Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Arab Countries Call On Hamas To Disarm, Relinquish Power; Trump Says Friday Tariff Deadline Will Not Be Extended; Trump Announces Deal To Impose 15 Percent Tariff On South Korea; Russian Strikes On Ukraine Kill Dozens, Despite Trump Push For Ceasefire; Over 100 Aftershocks Rattle Russia After Massive 8.8 Quake; Trump's EPA Argues No Basis For Regulating Climate Pollution. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired July 31, 2025 - 01:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:24]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom. Arab and Muslim states are calling on Hamas to disarm and give up control of Gaza as a U.N. group warns the enclave is on the brink of full scale famine.

President Trump announces more trade deals as his Friday deadline inches closer by the minute.

And meet Abby, a companion robot bringing together technology and empathy to help the elderly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: It is 8:00 a.m. in Gaza where the search for food by desperate Palestinians has been deadly. And we just want to warn you, the video of the next scene is graphic. The Gaza Health Ministry reports at least 60 people were killed, 600 others injured in northern Gaza on Wednesday when Israeli forces fired near an aid site. The Israeli military says troops fired warning shots and isn't aware of any casualties.

An Israeli security source tells CNN sounds of gunfire were heard from within the crowd and some people were run over by aid trucks. CNN can't independently verify the circumstances of the incident. But the chaotic situation in Gaza has prompted Canada to announce it will recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly in September. That follows similar moves by France and the UK.

Meanwhile, Arab and Muslim nations have signed on to a U.N. Declaration calling on Hamas to disarm and give up power in Gaza. The statement also says the Palestinian Authority should handle governance and security in all Palestinian territory. More now on the situation in Gaza from CNN's Jeremy Diamond.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, more humanitarian aid is beginning to make its way into the Gaza Strip and into the hands of hungry Palestinians. But the U.N. agencies are warning that time is running out to mount a full scale humanitarian response that can actually begin to alleviate the starvation crisis that is currently gripping Gaza.

On Tuesday, about 200 trucks of humanitarian aid were distributed in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities. That's the same level as the day before, but a significant increase from the numbers of trucks that were getting distributed in Gaza last week.

This comes after Israel began implementing those tactical pauses, safe distribution routes. All of these, of course, steps that the U.N. and other humanitarian aid agencies have been calling on Israel to implement for months now.

We know that so much of what is happening in Gaza already is going to be very difficult to alleviate, and for many, it will be too late. Inside Gaza, we're also getting a better sense of just how bad the starvation crisis is, with 39 percent of people now going days at a time without eating, according to the World Food Programme.

In Gaza City in the northern part of the Strip, malnutrition levels among children under five have quadrupled in just the last two months, with a slew of agencies now describing famine like conditions in many parts of the Gaza Strip.

In addition to that, we are still seeing individuals in Gaza who are being killed by Israeli forces, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, as they are trying to make their way to get aid. And so now the question is, can this be alleviated?

And of course, we know that those ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas have very much stalled for the time being. And so enter into the picture Steve Witkoff, President Trump's special envoy, who is going to be traveling to Israel on Thursday, presumably to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as well as to see if it's possible to revive these hostage release and cease fire efforts.

Witkoff, before departing for Israel, spoke with the Egyptian foreign minister, they discussed those ceasefire efforts, the entry of humanitarian aid. Egypt alongside Qatar, of course, are the key mediators in these negotiations. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: We are now just one day away from the U.S. President's August 1st tariff deadline. He insists it won't be extended and says Friday will be a big day for America. His commerce secretary also confirmed there will be no more grace periods, but indicated the Trump administration is still willing to talk to countries that haven't made deals.

Several have been scrambling to beat the deadline. South Korea reached an agreement that will put a 15 percent tariff on its goods. And we're hearing there's a trade framework in place with Pakistan, as well as new trade deals with Cambodia and Thailand.

