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Connect the World

Tonight: Harris to Accept Democratic Presidential Nomination; Crews Resume Search for Last Missing Person; Ukrainian Forces Expanding Offensive Inside Russia; Canada's Top Freight Railroads Shut Down Amid Labor Dispute; Last Women's Golf Major of the Year Underway. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired August 22, 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)

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: The countdown is on for Vice President Kamala Harris. She is now just hours away from taking that stage

you see there on your screen in what will be the most important political speech of her life. It is 08:00 a.m. there in Chicago, where she is set to

accept her party's nomination tonight. 09:00 a.m. here in New York City. Thanks for joining me. I'm Erica Hill in for Becky Anderson, this is

"Connect the World".

Also happening over the next two hours, as divers work to recover the missing from a luxury yacht that sunk off the coast of Sicily,

investigators are working to determine what went wrong. With hopes dwindling for a ceasefire and hostage release deal can a call between

President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu make the difference? Plus, India now denying a release from a dam within its borders caused this

deadly flooding in neighboring Bangladesh.

The stock market here in New York, opening just about 30 minutes from now, traders seeming fairly positive ahead of this highly anticipated speech by

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, which will come this week, and which could perhaps offer some clues about his plans for interest rates.

So, we're keeping an eye on that. We'll also bring you, of course, the opening bell, along with a look at why a labor dispute in Canada could soon

be felt far beyond its borders.

Well, the headliner is now likely in final prep mode. Vice President Kamala Harris set to take the stage in Chicago tonight, where she will formally

accept the Democratic Nomination for President and also make her case to the American people in what is arguably the biggest political speech of her

life.

Harris is expected to highlight her accomplishments and also her personal story, an effort to draw a stark contrast between a potential Harris

Administration and a second Trump term. And it will also build on what we saw at the convention Wednesday night as her running mate Minnesota

Governor Tim Walz urged voters to move on to something new.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM WALZ, U.S. DEMOCRATIC VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Leaders don't spend all day insulting people and blaming others. Leaders do the work. So, I

don't know about you, I'm ready to turn the page on these guys. So go ahead, say it with me. We're not going back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: That sentiment and another that we have heard a lot of over the course of the last couple of days, also conveyed by talk show icon of

course and media mogul Oprah Winfrey when she made a surprise appearance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OPRAH WINFREY, MEDIA MOGUL: Let us choose loyalty to the constitution over loyalty to any individual. Let us choose the sweet promise of tomorrow over

the bitter return to yesterday. Let us choose honor and let us choose joy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Stephen Collinson joining me now from Chicago. So, lot of joy up there on stage in your latest analysis for cnn.com you write Kamala Harris

has helped America see joy now she needs to make America see a president. They also have to know who she is. So, what are you expecting from her

tonight in terms of achieving that balance?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: I think what she has to do is what all great politicians do, which is to show voters that they

understand their problems and their dreams and convince them that they have a way to address them and to make them come to fruition.

We've had a convention of multiple nights in which the elders of the Democratic Party, the up-and-coming people in the Democratic Party have

spoken about the character and the resourcefulness and the patriotism of Kamala Harris.

Now, in many ways, she has to live up to that those expectations and show that she really is the person that everyone has been saying she is. She has

to show she's able to reach another level of the political stratosphere. She's not been widely seen as a great vice president.

There have been questions about her political acumen, although she has deftly worked her way into this snap election after the withdrawal of

President Joe Biden. So, she has to show that she's ready for that level of national scrutiny.

And what she's trying to do is present herself as the candidate of change, despite the fact that she's part of an unpopular administration. She's

offering a post Trump era to American voters, and she has to flesh out exactly what that means. And if she can do that, she's got a good chance to

be successful, I think.

HILL: Well, to your point, you know some of the criticism which would be expected, right for Republicans to be criticizing what they're seeing on

stage, but some of that criticism that we've seen.

COLLINSON: Right.

