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Israel Judicial Overhaul; Chinese Foreign Minister Ousted; Former U.S. Marine Facing Extradition for Training Chinese Pilots; Russian Conscripts on Horrors of War; Spain's Elections; Wildfires Prompt Largest Evacuation in Greek History; Delta Flight Diverted Due to Weather; Teen Beats Cancer to Score at Women's World Cup. Aired 10-10:40a ET
Aired July 25, 2023 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I'm Eleni Giokos, live from Abu Dhabi. I'm in for my colleague, Becky Anderson. This is
CONNECT THE WORLD.
Coming up this hour, a judicial crisis looms in Israel after the Knesset approves a controversial judicial overhaul bill.
China's foreign minister is ousted in a surprise shakeup.
A firefighting plane crashes as Greece battles destructive wildfires.
And an inspiring story: from cancer diagnosis to the Women's World Cup.
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GIOKOS: A doctor's strike, threats of military reservist boycotts, a looming legal crisis, unprecedented in Israeli history. And protesters
clashing with police in Tel Aviv overnight, hours after Israel's parliament approves the first in a series of bills aimed at weakening the power of the
country's judiciary.
Prime minister Netanyahu and hardline right-wing ministers say democracy is not threatened and that changes are needed to rebalance powers between the
branches of government. Hadas Gold is connecting us from Jerusalem this hour,
Hadas, great to see you. We've been following the protest action before the key votes that we saw yesterday. And what we are seeing today, as well,
there's so much debate that is going on right now. And interesting to see how the newspapers dealt with this news this morning.
HADAS GOLD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Eleni, I'll show you some of these newspapers. These are the major ones in Israel. You can see
that one after the other have these blacked-out front pages. And the message, on the bottom, says this is a black day for Israeli democracy.
Now these were all paid advertisements, paid for by a protest organization that represents high-tech CEOs. But it is incredibly notable that all of
these newspapers just even accepted the advertisement to run on their front page on such a consequential newsday.
Instead of the articles, instead of the photos, it's this black page. It represents, for these protesters, for the opposition, for many in the high-
tech economic world here, for many former IDF chiefs of staff, represents how they feel about what happened yesterday in the Israeli parliament.
Of course, the proponents of this law say that it was a necessary reform, say it's helping to bring balance back, that it's taking away some of the
power from the supreme court and giving it to the hands of the democratically elected people.
But what we've seen overnight is more protests erupting after this bill passed. We saw clashes on the highways and streets in Tel Aviv and
Jerusalem, dozens of protesters injured, more than 19 arrested, at least a dozen police officers injured as well.
We saw police officers using things like water cannons, the skunk water that emits this really foul stench. They were mounted on horseback. They
were using a decent amount of force as well.
The prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, did issue a statement, a televised one, last night, calling what happened an important, what he said,
democratic step. a necessary democratic. step saying that it strengthens democracy.
This is a lot of what he's been saying in the past. He blamed the opposition for not being able to compromise with the coalition government
over the previous months. And he said his door is open for further compromise negotiations as they take on the next steps.
Because, Eleni, keep in mind, that bill that passed yesterday, that tries to prevent the supreme court from being able to block government actions
that the supreme court says are unreasonable, that's just one part.
That's just, as one expert said on CNN earlier, that's just the appetizer to what the Israeli government is planning.
The big question is, what happens next in the legal situation?
There are petitions in the front of the supreme court. They have not yet issued an injunction but we do expect to hear from them in some way,
potentially today or definitely in the coming days. Eleni.
GIOKOS: I mean, really fascinating developments there. The Netanyahu government have explicitly said that this is the most moderate part of the
bill that has been passed. And as you say, appeals are sitting with the supreme court right now.
What is the dialogue, the discussion, that you've been seeing over the past day in terms of the ability of the supreme court to intervene here?
GOLD: That's going to be really fascinating and could put the country into sort of a -- I'll call it a constitutional crisis. But Israel doesn't
really have a written constitution, because the supreme court could actually use this exact standard, that this law is talking about, to strike
down this law.
