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Putin Offers Russian Grain to Africa; Niger's Military Announces President's Ouster; Italy Gets a Break from the Heat; Judge Hits Pause on Hunter Biden Plea Deal; U.S. Lawmakers Call for Transparency on UFOs; European Central Bank Hikes Rates to Highest Since 2000; It's a Barbie World for Mattel. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired July 27, 2023 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00]

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ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I'm Eleni Giokos, live from Abu Dhabi. This is CONNECT THE WORLD.

Coming up this hour, Putin hosts African leaders in St. Petersburg.

More airstrikes hit Odessa, claims the president has been ousted in Niger and a huge upset in the Women's World Cup, involving the tournament co-

hosts.

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GIOKOS: We start in St. Petersburg, where the Russian president just held an awkwardly timed summits with African leaders. The main talking point was

grain supplies, because, don't forget, wheat prices shot up around 20 percent after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea grain initiative amid a

blustering war in Ukraine.

The summit was an opportunity for Mr. Putin to appear stable, supported and surrendered by allies. But notably, only 17 African heads of states

attended. Our CNN national correspondent David McKenzie joins me now.

So many did not show up this time.

How is this year's attendance signaling how much support Putin still has in Africa?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it really depends on your perspective, Eleni; 17 is better than zero. And certainly

there is a big reduction in the numbers of heads of state going to Russia for this Russia-Africa summit, compared to 2019.

But as the Kremlin puts it, they say there's been a brazen attempt to dissuade African leaders from going to Russia. This is even in the face of

the invasion of Ukraine and the indictment of Vladimir Putin for war crimes.

All of these leaders thought it was the right thing to do, to head to Russia and have these meetings with the Russian president. And, yes, you're

right, the timing is awkward.

It's on the heels of Russia withdrawing from the Ukraine Black Sea grain deal, which did provide an avenue for Ukrainian grain products to get out

of that wartorn country.

But Putin, as you might expect and as he has said before, blamed this on Western powers and said that Russia is available now to send grain to

Africa to make up for it. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): We sent almost 10 million tons to Africa. Obviously, in the conditions of the illegitimate

sanctions, which makes it much more difficult for Russia to send food to Africa.

We talk about logistics, banking and transfers. We have a paradox of pictures hee. On one hand, Western countries are limiting the supply of our

grain and on the other hand in a totally hypocritical manner, they blame us for all the problems.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: Putin also went on to say that Russia needs to bolster its relationship with countries in Africa, including on health, education,

technology and information. Some of his messages will be well received by African leaders, I think, who are looking to Russia as a trade partner. But

many of them, as you say, are staying at home.

GIOKOS: Yes, very true. Interesting about Russian grain. I'm sure Putin is acutely aware of the inflationary impact across the continent. Something

that was also interesting, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin spotted in St. Petersburg, with an official from the CAR.

We mustn't forget that Prigozhin had said that Africa is still a focus for Wagner.

MCKENZIE: Wagner hasn't left the continent and certainly they are very active still in the Central African Republic and Mali. If anything, they've

been expanding their reach of security assistance, in their view, of African nations.

He did have this somewhat bizarre moment of Prigozhin meeting with that official from the CAR. Often, as is the case with Prigozhin, it's stranger

than fiction.

Just a short time ago, you had his private military contractors heading toward Moscow in an insurrection attempt or, at the very least, an attempt

to unseat the generals that are in charge of the Ukrainian war.

[10:05:00]

MCKENZIE: And now he's there, looking, at least, based on that photograph, out in the open and meeting with African leaders and officials. So it is

odd and it is in keeping with the way that Prigozhin's story has developed over the last two years.

But it shows that Wagner has its place in the Kremlin's purview. And much of that is on the African continent. Just yesterday, you had that highly

critical report accusing the British government, a report from the Parliament there, of not doing enough and not paying attention to enough to

what Wagner is doing on the continent.

And as I said, that influence appears to be growing, not shrinking, even with Prigozhin's very unusual few months, when it comes to his relationship

with Putin.