[09:05:00]

HILL: And certainly, a talking point, is there's a lack of specifics coming out of Chicago. There's lack of a plan. As you note, she needs to address

people's problems and their dreams, but also show how she's going to make them a reality. How much do you anticipate there will be some real specific

moments in there about, for example, how she's actually going to follow through on this plan, that there will be no price gouging?

COLLINSON: I don't think we will get specifics. The reason for that is these speeches tend to be more of a general, thematic overview of a

presidential campaign, rather than a sort of State of the Union address. In mitigation of the criticism, she's only been a candidate for a month,

that's not a lot of time to roll out policy proposals.

But the expectations are really going to ramp up after this in the run up to the first debate she has with Trump next week and next month. And also,

it's incumbent upon someone that's running for president not just to say they're going to do a load of great things, but to prove that they have the

ability to do so. A lot of that, of course, depends on whether she can get majorities in Congress.

One thing I think is very interesting is that the United States is embroiled in multiple challenges to its power abroad, from China, Russia,

Iran. We've heard absolutely nothing this week about that any theory of the case for a very restive period going forward in international relations, or

whether Vice President Kamala Harris would break from the policies of the Biden Administration, for instance, on continued funding for Ukraine's

fight against Russia.

So, we really do need to get some specifics. I just don't think they're going to be much in abundance this evening.

HILL: Tonight, may now be the night for it. Interesting to note too, that when we got word of that call between President Biden and Prime Minister

Netanyahu, that they were also clear to point out that the vice president had been on the call as well.

Before I let you go. Tim Walz, he really needs to introduce himself to a number of Americans, because so many people don't know who he is. He has

really played up. You know, he's a coach, he's a teacher, he's a dad. And there was a moment that I think struck a number of people last night. I

want to play that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALZ: Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my entire world, and I love you. I'm letting you --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: His son, Gus there, pointing at him, getting emotional. That's my dad. I mean, look, if one of my kids did that -- you know you sort of lose

everything you turn into a puddle. It also comes across as really genuine, and we don't always see that in politics.

COLLINSON: That's true. It was spontaneous, and it shows that these politicians are actually human beings as well as they are -- you know

figures who are attacked and who sometimes appear -- you know to be presenting a somewhat force view of themselves.

We saw in the Republican Convention Donald Trump's granddaughter played a big role. She tried to play the same role for him. What the Democrats need

to do in this election is to turn out massive numbers of African Americans to win the suburbs by a large margin and to cut down Donald Trump's

positions and margins in rural areas.

Walz is going to be very important for the last two of those things, families in the suburbs, and offering a path to white male voters as

distinct from MAGA Republicanism. That's why he's on the ticket, and we saw a lot of the logic of that pick showing through last night.

HILL: Yeah, you can see them really leaning into it. Stephen, appreciate the analysis as always. Thank you.

COLLINSON: Thanks.

HILL: Donald Trump this week continuing his battleground blitz as his campaign looks to counter program the DNC, but it's clear he is paying

attention to what's happening in Chicago. Here he is in the battleground State of North Carolina.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They mentioned my name, I think 271 times. They mentioned the economy, like

12 times. They mentioned the border, maybe none. They don't talk about the border. Our great border czar doesn't talk about the border, but they

mentioned me more than any other category. I'm now a category. They had me down today as a category. That's all they talk about Trump. We've driven

them crazy. They have Trump derangement syndrome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Republicans, including the man running for VP, Senator J.D. Vance, pushing a clear message. You heard a little bit of it there, but a clear

message about what they say they are not hearing at the DNC, and that is policy plan. CNN's Alayna Treene joining me now from D.C.

Senator Vance, joining our colleague, Jake Tapper to talk a little bit more about this. What more are we hearing in terms of this counter programming,

these talking points that they are putting out this week?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. What's interesting Erica, because the clear goal for the Trump campaign this week was to have Donald Trump do

these speeches in smaller venues.

