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Ukraine Claims Gains In Its Offensive In Russia; U.S. Defense Secretary Orders Guided Missile Sub to Middle East; Top E.U. Diplomat Calls for Sanctions Against Israeli Ministers; Poll Shows Harris Gaining Support; Rare Look Inside Notorious Detention Facility In Israel; Evacuations Ordered Near Athens As Wildfire Rages; Drought Threatens Goat-Farming Collapse In Sicily; Trump Campaign Says It Was Hacked By Iran; Fireworks Light Up The Sky As Olympics Come To A Close; Team USA's Gabby Thomas "On Top Of The Moon" After Olympics; Los Angeles To Host Summer Games In 2028 Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 12, 2024 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:01:20]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNNI ANCHOR: And welcome to the second hour of the show. I'm Becky Anderson in London for you this week, normally based of course,
in Abu Dhabi.
This hour as Ukraine presses ahead with its offensive on Russian territory, Vladimir Putin calls on his military to squeeze out the invaders.
Plus evacuation orders issued in Athens, Greece as wildfires broke closer to the city.
And in the United States, new polling shows Kamala Harris pulling ahead of Donald Trump in critical swing states.
Well, President Vladimir Putin is ordering his forces to drive Ukrainian military out of Russian territories, telling them to quote "squeeze out the
invaders".
It's his first major public remarks since Kyiv's surprise, cross-border attack in Russia -- or on Russia, a week ago. Russian officials are also
evacuating thousands of civilians from more areas along the Ukrainian border as Ukraine pushes further into Russia.
Meantime, Russia and Ukraine blaming each other for this, starting a fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared this video showing smoke coming out of one of the towers on Sunday. He blamed Russia for using the
nuclear plant to, quote, "blackmail Ukraine, Europe and the world.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen has covered this war extensively for CNN. He joins us now today from berlin.
Firstly, what do we know about what is going on on the other side of the Ukrainian border in Russia? And just how is Ukraine at this point trying to
change the narrative here?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they certainly are drastically trying to change the narrative because of course,
as you know, Becky, over the past couple of months really, over the past half year, the narrative has essentially been that the Ukrainians have been
on the backfoot, have been on the defensive, that they don't have enough ammunition, they certainly don't have enough soldiers. And the Russians
have sort of been inching forward albeit of course, at very high costs to the Russians.
If you look at the eastern front, for instance, the Russians are pressing in several areas there. So now the Ukrainians trying to, in a sweeping way,
take territory on the Russian side of the border.
This is something Becky, that on the Ukrainian side, we've heard some chatter about, some Ukrainian saying they believe that this is something
that they would have to do at some point simply because the Russians essentially left the border unguarded.
And now it appears as though that's exactly what's happening. And sort of what we're ascertaining right now, it seems as though that Ukrainian
offensive is going on.
This is an expeditionary force. It's not very many soldiers, it's not very many armored vehicles but they certainly don't seem to be encountering (ph)
very much in the way of resistance on the Russian side and therefore are trying to take further territory.
And I think if we look at some of the numbers, and these are numbers that the Russians themselves have acknowledged, they really are quite staggering
with the Ukrainians apparently taking at least 28 villages in the Kursk region of Russia alone.
And right now, already 120,000 people on the Russian side having to be evacuated from their homes and 180 under evacuation orders.
So that's sort of the scale of what we're seeing and the Ukrainians really trying to continue on and take more territory from the Russians. Of course,
the big question is going to be whether or not they're going to be able to hold that, certainly looking at what Vladimir Putin said. He wants to do
everything and have his army do everything possible to make sure that that's not the case, Becky.
[10:04:54]
ANDERSON: While I've got you, I do want to try and understand what happened at Zaporizhzhia yesterday. Is it clear?
PLEITGEN: It's not really clear, but it is certainly a big deal and we saw that video as well.
A lot of us who have been at that vantage point of those cooling towers at the Zaporizhzhia power plant. We always need to remind our viewers, that is
the largest nuclear power plant in all of Europe with that cooling tower smoke billowing from it.
The Ukrainians are saying that the Russians were responsible for that fire, possibly setting tires on fire or something else. The Russians giving
pretty much the opposing point of view on all that. They claim that it was a Ukrainian drone attack that hit that area. This coming from the Russian
government.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has for a very long time, had observers inside that facility. They only say that workers from that
facility say that there was an explosion after some sort of drone strike. But of course these are also people that are from the Russian Nuclear Power
Enterprise. So very difficult to ascertain what exactly happened.
The important, or most probably most important thing in all of this is that both sides are saying that no increased radiation levels have been
detected.
