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Connect the World
Firefighters "Contain" Wildfires In Greece; Russia Expands Evacuations Amid Ukrainian Incursion; Ukrainian Forces Push Deeper Into Russia's Kursk Region; Putin Vows Strong Response To Ukrainian Incursion; Sources: Ceasefire Talks Not Expected To Stop Iran Retaliation; Firefighters Make Progress Containing Blaze Near Athens: Trump And Musk Chat On X; Elon Musk Slams Kamala Harris As "Far-Left"; Pennsylvania Voters Explain Who They'll Vote For In November; Study: Evidence of Water Reservoir Beneath Mars' Surface. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 13, 2024 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Well, welcome to our second hour of Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson joining you today from London. We are normally
broadcast out of our Middle East hub in Abu Dhabi, and I've got some reporting just into CNN. Sources tell me, Gaza ceasefire talks are not
expected to thwart Iranian retaliation towards Israel. More on that coming up also this hour.
Ukraine expands its incursion into Russia. This video shows more troops moving towards the Russian border. And this is the trail of destruction
left by wildfires in Greece. Firefighters say, they have now managed to contain the blaze, plus Elon Musk platforms Former President Donald Trump
for some 1.3 million live listeners. A look at how Social media has fundamentally changed U.S. Politics.
Our top of story this hour, Russian officials are urging more residents southwest of Kursk to evacuate the area as Ukrainian troops push forward
into Russia. A Ukrainian military chief says, they are gaining more ground, more than a week into what was their surprise attack on President Vladimir
Putin and his military.
Now, this is Kyiv's biggest incursion into Russia since the start of the war. This video just into CNN appears to show more Ukrainian forces ramping
up in Ukraine's Sumy region. And here's a closer look at the volatile region near that border. Ukraine's Sumy region is in blue. Russia's Kursk
and Belgorod regions are colored in yellow.
This is the critical area where Ukrainian troops are crossing over into Russia. CNN's Fred Pleitgen in is following this story for us from Berlin.
What do you make of what we are seeing happening on the ground, and why?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think one of the things that you just said is absolutely correct. This is an absolutely critical area,
both for the Ukrainians and for the Russians. In fact, the Ukrainians were, for a long time, expecting the Russians to amount an offensive from the
Kursk region into the Sumy region, to try and go south and push south from there.
It appears as though the Ukrainians have been a lot faster than the Russians in mounting such a thing. I think one of the things that's also
worth pointing out, Becky, you just showed us that video of the Ukrainians amassing on the border in the Sumy region. They apparently managed to do
that completely in secret.
Even Ukraine's allies seem to have absolutely no clue this was happening. They took their allies by surprise. Obviously, took the Russians by
surprise as well. Now, one of the things that we are indeed hearing from the Ukrainians is that their forces, they say, are pushing on and are
trying to gain more ground. Here's what we're learning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Ukrainian troops sweeping through Russian territory. Dear Ukrainians, this soldier starts, and then, says his forces
went into a Russian supermarket, but that Ukrainian stores have a better selection.
Videos released of several areas inside Russia showing Ukraine soldiers taking down Russian flags and raising Ukraine. And while the Kremlin claims
its forces have held up Ukraine's advances in some areas, posting videos of bombed out alleged Ukrainian vehicles, the numbers the Kremlin does admit
are staggering.
Almost 30 villages under Ukrainian control, more than 120,000 Russian civilians evacuated in the Kursk region alone and more under evacuation
orders in Belgorod region to the south. Russian President, Vladimir Putin irate, vowing to respond while ripping into Ukraine and its Western allies.
VLADMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT, RUSSIA (Interpreted): It appears that the enemy, with the help of his Western masters, is fulfilling their will, and the
West is fighting us with the hands of the Ukrainians. So, it looks like the enemy is seeking to improve its negotiating position for the future.
The enemy will certainly receive a worthy response, and all our objectives will undoubtedly be achieved.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): All this as Russia and Ukraine blame each other for what appears to be a major fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
in southern Ukraine, an area under Russian control. So far, no increased radiation levels have been detected. Kyiv has published little information
about its offensive into Russian territory, but Ukraine's President justifying the incursion.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY PRESIDENT, UKRAINE: From the beginning of this summer, and only from the Kursk Region, our Sumy region suffered almost 2,000
strikes. Artillery, mortars, drones, we also monitor every missile strike, and each search strike deserves a fair response.
[10:05:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): And it seems Ukraine's response is not over yet, even as Moscow scrambles to prevent further loss of territory.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: And that's actually something, Becky, that we've been monitoring as well. The Russians obviously saying they're pulling additional units
into that area trying to hold the Ukrainians up. They've also posted video on all their social media channels, really, of planes from the Russian
Federation allegedly bombing Ukrainian positions, Ukrainian vehicles allegedly getting destroyed.
