Washington. Thanks so much for joining us at this late hour, we appreciate it.

TITOV: Thank you very much.

KINKADE: Well the U.N.-backed group is warning the worst case scenario of famine unfolding right now in Gaza but the British Prime Minister says he'll do if Israel doesn't end this appalling situation.

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[03:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: More in our top story this hour a tsunami wave over five feet has been reported on the north central shore of the Maui island in Hawaii, that's according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Emergency management officials in Hawaii are warning residents to take action now and remain outside the evacuation zones. Evacuations have also been well underway across the island after a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the east coast of Russia.

The Palestinian health ministry now puts the death toll in Gaza above 60,000. The U.N.-backed food security initiative is warning the situation will only get worse.

[03:50:09]

The group says the worst case scenario of famine is now unfolding in Gaza with access to food and other essentials at an unprecedented low. It cites mounting evidence of starvation, malnutrition and disease that will result in even more hunger-related deaths.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he will recognize the Palestinian state if Israel does not take steps to end the appalling conditions in Gaza. He's demanding an Israeli ceasefire and a commitment to a long-term sustainable peace.

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KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The reason we have announced this in the way we have in relation to the General Assembly in September is precisely because I want to ensure that this plays a part in changing the conditions on the ground and making sure that aid gets in making sure that there is hope of a two-state solution for the future.

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KINKADE: The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the decision on social media saying it rewards Hamas' monstrous terrorism. U.S. President Donald Trump says he has no plans to follow Starmer's ultimatum although he and First Lady Melania Trump have been deeply affected by the images coming out of Gaza.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I think everybody, unless they're pretty cold-hearted or worse than that nuts, there's nothing you can say other than it's terrible when you see the kids and those are kids you know whether they talk starvation or not those are kids that are starving.

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KINKADE: Well more now on the situation in Gaza from CNN's Jerusalem correspondent Jeremy Diamond.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well humanitarian aid is beginning to surge into the Gaza Strip, 200 trucks of aid were distributed in Gaza on Monday, that's double the amount that was distributed just the day before.

We've seen dozens of these airdrops happening over the skies of Gaza as well stressing the urgency of the situation but the reality on the ground is that starvation is not a switch that can be turned on and off and unfortunately doctors and humanitarians on the ground say that more Palestinians are likely to still continue to die in the days ahead as a result of malnutrition.

And now we have this grave warning coming from the IPC which is the leading U.N.-backed global authority on food security which says that the quote "worst case scenario of famine is now unfolding in Gaza." They are predicting widespread deaths if more action is not taken to rapidly alleviate the humanitarian situation. They point to the fact that the situation in Gaza has dramatically worsened recently with access to food plummeting and 20,000 children being admitted for treatment for acute malnutrition between April and mid-July.

And so the 200 trucks of aid that we are seeing, while it certainly represents an increase from the levels that we were at before it's far short of the five, 600 trucks a day of aid that humanitarian aid officials say are needed to alleviate the situation in Gaza. And indeed we are continuing to see deaths as a result of starvation and malnutrition still happening in the Gaza Strip. Now as all of this is happening the United Kingdom is now becoming the

latest country to say that it will recognize a Palestinian state. The British Prime Minister Keir Starmer making this announcement certainly ruffling the feathers of Israeli officials but what's interesting about what the United Kingdom has done here is that they are putting conditions to this recognition saying that they will only move forward with recognizing a Palestinian state if Israel doesn't meet a few key conditions.

Those conditions are alleviating dramatically the situation in the Gaza Strip agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza and also taking concrete steps towards a two-state solution. If Israel doesn't reach those conditions by the time of the U.N. General Assembly in September Prime Minister Starmer says he will move ahead with recognizing a Palestinian state.

Now Israeli officials obviously pushing back on all of this, expressing outrage at the notion of recognizing a Palestinian state saying it would be a reward for Hamas' October 7th attack. What we've also heard is from the Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar who says that this right now is the pressure that Israel is now facing is going to harden Hamas' position at the negotiating table and make it more difficult for Israel and Hamas to actually reach that ceasefire that everyone around the world seems to want.

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But of course that pressure that Israel is facing a direct result of the situation on the ground in Gaza which was driven by Israeli policies.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

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KINKADE: That does it for this edition of "CNN Newsroom," I'm Lynda Kinkade. Have yourselves a wonderful day. M.J. Lee is up next with the latest on that massive earthquake and the tsunami waves which are now hitting the U.S. coastline.

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