However in this war, as its been ongoing, of course, that very power plant, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been one that's consistently almost been
on the front line and we've really seen one dangerous situation after the next evolve there, which of course, is also the reason why the IAEA has
deployed people to try and monitor the situation, Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you.
To the war in Gaza with ceasefire talks scheduled to resume this week as Israeli -- one Israeli source tell Hamas -- tells us that Hamas leader
Yahya Sinwar wants a deal.
Hamas says a ceasefire should be based on the framework of what was the plan proposed by U.S. President Joe Biden back in July.
It's unclear at the moment if Israel's prime minister will go along with that, or if the talks will even happen. And this uncertainty comes amid new
signs that both Israel and the U.S. are making preparations for a wider regional conflict.
CNN political and foreign policy analyst Barak Ravid reports that according to two sources, the Israeli intelligence assesses Iran could be planning an
attack within days.
Well, as a possible sign of deterrence, U.S. Defense Secretary ordered nuclear powered submarine armed with cruise missiles into Mideast waters.
Natasha Bertrand back with us this hour from the Pentagon. What are the facts as we understand them at this point?
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Secretary Austin spoke with Israel's defense minister Yoav Gallant last night. And
after that call is when we saw a readout of all of these new force posture changes that the U.S. is going to be making in the region which is perhaps
telling.
Yoav Gallant informed Secretary Austin about the Israeli fears, of course, that Iran is going to attack Israel. And in return, Austin said that the
U.S. is prepared, of course, to defend Israel in the face of such an attack.
And as proof of that, the U.S. is now signaling publicly that it is going to be sending the USS Georgia, which is a nuclear-powered, guided-missile
submarine into the region. Something that is very rarely publicly announced by the Pentagon. Usually these submarines operate in complete secrecy.
So clearly a message to Tehran and its proxies, including Hezbollah, that the U.S. is going to have a very robust presence in the region on top of,
of course, all of the assets that have already been positioned there, including several destroyers, which of course are capable of shooting down
missiles and drones, as well as a marine expeditionary unit in the eastern Mediterranean, which is capable of conducting special operations including
evacuation operations.
And importantly, the secretary said that he has ordered the USS Lincoln carrier strike group to speed up its transit to the region, so that it gets
there faster than previously anticipated, going to replace the USS Roosevelt, which has been operating in the Gulf of Oman.
So all of this in anticipation of something possibly quite big, but it is unclear at this point what exactly that's going to look like.
Iran has been signaling, of course, for the last two weeks that it is going to potentially retaliate against the Israelis. But the U.S. now apparently
taking that warning even more seriously, flexing its muscles and sending all of this additional hardware into the region, Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you.
Well, the European Union's top diplomat accuses two hard-right Israeli ministers of inciting war crimes. Josep Borrell is calling for sanctions
against Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
On the X platform Borrell cites, Ben-Gvir call to cut fuel and aid to Gaza's civilians and quote "sinister statements" end quote by Smotrich.
Both ministers have threatened to collapse the government if it agrees to a ceasefire deal.
[10:09:52]
ANDERSON: Borrell's comments follow that weekend attack on a school in Gaza that killed at least 93 people, and apparently influenced Hamas' stand on
these pending ceasefire talks called, of course, for this Thursday, August 15th.
My colleague Clarissa Ward shows us the aftermath of the strike and a warning that her report contains graphic images.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The strike hit before dawn as worshippers gathered to perform the Fajr prayer. Shortly after
rescue workers arrived to a scene from hell.
"Daddy," this boy screams. "Where is Daddy?"
Amid the carnage, there is no way to know the answer. The ground is covered with blood and bodies but it is the wailing that is perhaps most harrowing.
Gaza's civil defense says that around 6,000 people were sheltering at the Al-Tabi'in Islamic School compound in Gaza City. Many had recently arrived
from the north after the IDF issued new evacuation orders there.
Um-Mohammed (ph) comforts her son, sobbing over the loss of his father.
"They were all in pieces and dismembered," she says. "I went to look for my husband and I couldn't identify anybody. They were all dismembered."
Israel Defense Forces claimed the strike targeted Hamas and Islamic jihad fighters and says approximately 20 to 25 militants were killed.
CNN cannot verify the number of casualties or if any combatants were among the dead. But video from the scene shows the remnants of one munition used
-- a U.S. manufactured GBU-39, small diameter bomb.
The strike comes just a day after the U.S. agreed to release $3.5 billion in military aid to Israel.
"What did the people do to deserve this," this man says. "Where is the entire world? The whole world is seeing these massacres and staying
silent."
It is a stinging reminder of the international community's collective failure to protect innocent Palestinian civilians.
