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Political Limbo after no Party Clinches Majority; Iran's New Reformist President; President-Elect Calls for Unity; Modi in Moscow for Wide-Ranging Talks with Putin; Beryl Slams into Texas as Category 1 Hurricane. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired July 08, 2024 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Hello, its 5 pm in Abu Dhabi. Hi, I'm Becky Anderson. This is "Connect the World". It is a high stakes
week for U.S. President Joe Biden's re-election campaign, Biden still defiant in the wake of calls from his own party to bow out of his bid for a
second term.
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Isa Soares in Paris where President Emmanuel Macron is also feeling the heat following the shock results of a
snap election. It's 3 pm here and French voters delivered a win for the left along with a stinging rebuke for the far right.
Good afternoon everyone here in France. There is one huge question looming today and that is what happens next, the National rallies run for power and
in a stunning defeat, with the left wing Alliance the new popular front coming out on top, but no party even came close to winning an absolute
majority leaving parliament in political gridlock.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal today acknowledged the uncertainty is not ideal. But he said a work -- a worst crisis had been averted. Have a
listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GABRIEL ATTAL, FRENCH PRIME MINSTER: My commitment in this campaign was, for me, a duty. From the start of this campaign I've been alerted of three
risks, the risk of an absolute majority dominated by France unbowed, the risk of an absolute majority dominated by the national rally, and the risk
of disappearance from the movement that represents our ideas and our values.
Today, these three risks have been eliminated by the French. Tonight, no absolute majority can be driven by the extremes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And Mr. Attal offered his resignation this morning but these Elysee Palace's President Emmanuel Macron has asked him to stay on for now in the
interest of course of stability. Let's get straight to CNN's Melissa Bell live at the National Assembly. So Melissa, imagine negotiations a bit of
horse trading perhaps now in full swing, just talk us through the scenarios and critically what happens next here?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is a lot of very difficult negotiations that are happening even now behind closed doors
to try and figure out what happens here in the National Assembly and specifically who that left wing coalition, so successful as it's been
electorally remember created less than a month ago.
How it will manage to govern? How we will manage to name a prime minister? Remember that it's made up of such disparate parties, Isa you're talking
about ecologists, the socialists, moderate left, the far left. And of course, they've in the past been famously competitive and fractured, and
unable to come together so significant that they did, but what has been their strength in these elections now is going to be their weakness.
It's going to be very difficult for them, Isa, to figure out which of them gets to choose the Prime Minister, because the balance of power is such
that it's not immediately obvious. The Socialist were you hoping it's there, man, the far left while you're being assaulted men are shown. And to
each of them, the suggestions of the other are likely to prove unacceptable or certainly difficult.
So, extremely difficult negotiations that are taking place behind the scenes. And this is something that we heard expressed even at the --
yesterday, see the celebrations, the huge relief that there was on the streets of Paris, that this coalition had managed to keep the far right
from power.
But even amongst those jubilant crowds, Isa, we heard some voices saying, yes, we're really happy this works. But we're also extremely concerned
because of the fragility of this new largest block out here in the National Assembly, Isa.
SOARES: Let's talk about that fragility, fragility uncertainty, because like you said, Melissa, while the far right has come third, it has seen a
sharp rise in votes when compared to previous elections. So just speak to the tone of this moment of this stage right now in French politics.
BELL: I think it is important to remember the ones they didn't achieve their ambition of winning out right, the far right did score their biggest
ever electoral victory taking double the seats they'd had in the previous National Assembly. And of course, that's significant because the story here
in France over the last couple of decades really has been this slow, yet inexorable rise of the far right.
That has managed to reinvent itself to feed off the growing discontent largely outside of Paris, in many rural parts of France, and you've heard
in the speeches made both by Jordon Bardella and Marine Le Pen. The sense that yes, it's a defeat. They didn't get what they wanted, but they do
believe in the words of Marine Le Pen that the seeds of tomorrow's victory are clear, apparent and these latest results, and they intend to continue
building on that.
[09:05:00]
Remember also that when you look at this coalition that's come together to stop them. It did it almost as an emergency measure, because suddenly,
everyone was extremely worried that they were finally going to become the largest party in parliament with all of that would have meant, especially
if they'd had an absolute majority.
But even if they've blocked at this time, the idea, the chances of this, again, very disparate left to make difficult bedfellows remaining
sufficiently united to present a durable block in Frances parliament to the far right seems fairly improbable. However hopeful people within it are
today that the negotiations will go well enough that they can form some sort of stable party block government even, Isa.
