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U.N. Nuclear Watchdog Visits Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant; G7 Ministers Agree to Cap Price of Russian Oil; Argentina's VP Survives Apparent Assassination Attempt; Pace of U.S. Hiring Slows in August; President Biden Warns Trump and Followers Threaten America's Very Foundations; Myanmar Finds Aung San Suu Kyi Guilty of Electoral Fraud; India Launches Its First Homegrown Aircraft Carrier. Aired 10-10:45a ET

Aired September 02, 2022 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:27]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFAEL GROSSI, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY DIRECTOR GENERAL: The IAEA is now there. It's at the plant and it's not moving. We're going to

stay there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR: Five nuclear inspectors are still inside the Ukrainian nuclear power plant as Ukraine and Russia continue to blame each

other for what has happened.

The latest U.S. jobs report will be welcomed news for the Federal Reserve as it's battling the highest inflation in 40 years. We'll have reaction

from New York. And --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After a 17-year wait, India's first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant, which means courageous or victorious

in Sanskrit, has been inducted into its navy.

GIOKOS: We step abroad for a tour of this battleship with Vedika Sud.

I'm Eleni Giokos. Hello, and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD, live from Abu Dhabi.

Now a day after that long awaited IAEA visit to Europe's largest nuclear power plant, both Ukraine and Russia are accusing each other of trying to

subvert the mission. And there are conflicting accounts about just what the nuclear inspectors got to see at the Zaporizhzhia plant.

Here's a video of the team touring the facility. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi says they were able to tour all key areas. But a few hours ago, Ukraine's

state nuclear company accused Russia of interfering, saying team members have been denied access to the plant's crisis center. Russia's Defense

minister is accusing Ukraine of attacking the plant with Western supplied weapons.

Now five nuclear inspectors remain at Zaporizhzhia and are scheduled to leave on Saturday. A Russian envoy tells a Russian news service that two

inspectors will stay at the plant on a permanent basis.

Melissa Bell, following all the developments for us from Kyiv.

Melissa, good to see you. Rafael Grossi voicing concerns that so many are feeling after his return from what is a dangerous mission, and only staying

there a few hours saying that the physical integrity of the plant had been violated a few times.

Could you take us through what the main messaging is at this stage?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was a very short visit. And remarkably difficult for he and his mean to get there. But it was about 24

hours ago that Rafael Grossi left the planet. And look, the facts are that since then things have been quieter around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power

plant. There has been less shelling than there was before his arrival. And we've just been hearing that one of those reactors that was damaged

yesterday and had to be switched off is back on.

So the plant is back to having two functioning reactors hooked up to the electricity grid. And that of course is good news. But it took a lot of

effort and courage for the IAEA inspectors to get there to begin with.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BELL (voice-over): The shelling began at dawn around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The worst that the town of Enerhodar had seen since it

was occupied in March, according to its mayor. Briefed on the situation but undeterred, IAEA inspectors decided to head through the frontline

nonetheless.

GROSSI: We are moving now.

BELL: The 14-strong team, seeing for itself as it traveled the artillery and mortar fire that led to the shutting down of one of the plant's last

two functioning reactors. After an hours' long delay on its way, the IAEA inspectors arrived. A glimpse at last into a plant that's been occupied by

Russian forces for months.

GROSSI: It is obvious that the plant and the physical integrity of the plant has been violated several times. So this is something that cannot

continue to happen.

BELL: Which is why he said five members of his team had stayed behind to ask more questions, and to dig deeper. In a plant controlled by Russian

forces but manned by workers who say that it's been almost impossible for them to do their jobs.

UNIDENTIFIED ZAPORIZHZHIA PLANT WORKER (through translator): We feel like hostages. We actually can't do our jobs. We can't carry phones, flash

drives, memory cards, and God forbid if you look at a soldier the wrong way, you could be thrown into the basement.

GROSSI: The Ukrainian employees, I was with them throughout the day.

[10:05:02]

Of course, they are in a difficult situation, but they have an incredible degree of professionalism. And I see them calm and moving on.