At the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital families gathered to claim their dead and to say a final goodbye.
Diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement have intensified in the past week. But for the people of Gaza, talk of peace rings hollow.
Clarissa Ward, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, Gaza health officials say that death toll there since October 7th is now approaching 40,000.
Let's bring in Scott Anderson, the director of Affairs of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency in Gaza, who is in Nuseirat today.
I want to start with that strike that Clarissa filed her report on.
And Israel defending the strike as, of course, it often does, saying it was a base for Hamas and other militants. What is your understanding from the
perspective where you are.
SCOTT ANDERSON, DIRECTOR OF AFFAIRS, UNRWA: -- unfortunately, we can't verify because we haven't been in north Gaza since October but our
understanding is that over 100 people were killed or injured in a strike.
And I think what this highlights is that really nowhere is safe in Gaza, and we need all parties to the conflict to respect the sanctity of places
where people are seeking safety. Those could include schools, but they also include healthcare facilities and hospitals.
Otherwise, we're going to continue to see things like this happen where innocent civilians will die. And that's something we're all working very
hard to try and prevent.
ANDERSON: And as we anticipate the potential, at least for ceasefire and hostage talks this week as Clarissa reported, this strike happening just a
day after the U.S. agreed to release $3.5 billion in military aid to Israel. A CNN analyst has confirmed that this was a U.S. made bomb in this
attack.
Do you have any hope that strikes like what we saw this week -- that we've seen this weekend will stop if the U.S. continues to provide this kind of
support? Certainly, there are calls, you know, from around the region for the U.S. to further use its leverage with Israel. And part of that, a major
part of that would of course, be that military aid.
[10:14:48]
S. ANDERSON: I think that we're ten months into the conflict now. Everyone in Gaza is traumatized. They're scared. There's nowhere safe for them and
their family.
And what's desperately needed more than anything right now is a ceasefire. A ceasefire that returns the hostages to Israel that have been gone from
their families for ten months.
But also a ceasefire that gives respite for the people here in Gaza and a chance for them to begin rebuilding their lives and rebuilding their homes.
That's the only thing that's going to prevent future occurrences of this like this is a ceasefire that's something that's been called for by many.
We continue to call for it and we hope that it will come very soon.
ANDERSON: Well, negotiations are expected to be back on this week. Who is at the table as it were, or in either Doha and Egypt still to be confirmed.
But I just want to remind our viewers of the framework that was put forward in July by Joe Biden. Some people referring to this as a bridging sort of
deal as it were.
It begins with a six-week pause in the fighting and the withdrawal of IDF troops from Gaza. Stage two would see Palestinian prisoners exchanged for
the remaining hostages. And the last phase would see a potential for reconstruction of Gaza.
Look, I know you're not a party to these -- to these talks. But as an agency, do you believe that the parties can reach a deal at this stage?
S. ANDERSON: I very much hope so. I mean as I said, that's what's most desperately needed here in Gaza now is a ceasefire. I think it's very
important that they are going to begin speaking.
No, obviously agreement can be reached if talks aren't being held. And from our perspective, you know, we see the situation on the ground getting much
worse. Polio has been detected, hepatitis A. We've seen a lot of skin disease in people. There's mountains of garbage that needs picked up.
And for us to begin addressing any of those challenges we need a ceasefire to be in place. We can bring aid in at scale so people can start returning
to their homes. So the hostages can go back to their families.
And we can begin what's going to be a very long task of rebuilding Gaza. I think you need a certain level of optimism to work here. So I am optimistic
that a ceasefire deal will soon be reached. And we very much hope that the parties can find common ground in their negotiations.
ANDERSON: You're in Nuseirat. What's the situation where you are?
S. ANDERSON: It's pretty bad for everybody. I mean, I look out my window and I can see tents, I can see makeshift plastic structures, and I can see
what's a very difficult life for people.
It's very hot right now. Theres not enough clean drinking water for everyone. You should have access to 15 liters of drinking water a day. Most
people only have two to three and all that just exacerbates what's a very difficult situation for them.
Every day people wake up and they're just trying to meet their basic necessities of finding food finding water, finding a way to get cool in
what's a very, very hot climate. And that's repeated day after day after day.
And I see people out as I said, outside the window of the guest house where I sleep, it's very difficult for them. We do worry often about an outbreak
of disease. And I mentioned the polio and hepatitis A.
If we don't find hopefully a ceasefire very soon is reached, the conditions are going to get worse. Summer will end, we'll move into winter and that
will bring a whole different challenge for everyone. As they're then trying to keep warm rather than trying to keep cool.