[01:05:06]

Donald Trump also signed an executive action imposing 50 percent tariffs on certain copper products, claiming the move is critical for national security. And he carried out his threat of slapping 50 percent tariffs on Brazil effective Friday for political, not economic reasons. President Trump is blatantly trying to punish Brazil for refusing to end its trial against his ally, former right wing President Jael Bolsonaro.

All right. So taken altogether, these moves mark a major expansion of the Trump administration's trade war, which is expected to raise prices for consumers. Here's a look at how the Asia Pacific markets are reacting on the eve of the tariff deadline. As you can see, mostly in the red there. I want to bring in CNN's Kristie Lu Stout live from Hong Kong.

So, Kristie, there was a lot of pressure on South Korea to get a trade deal. So take us through what was finally secured here.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're right, Kim. There was a lot of pressure on South Korea to get this deal across the line. And U.S. President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with South Korea just before the August 1st tariff deadline. And he says that this deal includes a 15 percent tariff on all exports from South Korea. That's down from the 25 percent tariff rate that was originally going to kick in on Friday.

Now this deal also includes $350 billion investment further from South Korea into the United States and also for South Korea to purchase about $100 billion worth of U.S. energy products, including liquefied natural gas.

Now, Trump also said that South Korea would accept U.S. products like trucks, like cars, like agricultural products, without import duties. We got some additional context from the US Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick on the social platform X in regards to this deal.

Let's bring up his comments and this is what he said. Quote, South Korea's reciprocal and auto tariff rate will be at least 15 percent. They will also not be treat it any worse than any other country on semiconductors, on pharmaceuticals, steel, aluminum, copper are not included and remain unchanged. So very critical points there raising the additional sector tariffs not being applied on South Korea.

Now on Facebook this morning, we saw a post from the South Korean president who fleshed out the investment side of this deal. And this is what he said. Quote, the $350 billion fund, including the trade agreement, will strengthen the foundation for strategic industry cooperation. In particular, $150 billion of this fund is dedicated to shipbuilding cooperation, which will firmly support our company's entry into the US Shipbuilding industry, unquote. And the name of this project is MASGA, or quote, Make American

Shipbuilding Great Again, unquote. Now, again, a lot of pressure for South Korea to reach this deal. It did indeed reach this deal and reaching it on par with Japan. Remember last week, Japan was able to secure that deal through 15 percent tariffs, including investments. Back to you.

BRUNHUBER: All right, so that's South Korea, but India, I mean, a much higher tariff rate threatened there and President Trump having some very harsh words for that country.

LU STOUT: Yes, very much so. U.S. President Donald Trump slapped a tariff threat, we should point out, a tariff threat about 25 percent on India. And he also went on to slam India for high trade barriers and for purchasing Russian energy and purchasing Russian military equipment as well.

Now, this tariff threat is going to be in place until August 1st. Again, that is the tariff deadline unless India can find a way to negotiate itself out of it. 25 percent is a very high tariff rate, especially if you compare it to other regional economies in Asia where the tariff rate is about 15% or a little bit more, but not 25 percent. That's being threatened here. Back to you.

BRUNHUBER: I appreciate it. Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, thanks so much.

LU STOUT: You got it.

BRUNHUBER: All right. And Ukraine's capital was rocked by explosions as Russia launched new attacks overnight. Have a look at this.

This video shows a massive blast as residential buildings in Kyiv took a hit. Sirens and gunfire could also be heard as large fireballs lit up the city's skyline. Russia is continuing its strikes despite a new deadline from U.S. President Donald Trump.

On Monday, President Trump gave the Kremlin up to 12 days to agree to a ceasefire or face new sanctions and possibly secondary tariffs.

On the front lines, Russia has been making piecemeal advances for months, but its summer offensive is now shifting into high gear. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh went to Ukraine's Donetsk region and saw firsthand how quickly the territory is changing hands.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice-over): After dusk, the war has fallen silent, but got deadlier.