BELL: The plan, he said, for the IAEA to establish a permanent presence at the plant and to make good on his word to its workers, that the U.N.

nuclear watch dog is now there to stay.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BELL: Now we spoke to several of those workers. Very difficult for them to speak to us yesterday, Eleni, and they really all told the same story of

the fear in which they've been living in terms of their ability to do their jobs. But of course the dangers that not being able to do those jobs as

well as the fighting and shelling that was going on around the plant brought.

Clearly, the presence of the inspectors is important. We will get their detailed report over the course of the next few days once their mission is

completed and due to be there throughout the weekend. We expect a press conference to be held in Vienna today by the IAEA and perhaps more clarity

on what happens beyond that, and that permanent presence what shape it will take.

But in the meantime, again, over the course of the last 24 hours those two things have been achieved. Greater peace around the plant than had been

seen these last few days and in terms of the reactors, the bringing up to speed of that one of the last functional reactors, they're soaking up to

the power grid once again so that it can function. And that perhaps is the result of finally this international presence being on the ground and being

able to make sure that things go more smoothly by their very neutral presence than they had done so far -- Eleni.

GIOKOS: Yes, and good points, and hopefully the shelling does not start again around Zaporizhzhia. Thank you very much for that detail, Melissa

Bell.

Now the nations that make up the G7 say they're in agreement. They plan to implement a price cap on Russian oil. They're seeking, in their words, to

reduce Russian revenues and Russia's ability to fund its war of aggression. The announcement a short time ago comes amid Kremlin warning. It says it

will stop oil exports to any nation that imposes price limits on Russian crude. The West has already sanctioned many Russian energy exports. But

Moscow has continued to earn billions of dollars a month by diverting oil to China and Asia.

Anna Stewart has been watching oil prices since Russia's invasion of Ukraine and she joins us now from London.

And of course, just take out oil or gas out of the market that means less supply and that brings up prices and more money into Russia's hands. But,

you know, a piece of policy is great. But always it comes down to implementation. And can it be done?

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and first of all this is really the alternative to just simply banning Russian oil from the market. As you say

there are issues with doing that, so this cap essentially means that countries that haven't banned Russian oil and still want to buy it, can but

at a reduced price. If they didn't, and if any country tried to flout the cap if it's implemented and we don't know what the cap will be at this

stage. It hasn't been announced yet, but that would mean that the G7 could essentially withhold important services like insurance and shipping,

services where the G7 really dominated.

Now let's bring you a statement from the G7 today. They say that the price cap is specifically designed to reduce Russian revenues and Russia's

ability to fund its war of aggression, whilst limiting the impact of Russia's war on global energy prices, i.e., the Russian, oil would still be

in the market. And that I think is really critical. And it was a lot of criticism by oil banks around that point.

Now according to (INAUDIBLE), their latest research, says that Russia is still making around $600 million a day from oil because of the elevated

price. Now the cap builds on existing measures already, I've already mentioned several countries have banned Russian oil like Australia, Canada,

the U.S., the U.K. will be joining suit. And the E.U. has its sixth round of sanctions which will be implemented in December. It starts with an

embargo of Russian crude oil.

In February, it gets extended to refined products as well, and this cap would be worked in that timeframe as well if it's implemented and it does

need agreement from all of the E.U. and there are many problems there as well -- Eleni.

GIOKOS: Yes, I mean, absolutely, it's like the implementation question is really what sort of baffles the mind. It is really fascinating that you've

got sort of consensus on this. Could you take us through some of the overall issues that they're going to encounter because this is just one

step, as you mentioned, before a total Russian ban on oil. But before they could even consider that they need to make sure that there's enough oil in

the market where you don't see a spike in prices.

STEWART: And making sure that certain economies around the world can still access all of this oil. So it is important. I can see plenty of issues with

its implementation. First of all of course the G7 only cover certain countries. China, for instance, isn't a part of the G7. What if it doesn't

agree, it could probably cover some of the insurance and shipping services for third party countries. Will there be secondary sanctions introduced?

And as part of the statement, the G7 said they will aim to limit possibilities of circumventing the price cap regime, no details yet.