GIOKOS: It has been unusual, good way to describe. David McKenzie, thank you so very much.

Ukraine's critical southern city of Odessa, is once again the target of a Russian strike. Kyiv says missiles hit port infrastructure, killing a

security guard and damaging a cargo terminal.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Dnipro earlier to discuss the situation on the battlefield. It comes as Ukraine appears to be ramping up

its counteroffensive, after two months of painstakingly slow progress.

U.S. officials telling CNN, Kyiv has deployed thousands of additional troops to the southeast of the country, suggesting that they found

weaknesses in Russian defenses. Nic Robertson, is following all of this, for us from London.

We've been hearing about incremental gains for Ukraine.

The question has now started to show about just how successful this counteroffensive has been. Give me a sense of what, how we define it now.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, I think it's still at the very, very early stages. Ukraine has committed the bulk of its forces

that it has set aside for this counteroffensive. It has committed them to the front. They still have some strategic reserves that they can call upon.

That's the assessment of both Ukraine and their allies, in the West. It's too soon to say that this is Ukraine taking territory and I think more than

incremental gains.

What gels here on the front line, south of Zaporizhzhya -- that long story east-west front line -- is that we're hearing from both Ukrainians and from

the Russian side, that Ukrainians are making small gains.

But we're only talking here about small villages. And those villages are still pretty close to where the front line was. So what success is going to

look like, the Ukrainians overrunning those deep defenses over numbers, big numbers of miles, that the Russians have made, multiple trench lines,

minefields.

We don't seem to be there yet. But it was interesting last night that Zelenskyy said, in his presidential address, we've had good results on

Wednesday. He said he'd speak about it more in the future and now he's heading south to Dnipro to meet with commanders.

It does indicate that there is a bigger push going on. But we still have to wait to see the reality of success here, because this is not going to be

won and lost in a day. There can be significant results in a couple of days. But we're not seeing that yet.

GIOKOS: Nic Robertson, thank you so much.

We are following a very fluid power struggle right now in West Africa. Niger's army command says it is supporting Wednesday's military coup

against the country's president, in order to prevent bloodshed and instability.

It is believed that president Mohamed Bazoum is still being held within his palace. In hard-won achievements will be safeguarded and Niger's foreign

minister told French media the president is in good health and is not harmed. The U.S., in the meantime, has joined a growing list of nations,

condemning the coup attempt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We are very closely monitoring this situation and developments in Niger. I spoke with President Bazoum

earlier this morning and made clear that the U.S. resolutely supports him as the democratically elected president of Niger.

We call for his immediate release. We condemn any effort to seize power by force.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Well, we've got CNN's Larry Madowo joining us from Nairobi on a fast evolving situation.

We do know that president Bazoum is still in the palace. He's tweeted he's staying defiant here. But I want you to give me a sense of what's going on

here on the ground, particularly in Niamey and what we know at this point, with all the condemnation that has been coming through.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Eleni, CNN is not calling it a coup. It has all the hallmarks of a coup.

[10:10:00]

MADOWO: We assume that president Mohamed Bazoum is still in the presidential palace, where he was being held. We haven't seen any

indication to the contrary. We have some major developments out of Niamey, the capital, to bring to your attention.

One, we have seen some protests outside the national assembly. These are protests supporting the army in this military takeover, in Niger. On

Wednesday we saw people who were pro democracy supporters, against the army or a military takeover.

Today we're seeing counterprotests supporting this military action in the country. The army is accusing the French of landing a military aircraft at

Niamey after they banned all planes from flying, essentially closing all land and aerial borders.

They're saying the French landed a military aircraft in the capital, in violation of the closure of the airspace. We are also seeing that the

military, in charge of the country now, taking very drastic action to shut down all public institutions. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): All activities of political parties have been suspended until the new order.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: The military said they should have no foreign government interfere, in fact, in the army command. They said that any foreign

military invention would have risks having disastrous and uncontrolled consequences.