But, the fact of the matter is that the Russians are indeed asking citizens in regions that are further and further east towards the city, of course,
to evacuate those areas, which could be an indication that the Ukrainians are indeed still moving forward, Becky.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Fred. Thank you. Now, joining us now is Shashank Joshi, who's the Defense Editor at The Economist, and it's
extremely good to have you, your analysis and insight so important on a day like today.
Ukraine's top military commander has said, his forces command 1,000 square kilometers of Russia's Kursk region, about 10,000 Ukrainian troops, as we
understand it, have crossed into Russia. Ukraine is through this war being outmatched, but this surprise attack has been it seems successful, what
does this change in strategy and potential shift in power balance, mean for this war do you think?
SHASHANK JOSHI, DEFENSE EDITOR, THE ECONOMIST: Well, first of all, Ukraine has changed the narrative. That's the most important thing. Whatever else
happens, it has busted the assumption that Ukraine is on the back foot, that it can't regain the initiative. But, I will say this, it is still --
we mustn't lose sight of this, losing ground in Donetsk province in eastern Ukraine.
In fact, in the last couple of days, we've seen Russian forces move to within 15 kilometers or so of a very important town in the east of Ukraine
called, Pokrovsk. And I say this not to take away from Ukraine's remarkable achievements in, inside Russia, in the last week, but to point out that
these are all trade-offs. These have come at a cost.
And so, Ukraine has changed that narrative, but it must be very careful that the result isn't a loss of territory inside its own soil, and what
ultimately could turn out to be heavy losses inside Russia as well. It's got to consolidate these gains and understand the right time to pull back
and the right time to cash in the chips that it's gained in the last five days.
ANDERSON: It has more to work with going forward than it did what some four or five months ago. I mean, there is more coming into Ukraine from both the
west and very specifically, from the U.S. In a recent piece in your publication, The Economist, it was written that the delivery of the F-16
can be seen as a morale boost rather than a strategic game changer, right, but with numbers building up slowly, it may take time before the F-16s can
have much impact.
A recent report by the CSIS and other Think Tank argues that Ukraine needs many more aircraft than have so far been promised. With two and a half
years into this war, the U.S. in particular, is seeing pushback domestically for its support.
Does Ukraine -- are we seeing, at this stage, evidence that Ukraine feels more empowered, and with this new equipment, can be projecting more
strength going forward? For example, what impact are these F-16s going to have?
JOSHI: Becky, I think you answered that at the beginning correctly by pointing out that these will have limited impact. I know that some people
would want to see these new systems coming in and offering some kind of decisive change on the battlefield, but in truth, the F-16s ought to be
seen as a long-term replacement for Ukraine's aging and depleted fleet of Soviet-designed aircraft MiGs and Sukhois.
The fact of the matter is, these F-16s are not going to be flying American- style over the front lines swooping over Russian troops. I think what they're going to be doing in the main in the first months of their
existence, at least, is to be providing air defense over Ukraine against Russian drones and missiles.
They'll be sitting back tens of kilometers away from the front line shooting down these Iranian made drones and other cruise missiles coming in
over the border. And that's a very valuable mission.
But let's make no mistake, it doesn't mean they're going to be providing air cover right on the edge of the border, allowing Ukrainians to stream
into Russia again. We've really got to keep expectations in check of what these planes can achieve.
ANDERSON: Let's talk about the wider story here.
[10:10:00]
The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has said, in taking the fight to Russia that this is key to achieving peace, and I just want you and our
viewers to have a listen to specifically what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENSKYY (Interpreted): It is only fair to destroy Russian terrorists, where they are, where they launch their strikes from. Russian military
airfields, Russian logistics, we see how useful this can be for bringing peace closer. Russia must be forced into peace if Putin wants to continue
waging war so badly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And Ukraine's head of military administration said, and I quote him here, they are feeling what we have been feeling for years, since 2014.
This is an historical event. Is this about forcing Putin's hand, getting him to a negotiating table to broker peace on Kyiv's terms, rather than on
Putin's terms? At this point, what's your sense here?
JOSHI: Well, Ukraine, like all of us, is watching the American elections, and it realizes there is a chance that a Trump presidency, if that is what
occurs, is more likely to cut Ukrainian aid off and to force Kyiv into a deal that the Ukrainian government would view as highly unfavorable.