Now actually Ron Dermer, the minister of strategic affairs, he's one of Netanyahu's top ministers, he's in the room often for all these important
discussions. He was on CNN earlier today.
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GOLD: And he was asked directly by Erica Hill if the Israeli government -- if the supreme court strikes down this law, would the Israeli government,
would Benjamin Netanyahu heed that decision?
And he didn't exactly answer directly. He said we have a rule of law, not a rule of judges. He didn't really answer yes, we would accept that decision.
So that could set up, really, a crisis here if the supreme court strikes it down, if somehow the Israeli government says that's not something that they
will accept. Also something to keep on mind is what is happening today in the further fallout.
That's the economic fallout. We just heard from Morgan Stanley that they are moving Israel's sovereign credit to a dislike stance.
And also Israeli media is reports that Moody's is expected to come out with a report later today that might not be the most favorable toward the
Israeli economy, especially in the wake of this decision passing yesterday.
GIOKOS: Yes. Hadas Gold, thank you so much.
Shikma Bressler is a protest movement leader, highly critical of the Netanyahu government. She joins us now from Rehoboth (ph), Israel.
Great to have you with us. Thank you so much for your kind look.
We have seen the front covers of the newspapers across Israel today, that black page. Black slides basically have become a symbol of a twit (ph).
Can you tell us what you experienced during the protest action yesterday, importantly, what you felt after the vote was passed in the Knesset?
SHIKMA BRESSLER, PROTEST MOVEMENT LEADER: Yes, I think that (INAUDIBLE) may be --
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BRESSLER: -- people like myself (INAUDIBLE) go back to our world club (ph) and still you see the hundreds of thousands of Israelis -- literally
hundreds of (INAUDIBLE).
GIOKOS: All right, Shikma, we do have very bad audio with you. Your line isn't great. But please try again. Let's see if it's rectified now.
(AUDIO GAP)
GIOKOS: All right, we are going to try and get Shikma Bressler back on line once we sort out the technical difficulties that we have. But I want
to take you to another story.
Deadly violence in the West Bank. Hamas says three of its members were killed today in an armed clash with Israel's military. The Israeli military
says the men fired on soldiers during a routine patrol in Nablus and soldiers returned fire in response.
A surprising political shakeup in China. Still ahead, the major official has been removed from office. We will have a live report for you coming up.
And a former U.S. fighter pilot is facing extradition and decades in prison. But his supporters say he's being used to set an example.
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GIOKOS: China's foreign minister, Qin Gang, has been ousted and replaced by his predecessor, Wang Yi. It is a highly unusual shakeup. It's not clear
yet why the decision was made.
The abrupt move comes a month after Qin, who you see here, made his last public appearance. His prolonged absence has fueled speculation about his
whereabouts, since his time away has not been fully explained. CNN's Marc Stewart is following the story from Tokyo for us.
Indeed, quite perplexing about the whereabouts of the foreign minister.
Could you give us a sense of what you know?
MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Eleni, look, this is a mystery, if you will, that has been developing for the last month.
It was on June 25th when Qin Gang was last seen publicly. He was having a meeting with the leaders of Sri Lanka, Vietnam as well as Russia. And then,
after that prolonged absence, that was finally recognized today.
Let's back up just a few hours. It was this afternoon, in Beijing, during the regular ministry of foreign affairs' news conference when a reporter
asked about Qin Gang's whereabouts.
The response, then, the exact phrase, was, "no information to provide," adding that, "China's diplomatic activities are being carried out as
usual."
Well, just a few hours ago, we received an alert that Qin Gang would no longer be serving as foreign minister and instead replaced by Wang Yi, who
actually held the job before.
Qin Gang has had a long relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He has been a very vocal and very visible force on the Chinese political platform.
He is the one who made bold statements, rebukes, if you will, after the shootdown of the Chinese spy balloon.
He was instrumental in the meetings with Antony Blinken, when the secretary of state of the U.S. went to China. But then recently, he has not been seen
in the public eye. In fact, when such high-ranking American leaders, such as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, as well as John Kerry, made visits to
China, he was not seen.