[09:10:00]

Smaller you know, have smaller crowds, not necessarily the big, boisterous rallies we associate with the Trump campaign. And all that is try -- is

designed to try and keep him on message and to focus about the issue. So, at that speech in North Carolina, where you just showed that clip.

It was billed as a national security speech, and Donald Trump, did you know it did have some national security elements, but he also made very clear

that he is paying very close attention to the Democratic National Convention and specifically the speeches that are going against him.

Now Vance, for his part, is more so being -- has been given the mandate by the Trump campaign to be the attack dog, to be the one to really lob those

criticisms at Democrats so that Donald Trump can stay on message. And you heard a little bit of that in his interview with Jake Tapper. Take a

listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), 2024 VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I would love for Tim Walz or Kamala Harris, or anybody else to say that during the 3.5 years

that Kamala Harris was Vice President, here is the thing that she did to make groceries more affordable. Here is the thing that she did to make it

possible to raise a family in this country. Or here's the thing that she did to secure rather than open up the border.

Because they can't talk about Kamala Harris's record, they're creating a phantom of Donald Trump's leadership. The Donald Trump, that I know, and

that the American people know, I think, produced really good results for the American people. It's a record to be proud of, and a record I'd like to

get back to, frankly, because it was good for the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now Erica, this is a key thing where we continuously are hearing from Donald Trump and from Vance, as well as their campaign overall, that

Harris's entire campaign is light on policy, heavy on the focus of Donald Trump, and you're going to continue to hear a lot of that rhetoric today,

when both of them are at the border, you're going to see Donald Trump.

He's going to be in Arizona, at Montezuma -- at Montezuma Pass. Vance, for his part, will be at the border in Georgia. Of course, the topic there is

going to be focused on immigration and the border more heavily, something that they have harshly criticized Harris over. But you'll hear a lot of

that as well. What are her plans to protect the border? What are her plans on immigration? Those are all going to be part of their remarks later

today.

HILL: I know J.D. Vance also -- he was asked about the potential endorsement of RFK Jr. You have some reporting on this. What more do we

know this morning?

TREENE: Yes, so we know that RFK Jr., is expected to end his campaign tomorrow in Phoenix. The location of where he is giving that speech is

actually very interesting, because Donald Trump is also going to be in Arizona tomorrow, though, he is speaking in a different city.

But look, I spent many hours yesterday on the phone asking about what's been going on behind the scenes between Trump world and the world of RFK

Jr.? And I was told that a lot of the conversations about him and a potential endorsement actually started weeks ago, even before the

Republican National Convention in July.

I'm told that Donald Trump Jr., of course, Trump's eldest son has been the one really pushing his campaign RFK Jr.'s campaign, to end his campaign and

to back Donald Trump. Two other key people in that are Tucker Carlson as well as Omid Malik. He's a former Trump donor, as well as someone who has

donated to RFK Jr., in the past.

All of this, though, is because they think that at this point, with Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket, that RFK Jr., and his support could

actually be very beneficial to Donald Trump Erica.

HILL: We'll be watching for all of Alayna. Appreciate it. Thank you. Turning our attention now to Italy, where the search continues for the last

person still missing from that luxury yacht which sank off of Sicily earlier this week. A CNN team on the ground saw emergency workers bring a

fifth body from the wreckage, a body bagged from the wreckage, to the Sicilian Port of Porticello that happened earlier.

And it does bring the number of confirmed deaths in this tragedy to six. A prosecutor's office in Sicily says it is currently gathering evidence for a

criminal investigation into Monday's sinking. CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau joining now live from Porticello.

So, questions, these questions are intensifying, certainly as more of the bodies are recovered, the conversation shifting, understandably, to more of

the investigation and what is happening, the fact that they're looking into a criminal investigation. What does that mean Barbie?

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Well, you know, that's not completely abnormal here in the context of an Italian accident like this, especially

when it involves a foreign flagship or vessel, as we're dealing with here, this gives the prosecutors access to the information that they might not

have normally.