And so, you could see this kind of operation as a way of pre-empting some of that, and saying that, first of all, Ukraine still has options. And
second of all, that simply freezing the lines as they are is not an acceptable solution, because, look, Ukraine is in charge of Russian soil as
well.
So, this is, I think, absolutely a way for Ukraine to say, it can strengthen its hand in any talks that occur. But to come back to that point
at the beginning, Becky, that only works if Ukraine's gambit pays off. We are about a week into this. Ukraine's been fantastically successful. It's
caused chaos. It's humiliated Putin.
But, in order to bank that, in order to translate that into political gains of the kind we're discussing in future talks, it has to show that it can
either stay on that territory or withdraw with the bulk of its forces intact, and without costing itself too much in terms of lost territory in
Donbas. So, all of those things have to happen over the coming days, and that's what I'll be watching for very closely.
ANDERSON: Just want our viewers to hear what President Putin said on Monday, accusing Ukraine of using the Kursk attack ahead of peace talk.
Stand by.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PUTIN (Interpreted): It appears that the enemy, with the help of the Western masters, is fulfilling their will, and the West is fighting us with
the hands of the Ukrainians. So, it looks like the enemy seeks to improve its negotiating position in the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Shashank, how much of this attack into Russian territory by Ukraine was telegraphed to Ukraine's Western allies?
JOSHI: To an incredibly limited extent. I think Ukraine told nobody about this. Now, of course, America has a remarkable intelligence collection
apparatus that will have seen some anomalous movements along the border in Kursk, inside Ukraine, but Ukraine, from what I and my colleagues
understand, practiced some very impressive operational secrecy.
Senior commanders in Ukraine were told of his operation very, very close to the beginning of the operation. Junior soldiers were told immediately as it
began, and they were not told of specific aims and objectives, only that they would be entering Russia. Equipment was hidden inside the foliage of
the border areas to avoid Russian satellites and reconnaissance drones.
And I think one of the lessons Ukraine has learned from that failed counter-offensive last year is that secrecy and surprise are absolutely
essential if ground force is going to be able to move and maneuver without being spotted, detected and struck.
ANDERSON: I started this interview by saying your insight and analysis is extremely important to us and our viewers at a time like this. Thank you.
Two diplomatic sources are telling CNN that Israel Hamas ceasefire talks set to resume this week will likely not stop Iran from retaliating over the
assassination of the Hamas political leader.
Iran has been vowing to respond against Israel since Ishmael Hany, as seen here, was killed in Tehran two weeks ago. Though, there has been hope in
diplomatic circles at least that progress towards a cease fire would blunt Iran's plans. We are learning this news as another source tells CNN, Hamas
will send a delegation to the talks in either Doha or Cairo, after initially expressing some hesitancy.
[10:15:00]
Israel, meantime, is making preparations for potential attacks by both Iran and its proxy in Lebanon Hezbollah anytime soon. Jeremy Diamond back with
us this hour from Northern Israel. Let's start with the talks, because the talks incredibly important at this point, and then I want to talk about the
possibility of, in Iran/Hezbollah attack on Israel, talks first. What do we know?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, there are indications from the region that Hamas is planning to attend these talks
after they initially cast out on their participation in a statement on Sunday. But that, frankly, is the least of our worries at this point in
terms of whether or not those talks will happen because of that potential for regional escalation that you were just mentioning.
The key question now, as we are, you know about 40 hour -- 48 hours away from those potential discussions in either Doha, Qatar, or in Cairo, Egypt,
talks that both the U.S., Egypt and Qatar have framed as critical to trying to finalize a cease fire agreement.
The real concern is whether that Iranian retaliation that they have been promising for nearly two weeks now, whether or not it will actually
materialize before those talks can happen, and should that retaliation happen.
Will it be significant enough to trigger regional escalation? Will it be significant enough to knock those talks off the calendar on Thursday? The
United States, yesterday, we heard from John Kirby, the National Security Council Spokesman, who shared the Israeli assessment that an Iranian attack
appears to be likely to come in a matter of days.
He noted that the U.S.'s expectation is that they will go to these negotiations on Thursday, but he did acknowledge the possibility that that
Iranian retaliation could potentially knock those talks off the calendar.
So, this is an incredibly tense moment in the region because of the threat of that Iranian retaliation, because of the threat of what it could mean
for this region at large, and also because it could stymie potential progress in those cease fire negotiations, which is, of course, much needed
at this moment in the region.
ANDERSON: Before I let you go, and this is so important, I mean, the region really on edge at this point, earlier today, far right, Israeli Minister,
IItamar Ben-Gvir, visiting the Al-Aqsa compound. I mean, this is highly provocative, sparking backlash from Hamas and others in the region. Explain
just why this is so provocative?