Again, Eleni, the storyline behind this still very much a mystery. But this is a very visible shift in presents for Xi Jinping and his administration.
GIOKOS: What was interesting is that he has paid a key role in restoring some form of communication with the U.S. and that was really quite
interesting to see the way that he was able to navigate the tense waters between the two meganations.
Could tell me how important he was as a negotiation partner for the U.S.?
STEWART: Well, this is an individual who really understood the American political system, after all, serving as ambassador. So he's someone who
could make -- have difficult conversations. He certainly knew the power players in Washington. Very familiar with the landscape there.
But still, there is this mystique, this intrigue, as to what went wrong.
Was it one single event?
Was Xi Jinping looking to make some kind of bigger change, a reproach?
But his replacement, Wang Yi, is someone who is also very tightly aligned with Xi Jinping. Again, he has held the job before. So not a complete,
novel start over, if you will. But there is this intrigue that is going to linger for quite a while now, perhaps.
GIOKOS: Well, from high in the sky to behind bars, a former U.S. Marine is fighting extradition to the U.S., where he could face decades in prison.
Daniel Duggan is accused of training Chinese military pilots more than 20 years ago and he says he was only training civilians. And his supporters
say he is being used as an example. Ivan Watson has more.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Free Dan Duggan. Free Dan Duggan.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Saffrine Duggan's husband was a top gun, a marine pilot who, until 2002, served with Attack
Squadron 214 out of Yuma, Arizona. Now he is locked up in an Australian jail, fighting extradition to the United States.
SAFFRINE DUGGAN, DAN'S WIFE: It's been devastating. The kids and I are distraught. It's just a struggle, it's a daily struggle.
WATSON (voice-over): The U.S. Department of Justice alleges Duggan broke a U.S. arms embargo by training Chinese military pilots, which he denies.
Among other offenses, involving a South African flight school allegedly committed over 10 years ago.
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WATSON (voice-over): A 2017 grand jury indictment accuses Duggan of training the PRC pilots on how to land a jet on an aircraft carrier as well
as other specialist maneuvers.
The Test Flying Academy of South Africa denies any wrongdoing, saying all skills it teaches are, quote, "strictly unclassified and no training
involves classified tactics or other information nor any front line activities."
But last month, the company was added to the Commerce Department's list of sanctioned entities for providing training to Chinese military pilots using
Western and NATO sources.
Duggan doesn't deny training Chinese pilots in South Africa but says they were civilian plane enthusiasts seeking to improve their skills. His
supporters say he's being used as an example, as tensions flare between the U.S. and China.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But it is sending a message to China, saying, don't be recruiting Western former military people. That's what it's all about.
WATSON (voice-over): Duggan's 2022 arrest happened shortly after he returned to Australia with a security clearance for an aviation license,
needed to work as a pilot. Later, Australia has moved to tighten laws against former military personnel selling their knowledge overseas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: However the individuals rationalize their decisions, the bottom line is they are transferring highly sensitive, privileged and
classified knowhow to foreign governments that do not share our values or the respect for rule of law.
WATSON (voice-over): Duggan's lawyers have previously alleged United States and Australian officials used the security clearance to lure him
back to Australia, where he could be arrested.
That allegation is now being tested by independent investigators, probing the involvement of Australian security officers in Duggan's arrest.
Duggan's extradition hearing has been set for November to give time for the investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The extradition can be dropped and should be dropped. It's unjust.
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WATSON (voice-over): The relationship between Washington and Beijing changed dramatically in the time between Duggan's alleged offenses and his
indictment. The former Marine could be sentenced to 65 years in prison if a U.S. court finds him guilty -- Ivan Watson, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Now to Ukraine. The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog says it has found anti personnel mines on the periphery of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.
The plant is occupied by Russia and the agency says the mines were a military decision.