I mean, as I said, the only way this ends is with the ceasefire deal that returns the hostages to their families. And that allows people in Gaza to
go home to begin rebuilding their homes and to begin rebuilding their lives.
It's good to have you, sir. Thank you very much, indeed.
The perspective from on the ground in Gaza.
Well, still ahead, hospitals on alert and evacuations ordered. Emergency workers struggle to contain these wildfires just north of the Greek
capital. We'll get the very latest view on that.
Plus, its being called the blue wall. Democrats are making gains in some critical states. The latest poll numbers are just ahead.
[10:19:15]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, Democrats may have a new reason to feel rather upbeat when they open their convention, which is a week from today.
A new poll shows recently-minted presidential nominee Kamala Harris surging ahead of Donald Trump in three key battleground states. Now the poll was
taken over the same period that Harris picked Tim Walz as her running mate and began campaigning with him.
So new momentum for the Democrats, but a lot can happen between now and November, of course.
CNN chief U.S. national affairs correspondent Jeff Zeleny joining us now from Washington.
We often and for all the right reasons, talk about these incredibly critical swing states. Those would give Harris a pretty clear path to the
White House -- call out Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin for the example.
What are these polls telling us about where she stands in those key states, Jeff? What are you taking from these polls.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well Becky, quite simply Democrats now have a chance to win and a month ago, those
chances looked like they were diminishing to say the least, with President Biden on top of the ticket.
Those polls that you just showed there underscore the exact reason why so many Democrats were really at their wit's end, trying to urge President
Biden to reconsider his race.
They believed this race was winnable, but they did not know if he -- if it was winnable with him.
Now look, there is no question, this is still an incredibly close contest. There's no clear leader in those given the margin of error.
However, looking at Vice President Harris at 50 percent, that is something that Joe Biden did not enjoy at all during the presidential campaign.
So it shows that Democrats are back in the ballgame. It shows that they have consolidated their base of supporters and are reaching out and winning
over some of those voters who are really not interested in this rematch with Trump or Biden.
Becky, if you think of every election as a change election, we've seen it time and time again. Vice President Harris now is that change. Yes, she
still represents the ideals and the ideology and the record of this Biden administration. But she is change and that is what's really driving these
poll numbers.
And it's also driving former President Donald Trump crazy.
(CROSSTALKING)
ZELENY: Over the weekend, we heard talking about crowd sizes, they didn't exist.
Look on your screen there. I was at these rallies last week, the crowds did exist. We stood in very long lines. We saw people standing in long lines.
There were thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people at her crowds.
That doesn't mean she's going to win in November, but it does mean that there is enthusiasm and energy the likes of which we've not seen in this
campaign for Democrats so far.
ANDERSON: Look, you know, there are key issues that ultimately some Americans will vote on, right? I mean there was a bevy of Americans who
will vote one way, a bevy of Americans -- significant portion of Americans who will vote another way. But you know, there are key policies that are in
play here.
[10:24:45]
ANDERSON: And a new poll done by "The Financial Times" shows that Harris leads by just a hair on the economy -- 42 percent said they trusted Harris
more to handle the economy compared to 41 percent who said they put their faith in Trump.
Harris will unveil her economic policy this week. We've heard Donald Trump talk about the state of the economy. He says that will be left by --
because he obviously thinks he's going to win -- by the Biden-Harris camp.
We haven't heard too much about what he's going to do. But given that were going to hear from Harris, what do we know about what her position is, what
her narrative is on the economy at this point.
ZELENY: We know that the economy is one of the top issues, if not the top issue for most voters. And the fact that Vice President Harris is in the
hunt now with the former president Donald Trump in that survey you just showed really shows how remarkable this race has changed.
Bidenomics, which President Biden talked about really endlessly trying to talk about his record, you know. And there is a good record on the
infrastructure law and building other things, bringing down inflation.
But simply we voters were not hearing it. They were not having it. So just the fact that she is now on the top of the ticket without really saying any
of her economic policy proposals has changed the game. That says a lot. But there's no question that she will need to fill in some of the blanks here
on her economic policy proposals.
I'm told she will do it by talking about lowering costs of housing, of goods. She'll talk about the Biden administration' s record on lowering
cost of insulin for example. They've done that to about $35 for some Americans, depending on your income level from an astronomically high
number.
So she will -- she can't really divorce herself from the Biden administrations record on this, but she can put some distance and talk
about what she will do.
So I'm told we're going to hear that later this week some more proposals, but Becky, just the simple fact that she is on top of the ticket has given
a lot of voters a chance to sort of relook at this race and many do not like what they see with former president Donald Trump. And voters are
giving her a look, there's no doubt.