However, during the pro military protests, we did see a Russian flag and one person was shouting, "Russia."

It's interesting; after the coup in Burkina Faso next door, we also did see a Russian flag in the crowd. So there's a bit of a trend here. Still early

to tell what this means but there still a lot that we're trying to sift through, especially including what happens to president Mohamed Bazoum

will. he be allowed to go into exile?

Or will he be put on trial?

Or will he be released?

As you said, a fast moving situation.

GIOKOS: We'll have you back next hour, so we can discuss the security situation in Niger and the wider implications regionally. And, of course,

for its allies, the U.S. and France. Larry Madowo, in Nairobi, thank you.

Another day and another heat related record. In just released reports, the World Meteorological Organization says July is the hottest month on record

for the entire globe.

At the same time, fires continue to rage on the island of Rhodes. Across Greece, more than 60 new wildfires have broken out in the last 24 hours.

In the meantime, in Italy, at least four people have died from wildfires. The Italian prime minister saying fires and weather disasters in recent

days are putting the country to the test. Nada Bashir joining us now, from Rome.

Startling images, impact of the heat, we're seeing these wildfires. I mean frankly, the ramifications is absolutely enormous. And seeing this report,

saying that we've been consistently hitting record temperatures, is absolutely scary, to say the least.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, it is deeply concerning. We've seen that devastation brought by the wildfires across the Mediterranean,

over the last couple of days. And this new data you've mentioned, is really bringing this into damning perspective.

I want to give you some of the key highlights from this report, which was co-published by the E.U.'s Copernicus climate change services. Already

before the month has finished, July is set to be the planet's hottest month on record.

Every day since July 3rd has been hotter than in 2016, almost every month this year alone has been in the top five hottest on record. And as you

mentioned, it is almost certain that these temperatures will be the warmest that the planet has seen in more than 120,000 years.

And we're seeing that reflected on the ground across the Mediterranean. You mentioned the situation in Greece and the island of Rhodes, a 10th day of

fires raging there, at the moment there is some respite there. The authorities say they're working to get it under control.

At the moment, it is mostly uninhabited forest areas that are being impacted in Rhodes. We have seen thousands of people being evacuated and

satellite imagery and drone footage shows just how dangerously close the flames are getting to homes.

So this is a huge concern, as Greece continues to battle those. Fires and here in Italy, there has been some respite after a series of fires across

the country's southern regions. At this stage the authorities are still battling at least 10 fires.

But they are set to be controlled at this point and, on the island of Sicily, the heat warning has now been downgraded from its highest level, to

the amber level.

[10:15:00]

BASHIR: It is the mid level there according to the civil protection agency. And those who are evacuated, some 2,000 on the island of Sicily,

the vast majority have now been able to return home.

The extreme weather that we're seeing is not just limited to Europe, we've seen wildfires spreading across Algeria and across the border in Tunisia

and Algeria. Dozens were killed. We're seeing wildfires in Turkiye as well as (INAUDIBLE).

Huge concern, the warning from experts is that these wildfires, these extreme heat events, are only going to become more frequent and severe

unless urgent changes are made.

GIOKOS: Urgent changes indeed. Nada Bashir, great to have you on. Thank you.

When it's hot out, we pay attention to the temperature reading but it won't tell you the whole sweltering story. Checking the heat index is just as

important. It is the feels like temperature, when humidity is factored in and that will play a huge role in how you deal with extreme. Heat

Coming up in the next hour of CONNECT THE WORLD, you will get an in-depth look at how humidity affects your body.

And still ahead, the U.S. President's son in legal limbo after a plea deal falls apart. What it means for Hunter Biden's future and the potential

impact on the presidential race. Plus

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE). My God.

GIOKOS (voice-over): When sci-fi becomes a reality.

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GIOKOS: Hunter Biden is in legal limbo today, after a dramatic day in court. At the start of Wednesday's hearing, the U.S. President's son said

he was intending to plead guilty to tax charges but the judge raised concerns about a different charge, a felony involving a firearm, which was

part of the plea deal.