It says the mines are not a threat to the nuclear safety systems. In the meantime, Ukraine's military reports new advances in its counteroffensive
in the south. It is believed Russia has sent some 15,000 prisoner recruits to the front lines in Eastern Ukraine since the start of February, with
little training or combat experience.
Many of them are dying or returning home badly wounded. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has obtained rare and exclusive testimony from one surviving prisoner
as well as the mother of a recruit who died just a few weeks after deploying. They shared horrifying stories from the battlefield. Their names
have been changed for their safety.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, since about last fall, it appears the convicts have been a pretty
substantial part of Russia's front line strategy.
Originally recruited by the Wagner mercenary group in their tens of thousands, the scheme then taken over by the Russian ministry of defense,
seemingly thinking there was something successful in it that they wanted to own wholesale.
But now, we're hearing pretty rare testimony directly from Russians who survived or, in one case, lost a dear son to that particular violence. And
it is, indeed, shocking to hear quite how appalling the conditions they endure are. Here's what we heard.
WALSH (voice-over): Russia is often cruelest to its own. The bleakest fate: prisoners recruited by the ministry of defense basically as cannon
fodder.
These so-called Storm Z battalions, surrendering here, have death rates hard to fathom. Here are two rare stories, one of incredible survival and
another of a young and quick death, told to CNN at great risk from inside Russia.
Ex-con "Sergei" barely made it back. Now he works two jobs and can't sleep because his ears still ring from shellshock. We first talked when he'd been
shot for the second time. But he was still sent back, injured.
From 600 prisoners recruited with him in October, he says, only 170 are alive and only two of them without injury, sent again and again, in waves,
to attack Ukrainian positions.
"SERGEI," RUSSIAN CONSCRIPT (through translator): I remember most clearly the last of the nine concussions I had. We attacked. RPGs, drones flew at
us.
Our commander yells on the radio, "I don't care.
[10:20:00]
"SERGEI" (through translator): "Go ahead. Don't come back and until you take this position."
Two of us found a small hole and dived in there. A drone threw a grenade at us and it landed in the 30-centimeter gap between us. My friend was covered
with shrapnel all over. Yet, I was untouched somehow. But I lost my sight for five hours.
WALSH (voice-over): He only stayed in hospital that time and got home, as doctors made him an orderly. He has nightmares that he has told, to be
first out of the trench again. But daily life in the trench was a nightmare, too; the frostbite, hunger and thirst.
"SERGEI" (through translator): Sometimes we didn't eat for several days. We didn't drink for several days. It was a four-kilometer walk to water.
And thank God it was winter. We were drinking the snow.
WALSH (from captions): If a person didn't want to fight, what happened?
"SERGEI" (through translator): Sometimes the commander reset people. He zeroed them out, killed them. I only saw it once: a fight with a man who
stole and killed his own people. I didn't see who of the four people around him shot.
But when he tried to escape, a bullet hit him in the back of the head. I saw the head wound. They carried him away.
WALSH (voice-over): For some, it never got that far. "Andrei" was 20 when he was jailed on drugs offenses and 23 when he was sent from prison to the
front. His training was fleeting. His mother, "Yulia," said he'd yet to grow into a man, still kidding about.
"ANDREI," RUSSIAN CONSCRIPT (from captions): Really, it's sea, sun and sand here, sunburn, then the wind chaps your face and (INAUDIBLE) it, it
rains.
WALSH (voice-over): Like with many prison recruits, he just disappeared. But it was on May the 9th, Victory Day in Russia, when presidential pomp in
Moscow marked the Nazis' defeat. "Andrei" called her the night before to say his unit would attack at dawn.
"YULIA," "ANDREI'S" MOTHER (from captions): We were arguing. It is horrible to say but I already thought of him like he was dead. He left
knowing everything. Every day I told him, no, no, no. And he didn't listen to me.
When he said, "We're going to storm," I wrote him, "Run, Forest (sic), run."
WALSH (voice-over): We think these ruins are near where he died. Up to 60 others, "Yulia" heard, died in the same assault that day. "Yulia" got
nothing, no body, just a letter from the military, saying Andrei had died the very day he left jail.