DIAMOND: Well, we have seen a number of times that conflicts between Israel and Hamas in the past have been sparked over what is viewed as a status quo
agreement at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, also known as the Temple Mount, and that is to say, that Muslims are allowed to pray there, non-Muslims are
not allowed to pray at that compound.
But, there have been events, over the course of years, where violations of that status quo have led to escalations in tensions. And today on, what is
a Jewish holiday, the Jewish holiday of Tisha B'Av, of which is a morning holiday meant to commemorate the destruction of the first and second holy
Jewish Temple in -- on that site.
National Security Minister, IItamar Ben-Gvir, not only going to the Temple Mount, but also bringing several thousands Jewish worshipers who appear to
be praying at that site in violation of that status quo agreement. And in addition to that, Ben-Gvir said, that it is our policy, quote, to allow
prayer from Jews on that site.
And that, obviously, marks a violation of that status quo, one that was not only acknowledged and outraged by the Palestinian authority, the Jordanian
Foreign Ministry, but also by the Israeli Prime Minister's office itself, which said that Israel's policy on the Temple Mount has not changed, and
said that Ben-Gvir's visit was a deviation from the status quo.
And so, it is being pretty widely condemned this visit by Ben-Gvir in Israeli politics, in particular, because there is such an acknowledgement,
and there is such an understanding that we are already at this kind of boiling point in the region, and a visit like this that is intended and
clearly viewed as being provocative is certainly not helping to calm things down. Thank you.
ANDERSON: Yeah. Jeremy Diamond, on the story for you in Haifa in Israel today. Israel's military says the soldiers accused of raping a Palestinian
detainee are being moved to house arrest. Now, this alleged incident happened at Israel's notorious dead time in prison camp.
The IDF said last month, it was investigating several soldiers working as guards at the camp over, quote, suspected substantial abuse of a
Palestinian prisoner. When they've seen an investigation back in May, former Palestinian detainees and eye witnesses described widespread abuse
at the camp, including blindfolding, and handcuffing.
[10:20:00]
You're watching Connect the World, with me, Becky Anderson. Still to come, fire crews from other countries are in Greece helping battle what is a big
wildfire there, and officials near Athens are reporting improved conditions today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Fire crews say they are making progress containing a big wildfire near Athens, Greece. You can see in this video shot earlier today, an area
just outside of Athens that was engulfed in flames. So far, more than 40,000 hectares have burned, destroying homes and businesses, and fire
crews say they are now focusing their efforts on smaller hot spots from the main fire that started on Sunday.
At least one person has died. CNN's Eleni Giokos is just outside Athens. She joins me now, and you've been speaking to people there on the ground as
conditions begin to improve. What have people been telling you?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, well, conditions are improving. There are no current active (inaudible) Becky, but let me tell you, the air
quality is so bad, it's so hard to breathe. And you can just see, I mean, this is just one of the many businesses that have been impacted. Again,
this is one of a wood storage facility, fire wood for winter, and it's turned into coal. It's still a blaze.
We saw someone with water trying to put that out, and firefighters around are trying to find hot spots because there is a risk. If the wind picks up,
there's a concern that the fire could reignite. And I'm sorry it's so bad here, the heat is unbearable. I'm just going to move out a little.
We have seen so many people that are absolutely, firstly, traumatized. They're devastated by the impact that they've had on their homes and their
livelihoods, businesses. We met one family that lost their home, and they're only going to be put up somewhere for two nights, and then they
say, they have nowhere to go. And that's the reality that they face.
One woman lost her life, and the community in this area are so devastated by what has happened, because her body was found in the bathroom of a
business. A little earlier, I spoke to Stefanos Kasselakis, he is the Head of Syriza, which is the main opposition party in Greece, and he had this to
say, take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEFANOS KASSELAKIS, HEAD OF SYRIZA, ATHENS: Do you think this is a political debate? This could be someone's mom in here. We're in Athens,
four million people live with this urban center. It could be anyone's parent in here. This is not just, oh, the government is running things
perfectly, and I'm here to win cheap political points. This is a fact.
Every year we have -- we had -- last year, we had the biggest wildfire in decades in the European Union, north in the Everest region. Why? Why every
year this is happening?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: And that frustration and that anger is something we've been hearing a lot from residents as well.
[10:25:00]
They're asking the question, how does a fire that's 40 kilometers away from Athens, move so quickly into suburbs, destroying businesses and homes?
They're asking that question. Why wasn't it contained?
Authorities are saying that the winds were far too strong for it to be to get under control, Becky, and then, one person we spoke to said that the
fire was moving so quickly that it was moving faster than the cars. And that's sort of the reality that we're dealing with. You know that we've
been covering these fires on a yearly basis here in Greece.