A revised agreement was then reached between Hunter Biden and prosecutors but the judge was not ready to accept it, asking for more clarity from both

sides. The hearing ended with the new plea deal on hold and the younger Biden pleading not guilty. Sara Murray joins us now from Washington.

Look, a plea deal that unraveled very quickly, what happened in the courtroom?

SARA MURRAY, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's certainly not the day that I think anyone expected to have in court. Usually these are pretty

routine hearings but there were a couple of issues.

One, the judge was really kicking the tires on what was included and covered by that plea deal. And that created that disagreement between

Hunter Biden's legal team and prosecutors.

The judge asked, is this an ongoing investigation?

The prosecutor said. Yes

And she said I understand you guys have struck a deal.

But could you bring charges, for instance, in foreign lobbying against Hunter Biden?

And the prosecutions said, yes, we could.

And at that point, Biden's attorney said, we don't have a deal here.

[10:20:00]

MURRAY: So they took a recess, they came to a new agreement, that made it clear that Hunter Biden would be free from prosecution on certain tax

issues, drug issues, his firearms charge.

But the judge still had concerns about the way they worked out this deal for Hunter Biden to complete a diversion program to avoid a felony gun

charge. The judge was questioning whether this was even constitutional.

She said she was not accepting or rejecting the deal but she was deferring it. She gave prosecutors and Hunter Biden's legal team 30 days to file new

briefs to answer some of the questions and concerns she had.

And then she may hold another hearing on this, she may rule on the plea deal in writing or we may see this fall apart altogether. We can't rule out

that maybe this is the beginning of the end of an agreement and this will ultimately go to trial.

But I think the posture in court yesterday, from prosecutors and Hunter Biden's team, was they really do want to find a way to strike a deal and

avoid going to trial on this, so we'll see how this plays. Out

GIOKOS: Indeed. Sara Murray, great to see you. Thank you.

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GIOKOS (voice-over): Let's get you up to speed on some other stories, that are on our radar right now.

An Iranian chess player who competed in an international tournament without a hijab has been granted Spanish nationality. She was shown without a

hijab during play last year, leading to an arrest warrant in her home country. She has been living in Spain since then.

Popular hip-hop rapper Travis Scott's concert at the Egyptian pyramids was officially canceled only two days before it was held. The event organizer

Live Nation said it was due to, quote, "complex progression issues."

Egypt's music syndicate attempted to block him from performing, citing strange rituals.

The Palestinian health ministry says a Palestinian teen was shot and killed in the West Bank. It happened during an Israeli incursion late Wednesday.

Palestinian officials say the 14-year old was shot in the head and later died in hospital.

Israel's military says the shooting is under review. Israel's minister of national security Itamar Ben-Gvir joined a group of Jewish Israelis in

visiting as what is known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif or the Noble Sanctuary.

The move is calling condemnation from Israel's neighbors.

U.S. lawmakers are pushing for more information and transparency on UFOs or as the government calls them, unidentified anomalous phenomena or UAPs.

Three retired military veterans testified on Wednesday, calling the issue an urgent matter of national security. CNN's Oren Liebermann reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a (INAUDIBLE) drone, bro.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a whole fleet of them. Look on the S.A.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The videos of mysterious airborne objects have captured the public's attention --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're all going against the wind. The wind's 120 knots to the west.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at that thing, dude.

LIEBERMANN: -- and perhaps its imagination --

REP. GLENN GROTHMAN (R-WI): There lies a pressing demand for government transparency and accountability that cannot be overlooked.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): -- as Wednesday's hearing focused on the threat they may pose and whether the government has been too secretive about what

it knows.

RYAN GRAVES, FOUNDER, AMERICANS FOR SAFE AEROSPACE: If UAP are foreign drones, it is an urgent national security problem. If it is something else,

it is an issue for science. In either case, unidentified objects are a concern for flight safety.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): David Grusch, a former military intel officer, claimed the U.S. had alien bodies and spacecraft -- a statement for which

he admitted he has secondhand info and no proof.

