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New U.S. Deal With South Korea Puts 15 Percent Tariff On Imports; Time Running Out To Address Starvation In Gaza; Tsunami Alerts Canceled As Threat From Waves Subsides; 12-Day War Exposed Gap In U.S. Anti-Missile Defenses; A.I.-Generated Model Appears In Vogue Magazine Guess Ad; Australia to Ban YouTube Access for Children Under 16; Weightlifting Helps Improve Muscle Mass, Bone and Joint Health to Age Well; "Wednesday" Second Season Premiere Held in London. Aired 2- 3a ET

Aired July 31, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:41]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us all around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Good to have you with us.

Just ahead, deadline for a deal, the White House announces trade agreements with more countries as we head into the final hours before Donald Trump's tariff deadline, while bracing for more economic uncertainty as the U.S. president declares the deadline will not be extended.

And as Canada announces plans to recognize a Palestinian state, Arab nations are calling on Hamas to disarm in Gaza.

Plus, pumping iron if you're over 60, 70, or even 80. How a gym in Detroit, Michigan is pushing seniors to build stronger, healthier versions of themselves, one dumbbell at a time.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.

KINKADE: Well, the U.S. president's tariffs are less than a day away from taking effect. His administration says this time there will be no extensions to that August 1st deadline and no grace period.

Donald Trump has been ramping up the pressure on social media in recent hours. He's now threatened to impose the so called Russian penalty on India for buying Russian oil. That's in addition to possible -- a possible 25 percent tariff.

He posted, I don't care what India does with Russia, they can take their debt economies down together for all I care. He also took aim at Canada over its support for Palestinian statehood, warning that will make it very hard for us to make a trade deal with them. Oh, Canada.

South Korea did reach an agreement with the U.S. 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.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is covering all of this and joins us now live from Hong Kong. Good to see you, Kristie.

So, on the eve of Trump's August 1st tariff deadline, South Korea has agreed to a 15 percent tariff on exports to the U.S. It's higher than before, but lower than Trump's 25 percent threat. How big a deal is this for Seoul? And is it a sign that they're backing down to U.S. pressure?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, this was a big deal, Lynda, and it was coming down to the wire. You know U.S. President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with South Korea just before the August 1 tariff deadline. It includes this 15 percent tariff rate on all South Korean exports, which is lower than the original 25 percent tariff rate that was set to kick in on Friday.

It also includes $350 billion investment from South Korea into the U.S. market, and for South Korea to purchase $100 billion worth of U.S. energy products, including liquefied natural gas.

And we heard earlier today from the South Korean president who talked about the investment component of this trade deal. I want to show this Facebook post that he issued this morning, saying this, "The $350 billion fund included in the trade agreement will strengthen the foundation for strategic industry cooperation. In particular, $150 billion of this fund is dedicated to ship building cooperation, which will firmly support our company's entry into the U.S. shipbuilding industry."

And the name of this project, believe it or not, is MASGA, as in, Make American Shipbuilding Great Again.

Now, South Korea was under a lot of pressure to seal this deal because other major Asian exporters in the region were able to do so. Let's bring up the list for you. You could remember that deal that was struck last week between the United States and Japan. Japan setting the bar with 15 percent tariffs while offering a hefty investment bundle. Philippines and Indonesia settled at 19 percent, Vietnam at 20 percent.

Meanwhile, I got an update for you about Thailand and Cambodia. Of course, as we've been reporting, these two countries have been clashing at the border. A cease fire was reached on Monday, earlier this week, and we heard from Howard Lutnick, the U.S. Commerce Secretary, who told Fox News that a trade deal had been reached with these two countries, but he didn't offer any further details. We have heard from Thailand, and a Thai official says no deal has officially been announced, but expects one soon, within the next 24 hours, Lynda.

KINKADE: And of course, Kristie, India is being threatened with much higher tariffs. What is Donald Trump saying about that?

STOUT: Oh, Donald Trump is slapping India with a tariff threat of about 25 percent and he went further than that. He slammed India for its high trade barriers. He slammed India for continuing to buy Russian energy and Russian military equipment. And he slammed India on Truth Social, let's bring up this post for you when he says this, "I don't care what India does with Russia, they can take their dead economies down together for all I care, we have done very little business with India. Their tariffs are too high, among the highest in the world."

[02:05:35]

Again, Trump slapped a 25 percent threat on India, which is due to kick in on Friday, August 1st, tariff deadline day. Back to you.