It's been burning virgin forest around Athens, around parts of Greece as well. Climate experts are saying that this is going to affect Athens as a
city for tourists and residents. As it gets hotter, the heat waves are prolonged. And now, again, the other question is, how do they prepare for
the next fire season? How does the country prepare?
Major criticism towards the government, but one thing that has been incredible is the evacuation orders that were given in time, thousands of
people moved out of the affected areas. The hope is now that everything is under control, and you've got so many people on the ground trying to find
hot spots and potential risks like this one behind me from getting out of control again.
ANDERSON: Eleni Giokos on the ground. Eleni, thank you. Well, in India, thousands of doctors have gone on strike to demand better protection for
health workers. This happening, after a trainee medic, was raped and murdered in West Bengal state. Police say, one suspect has been arrested.
Well, the head of a Doctors' Association says 300,000 doctors in India are joining in protests over her murder, and that number is expected to grow.
The doctors are calling for a transparent investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOUSTAV NANDA, PROTESTER (Interpreted): We want justice for humanity. This has happened to a woman who was a doctor. There should not be any
involvement of politics in the investigation process. The investigation should be done without bias. We would prefer a CBI (Central Bureau of
Investigation) investigation in this matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A survey taken back in 2015 and reported by local media at the time, found three quarters, 75 percent of doctors in India had faced some
form of violence, sobering statistics. Donald Trump tries to reinvigorate his campaign, and he is looking to Elon Musk to help. We'll break down how
and why.
CNN's Stephen Collinson just ahead, plus the fight for the battle grounds, what some Republicans in Pennsylvania are saying about Kamala Harris's
chance of winning the State.
[10:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. Time in London, where we are broadcasting to you this week, is
3:30 in the afternoon. Well, with new polls showing Democrat Kamala Harris gaining momentum, Donald Trump is trying to turn the tide.
He spent more than two hours on Monday night on X talking with the platform's owner and his supporter, Elon Musk. Well, Trump peppered the
conversation with misinformation and false claims. The event got off to a late start due to a technical glitch, which Musk blamed on a denial of
service attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELON MUSK, CEO, TESLA MOTORS: As this massive attack illustrates, there's a lot of opposition to people just hearing what President Trump has to say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN Political Reporter, Stephen Collinson says, the encounter was, quote, a powerful example of the way the presidential
politics has been transformed by social media and the splintering of traditional journalism. Trump may not have been President without Twitter
as his emergence as a political force in 2016 coincided with these sites heyday.
Stephen Collinson joining us now from Washington, and he is back officially on X, formerly known as Twitter, on the back of, or just ahead of that
interview last night with Elon Musk. I want to play a bit more of that conversation. Here's Musk giving his endorsement to Trump. Stephen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Not all endorsements mean that much to be honest. Your endorsement meant a lot.
MUSK: I haven't been active and really active in politics before, and I'm just trying to point out that my track record historically has been
moderate, if not moderate, slightly left. And so, this is to people out there, who are in the moderate camp, to say, I think you should support
Donald Trump for President.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: How much reach did this give the Former President at a moment Stephen, when his campaign is, frankly, struggling to sort of reclaim the
narrative?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: So, during the conversation, the concurrent number of listeners was up around 1.31 million, 1.5 million.
Musk says that you're going to get more than the 100 million over the next few days that will consume this content.
I think it does give the Former President a much bigger audience than his own true social network, for instance, which is much smaller and to which
he's confined himself in recent years. It does allow him to talk to his supporters. I'm a little skeptical of the key voters in this election,
suburban women voters, for example, in swing states that he got too many of those people listening with an open mind.
But more importantly, for Trump, I think, he struggled to even get in the news, which is very unusual for him, over the last three weeks, as the
media has been fixated on the soaring rise of Vice President, Kamala Harris, on the Democratic side of the election. So he injected himself into
the conversation, and he was being endorsed by the world's richest man. And I don't think we can discount what that means personally to Trump, who
seeks adulation, and likes to be associated with people who give him personal prestige.
ANDERSON: We heard Musk sort of jump on and elaborate on some of Donald Trump's talking points. Trump's campaign has, for example, repeatedly tried
to paint Kamala Harris as a radical leftist, and often says, she's more, quote, liberal, for which, we are supposed to read radically left than
Bernie Sanders is. And this is what Elon Musk had to say on that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUSK: It's important for the -- for the public that may be listening to this, to say, to look at Kamala's track record, you know, before the last
like month, and say, is that a track record you agree with? And I think if you're an independent moderate, you definitely would not agree with it,
because it is -- her behavior has been far left.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I mean, he's effectively smoothing out Donald Trump's argument for him there. And, this is, as you rightly point out, a man with
incredible power and influence in what is this incredibly important campaign period for this election.