REP. ERIC BURLISON (R-MO): You've said that the U.S. has intact spacecraft. You've said that the government has alien bodies.

DAVID GRUSCH, FORMER AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: I have to be careful to describe what I've seen firsthand and not in this environment.

BURLISON: Have you seen any of the bodies?

GRUSCH: That's something I've not witnessed myself.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): The House Oversight hearing was a rare moment of bipartisanship in a sharply divided Congress.

REP. TIM BURCHETT (R-TN): We're not bringing little green men or flying saucers into the hearing. We're just going to get to the facts.

REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): We should encourage more reporting, not less, on UAPs. The more we understand the safer we will be.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): One of the witnesses was former Navy pilot Ryan Graves who now runs Americans for Safe Aerospace, a group that encourages

pilots to report incidents of UFOs, officially known as UAP (unidentified aerial phenomena). A vast majority of sightings, he says, are never

reported.

GRAVES: This is an approximation based off of my personal experience and speaking with a number of pilots but I would estimate we're somewhere near

five percent reporting perhaps.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): The three witnesses, all retired military veterans, warn the threat these objects pose is real.

REP. ANDY OGLES (R-TN): Based off of your own experience or the data that you've been privy to, is there any indication that these UAPs could be

essentially collecting reconnaissance information, Mr. Graves?

GRAVES: Yes.

OGLES: Mr. Grusch?

GRUSCH: A fair assessment, yes.

OGLES: Mr. Fravor?

DAVID FRAVOR, RETIRED U.S. NAVY COMMANDER: That's very possible.

[10:25:00]

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): David Fravor, a retired U.S. Navy commander, picked up this on this aircraft sensors in 2004 -- a reading he claimed was

something far superior to anything the U.S. had.

FRAVOR: You're talking something that can go into space, go someplace, drop down in a matter of seconds, do whatever it wants and leave and

there's nothing we can do about it.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): In April, the head of the Pentagon's office looking into these incidents told lawmakers there were about 650 potential

case of UAPs, about half of which he said may be of interesting value.

The White House said Wednesday it's still working on figuring out those answers.

JOHN KIRBY, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SPOKESMAN: If you're question is do we think we need to be transparent with the American people, of course, we

need to be as transparent as we can be. But the truth is, Jeremy, we don't have hard and fast answers on these things. We are trying to get smarter on

it.

LIEBERMANN: The White House points out when these UAPs, these unidentified aerial phenomena, have been spotted near training ranges, they have

disrupted military training.

And that's part of the reason that went into the U.S. standing up the AARO, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office. Of course we're all watching this

very closely, to see whether these are harmful or a risk to national security in some way or whether they are benign or simply sensor readings

or errors -- Oren Liebermann, CNN, in the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: Still ahead, remembering the forgotten war 70 years after fighting ended in the Korean Peninsula. We'll see how the North is marking the

anniversary.

And later, the success of the "Barbie" movie is having a big impact on Hollywood and Mattel. We will have a live report for you. Stay with us.

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GIOKOS (voice-over): Welcome back, I'm Eleni Giokos, in Abu Dhabi and you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Here are your headlines this hour.

At the Russia -Africa summit at St. Petersburg, Putin is trying to his reassure African leaders the suspension of the Black Sea grain deal will

not impact their food supplies. The Russian president said Moscow can replace Ukrainian grain, exports and he's vowing to supply six African

countries for free.

The U.S. has joined a growing list of nations condemning a military coup in Niger.

[10:30:00]

GIOKOS (voice-over): A group of military officers announced Wednesday that president Mohamed Bazoum has been ousted. Earlier today, the presidential

office said hard-won achievements will be safeguarded and the prime minister claims the president is in good health and is not harmed.