[10:10:00]

The other issue with this sort of cap is side deals. Very hard to prove, but what if a country does buy oil from Russia at the reduced price but

offers a deal on some, I don't know, exports of ammunition or some other product that Russia needs. It's very hard to prove that there is a way of

circumventing it. Then you look at what would be a reaction be from OPEC. I mean, we have yet to hear from them.

This would of course bring oil prices down. It's already been around $30 a barrel, lowest since the prices in June. There were already discussions of

output cuts. They could cut oil output and really reduce that impact you'd have. And then what about the reaction from Russia? And that's something

that we are waiting for. The nuclear option would just be to stop exporting oil. But of course that would also hurt its own revenues -- Eleni.

GIOKOS: Yes, Anna. You really set out the complexities, really succinctly. Thank you so much for that. I mean, there's always a way to circumvent

rules so I'm curious to see what will happen on this. Good to see you, Anna Stewart.

All right. Shocking images out of Argentina of a failed assassination attempt against the country's vice president caught on video. Take a look.

(VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was greeting supporters outside her home late Thursday when a man pointed a gun directly at her face and pulled

the trigger. For some reason, the gun did not fire and the vice president was unharmed.

Stefano Pozzebon is following the story from Bogota, Columbia.

Stefano, great to see you. I mean, honestly, these images are shocking and really by luck the gun didn't actually go off. What is the reaction

locally?

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: Yes. Eleni, people are already talking about a miracle because the gun did not detonate, or at least that's how the

president of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez, described that moment last night in a national address, saying that the gun was armed with five bullets. We

know it's a 38 millimeter gun and it didn't detonate even though the alleged assailant pulled the trigger.

And -- but I think that this shows, Eleni, how political tensions are growing not just in Argentina, but all across South America, exacerbated by

rising fuel prices, by rising inflation, by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years. We've seen now an apparent assassination

attempt on the life of the vice president and the most controversial figure in Argentinian politics. But we've also seen in the Brazilian campaign, for

example, increased political violence. In the Chilean campaign, Chile is going to a referendum on a new constitution on Sunday, there has been

attacks against the members -- the brother, for example, of the Chilean president just yesterday.

You can see that just as U.S. President Joe Biden referenced last night in a speech saying that democracy is under attack, this is also happening in

South America, right here where I am. And those are the words of almost mirroring the words that Joe Biden used. Those are the words that the

Argentinian president used to condemn these attacks saying that these -- the most serious attack the nation has faced since the restoration of

democracy.

Of course universal condemnation, a rejection against the attack came from everybody from Pope Francis, who is an Argentinian, to all leading

political figures in South America. But still, now the challenge is -- now, how will Argentina be able to lower these tensions, to try to come together

just as the president asked to yesterday in this speech at a moment where everything is more expensive. The crisis does not recess and it really

looks at a green autumn for Argentina, Eleni.

GIOKOS: Stefano Pozzebon, thank you so much.

Coming up after the break, a threat to the republic's very foundation. U.S. President Joe Biden, with perhaps his most sobering warning and blistering

condemnation of Donald Trump and his closest allies.

And the pace of hiring slows down in the U.S. Why that's exactly what the Biden administration was hoping for. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:16:54]

GIOKOS: Strong, but slowing. Government figures released Friday show the U.S. economy added more than 300,000 jobs last month. It beat expert

forecast but, but is nowhere near the July gains. Today's report is important for the Federal Reserve as the central bank tries to cool off the

economy. It has been raising interest rates to tamp down inflation and has hinted that more hikes may be coming,

CNN Business correspondent Rahel Solomon joins us now from New York.

Rahel, good to see you. I mean for those of us that don't really know how it works, a superheated economy, fast growth, really good numbers actually

gets inflation on the go. These numbers are encouraging because it might show that all the inflation cutting efforts might just be faltering through

into the real economy.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Eleni. For someone who claims you don't know how it works, you've summed it up pretty well

there. That is exactly why this report is being viewed positively because it is a sign of a gradual slowing which is exactly what the Fed wants to

see.