You could argue, if this had been a sort of, you know, more traditional sort of journalistic setup that, given he's already endorsed Donald Trump,
he might have actually taken an opportunity to cross examine some of his narrative for the benefit of perhaps many of those independents.
[10:35:00]
He didn't do that. Did that -- did that surprise you in any way?
COLLINSON: Not really. I mean, far from cross examining, Musk seems at times to be coaching Trump into a more effective way to frame Kamala
Harris. That's been his big problem since she burst on to the scene. He hasn't been able to concentrate an effective argument. It's not really
difficult to think of what might be an effective argument.
As Musk pointed out, the southern border issue, lots of Americans are feeling very disgruntled about the state of the economy, even though,
objectively, the U.S. economy is in pretty decent shape. That's a fairly easy argument to make, so it's slightly mystifying in the way that Trump
hasn't been able to make it.
I thought it was very interesting though. We talk a lot in America about how money dictates, how politics works, how what things get done in
government. On this this X chat, we saw it happening in real time. Musk has a great interest for his businesses to get favorable treatment from the
next U.S. administration, SpaceX, Tesla, all that kind of thing.
And he was basically giving Trump unfettered access to his people for two hours. It's not difficult to think that Trump is going to think if he gets
re-elected very kindly towards Elon Musk and a lot of his projects. So, I found that was very interesting. The world's richest man, in a way, wherein
the person who could once again be the world's most powerful man in a few months.
ANDERSON: And we've had this discussion about just how transactional some of these extremely powerful San Francisco, former San Francisco-based sort
of tech giants are when it comes to who they are endorsing.
These whole group of people who in the past have been Democrats or perhaps libertarians, who -- some of whom have sort of lurched towards Donald Trump
in this highly sort of personal, transactional way. Elon Musk isn't the only one, of course, briefly.
COLLINSON: No, that's right. And Trump's running mate, J. D. Vance was very heavily involved in the Silicon Valley area for a time, and he was seen by
many Republicans as a pathway to campaign financing, which, in the past, has gone more to Democrats than Republicans.
It was interesting there that Musk talked about how he used to be a liberal. Way back in the 2008 campaign, Barack Obama was the first real
presidential candidate who managed to tap into this Silicon Valley world, got a lot of campaign finance, a lot of exposure from that sector.
It does suggest that, in some cases, the Silicon Valley has moved somewhat to the right in terms of its political requirements over the last decade
and a half.
ANDERSON: It's fascinating. It's good to have you. So really appreciate your time. Really important to understand the perspective from there, and
of course, keep up with what Stephen has on cnn.com, it is always, always very good. Thank you.
Well, Vice President, Kamala Harris will deliver her first economic policy speech in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday, her campaign says, she will
focus on her plan to lower costs for middle-class families.
It comes as Harris has been hitting the trail, of course, in the battleground states, reintroducing herself to voters since ascending to the
top of that Democratic ticket. CNN's John King spoke to Pennsylvania voters about where they stand.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Berks County, Pennsylvania, discovered bridge a local treasure. Michael Pacey (ph) often
stops along the trail here to fish, and to think. Not a great time to be a regular Republican. Pacey supported Nikki Haley, but won't vote for Donald
Trump ever. And he sees Kamala Harris as more liberal than he would like.
MICHAEL PACEY, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: I have doubts about her. She's going to be tied to the Biden record regardless of what she says or what she does.
KING: Does it impact your calculation for what you do?
PACEY: No, it doesn't change anything at all. I'm still not going to vote for Trump regardless. So, I'm not excited about voting for Kamala Harris,
but it's better than the alternative.
KING (voice-over): Every vote counts, though, enthusiastic or not, big margins in the suburbs that surround Philadelphia are critical for
Democrats. Box is more blue collar, and of late, the most competitive of the collar counties.
KING: If I were here the day after the debate, and I asked you, you think Biden could win Pennsylvania, you would have said.
PACEY: Now way. There would have been no way.
KING: You think Harris can win Pennsylvania?
PACEY: I think she can. I think she can. I think the energy she's brought to the campaign, the fact that she's a woman, and women's rights are going
to be a big deal here in Pennsylvania, and I think that's kind of where Pennsylvania will go.
KING (voice-over): Berks County is more rural and more Trumpy, just outside the suburban collar. But margins matter everywhere in the battle grounds.
[10:40:00]
Joan London is an attorney for local governments.