SOARES: Yeah, it was definitely a hastily arranged, left wing coalition there. Melissa appreciated. Thank you very much. I want to bring in Celia
Belin; she's the Head of the Paris Office at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Celia, great to have you here with us, just I know, you
and I were talking earlier to you didn't see this coming. I think a lot of people didn't see this coming. I suppose the question now is what happens
next --
CELIA BELIN, HEAD OF PARIS OFFICE AT THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Well, it's for everyone to guess no one knows, because it's
unprecedented in the French Fifth Republic. President Macron will have to try and find a prime minister out there in a National Assembly separated in
three blocks, and very high antagonism going on between these three blocks.
Even Macron, you know, a couple of weeks ago was really fully rejecting the leftist coalition, of course, running against the national right. So it's
extremely difficult to imagine how you find an absolute majority in this situation.
SOARES: So where is he going to get the vote? Is he going to go -- he's already said he's not going to go to the left prior to this and said to the
left? Is he potentially going to the right and how tricky then will be passing through any sort of legislation here?
BELIN: So there has been rumors since this morning that he was consulting with -- which is the only you know, in this three way split, it's the only
remainder of the old system, if you will -- got to 45 seats, and that plus Emmanuel Macron, together in a coalition, his camp would be able to have
not the absolute majority, but a relative majority and maybe pretend to be forming a minority government.
But you know, in the context of this election, where you had such high claim for change, and for transformation of the country from the right or
from the left, having a continuation with the center and the central right in power would be ironic.
SOARES: And not just ironic, I wonder how that would be received by the French public who clearly voted, they clearly wanted to say they wanted to
change. And he would then potentially be going against that, how would that be received?
BELIN: I think it's safe to say that for the moment, President Macron is consulting widely. So this is one option. But there are many other options.
And maybe he will hear the cry for change. But, you know, the level of frustration and anger has been proven polls and polls, again, by pollsters,
this is a very strong reality.
SOARES: Yeah.
BELIN: And the system itself does not provide for avenues for this sort of anger and frustration to really be voiced. We do not have a coalition
culture in France. And then this means that, you know, at the moment, no one knows how to proceed. No one knows how to negotiate a coalition
platform.
And President Macron has not proven that he's capable and willing to do that to reach consensus in a wide platform, he might just go for the narrow
minority government and try to pull his way through.
SOARES: But that change is nothing that changes. We're back to where we started.
BELIN: We're all very positive what has changed? One thing has changed. France has said resoundingly no to the far right, because once it came
very, very close to power, it still got, you know, 37 percent of the vote went, to far right and far right affiliated candidates. So you have this
big wave, but 60 percent of friends said no.
And they did not really pick a platform, either left or right or centrist. They just said no, to the far right. During this election campaign, the far
right has revealed that its platform is still extremists, even though they try to normalize, that their candidates are very often incompetent,
sometimes outright racist.
All of that has come to, you know, to be seen by the French public who still says no, but you do have 40 percent of France or let's say, 30
percent of France, that has gone in this direction and --
SOARES: And that's troubling in itself, given the rise, of course that we've seen just in the last few years.
BELIN: It's troubling. It's the case in many other European countries.
SOARES: Yeah.
[09:10:00]
BELIN: There is this demand for a nationalistic populist response to a lot of you know, international events that the French as many other Europeans
perceive as the loss of status as the evolution of their society, as you know, the new uncertainty in which they live in and high inequalities as
well, in a society like France that is used to equality to actually, you know, finding a way for the society to stay cohesive, it's less and less
true and the French are expressing it.
SOARES: Certainly, uncertain times right now. We had Marine Le Pen, saying the tide is turning. Thank you very much. I really appreciate you talking
to us. We will of course, be staying across all the developments right here in Paris for you back in the meantime, we hand it over to, Becky, in Abu
Dhabi.
ANDERSON: Thank you very much indeed right. Ukraine's President vowing retaliation after a barrage of Russian missile strikes that killed at least
22 people in cities across Ukraine. A children's hospital was among the sites that were hit. Ukraine's Interior Ministry says that the strikes
happen during rush hour, something that is rare because aerial assaults usually happen at night.
A day of mourning has now been declared by officials in the Central Ukrainian City of Kryvyi Rih. Well, Clare Sebastian monitoring this story
from London, Clare, just get his bang up to date with the very latest on the ground in Ukraine, if you will.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Becky, I can bring you some new numbers that's coming from the State Emergency Services of Ukraine now
saying that 31 people were killed of which 20 in the capital Kyiv alone, and more than 100 injured. So this was a widespread attack, mainly
targeting cities, extremely deadly. And according to several officials, including the defense minister was targeting people during the morning rush
hour.