[01:10:00]

This tiny military medical unit near the town of Pokrovsk, which Russia is close to encircling, is waiting for patients in total darkness and quiet, just for survival. That bright light, we're told, is a Russian spotter drone. And look at how their other attack drones riddle the dark. The first warning is gunfire. Ukrainians aiming at Russian drones.

WALSH: We just have to keep every kind of light source or heat source indoors in case Russian drones are passing overhead. And that makes it impossible, frankly, to go outside for this unit to welcome in the wounded. Instead, listening to the eerie noises in the dark, trying to work out what's a threat and what's not. But imagine how hard it must be for those actually at the front lines, trying to bring wounded out with constant drones above them.

Well, that one landed so close you can actually smell the explosive now in the night air.

WALSH (voice-over): The medics tell us this is a quiet night in the skies, but no injured here is no relief.

WALSH: The fact that you haven't had patience tonight isn't necessarily a good thing. It might mean they can't get out.

DMYTRO, MEDIC, UKRAINIAN 35TH MARINES BRIDAGE: Yes, it's true. Because we often learn there are casualties. But the evacuation is difficult. The rescue vehicle goes and gets hit. Even an armored vehicle doesn't guarantee a timely evacuation.

WALSH (voice-over): Dawn is when the injured usually come, when the changing light disrupts drone cameras. But the only patients, six men with suspected concussion after their vehicle was hit by a drone on the road, who drove straight here.

Some of the badly wounded trapped, as this video shows. Ukrainian wounded evacuated here two days earlier by police from the front line, their injuries infected after the long wait.

Daylight doesn't stop the hunt. We rush to our car to leave, but there's a problem. Two elderly locals hear the noise. One runs and the other braves it.

WALSH: Out so our car won't start. And we've just noticed locals running away from a drone. And so we're trying to get out of here as quickly as we can.

WALSH (voice-over): Our vehicle is under a tree, but SUVs are a priority target. We manage to go. The need to leave when you have to abandon your life is constantly creeping up on people here.

This is Dobropillia, where yesterday the normal bus service ran, but today it's cancelled and the way out is with the police in an armored van. The drones closing in fast.

Why did you decide to leave today?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just like everyone else.

WALSH (voice-over): Katya explains she and her baby son truly have nowhere to go. No plan for what's next. It's happened that fast.

Days before, Russian drones struck many civilian targets, like this coffee shop. But every day, the map of where police can go is changing. This is Belitky (ph) aflame Russian troops on its edges, police taking out those who, like many here, simply didn't see things changing so fast.

As they leave, they use this device to intercept Russian drone signals and recognize that one is flying above the same road they are on. But the escape options are shrinking. Ukraine normally catches Moscow off guard, but now Russia's summer offensive is shifting the ground beneath their feet, perhaps irreversibly. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, near Pokrovsk, Eastern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:15:04]

BRUNHUBER: 24 hours after 1 of the strongest earthquakes on record, the threat of destructive tsunami waves and flooding has largely passed. Details after a quick break.

Plus, it could be one of the most significant reversals on U.S. climate policy so far. Coming up, how a new proposal by the Trump administration could impact people's health and global warming pollution. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. Geological Survey says more than 100 significant aftershocks have occurred near Russia in the hours following one of the strongest earthquakes on record.

[01:20:00]

Three of those tremors have been a magnitude 6 or greater, with the strongest reaching 6.9. Wednesday's powerful 8.8 magnitude quake raised fears of destructive tsunami waves throughout the Pacific. Places as far away as South America were on alert.

The Galapagos Island saw waves more than a meter higher than normal tide levels. Tsunami alerts are largely canceled across the region now. The waves remained relatively small and most places avoided major damage. CNN meteorologist Chris Warren has more on the quake's incredible strength and its aftermath.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: An earthquake this strong is certainly going to produce even more aftershocks. An 8.8 magnitude earthquake that ties for the sixth strongest earthquake on record in recorded history. And there have already been some strong aftershocks in the region with more anticipated, which is normal in general, with one this strong, you can expect the high end aftershocks. You see one, but several getting that 6.8 to the 5.8, you can see on average about 100. They've already been over 100 aftershocks and a lot of those in the stronger category.