JOAN LONDON, ATTORNEY AT KOZLOFF STOUDT, PENNSYLVANIA: Bloom farm zoning permit status. We had a meeting this morning, very productive meeting.
KING (voice-over); London cast a primary vote for Haley, then switched her registration to independent. She worries about Trump's coarse tone and what
she sees as angry populism, a new worry since our last visit in May. Trump, running mate, J. D. Vance, no cats, but married and childless. Now, even
more proud she left the GOP.
LONDON: I've led a very full life that way. And to say I don't have a stake in the future of the country, I had -- I had some difficulty with that, and
all I could think of is, Senator Vance, are you going to tell Ann Coulter or Condoleezza Rice or Elizabeth Dole, they're miserable cat ladies? I
don't think so.
KING (voice-over): London plans to write in a conservative, but she leaves the Harris window open just a crack.
LONDON: If Donald Trump or J. D. Vance really says something so outrageously offensive, that could drive me to vote for vice president
Harris, but it's highly unlikely. She just doesn't -- she doesn't represent my values, my beliefs about policy.
KING (voice-over): Media is in Delaware County. Cynthia Sabatini knows a lot about the change here.
CYNTHIA SABATINI, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: My Street was rock ribbed Republican. Now, you have to shake a stick to find a Republican.
KING (voice-over): Sabatini is also Never Trump.
SABATINI: I watch his campaign rallies. It's all about him. It's not about the country.
KING (voice-over): This is now the third campaign in which these Never Trump voters hold significant sway. In 2016 Sabatini wrote in a Republican
senator, Trump narrowly won Pennsylvania. In 2020, she voted for Biden.
KING: Was that hard?
SABATINI: No, because I don't want to see Trump elected after the chaos of the prior four years.
KING (voice-over): Sabatini says, she's read things that worry her about Harris, about immigration policy and about being tough on her staff,
probably another right in this November, but the 2016 result still stinks.
SABATINI: I'm trying to keep an open mind about Harris. If the rap on her, as I read, is correct.
KING (voice-over): Bala Cynwyd is in Montgomery County.
It was very Republican when I was growing up, and is Democrat now.
KING (voice-over): (inaudible) is an attorney, a registered Republican. She's angry that Trump constantly attacks courts and judges and election
results.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am now turning on 80's songs to go back to the 80s. In my lifetime, the Republican Party has changed with Donald Trump.
KING (voice-over): Clinton, 2016, Biden, 2020 a never Trumper, she thought, but inflation and immigration soured her on Biden, and then she watched the
June debate.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When Biden was on the ticket, I was going to vote for Trump, but now it's -- it's a harder call. Just because I am not a fan of
Donald Trump.
KING (voice-over): Nor now of Senator Vance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not a cat lady, I was a childless dog lady because I didn't, I didn't meet the right person to tell, I was over 40 years old.
So, I could very well be one of those childless women, and I found the comment insensitive and narrow-minded.
KING (voice-over): This is near Cardi's summer home in Maryland's eastern shore. She says the conversations back home among her Philly suburban mom
friends are crystal clear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely, I have more friends saying that they're leaning towards Harris.
KING (voice-over): But she still has reservations and hopes that Harris Trump debate helps.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me what you did exactly at your last job, and what are your goals for this job if you get the job? And that's what I want
to hear from Kamala Harris.
KING (voice-over): Scoring the campaign just like a job interview in the suburbs that usually decide who gets hired. John King, CNN, Bala Cynwyd,
Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Less than 90 days to go. Well next up, President Biden announcing a shot in the arm for his cancer. Moonshot, just as a new report suggests a
steep rise in cancer rates for men. Stay with us.
[10:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: President Biden due to speak in New Orleans later today to announce an extra $150 million to fight cancer. This comes on the heels of
a new study published in the journal, Cancer, which predicts a sharp rise in cancer cases and deaths in the -- in men in the coming decade. CNN
Medical Correspondent Meg Tirrell joining me now. Just walk us through this study, if you will, Meg.
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Becky, I mean, this study focused specifically on cancer rates in men, because they have higher rates
of both getting cancer and dying from cancer than women do. And the numbers are staggering, as you said. They predict that by 2050 deaths from cancer
among men worldwide will nearly double, go up 93 percent to more than 10 million.
Cases are expected to go up 84 percent to 19 million. They're going to be even more pronounced in men over the age of 65 that increase in deaths from
cancer. Now, a lot of this is driven by population growth, particularly population growth among the aging population, and the rise is going to be
even more pronounced in lower income countries.