And so, they are interviewing all of the survivors, 15 survivors, of course, not the one-year-old little girl who survived. They're

interviewing, though, focusing a lot of attention on the captain. You know, the captain they spent a couple hours talking to yesterday. We understand

him to be a 51-year-old man from New Zealand, lives in Spain, as we understand it.

He'll be the focus of the -- of the investigation, whether or not there's any sort of criminal negligence. We heard, for example, today from the

manufacturer of this luxury yacht, who called it unsinkable.

[09:15:00]

You know, all these things are lining up potentially to -- you know, look at human error in this. We have to remember, though, at the end of the day

that they say this was a water spot or a tornado that hit this vessel early Monday morning, which -- after which it sank right away. So, happening

behind me, though, we've got -- you know, the staging area. We've got the divers ready to go back.

All the while, these divers are coming back and forth. There are these robotic instruments, robots underneath the water surface that we've been

told by the fire brigade are running. They're looking at the wreckage -- you know there's still one missing person. There are various reports about

whether or not they've identified where that person is.

But we know it's very complicated debris field underneath the water. You know, this is a very large vessel. There are electrical wires. There are --

you know these smaller rooms in the back, these sleeping suites -- where these first five bodies have been located.

And so, they're hoping to bring up this last body, and so they can move to the next steps of the investigation, which, of course, will be raising the

ship in continuing the criminal negligence investigation, which may or may not turn into anything as we understand it, Erica.

HILL: All right, we know you can -- continue to keep us posted Barbie, appreciate it. Thank you. Let's connect you now to Gaza, where 12 people

are reported to have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the north of that besieged strip. This is according to the director of a

hospital in the area, who says six children are among the dead, including 16-month-old twins.

The Israeli military says it is looking into the incident. Meantime, thousands of Palestinians in Gaza being forced to flee, once again,

following new evacuation orders from the IDF. These are images from Central Gaza, where people say there is literally nowhere else left to go. All of

this, of course, unfolding at a critical moment for these talks over a potential ceasefire and hostage release deal.

The U.S. President and Vice President holding a new phone call with Israel's Prime Minister for more on those discussions. We're joined by Nada

Bashir from Cairo and Priscilla Alvarez, who has more reaction from Washington. Priscilla, I want to start with you in terms of that call.

Interesting to note as well that they did put the vice president on that call with President Biden. What more do we know about that discussion and

how it unfolded between the leaders?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, these conversations are indicative of just how critical a moment this is right now. The president

will often jump on the phone with world leaders at these key moments, and this is certainly one of them, with Secretary of State, Antony Blinken,

saying in Israel earlier this week that this may be the last opportunity to get a deal.

So, as you mentioned there, the president having a phone call with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just yesterday. The vice

president also joining that call. She does often join these calls that, in and of itself, was not new, but they were discussing the ceasefire deal,

according to the White House. And also trying to de-escalate tensions in the region, which has been a top concern among U.S. officials.

Now again, the top U.S. diplomat, Antony Blinken, was in the region this week where he was having these meetings about the ceasefire deal, and also

talked about that bridging proposal we've been hearing a lot about, to try to get Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement here.

Now U.S. officials have not detailed what that includes exactly, but we do know that one of the major sticking points here is a -- is the future of a

corridor in southern Gaza. Of course, Hamas wants IDF to withdraw completely. Israeli officials have been more apprehensive about that,

wanting to find some other type of solution there.

So, there are still a lot of different sticking points, and we know another team is headed, including CIA Director Bill Burns, who has been critical in

all of these talks to Cairo over the weekend. So certainly, these types of conversations are going to continue.

I will also note that Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, more U.S. assets are going to be in the region too, and that is a show of deterrence.

Again, two concerns here, making sure they can try to get this deal, but also trying to de-escalate the tensions already very high in the region.