"YULIA" (from captions): The hardest part was that I was afraid he would kill someone. Because I can live with my son as a drug addict. But with my
son as a murderer, it was difficult for me to accept it.
WALSH (voice-over): The horror Russia inflicts on Ukraine, it seems, matched nearly by that done at home.
WALSH: Now "Sergei" also told us that there aren't really normal rotations of troops in his positions along the Russian front line, where you take
those exhausted to the back, allow them to refresh and then send them back into the fight again.
You only leave the trenches he was in when you're injured or when you die. Utterly shocking conditions and it's really a snapshot on the appalling
morale that those Russian units must be experiencing. And that could make Russia particularly fragile if Ukraine's counteroffensive gains weight --
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
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GIOKOS: Ecuador's president has just declared a state of emergency across the country's entire prison system for the next 60 days. Police and armed
forces will be deployed inside prisons to try to restore order and confront violence at the hands of criminal organizations.
The move comes after at least six inmates were killed in clashes between rival gangs over the weekend. In addition, more than 90 prison security
agents are being held by inmates right now across five different prisons, adding to the growing list of problems.
After winning the most votes but not a majority in Sunday's election, the center-right people's party in Spain is now working to form a coalition
government. The party's leaders has negotiations are underway with other groups. Now from Al Goodman, reporting for us from Madrid.
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AL GOODMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The coalition building towards a new Spanish government could take weeks, and the outcome is uncertain.
One result seems clear from Sunday's vote: Spain voted to keep the far- right Vox party out of the Spanish government. The main conservative party came up well short of a parliamentary majority, and even adding on the far-
right seats, they still came up short.
The far right has been making gains across Europe. It governs in Italy with hard-right Prime Minister Meloni. It's got part of the government in
Finland.
But, in on Sunday, the Spaniards seemed to be saying, not here, not now.
The main conservative leader says he'll reach out to try to form a conservative coalition.
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GOODMAN: But some analysts say the socialist prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, may have a better chance of forming a coalition, because he's
already got one in his current term. He's got the contacts and the experience.
But a senior member of the socialist party told CNN this day that this second time for Sanchez to try to build a coalition could be a lot more
difficult because the nationalist parties in Catalonia, near Barcelona and in the northern Basque region could try to extract a much higher price for
their support.
In fact, in Barcelona on Sunday, the leader of one of the nationalist parties said that they would not be giving Prime Minister Sanchez another
round in exchange for nothing. She said that their priority is Catalonia, not the governance of the Spanish state -- Al Goodman, CNN, Madrid.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: We now bring you live pictures coming through from the island of Rhodes in Greece, as you can see, smoke billowing from a fire that is
raging. And, in the meantime, another fire raging in Greece. A plane has crashed. Just ahead, we will have a live report on the record number of
evacuations we see there.
And could it be a hell of our own making?
What scientists are saying about the so-called heat hell, gripping large parts of the Northern Hemisphere. That's coming up, just ahead.
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GIOKOS (voice-over): Welcome back, I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi and you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Your headlines this hour.
Israeli doctors are staging a 24-hour strike a day after parliament passed a controversial judicial overhaul bill, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu
calling it a necessary democratic step. Israel's main newspapers published darkened front pages with an ad from tech workers, calling the vote a black
day for Israel democracy.
China's foreign minister, Qin Gang, was removed from office after a prolonged absence. He was replaced by his predecessor, Wang Yi, in a
surprising and highly unusual shakeup of the country's foreign policy leadership. It is not clear, yet, why the decision was made.
The International Atomic Energy Agency says mines should not pose a threat to the nuclear security of the Zaporizhzhya plant in Ukraine. The agency
says it sponsored the mines in a buffer zone at the periphery of the plant. It's been occupied by Russia since early in the war.
GIOKOS: Wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes have forced the largest evacuation effort in the country's history, that is according to Greek
officials; 19,000 tourists and residents have been forced to leave.
Crews are also battling fires on the islands of Corfu and Evia, where we are hearing a firefighting plane has just crashed. Joining us now from
Athens, Greece, is journalist Elinda Labropoulou.