And Eleni, this report has a bit of good news for practically everyone. If you're an American who's looking for work, if you're an American consumer,

this is still a strong labor market. If you're the Fed, this is showing some slowing. So let's take a look at how the report compares to what we

saw last month. So 315,000 jobs being added. Quite a slowdown from the month prior. 526,000. But still robust, Eleni.

The unemployment rate did tick up from 3.5 percent to 3.7 percent but still low. And also, the reason why the unemployment rate ticked up is positive

news. The labor force participation rate, the percentage of Americans who are actively participating in the labor force, that ticked up, that is

something that we had been wanting to see. More people come off the sidelines and join the workforce. That's something that should help with

the supply-demand imbalance of American workers right now.

And wage growth? That moderated, 5.2 percent over the last year. So the Fed is going to like a lot of what we just showed you there. Now looking in

terms of where we're seeing the job growth, Eleni, it was broad-based. Professional and business services adding 68,000, health care and retail

trade adding at least 44, 000. Health care adding 48,000 there.

Does this change anything for the Federal Reserve? Certainly a welcome news for the Fed. But does it change anything? KPMG chief economist Diane Swonk

says, she doesn't think so. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIANE SWONK, CHIEF ECONOMIST, KPMG: And I don't think this report changes that message at all given we're still so out of whack. Job openings held at

the July levels, even with a higher number of people seeking jobs in the month of August, we'd still be at 1.9 job openings per worker when the Fed

is looking for a dipping more balanced at one to one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Now, one group that does like what they saw today, investors. Take a look at the U.S. stock market, really doing quite well today. Modestly

well today. You can see the Dow is up, not sure our futures where, you know, the market is actually open at this point but look, investors clearly

liked what they saw in this report. It was a slowing but not coming to a screeching halt.

[10:20:06]

A few things to think of coming ahead, Eleni. We have a few really important events coming up. So we have CPI, the Consumer Price Index

report, consumer inflation essentially, that's coming up in a few weeks. That's going to be quite important. And then the FOMC meeting. We'll hear

from the Fed on September 20th and 21st, do they raise rates half a percentage point or three quarters of a percentage point?

Eleni, a lot of folks such as Bank of America putting out estimates today that after this job report, they're leaning toward half a percent. We'll

see.

GIOKOS: So, yes, economics is my thing and so too is inflation. So I'm going to take the wage growth number, 5.2 percent. I'm going to look at

inflation which is at 8.5 percent. And I'm still minus 3.3 percent as an American which means that life is way too expensive for me.

But, Rahel, I'm going to keep this conversation for another day. Good to see you.

SOLOMON: It's a great point. It's a great point.

GIOKOS: Thanks so much. Yes. It is, right? So let's see what happens. Inflation is biting everywhere.

All right, now the jobs report comes on the heels of a rare and blistering speech from President Joe Biden Thursday in TV's primetime. He warned

Americans that his predecessor, Donald Trump, and Trump's closest Republican followers are a grave threat to U.S. democracy and said that

their extremism threatens the republic's very foundations.

The speech comes just more than two months before elections to determine which party controls Congress. So this is vital. Several candidates Mr.

Trump has endorsed and who subscribed to his debunked claim of election fraud in 2020 are running for office in November, and Mr. Trump is

pondering another bid for president in 2024.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is at the White House for us.

Jeremy, so many loaded messages and a stark warning, a sobering warning for Americans. How people are responding to his speech?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, no doubt about it. President Biden delivered a very unmistakable message last night saying

that he believes democracy is under threat. It is under assault and that it's being assaulted by former President Trump and his allies, whom

President Biden has taken to calling, quote-unquote, "MAGA Republicans," a reference to former President Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan.

President Biden arguing last night that Trump and those MAGA Republicans representing, quote, "extremism that threatens the very foundation of the

republic." The president arguing that those Republicans don't respect the Constitution, the rule of law and are actively still working to undermine

democracy and elections in the United States by promoting many of these election denying candidates for positions of key influence in the U.S.