So as you said, we're used to seeing these overnight missile barrage is this, was in broad daylight. And the most shocking images we're getting
are, of course, from the children's hospital in the Center of Kyiv, the most important children's hospital not only for that city, but for all of
Ukraine, a very well-known place where people come to get the very specialist treatment that they need for some of the country's sickest
children.
Russia has come out and said that it was targeting defense industrial installations and air bases. And it has refuted claims that it targeted
this children's hospital by saying that it believes that the video is coming out of Kyiv that are consistent with the Ukrainian air defense
missile. Take a look at this video that shows that CNN is geo located and it shows the moment that the missile struck -- you listen to that.
See I had the boom there and CNN has showed that video to several weapons experts who say that it is consistent they believe on the face of it with a
cruise missile rather than an air defense missile. And now President Zelenskyy, as you say, has come out today and said he expects to see at the
NATO summit that starts on Tuesday in Washington, concrete action from Ukraine's allies.
He says Ukraine will of course, respond to this. The question here is whether our partners can respond as well. So, obviously a lot of anger and
shock in Ukraine and using this moment to call again for more air defense missiles and more support from Ukraine's partners.
ANDERSON: Well, one of those partners' allies, of course, the Polish Prime Minister in Warsaw, Ukraine's President has been meeting him. What's the
key take out from that meeting? And why is that significant at this point?
SEBASTIAN: Yeah, I mean, I think like Ukraine is calling from support from all of its partners. We're seeing an agreement being signed in Warsaw
today. And of course, this is a moment where we've seen that Ukraine's allies have been really tested in their support. The war is now in its
third year, the frontlines while we thought that Ukraine had been able to stabilize the situation on the front lines with the injections of Western
weapons that we've seen coming in.
They did have a partial loss, withdrawal from part of the key town of Chasiv Yar on the Eastern Front in the past week, which does put them in a
more vulnerable position, even though they are presenting that as a strategic withdrawal. So Zelenskyy may end up. We haven't confirmed this as
of yet, at the NATO summit in Washington.
He is speaking to his neighbor right now, a country that has obviously been very critical throughout this war and providing some support to Kyiv.
ANDERSON: Good to have you as Clare Sebastian on the story for you. Thank you, Clare. Well, coming up next on "Connect the World" with me, Becky
Anderson. Iran has a new reformist president, but can we expect anything to really change. Details on that are ahead. And Israel launches a new
operation in Gaza, forcing a hospital to evacuate its wounded patients more on that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:15:00]
ANDERSON: I'm staying in the race, those words from a defined Joe Biden who is still facing the fallout from his disastrous debate performance in
Atlanta, the week before last. Now the U.S. President has insisted that he'd keep campaigning and would take on Donald Trump in November in a
closely watched interview with ABC News.
But that's done little to quell the ever louder murmurs from Democratic lawmakers that Mr. Biden should quit this race. I want to talk more about
this with Kayla Tausche in White House and Lauren Fox is in our Washington Bureau. Welcome to both of you. Kayla, let me start with you that NATO
leaders arriving this week.
It is a critical week for Mr. Biden to try and convince both lawmakers and voters of course, that he's up to the task. He told congressional Democrats
Monday in a letter that he will continue his election bid. What do we know about what else he told them at this point? And what's been the response?
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, this letter was sent just moments ago and before he meets with all of those
world leaders to advance his administration's agenda on the world stage and to rally support of the NATO alliance. He's trying to tamp down on
questions within his own party about his fitness to serve a second term and about his mental acuity following that disastrous debate performance 10
days ago.
In this letter addressed to all House Democrats, President Biden says that votes have already been cast in the nominating process. But he received
more than 14 million votes, 87 percent of the votes cast, and says that he is the presumptive nominee of our party by a wide margin.
And he says that if they want to ask the question about whether voters don't have a say he is declining to do that, in this very lengthy letter
single spaced two pages. The President goes on to say this, the question of how to move forward has been well aired for over a week now and it's time
for it to end.
We have one job and that is to beat Donald Trump. We have 42 days to the Democratic convention and 119 days to the general election. Any weakening
of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It is time to come, together move forward as a unified party and
defeat Donald Trump.