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GIOKOS: Great to have you with us. We are seeing some of the live images coming through from Rhodes. We have heard about that plane that just
crashed in Evia. Take us through the top lines.
ELINDA LABROPOULOU, JOURNALIST: The newest development is the plane crash of the firefighting plane, over the island of Evia. It seems that this has
been captured on video. The national television broadcaster happened to be on the scene at the time.
So this is a confirmed crash. We understand there were two people on board. But we've been told by the authorities that a search and rescue operation
is underway and we are waiting to hear back on what exactly has happened.
Now in Rhodes, a big fire continues. We seem to have more evacuations. We just heard that more villages are being evacuated and more inbound planes
have stopped. It just seems to be that planes are coming in to get more people out.
So that fire is not subsiding, Eleni, unfortunately. And there are more rekindlings in Corfu as well, where more villages are being evacuated these
last few hours. So the situation in Greece remains very, very serious.
This comes on a very hot day, sweltering temperatures. Greece is experiencing a prolonged heat wave. This is the third wave of this heat
wave.
As a result, the Acropolis right behind me was closed for four hours today. People are just starting to come in again with temperatures hitting over
110 degrees Fahrenheit and expected to rise even further.
Tomorrow, we expect conditions to improve. But as the Greek prime minister said earlier today, it looks like a very tough summer ahead. The government
has also said that Greece has already fought about 500 fires so far in just the last 12 days.
And from what we understand, this is going to be a very long night. We still have some daylight left. But the wind is picking up throughout the
country. So it remains to be seen whether more evacuations will be announced in the hours ahead.
GIOKOS: I just want to alert our audience as well. We are seeing live pictures from Rhodes. You just said more evacuations are occurring. This
fire looks like it's raging on. The proximity to some of those houses is really startling. And as you say we are seeing more and more fires emerging
as well.
What have you heard in terms of interventions here, prevention and, of course, importantly, to try and get these fires out of (sic) control?
Because they can simmer on for a long time. But then, once you put them out, they still kind of simmer on for quite some time. But the ground
remains hot.
LABROPOULOU: Yes, it seems -- they are trying to see how they are going to spread things around, to make sure that there is water, that things are
kept wet so in order for the fire not to go through.
But at the moment, what is being burned, apart from houses, is also some pristine forest. So that's very difficult to reach in the island of Rhodes
and in Corfu in particular as well. We understand that a lot of the animals on the island -- there's an island that Rhodes has, a lot of deer, for
example.
A lot of these animals have not managed to escape the flames. Now of course the efforts are being concentrated on getting people out, keeping people
safe and protecting the houses and the hotels.
Because, don't forget, this is an island. It's one of Greece's most popular tourist islands, visited by thousands of people. And this was also peak
season for tourism. So just the simple logistics of getting people out are complicated enough but also trying to make the next steps ahead to end the
fires. It will take some time as well, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Elina, thank you so much. I feel your pain. The Acropolis, of course, has a lot of reflection. I know why you are wearing a hat. It gets
really hot there. Good to see some tourists in the background but it's a tough time. It is hot, it gets really hot in Athens in normal times. Thank
you so much for staying in the heat to speak to us, appreciate it.
Wildfires also bringing death and destruction to Algeria. At least 34 people have been killed. That is according to state media. Thousands of
firefighters are trying to bring the flames under control.
The wildfires are raging as North Africa and the Mediterranean experience temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius amid a deadly heat wave.
That extreme weather plaguing parts of the Northern Hemisphere has been dubbed a heat hell. And scientists say the climate crisis is to blame. New
research looking at the role of climate change and extreme weather events, say that what we are seeing now would virtually be impossible without
global heating driven by burning fossil fuels.
CNN's Jim Bittermann joins us now to take us through more of what scientists are saying.
[10:35:00]
GIOKOS: Let me tell you, very alarming report that is making us I guess face a new reality. One scientist said it could be that this will be a cool
summer in the future if we don't stop burning fossil fuels, a harbinger of perhaps what is to come and a warning.