But I expect this to go up and down. This is not going to be a straight line for either side to November, but it shows one thing, that Democrats
are back in the hunt in this race, something they were not a month ago.
ANDERSON: Fascinating, it's always good to have you, mate. Thank you very much.
ZELENY: My pleasure.
ANDERSON: Coming up on CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, former president Donald Trump says his campaign has been hacked. What information
might have been compromised. Well, details on that are coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:30:23]
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching "Connect The World with me, Becky Anderson." Time in London at least is half past three, half past ten in the
U.S. East Coast.
And Israeli military courts extended the detention of five Israeli soldiers accused of sexually abusing a Palestinian prisoner at a notorious detention
facility.
Meanwhile, we are getting a look at newly published footage from inside that facility and it appears to show the assault in progress.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is a rare look inside Israel's notorious Sde Teiman detention facility. In CCTV
footage obtained by Israel's Channel 12 News, masked Israeli soldiers select one of more than two dozen Palestinian detainees lying on the
ground, and take him away.
Behind a wall of shields obstructing the view of security cameras, the soldiers allegedly sodomize the detainee. Their victim was taken to a
hospital in life threatening condition with injuries to his rectum and upper body, according to physicians for human rights Israel.
Weeks after the early July incident, military police detained nine soldiers on suspicion of aggravated sodomy, abuse and other misconduct. Four have
been released, but a military court extended the detention of five others saying there is reasonable suspicion they abused the detainee. It marks an
extraordinarily rare pursuit of accountability at the state him on facility.
DIAMOND: For months now, there have been allegations of torture, of abuse of these Palestinian detainees, but this is the first time that Israeli
soldiers have actually been detained and are now set to be tried for these allegations.
GUY SHALEV, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PHYSICIANS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ISRAEL: Unfortunately, it's not a one-off incident. The information we are
gathering on the ground indicates that there are several cases, at least 10 cases, that we know of people who were sexually abused instead of a man
alone.
DIAMOND: Why is this the case that is resulting in these nine soldiers being detained for questioning and potentially about to be indicted?
SHALEV: This got out. This person was hospitalized in a civilian hospital where doctors and nurses and other staff members could see what happened to
the person while he was incarcerated in Sde Teiman.
So, the information leaked out. And I don't think the military or other apparatuses in Israel were able to keep it silent anymore.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The right-wing blowback has been swift and ferocious. A few weeks ago, hundreds of protesters, including members of parliament,
stormed Sde Teiman in the base where the accused soldiers were being held. And in Israel's parliament, debates like this ensued.
(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
DIAMOND (voice-over): At the Beit Lid military base where the accused soldiers face their first hearing, their family members decry their arrest.
ORIAN BEN CHITRIT, RELATIVE RELEASED AFTER QUESTIONING: Today, it's my brother. Yes, today it's them, but tomorrow, it's his brother, her sister,
her -- his father. Here, this is our red line. We are here to stand and to talk and to say that this is not allowed anymore. We are not allowed to
investigate our soldiers. We are not allowed to let any nukhba, talk or to ask him. Did you get a good time in our prison?
DIAMOND (voice-over): Her brother, who she says is innocent, has been released for the time being. The allegation that Sde Teiman's detainees are
nukhba terrorists, the commandos who led Hamas's October 7th attack, is the basis for nearly every defense of abuses at the facility. It doesn't hold
up.
SHALEV: The military released a third of the people it arrested and incarcerated in Sde Teiman, realizing they have no connection to military
action or to Hamas. They were detained, tortured, and then released without charge back to Gaza.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DIAMOND (on camera): And Becky, the Israeli military declined to comment on that leaked video from inside the Sde Teiman facility, but it really is
just the latest piece of information pointing to rampant abuses at Sde Teiman. A previous CNN investigation uncovered physical and sexual abuse
allegations, detainees being strapped to beds and force fed through straws. Others handcuffed so tightly that their limbs had to be amputated.
[10:34:59]
And so that's why last week the Israeli High Court actually considered a petition to shut down this facility altogether. It's given the Israeli
government 10 days to provide additional information.
In the meantime, the remaining soldiers who are detained, their detention has been extended until Tuesday, until tomorrow, when we will learn from
the next hearing, what the status of that case will be going forward.
Becky?
ANDERSON: Jeremy, thank you.
And you're watching "Connect The World with me, Becky Anderson."
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Let's connect you to a fast-moving situation in Greece. Now, evacuations have been ordered near Athens as emergency crews struggle to
contain what is a wildfire north of the city.