Now how House Democrats received that message from the President remains to be seen. They're expected to gather fully as a party tomorrow, after some
of the most senior members of the party in the House of Representative made their own calls yesterday in a private meeting, that they suggested that
President Biden should step aside. Now President Biden's innermost circle has been supporting him in his defiance and his willingness to stay in the
race.
[09:20:00]
Even as the mood here at the White House, Becky, has been somber, anxious, uncertain as they see the headlines, they see the polls and they see this
President's strategy over the last week, not really tamping down those questions, but the President himself starting from the top is going to try
to reshape that course beginning today.
ANDERSON: Lauren, let me bring you in here. I mean, Joe Biden says it's time for this to end. That's what he believes. At this point, that is not
it seems the chorus from those on his side of the aisle in Congress. What's the story there?
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Becky, in many ways this week is really going to usher in just the beginning of these conversations
on Capitol Hill. That is because lawmakers were away from Washington last week for the July 4th recess. They come back into town tonight. And you can
expect that they're going to continue having these conversations in the days ahead.
There is the typical House Democratic Caucus meeting tomorrow morning, that will be the first opportunity for the entire Democratic Party to sit down
in one room and talk about what they want to do whether or not they have confidence in the president moving forward as their nominee.
There's also the regularly scheduled Senate Democratic lunch over across the capital. And that is another opportunity for Senate Democrats to have a
similar conversation. Now, Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia had suggested previously that he might be willing to have a conversation
earlier with his Democratic colleagues about Joe Biden's fitness for office.
That meeting has been called off. Sources tell CNN, but it is important to keep in context here that while Joe Biden pert personally wants to get this
behind him. The reality is that for Democrats in Congress, this conversation is really getting kicked off tonight and well into the week,
Becky.
ANDERSON: Very interesting week. It's good to have you thank you so much. Well, Iran has a New Reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian was elected on
Friday as president with over 53 percent of the vote in a runoff election. Pezeshkian thank the Iranian people in his victory speech on Saturday in
Tehran.
And said he wanted to be quote, a voice for the voiceless. He also called for unity and a new chapter in Iran. Still, the U.S. State Department says
it doesn't expect much to change in Iran and called the elections neither free nor fair. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has reported extensively from an inside
Iran and on Iran for years, joins us now live from Berlin.
You were anyone just weeks ago? It has a new reformist president. What does that mean, both for a domestic audience inside Iran and for those watching
from the outside?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think potentially it could mean actually quite a lot, not just to, domestically
inside Iran, but essentially for the entire greater Middle Eastern region and also for relations with the west and with the United States.
Of course, one of the things that the U.S. was saying when they say that they don't expect much for the new Iranian President, it certainly will be
an uphill battle for him if he wants to improve relations with the U.S. and also improve relations, of course, with countries, for instance, from
Europe and inside the region as well, because not only of course, right now, there are the relations very difficult between Iran and the United
States.
But everything that the Iranian President does, Becky, has to be done in conjunction and with the blessing of Iran Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei and then of course, you also have Iran's very powerful military complex, specifically, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who also of
course, have a very strong voice, especially as far as regional foreign policy is concerned.
Nevertheless, Iranian presence can of course, take the initiative and drive change not just within Iran, but also in Iranian foreign relations. We
know, of course, that President Hassan Rouhani, when he was in power, his administration managed to negotiate the Iran nuclear agreement.
And of course, it took U.S. President Trump to actually get to the U.S. to get out of that agreement to essentially kill that agreement, even though
those countries are trying to bring that back. So will Pezeshkian be able to revive that agreement. I think right now, that's pretty difficult
because both the United States and Iran are quite skeptical of being able to do that.
However, as far as improving relations, certainly there is a possibility to do that if you can get the supreme leader on board. And of course, if you
can get that powerful military complex on board as well, Becky.
ANDERSON: What are the consequences then going forward?
PLEITGEN: Yeah, that's also another one that's very difficult to say. And I think so much of that, of course, also hangs in the balance of what is
going to happen in the U.S. Presidential election.
[09:25:00]
Of course, things can be very different in the Middle East, and certainly as far as U.S.-Iranian relations, and essentially Iranian relations, then
also with Europe, of course, being so dependent on the United States in foreign policy, if President Biden is in office, or if Former President
Trump comes back and wins the election and comes back to office.
Of course, then there could be very difficult relations, once again, between Iran and the United States even more difficult than now. But of
course, the other thing that you could have is you could have also political balance within Iran with the conservatives. They're being very
skeptical of any sort of detente with the West.