But as far as the tsunami goes and how it formed, it's not just the shaking, it's what caused the shaking. And in this case, this was a thrust from the earth. So this was subduction zone here, tectonic plates coming together, converging together, one going under the other, and there's displacement here.

So a big part of a tectonic plate goes up and essentially bumps the water from underneath. So instead of waves that are wind driven, which are most of them, including swells, most of the waves that we see, that pushes the water, this is from underneath. So as the water is moving across or as the wave is going across the ocean, you may not even notice it if you're on a boat.

But this, as it goes and gets closer to land, it actually starts to go up. It's the land and the shallower water that gets the way of being pushed up. So when the tsunami warning was issued, you can see it takes several hours, almost 20 hours in some cases in the Southern Hemisphere from the point of origin for those waves to get across.

So with that, we have seen some of the rises up to three feet there at Midway, Kahului in Maui, that's almost six feet. That's the highest one, that 5.7 that we saw in the United States and along the west coast, also seeing up to four feet in Crescent City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The Trump administration's Environmental Protection Agency wants to repeal a scientific finding that showed human caused climate change is endangers people's health and safety. Regulations that protect the environment and decrease climate pollution from cars, power plants and the oil and gas industry are based on that scientific report in 2009.

But the EPA's repeal could reduce the federal government's most powerful way to fight climate change and control the country's global warming pollution. The agency's proposal is based in part on a report by five researchers who spent years questioning the impacts of climate change.

I want to bring in Henna Hundal, who's a delegate to the UN Climate Change Conferences, and she's in Lafayette, California. Good to see you again. So here the EPA is essentially stripping away its own power to fight climate change. So help our viewers understand what's happening here.

I sort of sketched it out in the intro, but can you break down what this so called endangerment finding and actually is and why it matters so much?

HENNA HUNDAL, DELEGATE TO THE U.N. CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCES: Yes, thank you very much for having me, Kim. I appreciate being with you. So this endangerment finding is essentially the connective tissue between climate science and climate law. It takes us all the way back to 2007, when the Supreme Court in the case Massachusetts versus EPA ruled that greenhouse gases qualify as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.

And it really left it up to the administrator of the EPA to determine whether or not they also endanger public health. And so out of that was born the endangered binding in 2009, which is essentially a two- part rule. The first part states that the increasing atmospheric concentrations of six greenhouse gases, including methane and carbon dioxide, endanger the health and well-being of current and future generations.

And the second part to that rule is that emissions from new motor vehicles and engines contribute to air pollution that further endangers public health. So this is really a matter of public health, welfare and safety. And that's why it's so critical that the EPA actually take action vis-a-vis this rule and therefore why it's so disheartening to see the current EPA stripping its own authority on this front.

BRUNHUBER: All right, so we're talking sort of grand, you know, themes here in terms of health, welfare and safety. But let's drill down in the specifics here.

[01:25:00]

If this proposal goes through, what does it actually mean concretely? Are we talking about dirtier air, more extreme weather? I mean, how will people actually feel it in their daily lives?

HUNDAL: Absolutely. You know, we have two main tools in our toolbox to actually fight climate change. That is climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation. Now, that first tool, climate change mitigation, is in fact curbing greenhouse gas emissions. That's how we do it.

And so really, by repealing this endangerment finding, which is what the EPA wants to do, we're essentially mixing that first tool in our toolbox. Now, the second tool, adapting to climate change, meaning are we actually enabling kind of a full scale coordinated strategy to adapt to the impacts of climate change in the here and now?