KINKADE: Well, eyes will be on that day as this plays out. Kristie Lu Stout, good to have you with us. Thanks so much.

STOUT: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, uncertainty over those new tariffs and how they'll impact persistent inflation has the U.S. Federal Reserve holding interest rates steady. The Chairman Jerome Powell is taking a wait and see approach and warning that cutting rates too soon could hurt the labor market. He would neither rule out nor confirm a possible rate cut come September. This is to the frustration of President Trump who has long been demanding lower rates.

U.S. stocks closed mixed on Wednesday as Wall Street processed Powell's remarks, and that's despite new GDP figures that show the U.S. economy sharply rebounded in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, Futures have been in positive territory.

Well, Canada is growing -- is joining a growing list of countries planning to recognize a Palestinian state. Prime Minister Mark Carney says he will make the move at the U.N. General Assembly in September, in line with Canada's commitment to a two state solution.

France and the U.K. announced similar moves earlier. Well, the Arab and Muslim states, including Qatar and Egypt are calling for Hamas to disarm and give up power in Gaza, it's part of a U.N. declaration signed at conference -- at the conference hosted by France and Saudi Arabia.

It also says the Palestinian Authority should be in charge of governance and security in all Palestinian territories. And U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will be starting on another diplomatic mission to address the war and starvation in Gaza. Multiple sources say he will travel to Israel in the day ahead.

We've got more now on that situation in Gaza from CNN's Jeremy Diamond.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE 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.

And 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 Program. 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 cease fire 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 cease fire efforts, the entry of humanitarian aid. Egypt alongside Qatar, of course, are the two key mediators in these negotiations.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

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KINKADE: Rescuers are going through the rubble of a nine story building in Kyiv, searching for survivors from a new Russian strike. More than two dozen sites were hit in the Ukrainian capital overnight, which left at least six people dead and dozens more injured. Officials say the targets included an apartment building which took a direct hit. Rescue crews are now searching through the rubble for survivors.

[02:10:13]

In 24 hours after one of the strongest earthquakes on record, the threat of destructive tsunami waves and flooding has thankfully passed, we'll have a report from Honolulu next.

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KINKADE: Tsunami alerts are largely canceled across the Pacific now, it has been 24 hours since one of the strongest earthquakes on record triggered tsunami warnings throughout the region, but the waves remained relatively small and most places avoided major destruction.

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CNN's Will Ripley has more now from Honolulu, Hawaii.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean, a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia's far eastern coast. Waves first slammed into Russia's shoreline towns. Panicked sea lions dove into the ocean as rocks tumbled. Furniture shook inside homes and buildings. The tremors damaged an empty kindergarten, even forcing surgeons to hold down a patient on an operating table.

Waves also crashed into the Japanese coastline. People rushed to rooftops for safety. The threat reached parts of South America on Tuesday. Authorities in several countries evacuated coastal areas due to fears of a tsunami. And in the U.S., parts of the West Coast and Hawaii were on edge overnight and into the day.

CAPT. NICHOLAS WORST, COAST GUARD SECTOR HONOLULU: A lot of anxiety and stress from folks during these types of situations and the decision as the captain of the port to shut down commercial harbors, to evacuate, to hold vessels off, that's not a decision I take lightly at all.

RIPLEY (voice-over): This ring camera video from a business in Haleiwa shows time-lapse footage, water surging from the waves. The water can be seen getting very close to the deck of Blue Planet Adventure Company. In Hilo, the waves flooded parking lots. U.S. Coast Guard ships went out to sea for safety.

WORST: We pre-staged these Coast Guard assets, essentially got them out of the harbor and in order to be able to quickly respond to any search and rescue cases.

RIPLEY: This Coast Guard cutter, the Oliver Berry just returned to home port here in Honolulu. The tsunami advisory for Hawaii has been lifted, but the National Weather Service urges people here and in other affected areas to stay cautious because strong currents and dangerous conditions may continue for the next day or so.

Will Ripley, CNN, at the port of Honolulu, Hawaii.

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KINKADE: Well, the U.S. put a major density in the 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 strike Iran in order to protect Israel, and that could leave a big gap in the U.S. military posture overseas.

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TAMARA QIBLAWI, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIONS WRITER (voice over): 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 rain 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. 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 1500 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.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The idea is that China can erect an anti-access area denial bubble to keep the U.S. Navy at arm's 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 (voice over): Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said the U.S. military is, "The strongest it has been, and has everything it needs to conduct any mission, anywhere, anytime, all around the world."

Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, London.

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KINKADE: Still ahead, an A.I. generated ad for Guess sparks controversy over the future of fashion. I'll speak with an A.I. expert about the optics of the issue and its potential effects on the industry.

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KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

Vogue magazine is facing criticism after using an A.I. generated model in its August issue. Take a look at this. The ad for Guess has people talking, the Paris based A.I. marketing agency Seraphinne Vallora used algorithms trained to mimic runway looks, fashion campaign photos and studio lighting. The result is this stunning model, but she's not real, although discreetly notes the image was made using A.I. It's done little to quell the criticism.

And while it may have cut costs, fashion insiders are concerned about how it could become a destructive trend for the industry.

Joining me now is Shira Lazar, host of The A.I. Download podcast, and founder of What'sTrending.com Good to have you with us.

SHIRA LAZAR, HOST, THE A.I. DOWNLOAD PODCAST: Thanks for having me. Appreciate it.

KINKADE: So, every industry is facing disruption from A.I. and jobs will be lost, but this marks the first time fashion powerhouse Vogue featured an entirely A.I. generated model in a Guess ad, and of course, the backlash was loud and fast, especially from longtime subscribers. Were you surprised by that reaction?

LAZAR: I mean, I'm not surprised. It's amazing that this was done in a print magazine first, and in a magazine like Vogue, known as the pinnacle of fashion. Of course, two months after Anna Wintour steps down, which makes many feel like, is this what the future of Vogue will be like if they're allowing something like this.

And so, of course, we're seeing screenshots, a lot of videos popping up on TikTok from the industry, but yes, from fans and from social media alike that are saying, one, this isn't what Vogue represents. And also, even Guess, if you remember these incredible campaigns they used to have with you know, Anna Nicole Smith, and these beautiful images and pictures. And now if you look at the ones that you showed on screen, very bland,

very basic, very typical, does not represent what we would say is the, I guess, beauty standards that we want to see. We want to see diversity. We want to see soul. And this is definitely not it.

KINKADE: And of course, you have to think about the jobs that typically go into a shoot like this. In this case, this was a two page guest campaign featuring a model styled in various outfits, but there was no casting director, no photographer, no makeup artist, no model, just A.I.

The company has responded to the criticism online, on Instagram, saying this, what they did involves complex workflows that they built themselves. They said it's architecture, it's visual direction, it's fabric studies, lighting tests, real photography, and yes, A.I. They say the vision and the work is human. But does anyone actually buy that? Or is that just marketing spin?

LAZAR: Yes, this is what a lot of these A.I. companies are saying. And listen, I'm a tech optimist, obviously, I cover A.I. I believe in the future. I want to learn about it, and I'm curious about it. But the idea is that a company is more ethical if they're using the human first even though it's scaled up with A.I.

And in the end, this is just not what we're seeing from something like this. This features, you know, clearly, a white blonde haired, blue eyed, thin women and fashion has come just so far in terms of progress when it comes to beauty and pushing through toxic beauty culture, and this is just not.

And even if you look at this company's Instagram, you'll see a lot of just typical models like that. And if this is what we can expect from companies like that, then we're going to be very, I think, disappointed.

And you know, other brands have tried this, H&M also is saying they're about to train their models with A.I. so they'll actually use a real model to create an A.I. twin. I think this is possibly a bit more ethical, because the models will be able to make money without actually working. So, I'm down for that.

But then just creating fake humans and creating this homogenized view of beauty, I don't think it's what the public wants to see, and it's not ethical.

KINKADE: All right, we'll have to leave it there, but I'd love to get you back on the program. Much to discuss. Shira Lazar, thank you so much.

LAZAR: Love that. Thank you.

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KINKADE: Well, still to come, weightlifting and strength training may be the secret to aging well, but coming up, we are going to meet a fitness coach who is a former doctor helping some seniors to stay fit. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. Australia is set to ban access to YouTube for children under the age of 16. It comes after the government had originally promised to spare the video platform from being part of a crackdown on social media.

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TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and more must now prevent children from creating accounts or risk hefty fines. A YouTube spokesperson says they will, "Consider the next steps and will continue to engage with government." The new law is set to take effect in December.