And at the same time, of course, the reform is trying to drive that agenda. What you do have, of course, most probably, as far as the foreign policy is
concerned, as you do have someone who's very well known in the West with Javad Zarif, potentially becoming the foreign minister once again, someone
who knows Western diplomats who knows how to operate within Western style diplomacy and of course, also with the United States.
That is something that could help but I think that the main mandate that Masoud Pezeshkian has gotten from the Iranian people and certainly the
conservatives know this as well, is to improve Iran's economy. And I think a lot of people in Iran have also shown that they want Iran to try and work
towards getting some of those crippling sanctions lifted off Iran's economy in order to make that happen, Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you, sir. Still to come, the first visits by the Indian Prime Minister to Moscow in more than four decades. We will
get why Narendra Modi is going now, more on that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, Israel launched a new military operation in Gaza city overnight, saying it had intelligence that there were terrorists as well as
their weapons and infrastructure in the area even it claims underneath the HQ of the relief agency UNRWA -- on Sunday the Israeli military ordered a
new, immediate evacuation of parts of Gaza city, including a hospital forcing wounded patients to be moved elsewhere.
[09:30:00]
CIA Director Bill Burns meantime, heading to Qatar this week, for a new round of talks to try to secure a ceasefire and the release of hostages in
Gaza. The Head of Israeli Intelligence Agency Mossad also expected to be there. Our Jerusalem Correspondent Jeremy Diamond is live for us now.
It is significant that the Israeli delegation is led by the Head of Mossad and that the CIA Director, who we know has been heavily involved in trying
to secure aid deal are both traveling into region this week. Question is what are the chances that these talks will be any different than those that
you and I have been reporting on now for what aid of the last nine months?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, listen, there is a sense that these two parties are now closer than they have ever been,
perhaps since that truce fell apart at the end at the beginning of December. But that being said, it's also clear that there is much ground to
make up in order for these two parties to actually be able to get to a deal.
And once we now get to this phase of the detailed negotiations, this is where there are a number of thorny and very, very prickly issues for these
two parties to try and reach a deal on in order to reach a deal on everything. And as you know, Becky, none of this will be agreed to until
every single element is indeed agreed to.
We know, however, that one of the key areas of progress that appears to have been made over the course of the last week or so is Hamas appears to
be willing now to drop its demand for Israel to agree to a permanent ceasefire for the war upfront before even entering phase one of this three
phase deal that is very significant.
But at the same time, we're also now hearing the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend, his office issuing a statement
reiterating that this deal, any deal that he would agree to would have to allow Israel to effectively quote resumed fighting until all of the
objectives of the war have been reached.
And the reason Netanyahu is doing that, of course, is for purely domestic political reasons, because he wants to hold on to his right wing governing
coalition to ensure that those right wing allies who are keeping him in power do not bolt in the face of this deal.
But as he is doing so, as we've seen so many times before, he is once again, perhaps putting at risk, the very fabric, the very foundation of a
potential hostage and ceasefire deal, the one that is being put together as we speak. So we will have to see to the extent to which it actually
undermines these negotiations.
But we do know that those negotiations will continue this week, the CIA Director was set to head to Cairo to meet with Egyptian officials today.
And later this week, Israeli officials as well as others are heading to Doha, Qatar to pursue those detailed negotiations. We will see whether or
not they can reach an agreement. I'm told those detailed negotiations back you're expected to take at least a couple of weeks, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah, absolutely being told the same thing. All right, Jeremy, it's always good to have you thank you very much indeed. Well, India's
Prime Minister kicking off a two day visit to Moscow. Now this is the first time Narendra Modi is visiting the Russian capital since the country
launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine.
He and President Vladimir Putin are expected to discuss quote, regional and global issues of mutual interest that sort of benign statement you would
expect from -- two countries. India's ties with Russia date back decades for the Cold War and have remained strong, despite repeated sanctions on
Moscow from the west. Well, Ivan Watson has the story.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the first time that the Indian Prime Minister and Russian President will meet face to face
in nearly two years. New Delhi and Moscow have enjoyed close ties ever since the Cold War. And to this day, India continues to purchase and depend
on Russian made weapons but the trade relationship has grown substantially.
Over the course of the past two years, Russia has become a gas station of sorts for India, which has been sucking up cheap Russian crude oil that
used to be sold to markets in in Europe, for example, which have imposed sanctions on Moscow for its full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
India has no issues with that really and is taking advantage of the access to cheap Russian energy of much greater concern for Indian officials is the
blossoming alliance and partnership between Vladimir Putin and China's Leader Xi Jinping.