Well, it really doesn't seem like the Trump administration has that ongoing right now. So we're essentially being left bereft of the two tools that we need to actually make a difference on this issue. That's why it's so concerning.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, and of course, the timing is pretty striking here. This comes right after the UN's top court signature said that countries have to follow through on their climate commitments. We saw the E.U. and China just announced a joint climate agreement. I mean, how isolated does this leave the U.S. on the world stage?

HUNDAL: You know, that's such a great point, Kim. I mean, this could not come at a more important inflection point. We just had, for example, as we mentioned, the European Union and China release a joint statement calling for stability in our climate agreements. They did not directly mention the United States, but of course, that was sort of a jab at the ways that President Trump has tried to renege on climate promises that the United States have made on the international stage. For example, trying to take the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement on the

very first day in office at the second term, which he also tried to do in his first term. We also know that the International Court of Justice, as you mentioned, the UN's top court, issued an advisory opinion which is non-binding, but it could really have persuasive elements for member states to adopt in determining whether their own countries are following along with international law.

And it really reaffirmed the importance of countries following through on these climate commitments and really reinforced that a clean environment is a human right. So in all of these domains, the U.S. right now is really out of step.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And we know environmental groups are promising to fight all of this. And your state, California, certainly will be key in the battles to come. We'll have to leave it there. Henna Hundal, thank you so much. Good to see you.

HUNDAL: Thank you, Kim. Appreciate it.

BRUNHUBER: A key U.S. missile stockpile has taken a big hit. Still ahead, how last month's conflict between Israel and Iran may have exposed a gap in America's defenses.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:32:49]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

We have more now on Friday's upcoming tariff deadline imposed by President Trump. He's now lashing out at India and Russia after failing to strike trade deals with both countries. To this point, the president posted on social media, quote, "I don't care what India does with Russia, they can take their dead economies down together for all I care."

Along with the threat of a 25 percent tariffs on India, he's also considering what he calls a penalty over its continued purchases of Russian oil.

And President Trump is also taking aim at Canada over its support for Palestinian statehood, warning, quote, "That will make it very hard for us to make a trade deal with them."

The U.S. put a major dent in its stockpile of its key anti-missile defenses during last month's conflict between Israel and Iran. Sources say Washington used about a quarter of its THAAD interceptors in only 12 days to protect Israel.

And as Tamara Qiblawi reports, it could leave a big gap in the U.S. military posture overseas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) TAMARA QIBLAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Each of these bright lights come from a sophisticated U.S. intercept missile system known as THAAD, being used for the first time in a war to defend Israel as Iranian ballistic missiles rained down.

A CNN investigation found that the U.S. military cut deeply into its stockpile of THAAD missiles, launching more than $1.2 billion worth of the interceptors in just 12 days and burning through these crucial defense weapons much faster than they're able to make them.

When Israel went to war with Iran, it came under the most sustained attack of ballistic missiles in its history. Unless intercepted, those Iranian projectiles can take out entire apartment blocks.

[01:34:50]

QIBLAWI: Israel shot most of these down, and the U.S. military stepped in to help with the THAAD.

As Iran launched its missiles towards Israel, THAAD, along with Israel's Arrow-3 and the U.S. Navy's own SM-3 interceptors, sprang into action.

Where other systems faltered, American troops on the ground launched THAAD, destroying the incoming missiles just outside the earth's atmosphere.

We know from sources that more than a hundred THAAD interceptors, as many as 150, were used during the war, but only 11 THAAD missiles were commissioned by the U.S. government last year, according to official budget numbers. 12 are being built this year, and in 2026, production is expected to ramp up to 37. Meaning it could potentially take years to replenish the stockpile used against Iran in less than two weeks.

And it's not just hard to replace, it's expensive. THAAD launches cost around $12.7 million a pop. A THAAD interceptor missile is over 20 feet long and weighs around 1,500 pounds. Each system takes more than 95 U.S. army specialists to operate, making it one of the most complex weapons in the U.S. arsenal.

We spoke to several former Defense officials who say that the war has only deepened a problem that the Pentagon has faced for years. "Stockpiles are dropping. We need more. We need them faster than they're being built. There's not enough systems. There's not enough interceptors, and there's not enough production. And there are not enough people working on it."