Hospitals are being placed on high alert with one lawmaker calling the situation extremely dangerous. More than 600 water bombing aerial units
have been deployed.
Spain seeing a breakout of wildfires as well. You're looking at pictures from the northeast of the country. Climate scientists are blaming unusually
hot and dry weather for the ferocity of these fires.
And for more on this let's speak to Elisa Raffa at the CNN Weather Center. And you've been taking a look at what is going on around the continent and
why?
ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we've got drought conditions. We have heat and we have wind and you can see that here, especially in this video
from the fires that are near Athens. You can see the trees that are blowing what wind will do with a fire is take those embers and let the fire spread
the embers can then get to new places and plant new fires. So that's really what some of those firefighters have been dealing with.
We have extreme risk for fire weather for parts of southern Greece here as we go through the day today. If you look at the alerts going into tomorrow,
the ease backstomps (ph) still very high, but we're still watching that threat for fires.
Now, the reason why it eases back a little bit going into tomorrow is because the winds will try to die down a little bit and you can see that
here looking at Athens, you lose some of those winds. But they do come back later on in the week. So, something that will likely have to track for the
next couple of days.
Now with the winds and the smoke you can actually see the smoke from satellites up in space kind of trekking across parts of the Mediterranean
here. Smoke will be a problem as well because you have these fires that just keep burning and you have the wind that keeps taking the smoke, places
could be very smoky well outside of the perimeter of the fires and you can see all of that smoke around some of those ancient places there in Athens.
It's not just Athens. We also have some wildfires, as you mentioned, across a lot of Europe here. Southern Europe really seeing some hot spots there
for fires. Looking at the drought monitor, we do have warning and alerts for extreme dry conditions across parts of Southern Europe, Italy, Greece
being one of them.
[10:40:00]
And then when you have heat on top of that, what that can do to the drought and the dry fuels is make it more intense, dry out those fuels even more.
And that can be a problem for fighting some fires again. You can see the alerts for heat as well that we'll have to track for the next couple of
days.
So, Sunday, we'll keep an eye on closely again. Warnings in place for today, easing back some tomorrow, but something to watch through the week.
Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you.
Oh, this is parts of Italy. Battle extreme drought with the island of Sicily experiencing the worst year for rainfall in two decades. Now this
drought is having an enormous impact on agriculture with Sicily's goat farming industry facing potential collapse because the animals just simply
do not have enough water.
Barbie Nadeau with this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN COMMENTATOR (voice-over): Roaming under hot temperatures, these goats search for food in fields turned brown by the
heat in central Sicily. Shortage of water and little food make it hard for these Girgentana goats to survive, and the prospects for their survival
leave goat breeder Luca Cammarata in despair.
LUCA CAMMARATA, GOAT BREEDER (through translation): The grazing land is zero. As we can see, nothing has grown on the land this year. The animals
take a walk, eat what they find, and then we try to supplement their diet with water and fodder.
NADEAU (voice-over): Earlier this year, Sicily enforced water restrictions when the region declared a state of emergency. Italy's Environmental
Protection and Research Institute says while other parts of the country are experiencing drought, only Sicily's is considered extreme.
CAMMARATA (through translation): The land is dry. The lakes we have placed in the pastures are completely dry. It is difficult to satisfy the animals
with the drinking water we had, and we are forced to plug the problem with water tankers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): We arrive wherever there is an emergency. The water doesn't arrive, so farmers are forced to take the
animals to the slaughterhouse. They don't have water and can't quench their animals' thirst, so it's a big problem.
NADEAU (voice-over): The cheese and dairy products made from these goats' milk has been prized for thousands of years, but that may soon come to an
end. Deprived of water, these animals may be sent to slaughter.
CAMMARATA (through translation): If we cannot at least satisfy the animals demand for water, they run the risk of being sent to slaughter. There is no
other way, no other solution. There is no market for live animals. Nor can we give them to a fellow farmer in other regions, because there is
currently no market for live animals. They are destined to go to the slaughterhouse, and this would be a considerable loss of livestock and a
loss of production models.
NADEAU (voice-over): Doing what needs to be done to save the goats will take time. Drilling new wells, reactivating dormant desalination plants,
importing water, but time, like water, is another thing that is running out for these goats.
Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well former President Donald Trump's campaign says it's been hacked. A statement from the Trump campaign pointed to a report from
Microsoft that it says found that Iranian hackers account of a high-ranking campaign official in June, and that coincides with the timing of President
Trump's selection of a vice presidential nominee.
Now, Iran has denied responsibility for the hack.
CNN's Steve Contorno joins me now. What do we know at this point?