As I mentioned, we already know that men are more likely both to get cancer and to die from cancer, and that's for a few reasons. One is, they're more
likely to smoke and to drink alcohol. They're more likely to have jobs that expose them to carcinogens in the workplace, and they're less likely to get
cancer screenings.
Now, in terms of the types of cancer that the researchers are watching here, lung cancer is expected to continue to be the top cause both of
getting cancer and dying from cancer for men in 2050, and if you look at the smoking rates, more than 30 percent of men worldwide smoke compared
with less than 10 percent of women.
The largest increase in cases by 2050 is expected to be from mesothelioma, which is a cancer that's associated with asbestos exposure. And the largest
increase in deaths is expected to be from prostate cancer, Becky.
ANDERSON: What do researchers say should be done to address these huge numbers?
TIRRELL: Yeah, a lot of it is from a population or societal level. They're really saying we need to make sure our healthcare infrastructure is
prepared for this, is getting beefed up, including increasing the size of the healthcare workforce, increasing access to healthcare, including these
researchers say, advocating for expanding universal healthcare coverage worldwide, so that, people have access to the care that they need.
There are also things people can do on a personal level to reduce their risk of cancer, don't smoke, limit the amount of alcohol you drink, eat
your fruits and veggies, protect yourself from the sun, and get exercise. All of those can help all of us try to lower our risk.
ANDERSON: Yes, stay healthy, is what they are saying. Good to have you make -- always a pleasure. Still to come. We take you to Rome for our parting
shots today. Did you know that the secret in underneath this famous fountain? More on that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:50:00]
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ANDERSON: Right, archeologists in Italy have uncovered an eerie scene, frozen in time, in the ancient city of Pompeii. The skeletons of a man and
a woman were discovered in a villa buried in a volcanic eruption almost 2,000 years ago. It's thought that they were trying to seek refuge there.
The woman had gold, silver and bronze coins, as well as jewelry, with thousands of people in the once thriving city, caught off guard and
suddenly buried when Mount Vesuvius exploded back in the year 79 AD.
Well, a Bosnian businessman has taken one of Vincent Van Gogh's most famous paintings and turned it into a nature park. It's a sprawling natural
recreation of Van Gogh's The Starry Night in the town of Visoko. The man behind the park says it is an idea that he has been working on for 20
years.
He's used different shades of lavender bushes, herbs and water features to emulate the colors and the textures in the painting. The park will focus on
art programs and promoting central Bosnia's cultural heritage. Isn't that fabulous?
And while tourists may be throwing one, two or even three coins into Rome's famed Trevi Fountain, there is an ancient feat of engineering rushing below
as they wish. We sent CNN Ben Wedeman deep underground in Rome to find out more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For centuries, cool, crystal clear water has cascaded from Rome's Trevi Fountain, once a vital source of
water for residents, now a must-see for tourists flocking to the Eternal City. Most perhaps unaware that this masterpiece of Baroque art is fed by
an ancient aqueduct.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Interpreted): The secret lies far below, down a corkscrew staircase 25 meters or more than 80-feet below the surface, to an
underground aqueduct, the Romans called Aqua Virgo, Virgin water.
Some Roman historians say the name came from a young woman who showed parched Roman soldiers where water bubbled to the surface east of the city.
We wade through those waters with Marco (inaudible), whose job is to make sure Rome's aqueducts continue to flow.
In Roman times, he tells me the water was much higher, designed to bring as much water as possible to Rome. At its height, ancient Rome had more than a
million thirsty inhabitants.
WEDEMAN: In total, the ancient Romans built 11 aqueducts to provide water to the city. This was the sixth one. It was built 2043 years ago, and it's
still working.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): The other aqueducts, all above ground, were destroyed as the barbarians overran the Empire. The Aqua Virgo, almost completely
underground, was spared today. Today, its waters feed the Trevi and other fountains, and irrigate many of Rome's parks. It's the task of Acea, Rome's
water and electricity authority to prevent harm to the monuments that make this city unique.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Interpreted): We have a variety of treatments to eliminate salts and calcium to make the water as neutral as possible to
avoid damaging the fountain Marco says. A feat of engineering more than 2,000 years old and still flowing strong. They certainly don't make things
like they used to. Ben Wedeman, CNN, under Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: We've got a double whammy of Parting Shots tonight. We head to Mars for you, new data from a retired NASA mission found evidence of an
underground water reservoir deep beneath the red planet surface.
The water is apparently trapped in tiny cracks and pores of rock in the middle of the Martian crust, and scientists estimate there may be enough
water to fill oceans on the planet's surface. Well, that's your fill for Connect the World, that is, this evening. Stay with CNN Newsroom is up
next.
[10:55:00]
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[11:00:00]
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