Here's what else the president said last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: MAGA Republicans have made their choice. They embrace anger. They thrive on chaos. They live not in the

light of truth, but in the shadow of lies. But together, together, we can choose a different path.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: And now this primetime address of the president delivered outside of Philadelphia's Independence Hall was billed as an official White House

event. You saw two Marine guards standing alongside the president for this. But this was a very charged political speech. The White House has argued

that it wasn't partisan or political because the president is talking about democracy saying that that's not a partisan issue.

But there's no question that President Biden last night was crafting and framing the choice that voters face in these upcoming midterm elections

making very clear that he sees this as an existential threat to democracy, and casting this political season as a battle for the soul of the nation,

as a battle for that American democracy. Now we've heard from several Republicans who have been fiercely critical of the president's speech

saying that it was divisive, arguing that he was slandering half of the country who supported the former president.

But we should note President Biden did make very clear last night that he, in talking about MAGA Republicans, doesn't believe that that's all

Republicans. Not even a majority of Republicans, but nonetheless certainly a political speech, as we heard the president talking not only about

democracy but also things like the right to have an abortion -- Eleni.

GIOKOS: Yes. I want to talk about whether, you know, how it's going to be taken for Joe Biden to run for reelection in 2024. Could you break that

down for us?

DIAMOND: Well, certainly, part of the speech, I mean it calls back to the theme that President Biden ran on in 2020, talking about the battle for the

soul of the nation. And so as you hear him talking about this now and taking aim specifically at former President Trump, something that he

doesn't always do in terms of calling him out by name, certainly that is not only looking forward at these midterm elections this coming November

but also looking at a potential 2024 rematch with the former president who has of course hinted and his aides have indicated he is likely to run once

again for president.

[10:25:13]

So President Biden and his aides will say that this speech was really about believing that there is this active threat to American democracy. But

again, it certainly does fall in line with the political narrative that this White House has been trying to set up ahead of these midterms and

ahead of a potential reelection run in 2024.

GIOKOS: Jeremy Diamond, thank you very much.

All right, more hints at a possible Trump run in 2024. In an interview with Sky News, Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, says the former

president is obviously thinking about making another run. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JARED KUSHNER, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: With Trump it's hard to rule anything out, so he's a very flexible thinker.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's definitely going to run, isn't he?

KUSHNER: Like I said, with him you never know. He keeps it interesting all the time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: So Kushner was also asked about the FBI search of Trump's home in Mar-a-Lago and he had this to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KUSHNER: I mean, first of all, he was the president of the United States. He had the highest clearance in the world, so I don't know -- look, this

may be a paperwork issue. This may be -- I don't know. Like I said, I haven't been involved in the details of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: And Kushner talked about the 2020 election in that interview calling it very sloppy, and he says he believes that President Biden has

been a, quote, "disaster" for our country as well as the world.

After fighting for democracy for years in Myanmar, former leader Aung San Suu Kyi is heading back to prison. Find out what she's accused of after the

break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GIOKOS: Welcome back. I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi. And you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD.

Now, a court in Myanmar has sentenced the country's ousted leader to three years in prison with hard labor. And that's according to a CNN source

familiar with the proceedings. The 77-year-old was found guilty of electoral fraud. Suu Kyi was already serving a 17-year sentence after being

found guilty of other charges last month.

CNN has also learned that the former British ambassador to Myanmar, Vicky Bowman, has been sentenced to a year in prison. Now prosecutors say she

violated immigration law because her registered address did not match her visa. Now her husband, artist and activists Htein Lin was also sentenced to

a year in prison.

[10:30:05]

Paula Hancocks has been covering this story for years.

Paula, thank you so much for joining us. Three years in prison, hard labor, 77-year-old. You know, I'm trying to reconcile the sentence with the

charges, already serving a 17-year sentence. Could you take us through what is going on here?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Eleni, there's really been a drip feed of these cases against Aung San Suu Kyi. Over recent months she has

been found guilty in these military courts every single time, and the amount of years that she is supposed to be spending behind bars is just

ticking up. We have the final count of at least 20 offenses that she has been charged with and the military courts are going one by one.