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Well, not a lot, Becky. In fact, the Trump campaign has been asserting that Iran was responsible for this hack, but
neither Microsoft or Iran or the U.S. government has confirmed that at this point.
What we know is that Politico over the weekend was able to obtain some internal communications as well as a sort of vetting document for Senator
JD Vance that the Trump campaign was says was taken from illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States intended to interfere with the
2024 election and so chaos throughout our democratic process.
However, like I said, it's not clear whether those documents are actually related to the attempted hack that Microsoft acknowledged took place
earlier this summer. And what's more interesting is the sort of response from the Trump campaign saying that, you know, if reporters use this
information and they are aiding foreign adversaries, well, let's go back to 2016 when Donald Trump said he quote, loved WikiLeaks because they had gone
after Hillary Clinton's e-mails and continue to criticize her over her e- mails long after it was reported that these were the result of a hack itself.
So now Trump in 2024 is sort of on the other end of this -- this whole controversy.
ANDERSON: So, what sort of stuff does the campaign Trump campaign believe hs been hacked. Is it clear at this point?
[10:45:02]
CONTORNO: All we know is that it's coming from, quote, a high ranking official within the Trump campaign, and it includes internal communications
as well as some vetting documents for some of the VP contenders, including the eventual choice, JD Vance, how they say a lot of this was already
public facing information about these individuals.
It doesn't include internal conversations about what they thought about JD Vance, rather just sort of what the public was already able to glean from
some of his -- his previous statements and interviews some of the stuff that's been coming up more recently.
But as far as more damaging information, they're not being very forthcoming at this point about what they believe might be out there and we're hearing
very little from official sources at this point either.
ANDERSON: Good to have you. Stay on it. Thank you.
Well, it was a real nail biter to see which country would win the most gold medals in Paris. Why the final count was an historic first and a Hollywood
heavyweight hands, the torch, the U.S. for the next summer games.
More on all of that and this up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: It was a spectacular display, fireworks illuminating the sky above the Stade de France just outside the French capital last night
capping of what was two and a half weeks of, frankly, extremely exciting and historic competition at the Summer Olympic Games. Did you watch?
Well, the Olympic gold medal count went down to the wire, if you were watching, as I was. You will have seen this as the Summer Games wrapped up
in Paris over the weekend. And a stunning finish as the U.S. and China, sorry, tied for the most golds with 40 each. That's the first tie ever for
total gold medals at the Summer Games.
Team USA scored the most medals overall with 126. I'll call you why. I spoke with a sprinter who brought home five of those medals for the U.S.
Gabby Thomas told Coy, it was a dream come true.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: So, you finally got that gold, but not just a gold. How are you feeling right now?
GABBY THOMAS, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: I feel like on top of the moon right now. I mean, this Olympics was a dream come true for me. I got to
participate in every event that I wanted to run in and, and we got the job done. So, I'm ecstatic.
WIRE: Not just participate. I mean, you blew the field away. I mean, were you expecting that?
THOMAS: You know, you can never really expect to do that, you know, at this level -- at this level, because everyone is so talented and incredible what
they do. But I do know I've been training for years for this moment, and so I really took advantage of that.
WIRE: Now, neurobiology degree from Harvard, master's from UT in public health. And by the way, you volunteer at a hospital. I mean, how powerful
is the human mind?
THOMAS: It really is powerful. And I learned that in college. I have a really strong foundation on that and that was one of the reasons why I
wanted to pursue neurobiology as my major and having that deep understanding of it, I think has really helped me in my track career as
well because I understand what it takes to get to this level.
I understand the mindset. I understand all of those little things that make a big difference. And the mindset is a difference between, you know, being
on the podium and not.
WIRE: Incredible. Now, it's true that your mom, like, has to watch the races alone, and did she do it this time?
THOMAS: Yes.
WIRE: Because this would (INAUDIBLE).
THOMAS: Oh, my goodness, my mom gets so nervous for these races. She's more nervous than I am, so she does not like being around people. She really
does not even like being in the stands because she gets so nervous. So, she did actually do that for the 4x4. She was in the comfort of family at the
hospitality, but it makes her more comfortable to do it that way.
[10:50:17]
WIRE: And what was it like having fans in general around this time, giving you all that hype?
THOMAS: Oh, my goodness. It was amazing. I remember back in the fall, I was shooting a commercial with Toyota and they had all of my family in the
shoot and they were celebrating this moment and manifesting this moment for me. And it was exactly like that. It's like they had envisioned it and it
came true in this moment and it was incredible. I couldn't have imagined how amazing would it feel to share these special moments with them.
WIRE: How badly do you miss your fur baby your pug Rico back home?