July is on track to be the hottest month on record by a wide margin. An official from one of two scientific groups that released the data called

this month, the hottest in human history. Experts cite human-caused climate change as the culprit behind this extreme heat.

GIOKOS: North Korea is giving a lavish welcome to key allies, Russia and China, who have sent high-level delegations to Pyongyang. They are

commemorating the 70th anniversary of the armistice agreement, which ended fighting on the Korean Peninsula.

According to state media, Kim Jong-un has been discussing strategic cooperation with the Russian defense minister, who presented him with a

signed letter from Vladimir Putin.

State media reports Kim also received a personal letter from the Chinese president during a, quote, "warm and friendly talk" with a member of

China's politburo. North Korea says China wants to promote the North's development and work together on regional peace. More now, from CNN's Will

Ripley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A massive show of force in the North Korean capital. Pyongyang marking 70 years since the end of the

Korean War. A time for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to project nuclear power with a powerful patron signaling support.

China setting its highest-level delegation to North Korea since 2019, the first since COVID restrictions plunged the secretive state into near total

isolation led by a senior Communist Party official with close ties to President Xi Jinping.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sending his defense minister to North Korea, a visit to strengthen Russian-North Korean military ties the

ministry says. Two high-level visits by Russia and China coming at a crucial time for Kim's regime rapidly rising tensions with the U.S.

North Korea's longest-ever ICBM test. A barrage of ballistic and cruise missile launches, a rare stopover in South Korea by a nuclear-capable U.S.

submarine and one week ago an American soldiers surprise sprint into North Korea.

U.S. Army Private Travis King, the first active duty U.S. service member to cross the heavily armed border in more than 40 years.

The Korean DMZ, the demilitarized zone is one of the most heavily fortified border areas in the world. That's the reason why you have barricades and

spike strips and all of these military checkpoints try to prevent people from being able to go in or come out.

I've made several trips to the North Korean side of the DMZ, including this visit in 2015.

RIPLEY: Is there a real danger here of something breaking out?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

RIPLEY: That ominous exchange with a North Korean soldier came true last week. A U.S. soldier sprinting across the military demarcation line during

a tour of the heavily armed joint security area.

ANDREW HARRISON, GENERAL, DEPUTY COMMANDER, UNITED NATIONS: Clearly, we're in a very difficult and complex situation.

RIPLEY: A situation some say should never have happened. Private King was being sent home to be booted from the army. He spent almost 50 days in a

South Korean jail for assault but somehow managed to join a tour group visiting the DMZ. King's name on a passenger manifest approved by the

United Nations Command.

RIPLEY: How could that person's name in any situation to be allowed to actually get so close where they can run across, you know, into North

Korea?

HARRISON: That ongoing inquiry seeks to establish details such as those.

RIPLEY: The State Department says North Korea acknowledged receiving a message from the U.N. Command last week, radio silence ever since. King's

condition, his location, his future in North Korean captivity unknown -- Will Ripley, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: A big upset win at the Women's World Cup. Still ahead, the standing match and what it means for the host country, Australia.

And later, the major impact of the success of the "Barbie" movie and what it's doing to Mattel. We'll be right back, stay with CNN.

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[10:35:00]

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GIOKOS: The ECB hiking interest rates to the highest level since 2000, judging that inflation remains too high. So a short time ago it announced a

new rate increase, bringing its main rate to 3.75 percent.

And another one of the world's most powerful central banks has doubts that inflation is under control. This time, in the world's biggest economy, the

U.S. Federal Reserve hiking its benchmark rate to its highest rate in 22 years.

Jerome Powell says inflation numbers have improved but not enough. And here is how the U.S. and European stock markets are faring right now. Let's take

a look at how they're doing.

It's a Wall Street rally for the parent company of Facebook and Instagram as well but Dow Jones is up a quarter of a percent, Nasdaq up 1 percent.

Overall, we're in the green, it's looking good, even in Europe. FTSE and DAX doing good.