Now this particular one was for electoral fraud, referring back to the election back in November of 2020 which Aung San Suu Kyi's party

democratically won in a landslide. And it was in the February of the next year that the military junta then took control in a bloody military coup.

So what we're hearing from the international community at large, from human rights groups, is that these charges are farcical. That they are trumped

up, and it is an attempt by the military junta to keep Aung San Suu Kyi who is still extremely popular within Myanmar behind bars for effectively the

rest of her life.

As you say, Eleni, she is 77 years old. And so far, there are 20 years of sentencing against her, and there are still plenty of court cases to be

heard as well. Now Aung San Suu Kyi herself has been quoted as calling the charges absurd. But this is what the military junta is doing at this point.

These are closed cases. Close court hearings that there's no transparency. Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyers have been gagged as well, so the information is

coming from sources with knowledge of the situation.

This is being roundly condemned and slammed as every charge and sentenced against her has been -- Eleni.

GIOKOS: All right. Paula Hancocks, thank you very much for those details.

Let's get you up to speed on some other stories that are on our radar right now.

Pakistan's unprecedented floods have now claimed the lives of more than 1200 people. Authorities say they are conducting rescue operations in the

south where water levels continue to rise. Several villages there are reportedly under more than three meters of water.

More back and forth on reviving the Iran nuclear deal, U.S. government officials say they're now reviewing Iran's response to the proposal and

will be communicating through the E.U. The U.S. State Department said Thursday the response from Tehran was not constructive.

In southwestern China, more than 21 million people in the major city of Chengdu are now under a strict new COVID-19 lockdown. Health officials have

reported more than 900 cases over the past week. Mass testing is now underway across the entire city.

India has a new powerful aircraft carrier. The $3 billion vessel puts the country among the world's naval elites. And as CNN's Vedika Sud reports,

India says this major expansion in its feed will provide extra insurance for its security.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUD (voice-over): A strong message sent out to the world from the sprawling deck of India's largest domestically built warship. After a 17-year wait,

India's first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant which means courageous or victorious in Sanskrit, has been inducted into its navy. Catapulting the

South Asian nation into a select group of countries that had built their own advanced and complex battleships.

NARENDRA MODI, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): In the past, in the Indo-Pacific region and the Indian Ocean, security has been neglected.

But now this region is a major security priority for us.

SUD: Vikrant's deck, the size of two football fields, can operate up to 30 aircrafts, including MiG-29K fighter jets. These jets will be launched from

its key ramps on deck. The carrier will also serve as a base for helicopters and defense systems including surface-to-air missiles.

According to Defense analysts, once Vikrant's airwing becomes fully operational, its firepower will impress in the distant reaches of the

Indian Ocean. But there has been a further delay, the Indian Navy says it will take another 15 months for Vikran to be fully operational.

VICE ADMIRAL MA HAMPIHOLI, INDIAN SOUTHERN COMMAND NAVAL COMMAND OFFICER: The ship can like any other warship be utilized to project war, to ensure

safety and security at high seas, and also provide a credible deterrence with extreme visibility.

SUD: Amid rising tensions with neighbors China and Pakistan, India now has two carriers in its arsenal.

[10:35:05]

This significant addition to its fleet could give New Delhi viewed as the biggest counterbalance to Beijing in the region, a larger and more

strategic role in the informal coalition known as the Quad.

AJAZ SHUKLA, DEFENSE EXPERT: Right now within the Quad, you got of course the United States, which is a sort of a massive naval force. But the other

countries, you know, Australia and Japan, they don't have aircraft carriers. They don't have the ability therefore to sort of create aerial

capability, fighter aircraft capability in areas that are far from their shores.

SUD: Beijing has been aggressively building its naval fleet. It has already launched its third carrier. But analysts say India has the edge with

decades long experience in operating such warships.

Armed with experience and knowledge in building an aircraft carrier, the Indian Navy could soon announce a bigger and better version of INS Vikrant.

A bold and strategic move to project India as a self-reliant and formidable power in the Indian Ocean.

Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: Nasa's Artemis I moon mission is again ready for launch. Lift off is reset for Saturday even though there are still some risks. We're live

from the Kennedy Space Center. And the U.S. Open is ready to cheer on Serena Williams but who is her opponent in the round three? Details in our

sports update.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GIOKOS: All right. Welcome back, and just moments ago, a judge in the U.S. state of Florida unsealed a detailed inventory from the FBI's search of

Donald Trump's home. Agents retrieved classified documents from the former president's Mar-a-Lago estate last month. The inventory list includes

documents with confidential, secret and top secret classification markings. It also indicates that classified documents had been comingled with

personal items and other materials in boxes.

All right. We'll be bringing you more details on the story. We'll be following it and we will give you more information as it comes through.

All right, moving on now, and right now it is all systems go for NASA's Artemis I mission. Lift off was scrubbed on Monday because of a number of

issues including an engine cooling problem. The mission manager says the team is assuming acceptable risks ahead of the launch and that it's ready

to fly. The uncrewed rocket will travel farther beyond the moon than any space craft intended to carry humans has ever gone with an eye to the

future on reaching Mars.

[10:40:00]

Let's bring in our space and defense correspondent Kristin Fisher. She's counting down the hours from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

To be honest, so am I. And I was really disappointed about Monday. I want to talk about what is assuming acceptable risk. It sounds sort of very, you

know, sort of space jargony. Could you break that down for us?

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Sure, so one of the things that NASA has been doing over the last several days since its first

launch attempt is they've been reassessing there (INAUDIBLE).

GIOKOS: All right. Kristin, I think we're breaking up a little. We have a bit of interference. But we will try and get you more information about

Artemis I. Hopefully it will take off on Saturday. That is the latest line. We've lost our connection with Kristin Fisher who is at the Kennedy Space

Center for us in Florida.

All right, moving on now. The brand new James Webb space telescope has captured its first direct image of an exoplanet far from our solar system.

Now exoplanets have been observed before, but the Webb's infrared capabilities are providing the clearest picture yet. This one is described

as gas giant. Many times larger than Jupiter. And it's about 385 light years from earth.

It feels as if we've been talking about Serena Williams, that's also pretty phenomenal. I feel like I'm in outer space just talking about Serena and

all the things that are going on with the sporting world over the past few days. But spare a thought for superstar Rafa Nadal who suffered a self-

inflicted injury while playing. The 36-year-old smacked his nose hard but he still won the match. So Rafa and Serena are both playing in the third

round of singles.

"WORLD SPORT" anchor Patrick Snell joins me now from CNN center with his predictions.

We're all relying on you, Patrick. What is your glass ball tell us today?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Not wise, predictions, Eleni, I'll tell you what, though, first of all hopefully Rafa Nadal is OK after that.

It looked really painful, didn't it? He was brave enough to come out, spare some words for the press and the reporters afterwards certainly wished him

well. It was extremely painful. A real freak accident, there's no question about that.

Rafa Nadal, well, he's trying to look and win another grand slam title this year, we shall see. But Serena Williams, you're quite right. Wow, what a

tournament she's already had. But this is the big one for her. Another big one. We've seen so many scenes of emotion and euphoria at Flushing Meadows

all week. She's through the first two rounds on the singles draw. Can she make it a third straight victory in what is supposed to be her farewell to

the sport? We shall see.

She's up against the Croatian Australian Ajla Tomljanovic a little later on in the Big Apple. I think many people now are expecting her to win it. Will

she go on to win this whole thing? Who knows? Never say never when it comes to Serena Williams. That's my take.

GIOKOS: Exactly. Look, I think Rafa stole my tennis moves. I'm always smacking myself with my racket when I play. So, you know, it did look -- I

must say, it's very painful when you do that. Patrick, thank you so much.

SNELL: Here's what's funny. Do you know what else Rafa said? He said he's done the same thing to himself only with the golf club as well. So not good

for him on that level.

GIOKOS: All right. Oh, well, at least he won the match. But look, good to see you, Patrick. We'll see right after this short break.

SNELL: Thank you.

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[10:45:25]

(WORLD SPORT)

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