[09:35:00]
The Indians have had a rocky relationship with China with their neighbor for years now, since disputes along the border in the Himalayas, between
India and China have turned violent over the course of the last few years, and sometimes deadly with clashes between the Indian and Chinese
militaries.
So some experts are arguing this as a chance perhaps for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to try to woo Putin back closer to the Indian side
in these regional rivalries. And after all, just last week, Modi did not show up, he skipped a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and
did not stand at Xi Jinping side, they're seen somewhat as a snub of Beijing.
There are areas of friction in the Russian-Indian relationship. And that involves Indian citizens showing up in the ranks of the Russian army
fighting in Ukraine. Listen to what a Senior Indian Diplomat had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VINAY KWATRA, FOREIGN SECRETARY OF INDIA: At every level of Russian leadership both official and political. We have expressed strong concern
that Indian citizens who are being taken to the Russian army through improper procedures must be returned promptly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: For Vladimir Putin, Modi's visit is an opportunity to show to the West that their efforts to isolate him are failing, also revealing that
this Russian relationship is simply too important for India's Prime Minister to ignore. Ivan Watson CNN, Hong Kong.
ANDERSON: Well, still come on this show, Hurricane Beryl tearing through Texas, millions on high alert for flooding, life threatening storm surges
and tornadoes. We've got a live report for you just ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, Hurricane Beryl lashing Southeast Texas right now it made landfall as a Category 1 storm earlier today. Near Matagorda beach in Texas
that storm, triggering heavy rainfall, life threatening flash floods, strong winds and power outages. It includes threats of tornadoes as it
moves inland across Eastern Texas and towards the City of Houston. Our Derek Van Dam in the thick of it, what are you experiencing at this point?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All right, so we're in Port Lavaca, which is along the central coast of Texas but just to my north and east roughly
100 kilometers from where I'm standing is downtown Houston, who is absolutely getting hammered by the strongest part of the storm that is
moving through the region.
[09:40:00]
And we have to put this into some context because it was about three weeks ago when straight line winds came through downtown Houston and destroyed,
damaged a lot of the high rise buildings there. Well now we have hurricane force gusts 130 kilometers per hour in some of those higher elevations in
Houston where many people reside.
So authorities are warning people to stay away from their balconies and stay away from windows to prevent another repeat of what happened a few
weeks ago, as well. This is the first time hurricane force winds had been experienced in downtown Houston from a named tropical system since
Hurricane Ike back in 2008.
So that's really putting in to perspective what we're dealing with the tornado threat, the flash flood threat and of course, the storm surge
threat, which is starting to wane because the storm now is moving inland across the interior. But there have been hundreds and thousands of people
who have now been plunged into darkness, including myself here.
And Becky, the concern going forward is that now all these people who are waking up after this long holiday weekend without power, no way to cool
themselves down. The heat is going to return to Houston and Southeast Texas in the coming days. So that's going to be an added problem going forward,
back to you.
ANDERSON: Yeah, it's a real mess, isn't it? Good to have you, thank you. Well any British Formula One driver the Silverstone Grand Prix, of course
holds a very special place. But what do you do when you have three English contenders aiming for that same top spot? Well, we should also mention that
the heavy rain turned that track super soggy this weekend. Not that it bothered one driver. Patrick Snell joins me now. Lewis Hamilton is still
has it?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Becky, really it has. Yeah, the three Russell, Norris, Hamilton emerging victorious won a race it was that iconic
Silverstone, Becky. You're quite right the rain, massive impact taking its toll there on the drivers. But Lewis Hamilton you know he hadn't at that
point. He hadn't had a win anywhere in three years.
His last word victory was 2021 in Saudi Arabia. This was probably no. No one saw this coming. It was completely out of the blue. And of course, what
is he going to do? It's a record extending 104th Formula One victory for Lewis Hamilton is some great video if we can show it of Lewis Hamilton and
his dad.
There it is right there. That's the moment of the weekend for me. Other than a clinching victory is dad Anthony there who made so many sacrifices
along the way for Lewis Hamilton growing up as a kid and a 9th win at Silverstone, Becky also breaking a tie with a great Michael Schumacher for
most wins at a single track. It was a truly historic weekend, and it was a privilege to watch it, back to you.
ANDERSON: Yeah, that is a privilege to see, my Goodness. Good thank you sir. "World Sport" up after this short break, I'll be back top of the hour
for you.
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