THOMAS: I cannot wait to see Rico. I think that's one of the first things I thought about when I finished. I was like, OK I've done the job now I get
to go home and hang out with my puppy.
WIRE: Are there any sort of foods or things that you miss from home that it's difficult to get here?
THOMAS: Oh, that's difficult to get here. I think iced coffee.
WIRE: Iced coffee?
THOMAS: Yes.
WIRE: Very interesting.
THOMAS: Yes.
WIRE: Because producing, we have an iced coffee or a frappuccino, something or other --
THOMAS: No way.
WIRE: (INAUDIBLE) cheers. Cheers to the champ --
THOMAS: Thank you.
WIRE: -- from the rooftops of Paris.
THOMAS: Oh, my goodness. Thank you.
WIRE: That's a gold medal smile right there. Cheers.
THOMAS: Cheers. Oh my gosh.
(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: France added some Parisian flair to the closing ceremony as it passed the torch. Of course, to the United States, which hosts the 2028
summer games in LA Yes, we are talking about four years from now. The closing ceremony kicked off in front of the Olympic cauldron with French
swimming phenomenon Leon Marchand carrying the torch into the Stade de France. And why not? Why wouldn't he?
And what's more than the LA superstar Tom Cruise? He went into Mission Impossible mode, rappelling into the stadium from the roof holding the
Olympic flag. The name of Hollywood took it from there holding a beachfront concert with big names including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish,
Dr. Dre and the breakout star of the Paris games Snoop Dog.
Patrick Snell joining me from Atlanta. I was fascinated. I think I saw Snoop Dog, you know, in every shot, it feels, in everything that I watched,
in every audience sort of moment, it was really very visible.
Look, what can we expect from the games in LA four years from now? More Snoop?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Very possibly, but look, I think we all need to get on our bikes, Becky, and follow Tom Cruise to try Stade de
France on Sunday night.
Yes, you're quite right, all eyes on LA now. The Southern California City hosting the Olympics for the third time. The last one was a memorable one,
but I remember the 1984 games with American stars like Carl Lewis, Mary Lou Retton, and of course, our own Team GB's Daley Thompson and his gold in the
decathlon there.
Well, LA's Olympic Committee is saying that no new permanent venues will be built for the games. They'll be using the world class venues instead. They
already have in that part of the world. LA now charged with welcoming the world and putting its best foot forward. And let's hear now from the city's
mayor, because the city's mayor has been saying they are hoping to stage a car free Olympics.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR KAREN BASS, (D-LOS ANGELES, CA): It means that if you are going to attend any of the sports venue, you're going to have to take public
transportation. We've been building out our system, but we're also going to need a lot of buses, thousands of buses from neighboring cities and states
to help us deliver that.
Los Angeles is such a sprawling area, and so that's why it's going to be important to have festivals and activities in areas and neighborhoods and
communities where games do not take place so that we can build an entire city spirit of the Olympics, exactly as they've done in Paris
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: Yes, Becky, it's going to be quite a challenge. You know, when the two local footy teams meet in that part of the world, the match is actually
billed as El Trafico. The traffic is so bad.
There'll be new sports added to the LA games as well. Personally excited about T-20 cricket making its long-awaited debut. And the U.S., of course,
co-hosted the T-20 competition this summer, along with the Caribbean Islands. We've got Lacrosse, Squash, Flag Football as well. They'll be
making their debuts.
Baseball, softball also returning to the games after they were left out of the Paris program, but they will be dropping, breaking or breakdancing
which was really popular in Paris that is not on the schedule for four years from now.
And remember LA was one of the host cities for the Copa America in terms of football. They'll also be one of the Men's World Cup hosts in 2026 and the
Olympics in '28. So, a real awesome massive sporting calendar when it comes to major events in this part of the world.
[10:55:05]
Becky, back to you for now.
ANDERSON: I can hear your excitement. Patrick, we should have a new president of the IOC in time for the LA games. Very briefly. Who do you
think --
SNELL: Yes.
ANDERSON: -- is going to get the job, mate?
SNELL: Well, we learnt over the weekend the German Thomas Bach won't be standing for a third term as IOC president. So, who could be next in line?
Well, a candidate to succeed him could be the current track and field supremo, Sebastian Coe. The two-time Team GB gold medalist from the 1980s
was asked about that on Sunday and appeared to indicate that he could well be interested, Becky. But do watch this space very closely, indeed.
ANDERSON: As if he hasn't been building for that for his entire sort of post running career. Thank you.
That's it for "Connect The World." Stay with "CNN NEWSROOM" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:00:00]
END