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Eleni, exactly that. This is a report by something called the World Weather Attribution initiative.
Basically, a group of scientists and climate scientists around the world, who want to respond to events that we are seeing, the kind of weather
events that we are seeing.
And the find out the root causes. And in their report, there is no question, if there was any doubt, that human behavior has had a great deal
of influence on what's happening, especially human-induced climate change.
The amount of hydrocarbons that are being consumed and produced and created, effective greenhouse gases.
So in any case, the report says that, if things stay the same, if they stay right where they are now, you can expect to see these kinds of periods of
very high heat and the kinds of things that we've seen in the last few weeks -- you can expect to see them once every 15 years in the United
States, in North America, once every 10 years in Europe and once every five years in China as we go forward.
But the thing is that things are not staying where they are. We are now at 1.2 degrees Celsius, above pre-industrial levels. And every year it goes up
slightly. This is the global temperature.
And if it hits 2 degrees above the pre-industrial levels, that means that - - at least the scientists predict that will result in something like these kinds of events happening every 2-5 years. So it's a rather dire report,
without a whole lot of thought about what to do about it except bring down the level of hydrocarbons in the atmosphere.
GIOKOS: Scary times, Jim. And it's in the numbers, about the anthropogenic emission impact that we see. In terms of what we've seen in Europe, the
summer heat wave is 2.5 degrees hotter in North America and 1 degree hotter in China. The numbers do not look good.
Do they offer any hope of reversing or at least halting what we are seeing?
BITTERMANN: Well, only if hydrocarbons are brought down. The only kind of solutions that they are proposing are the kinds of solutions that we might
expect, for instance, a better job of coordinating between emergency agencies and the weather forecasters so that fewer people are killed.
They estimate in this report that 61,000 people died unnecessarily because of heat events in Europe last year. And we are seeing already this year the
kind of deaths and the kind of rate of deaths around Europe that we saw last year.
So the solutions are there but they are minor ones, things like cooling centers and urban planning to make things, for instance, to use reflective
materials that are maybe white in color instead of darker colors, which absorb the heat, those kinds of things.
But it's really an adaptation. If you want to solve the problem, you have to decarbonize.
GIOKOS: Decarbonize and adapt in the meantime. Jim, great to have you with us, thank you so much.
Still ahead, Colombia's star forward is making headlines for the big goal on the field but she has already won a big battle off the field. We'll
explain.
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GIOKOS: A Delta flight heading to New York from Italy had to be diverted due to severe weather. A passenger tells CNN they had severe turbulence
shortly after takeoff on Monday and heard hail hitting the plane. This damaged the nose of the aircraft.
The passenger says that the turbulence was like a roller coaster ride but the pilot kept everyone calm and landed the plane safely in Rome, where
passengers deplaned.
An inspiring story coming out of the Women's World Cup. Colombia's star forward was given a devastating diagnosis of ovarian cancer at just 15
years old. Three years later, she's beaten cancer and is back to playing at the top level of the game and not just playing but scoring as well. Amanda
Davies is going to tell us about this incredible story.
Good to see you, Amanda.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, hello, yes; Linda Caicedo is the name on everybody's lips. She's been playing football as if on another
planet. That's how it was described after her performance today. She broke into the senior Colombia team at the age of 14.
At 15, as you said, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I have to say, I didn't even know it was possible to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the
age of 15. She feared that was her dream of being a professional footballer over. But the national team coach gave her a call and told her to keep the
faith.
She came back and here she is, at the age of 18, in her first match at a Women's World Cup, scoring the goal to help Colombia to their opening
victory. A fantastic story, just one of many we've had from the Women's World Cup, of course, in that opening round of matches. But heartbreak for
the hosts, New Zealand, after their incredible start.
We've got on news that coming next on "WORLD SPORT."
GIOKOS: So much happening, of course. Amanda, great to have you with us. We will see you after the break.
And I'll be back at the top of the hour. Stay with us.
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