Around the world, people are living longer than ever before and many discovering that the secret to aging well isn't walking or stretching, but lifting weights. After the age of 30, you naturally start to lose muscle mass at a rate of 3 to 8 percent every decade. And that decline accelerates after the age of 60. According to a review in the National Library of Medicine, bone density also decreases with age. Well, in Detroit, one doctor turned coach at GreySteel gym is helping older adults swap the rocking chair for a barbell. His patients and clients have proved that it's never too late to start pumping iron. I spoke with him last night.

Joining us now is Dr. Jonathon Sullivan. He is the Founder of GreySteel Strength & Conditioning. Great to have you with us.

DR. JONATHON SULLIVAN, STARTING STRENGTH COACH, GREYSTEEL STRENGTH & CONDITIONING: Thank you for having me, Lynda. It's great to be here.

KINKADE: So, you were known as a doctor who was moonlighting as a weightlifting coach before making this your full-time mission. Obviously, the benefits of resistance training are well documented. Just take us through some of those key benefits, especially for older adults.

SULLIVAN: Certainly. Of course, the main benefit is an improvement in strength. And of course, as we age, we lose muscle and we lose strength. So, a principal core benefit is an improvement of our muscle mass and an improvement of our strength, which translates into an improvement of our power and our ability to do things efficiently. But there's also benefits to bone health, to joint health, to metabolic health, improvement in high blood pressure and diabetes, and increased mobility and balance and decreased falls. And in general, it just makes people a little bit more indestructible as they get older.

KINKADE: Yeah, it's interesting hearing about some of your clients like Anna Buzzard (ph) in her mid-80s lifting barbells that weigh as much as a medium-sized refrigerator and she didn't even touch a weight until she was 74, right? That's pretty remarkable.

SULLIVAN: Yeah, she's a remarkable lady. She's done particularly well with the training. But on the other hand, her story's not that different from a lot of people who come in and take up the training. She's a great example.

KINKADE: And even after a hip replacement, she's still making that sort of progress.

SULLIVAN: That's correct. Actually, when she started to develop arthritis in her hips, we pushed her to go and get her hip replaced so that she didn't lose any strength. And so we were pretty aggressive about that. And once she got her hip replaced, she came back to the platform and she's starting to lift weights that are just as big as anything she ever did.

KINKADE: Amazing. I once mistakenly signed up for a class called Silver Sneakers thinking it was just a fun workout. It turns out I wasn't quite ready for that age group. Just explain for us how your approach differs from traditional senior fitness classes.

SULLIVAN: Well, first of all, our approach is highly individualized because we specialize in people who in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. And our focus is on strength. We absolutely use conditioning as well, but we believe that strength and not cardio should be the cornerstone of exercise medicine for older adults. Our focus here is on what people can do, not what they can't do.

We evaluate people for the movement patterns that they still retain, that use the most amount of muscle. And then we're total experts at loading those movement patterns and making those movement patterns stronger in a sustainable way over time to increase their health and performance.

KINKADE: Wow. And of course, you started this gym later in your career after years working as an emergency room doctor. That's a bold pivot. What inspired the shift and what advice would you give to others thinking about a career change later in life?

SULLIVAN: Bold pivot is not exactly the term that many of my colleagues use to describe it, but yeah, it was -- it was a big shift. I was getting older, and I had started to do this, and I realized that it was a powerful form of exercise medicine. It was healthcare of a different type and emergency medicine is a very difficult sort of medical practice. It takes a lot out of a person. And I wanted to -- I wanted to do actual healthcare instead of sick care for a change.

So, I really feel like I'm still working as a physician and this is a great way to deliver a really powerful medicine for healthy aging.

[02:40:00]

So, it wasn't that hard to make that decision at all.

KINKADE: Excellent. Excellent work. Dr. Jonathon Sullivan, great to have you with us and well done to you. Thank you.

SULLIVAN: Thank you so much for having me, Lynda.

KINKADE: Well, the hit Netflix series, "Wednesday" premiered its second season ahead of its return to streaming screens next week. Star Jenna Ortega, who plays the witty and morbid title character was front and center on the purple carpet. All the popular cast members also joined here in London's Westminster. The dark fantasy is based on the TV show, "The Addams Family." It will be released in two parts, the first part August 6th with the second out on September 3rd.

That does it for this edition of "CNN Newsroom." I'm Lynda Kinkade. Thanks so much you're your company. "World Sport" is up next and then I'll be back in about 15 minutes with much more "CNN Newsroom."

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