HILL: So, we see that the perspective and the planning from the D.C. perspective. Nada, I want to bring you in here and joining us from Cairo in

the region. How much hope is there that this deal will, in fact, get done? It seems that it is fading every day.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there certainly have been a degree of optimism following those talks we saw last week in Doha in Qatar. Of

course, those talks leading now to the discussions that are ongoing here in Cairo. That optimism certainly seems to be fading the gaps which the U.S.

had hoped to close through these proposed bridging proposals, as Priscilla mentioned, seem to not have reached any sort of agreements between either

Israel or Hamas.

There continue to be these sticking points on both sides of the negotiating table. We had heard from Secretary of State, Antony Blinken earlier in the

week saying that Israel had broadly agreed to those bridging proposals. But then there have been reports as well in Israeli media that the Israeli

Prime Minister had agreed to a withdrawal of Israeli forces along the Philadelphi Corridor, that crucial buffer zone between Israel and Gaza.

[09:20:00]

Now we are hearing from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office that those reports and their words are incorrect, that Israel has not agreed to this.

In fact, they have framed this buffer zone, this Philadelphi Corridor, as being crucial to any sort of post war security for Israel, preventing any

further threats from Hamas.

Of course, on the other side, we have been hearing words portion from Hamas officials as well. They have not really endorsed any of these bridging

proposals at this stage. So, we don't know the full details of what proposals were put forward, but we have heard from the Hamas officials say

that there were no stipulations for a full or permanent ceasefire.

That is something that Hamas has been clear that they want to see secured in any agreement that they come to with Israel. Of course, there have been

a disagreement on this proposal to see the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, and we know that Israel has wanted to maintain a

source of veto power over which Palestinian prisoners are actually released as part of that agreement.

That is something that Hamas has outrightly rejected, and they have accused the Biden Administration of not only conforming to Israel's demands, but

also allowing Israel to put forward new conditions which they have not agreed to.

Hamas continues to say that they want to see the deal put forward by Biden in late May, agreed upon something that they agreed upon more broadly in

early July, and they want to go back to that agreement. But at this stage, that doesn't seem to be the case.

Those gaps between both sides haven't gotten any narrower, as far as the indications appear to show at this stage, though, we are expecting, as

Priscilla mentioned, yet more talks to continue today on the technical level, Thursday and Friday and perhaps higher-level delegations arriving in

Cairo over the weekend to try and really hammer out those finer details.

HILL: Nada Bashir and Priscilla Alvarez, appreciate the reporting. Thank you both. Still to come here on "Connect the World", Ukraine's military

expanding its offensive inside Russia, as Russia is fighting back, setting its sights on Eastern Ukraine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: Russian defense officials calling out another mass drone attack from Ukraine on Russian territory, saying one of the targets was this military

airfield in Volgograd in Southwest Russia. You can see thick backed smoke there billowing into the sky.

Russia says it responded by shooting down 28 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory, and also said it has repelled what it referred to as a new

attempted Ukrainian incursion in the border region of Bryansk, which neighbors the Kursk Region, of course, where Ukraine's military is still

advancing.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz joining us now from London, with more. Ukrainian troops continuing to target as we're seeing inside Russia. But they're

also, of course, trying to defend portions of Ukraine, specifically Eastern Ukraine. Where do things stand in terms of that balance?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. So, you of course have this very long, hundred miles long front line that Ukrainian forces are trying

to defend and push along the key areas.

[09:25:00]

Of course, you mentioned Kursk, where a surprise offensive was launched by Ukraine just two weeks ago. But of course, that element of surprise is now

gone. And in those two weeks, Russian forces have been able to redeploy, regroup, and re-arm Ukrainian forces now say that in Kursk they are facing

fierce resistance that troops are not Russian troops are not -- surrendering rather in the manner that they were before.

Russian officials are also preparing shelters, concrete shelters for families to house themselves in if they're unable to flee from this

continuing Ukrainian advance. But meanwhile, in Eastern Donetsk, a very different picture there, where Ukrainian officials fear that Russian forces

are ramping up those attacks as they bleed in the Kursk Region.