Analysts say the stockpile depletion could impact U.S. air defenses where they may be critical in the Asia Pacific region.

SIDHARTH KAUSHAL, SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, RUSI: The idea is that China can erect an anti-access area denial bubble to keep the U.S. Navy at arms' length in the event that it wished to intervene in, for example, Taiwan.

From a narrowly military standpoint, Chinese are absolutely the winners here.

QIBLAWI: Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said the U.S. military is, quote, "the strongest it has been and has everything it needs to conduct any mission anywhere, anytime, all around the world."

Tamara Qiblawi, CNN -- London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Travelers across the U.K. faced major headaches after technical problems at air traffic control centers disrupted flights. Edinburgh Airport in Scotland and both Heathrow and Gatwick Airports in London were among those affected. Flights were disrupted for about four hours due to a radar related issue.

Britain's air traffic control provider said the problem was fixed by switching to a backup system and flights later resumed. The outage also caused delays in other European cities that rely on connections through the U.K.

The National Transportation Safety Board hearing got underway Wednesday to determine what caused the deadly mid-air collision earlier this year. 67 people died when an army helicopter and a passenger plane collided on January 29th near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: For the deadliest crash involving a U.S. commercial flight in two decades, a hearing of unprecedented scope. Three days of testimony, 200 new documents and 10,000 pages of interviews, tests and transcripts to find out how an army helicopter and American Eagle jet could collide over the Potomac River.

National Transportation Safety Board chair, Jennifer Homendy.

JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIRMAN, NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: This is not an adversarial hearing. This does not mean difficult questions won't be asked.

MUNTEAN: The agency's packed hearing room fell silent as investigators showed 11 minutes of flight tracks and audio of a controller in the Reagan National Airport tower warning the Blackhawk pilots of the incoming CRJ 700.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pat 25, do you have the CRJ in sight?

Pat 25, pass behind the CRJ.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pat 25 has aircraft in sight. Request visual separation.

MUNTEAN: Just released transcripts from the helicopter's voice recorder detail that exchange prompted the army pilots on a training flight to discuss changing course.

The instructor tells the pilot, come left for me, ma'am, and the pilot responds, fine. But it was too late. Not a second later, the recordings captured the sound of the collision.

TODD INMAN, NTSB BOARD MEMBER: How much tolerance for safety should there be when civilian lives are at risk? How much is that tolerance? I think it should be zero.

MUNTEAN: The board grilled army officials for what they call discrepancies with the helicopters instruments. Following the crash, the NTSB tested three Blackhawks from the same army unit and found their altimeters displayed 80 to 130 feet lower than the helicopter's actual height.

[01:39:46]

MUNTEAN: Investigators underscore only 75 feet separated the helicopter route, and the approach path passenger planes fly into national airport.

HOMENDY: That's significant. My concern is where else in the national airspace does that exist?

MUNTEAN: Doug Lane lost his wife, Christine and son Spencer in the crash. Tuesday, Senate Republicans proposed a bill mandating harsher rules for helicopter flights near airports.

DOUG LANE, HUSBAND AND FATHER OF CRASH VICTIMS: Every meaningful step towards transparency, accountability and safer skies is a victory for every for every family who has suffered an unimaginable loss.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Still to come, YouTube gets added to the list of social media sites that will soon have to block access to children under 16 in Australia. I'll speak with an expert about the potential impacts.

That's coming up. Please stay with us.

[01:40:35]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Australia is set to ban access to YouTube for children under the age of 16 later this year. That comes after the government had originally promised to spare the video-sharing platform from being included in a crackdown on social media sites.

Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and more must prevent children from creating accounts or face hefty fines. A YouTube spokesperson said they will quote, "consider next steps and will continue to engage with the government on the matter." The new law's set to take effect in December.