(INAUDIBLE) shares of Meta and Facebook surging. The tech giant reporting 11 percent rise in second quarter revenue. That beats Wall Street

expectations. Its third quarter outlook is also above estimates, as you can see, Meta is up almost 7 percent.

Now the box office success of the "Barbie" movie is good news for more than Hollywood, the iconic toymaker Mattel is also enjoying the results. During

an earnings call, the Mattel CEO said, the global box office success has created a cultural event.

It also plans to leverage this renewed interest in Barbie heading into the holiday season. Let's bring in CNN business reporter Nathaniel Meyersohn.

Great to have you on. I don't think we have to wait to the holiday season, just over the weekend, because there's been so many Barbie posters

everywhere. My daughter forced me into buying her yet another Barbie. Then momentum is there, the nostalgia is there and we see Mattel earnings as

well, interesting numbers. Perhaps more to come.

NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: So it's really interesting. Everyone's talking about Barbie but it's not translating into

Barbie sales right now. Mattel's revenue is down 12 percent last quarter and Barbie sales were down 6 percent.

This is because there are a lot of folks that have shifted their spending from buying physical goods, like toys, into travel, entertainment and

leisure. So all of the talk of Barbie and the "Barbie" movie is not translating into higher sales yet.

GIOKOS: Interesting.

And what's the future of the toy movie model as well?

Give me a sense of that.

MEYERSOHN: So Barbie sales will pick up later in the year, especially around the holidays. There are going to be a lot of Barbie toys on kids'

Christmas lists. And Mattel is not just a toy company anymore. It's really shifting into intellectual property and licensing.

Not only has it come out with the "Barbie" movie, Mattel is also working on a movie for the Hot Wheels franchise. And also, for Barney. So this is just

another way for Mattel to shift from selling toys into intellectual property. And so expect to see many more franchise movies down the road.

[10:40:00]

GIOKOS: Interesting, it sounds like my daughter just goofed me into buying a Barbie for her while we're not seeing the general trend emerging for

Mattel. They've been trying to up their revenue, get more sales coming in, rejig their product offerings so it speaks more to what the consumers want

as well.

But the point here is, the fact that people are still talking about Barbie so much, I think it'll be fascinating to see how that translates into

actual numbers.

What is the prognosis in terms of what analysts are predicting right now?

MEYERSOHN: We're not seeing it translate yet but I think this strategy of moving from physical goods into intellectual property is very promising.

Licensing fees, high profit margins there.

And if you think about all the competition for toys right now, it's not -- kids can't just buy toys. They can go to streaming, so many different

options. So Mattel really is trying to broaden its offering to compete.

GIOKOS: It's very competitive out there. I know, my child is six years old, I deal with it all the time. Nathaniel Meyersohn, thank you for

breaking that down for us.

An upset win at the Women's World Cup, this time against host country Australia. That win earns Nigeria a share of third place in Group B.

Incredible to watch Nigeria play. Give me a sense of how Australia felt after this. A big win for Nigeria.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I have to tell you, Eleni, day 8 has been brilliant for the neutrals anyway. Certainly the home fans, Australia,

were not impressed. Some of them leaving before the end of this encounter.

It was a brilliant match against Nigeria, who are nine-time African champions. They've got five-time African player of the year, who came off

the bench, and scored Nigeria third.

Australia threw the kitchen sink at their opponents, desperate to get something out of this game. But you have to say, it was a really well

deserved victory for Nigeria, which sets up a brilliant final day in that group.

And that wasn't the only, I think, surprise result is going a bit too far. That does Nigeria a disservice, because they were very well deserved

winners. But also a fascinating draw taking place, rematch of the final from four years ago between the USA and the Netherlands.

The U.S. definitely left disappointed with a whole lot of questions to be asked. They now know Portugal could cause an upset in their final group

match on Tuesday. We've got plenty of reaction coming up, including from former a World Cup winner in just a couple minutes.

GIOKOS: Looking forward to that update, Amanda. We'll see you after the break.

And I'll be back at the top of the hour. Stay with CNN.

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