In one location again along in the Donetsk Province, one official telling people it will only get worse. You need to leave now. We do understand from

Ukrainian officials that hundreds of people are fleeing a day from those areas as an advance that Ukrainian officials say is happening faster than

they expected.

Meanwhile, you have this tit-for-tat drone war that continues. Ukraine saying that Russia fired dozens of drones overnight into Kyiv, going in the

other direction. Russian officials saying that Ukraine launched its largest drone attack ever on the capital on Moscow yesterday and overnight, as you

mentioned, drone attacks at a military airfield in Volgograd overnight.

So, you continue to have that tit-for-tat playing out away from the front lines, while those very front lines shift shape and change. U.S. officials

saying that Russian troops are being redeployed to certain areas to try again to push back on that advance in Kursk. You're going to hear President

Zelenskyy yet again, pleading for Western help.

HILL: Salma appreciate it. Thank you. Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories on our radar at this hour. Narendra Modi is now the first

Indian Prime Minister to visit Poland in 45 years, and that visit comes ahead of his trip to Ukraine on Friday, and just a month after Ukraine's

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Modi's visit to Russia, where he was captured hugging President Vladimir Putin.

More than a dozen people have been killed in flooding in Bangladesh and Northeast India. Officials say tens of thousands are now seeking refuge in

shelters and relief camp. Some 300 medical teams have been deployed in Bangladesh, where 3 million people have been affected. Meteorologist Eric

Van Dam joining us now with the latest. These pictures and these numbers just so difficult to see Derek?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, 3 million people in Bangladesh alone. We can't forget about what's happening across Northeast India as

well. Millions of people impacted by this flooding rain. This is in one of the districts in Bangladesh that's hit hardest.

I mean, you can see individuals putting together what they can to save individual people, family members, perhaps, and also their belongings. And

that water is basically chest deep. So that just gives you a perspective on how bad the flooding actually is across Bangladesh. So, what in the world

is happening?

Well, it is the rainy season. It's the monsoon that moves through this area, but it's really just not going anywhere very quickly. We're producing

a lot of rainfall on a 24-hour period. Look at Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, 275 millimeters. That's located just right about here.

Again, when we look at the climatological data. So, over a 12-month span, the rainiest parts of the year fall, between June, July and August. We call

this the monsoon season. So, we do average roughly about 750 millimeters in the course of this month.

But of course, when you get that small amount of or that large amount of rain in a small amount of time, that leads to the flooding and so many

other issues surrounding that, surrounding that that can lead to such rapid rises in water.

Now this is the typical withdraw of what we call the southwest monsoon. So, we have to really wait until the middle of October, until that starts to

retreat from the Indian subcontinent and into Bangladesh. So going forward with our forecast radar, there is just plenty more rain to come, even

though we may have brief lulls in the activity for a period of time.

But really, the precipitation not going anywhere, anywhere anytime soon. The next five days calls for at least another 150 to 250 millimeters of

rainfall. A completely separate subject, but something that's equally as important. We have heat advisories and heat warnings across the central

parts of the state of Texas, there have been fatalities associated with this heat, and it's been record breaking for many locations as well.

Look at Del Rio topping 112 degrees a previous daily record high of 109 so this is categorized as extreme heat risk across the shading of purple. This

is for the day today, but notice how this shifts a little further to the north and east for the day on Friday. So, the heat across the Central U.S.

is on the move.

[09:30:00]

We expect that heat to move eastward, where we've been enjoying some cooler weather. But in the meantime, the State of Texas is just sweltering. We're

talking about triple digit temperatures, and as you step outside, the humidity, factoring in, it will feel like 114 degrees fahrenheit in Austin

today, Erica.

HILL: I will pass on that number.

DAM: Yeah.

HILL: Appreciate it. Thank you.