For more on this, I want to bring in Joanne Orlando, who's a researcher and author in the fields of digital literacy and digital wellbeing at Western Sydney University. And she joins me now from Sydney, Australia.

Thank you so much for being here with us, Doctor.

So you've been vocal that these bans are well-meaning, but they won't work. So why are you so skeptical?

JOANNE ORLANDO, WESTERN SYDNEY UNIVERSITY: Yes.

They're tricky. Like the idea that the government is trying to manage kids' risk online and help parents is great. You know, we really need that.

But we know the reality of these kinds of bans is very tricky to enforce. One, kids have been using YouTube and other kind of platforms that are being banned, some of them for all of their life almost. So getting them off those is going to be tricky for families.

And also we've got some platforms that are in the ban, some platforms that are out of the ban. So there seems to be this very kind of weird selection of what's in and what's out without a consistency. And people are really worried. Well, why is some escaping and some are being banned?

BRUNHUBER: So I mean, parents are watching this and they're worried about their kids being exposed to harmful content, cyber bullying, body image issues, so on and so forth.

So how do you respond to parents who would say, you know, I mean, what you're saying, you know, this is tricky to enforce. It's not perfect, but something needs to be done. And at least this is something.

ORLANDO: No. It is something. I think that's important.

What's at stake here? What's the real issue are the design features that a lot of these platforms use. So YouTube, social media, but other platforms as well, use design features which actually put kids at risk.

So the never-ending content, algorithms and things like that. They are the things that are causing the risk for children. So I think one of the things that we can think about, maybe it's not banning a complete platform, but maybe its targeting these design features so that they can have restrictions around them.

So in those ways that children will still be able to use the good. For example, there's tons of educational content on YouTube without being exposed to so much risk.

BRUNHUBER: But is changing the features in this kind of like, you know, changing the flavors in cigarettes instead of sort of focusing on just making them inaccessible to children altogether.

ORLANDO: Yes, I think that's a really good point. We do know there is some great things on YouTube, for example. You know, a lot of schools use YouTube content. And a lot of children use all those how-to videos, you know, how do I, you know, how do I perfect my running technique.

They might not be able to afford a coach, but they can still access lots of tutorials that help them to develop that. So there is a lot of good. So there must be a way to protect the good while still kind of starting to phase out the risk.

And I know that YouTube have just started announcing that they would be using A.I. as an age verification on their platform. So maybe the age verification might be the answer, I'm not sure. Yes.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Listen, we only have a minute left, but this is super important. So I did want to ask you this because the FCC (ph) commissioner found 30 percent -- 37 percent of children experienced harmful content on YouTube. That was the highest among the social platforms.

So for parents of kids who aren't in Australia, it won't be banned for them. So what should parents be doing right now to protect their kids from all this harmful content?

ORLANDO: No, absolutely. I think one of the big issues with YouTube and with lots of social media platforms is that content comes into their feed that they actually haven't asked for.

So a child might start watching YouTube, and then maybe they're watching like soccer highlights. But what comes up next is something that a parent wouldn't really want them to watch.

So turning off the auto queue is the first thing so that they don't just get piled in with videos that they haven't asked for. That's one big thing.

[01:49:54]

ORLANDO: And also setting a limit on how much time they're allowed to spend on YouTube. I think that's really important because kids can kind of get in this never-ending loop -- another video, another video.

So kind of screen time limits around that are really important as well.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. Listen, I have a ten-year-old who loves YouTube. But what you say resonates with me. So I really appreciate all that great advice.

Joanne Orlando in Sydney, thank you so much.

ORLANDO: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll be back with more on the CNN NEWSROOM. Please do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BRUNHUBER: People in Birmingham, England showed up in force to honor Ozzy Osbourne. The city is considered the home of heavy metal, and it's where his band Black Sabbath formed in 1968.

CNN entertainment reporter Elizabeth Wagmeister has this remembrance of the man known as the Prince of Darkness.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Thousands of fans lined the street in Birmingham, England to honor the life and legacy of Ozzy Osbourne.

The funeral procession came one week after the rocker died. Now, no cause of death was given, but at the time, his family had said that he passed surrounded by love.

Now his family members were seen at this funeral procession. His wife, Sharon Osbourne, visibly moved, very emotional and crying throughout the procession.

Now the Lord Mayor of Birmingham honored Ozzy and explained why they wanted to hold this funeral procession, also revealing that the family paid for this procession.

Here is part of what he said.

He said that Osbourne was, quote, "More than a music legend, he was a son of Birmingham." His statement went on to say, quote, "It was important to the city that we support a fitting, dignified tribute ahead of a private family funeral. We know how much this moment will mean to his fans."

Now, Ozzy obviously kept his fans close to his heart in his final days.

In fact, his final performance was on July 5th, just weeks before he had passed in his hometown of Birmingham. Back in 2023, Ozzy Osbourne spoke to "Rolling Stone U.K.", saying that he wanted to perform just one more time before he passed.

Here is what he said, quote, "If I can't continue doing shows on a regular basis, I just want to be well enough to do one show where I can say, hi guys, thanks so much for my life. That's what I'm working towards. And if I drop down dead at the end of it, I'll die a happy man."

While Osbourne was able to get that final wish with that July 5th performance, he was not able to walk. So they constructed a throne like chair, very fitting for him, and he was able to perform on stage one last time in front of thousands of adoring fans.

Now, back in 2020, Osbourne had revealed his Parkinson's disease diagnosis, and he also had endured a series of spinal surgeries. So his health issues were well-documented in those final years. But still, his death at 76 coming as a surprise. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: A.I. robotics is seen as the next frontier for tech companies. One startup in Australia sees a role for robots to fight loneliness among the elderly.

[01:54:52]

BRUNHUBER: Polo Sandoval introduces us to Abi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: "Where technology meets empathy", Melbourne startup, Andromeda Robotics' slogan says it all. Abi is a humanoid robot, but she's also a companion for patients in aged-care facilities.

GRACE BROWN, FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ANDROMEDA ROBOTICS: She's been designed and built to address and alleviate loneliness. So people just talk to her as a one-on-one friend and companion. So people talk to her about, you know, stories from their lives, you know, their love affairs, their family stories. Yes, they just -- they don't see her as a robot. They see her as a -- as a friend.

SANDOVAL: Abi recognizes faces, remembers past interactions, and speaks 90 languages. She sings, dances, meditates, even does Tai Chi, all under four feet tall.

Brown created Abi alongside healthcare professionals, aged-care providers and robotics engineers. Andromeda is one of many companies worldwide that are developing and expanding A.I. robots out of factories, handling more complex tasks and public services like this humanoid robot developed in China, which learned how to do things like play dice.

Andromeda says it sends engineers out regularly to study how people interact with Abi and document ways to improve her technology.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was so surprised to see such -- such a nice robot. It's fantastic.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think she's become our best friend.

SANDOVAL: Abi's also able to change personality modes based on who she's interacting with. For instance, Sarcastic Maven Abi is sassy and witty. Logical (ph) Abi encourages movement and motivation. And Dementia mode Abi is compassionate and understanding for more vulnerable patients.

Abi's bubble-blowing arm is perhaps her favorite party trick.

BROWN: I think the reason we gave Abi bubbles is because it's so indicative of like who she is. Like she's -- she's incredibly like complex piece of technology, but she's also just very creative and playful and fun.

SANDOVAL: Aging experts in Australia say as many as 40 percent of aged-care facility residents aren't visited by family or friends, which Brown says encouraged her research.

Andromeda says it's launching Australia's first humanoid robot production line. And it plans to have Abis in 100 aged-care facilities and children's hospitals by mid-2026.

Polo Sandoval, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thank you so much for watching. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

CNN NEWSROOM continues with Lynda Kinkade after a quick break.

[01:57:20]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)