DAM: OK.

HILL: We are following a major rail strike in Canada, which could have consequences far beyond the borders of that country. We're going to bring

up to speed on those details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: Welcome back. I'm Erica Hill in New York. This is "Connect the World". Canada's major freight railroads will be empty today, and you and

your wallet may soon feel that emptiness. Operations are just at a total standstill right now. Workers have been told to stay at home, and this all

comes amid a months-long labor dispute. CNN's Paula Newton joining me now. So, first of all, do we know how long Paula this could last?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, absolutely not. But unfortunately, Erica, I mean, the negotiations have been so acrimonious. I

mean, the two sides are really at each other in terms of the union and the two companies involved, and there does not seem to be a deal in the offing

soon.

Why is that a problem? Erica, I know you don't want to talk about Christmas in August, but for so many small businesses and large companies on both

sides of the border, both in Canada and the United States, this is crucial right now, because it will affect supply chains on both sides of the

border.

I want you to take a look at some of the sectors that will be most affected in the days to come. They include agriculture, housing, automobiles, right?

The supply chain, so tightly integrated between the two countries, this really could affect that in the coming days, and obviously, energy, again,

highly integrated in between the two countries.

What's key here, though is that this is not a desperate situation. If this dispute lasts, let's say a couple of days. We really have to keep an eye on

into next week, and if that continues, and why? If you have a look at some of the numbers, I mean, a billion dollars in trade on most days, going

goods, going on rail, each and every day.

Now, the losses some estimate would be about 100 million a day, but I have to say, Moody's Analytics agrees with me Erica that those losses could hit

350 million per day, Canadian dollars that is if this strike continues for much longer.

[09:35:00]

Erica, I want to point out that what's at stake here is also rail safety. That's according to the union. And on both sides of the border, they have

had their issue with rail tragedies. And at this point in time, the union is saying that the companies did not negotiate in good faith.

The two companies striking back and saying, look, we have made offer after offer after offer on rail safety on the table. The union refuses to

respond. Stuck in the middle is the Canadian government, Erica. They are not keen to step in here. I've been in touch with the labor minister's

office in Canada.

He's saying, look, these parties need to get to the table and get a deal without the government stepping in and being a referee. Erica, I don't have

to remind you, government -- governments are loath to step in here. This will become a political issue, though very, very quickly if we do not have

a resolution in the coming days.

HILL: Yes, certainly you said you're looking into next week. Is it really quickly, Paula? Is it something that could become a political issue as --

in as quickly as a week? Or would it have to go further?

NEWTON: 100 percent within a week, because those businesses, and not just in Canada, right, but even Transport Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, really

keeping an eye on this. This is crucial for American supply chains. There will be a lot of pressure on the Trudeau Government next week, because they

do have some things that they can do to get these parties back to the table if they refuse to reach an agreement before then on their own.

HILL: All right, we'll continue to monitor it very closely. Appreciate it. Thank you. Turning our attention now to Chicago, where police and the FBI

are investigating a really disturbing and frankly disgusting incident. Maggots were found in food during a DNC related breakfast Wednesday

morning. So, if you're thinking, why would they investigate? There's a little more of the stories you can imagine.

Officials say that some people entered the hotel and began placing something onto tables with food. As for the hotel, a spokesperson says the

area was cleaned and sanitized, and that quote, we maintain the highest standards of food safety and cleanliness throughout our property and strict

protocols in place to handle any disruptions.

CNN's Whitney Wild joining me from Chicago with more. I mean, you've been covering so much in terms of security and speaking with law enforcement

throughout this. This is probably the last thing that you had anticipated that the FBI would be involved in. What more do we know about this?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it's a surprising thing when you think of what literally happened, but it's probably not that

surprising given just the totality of the context here, law enforcement has been very concerned about a range of very creative issues that are popping

up.

Really, what they've been focusing on over the last few days were issues related to protests. But as we saw yesterday at this DNC related breakfast,

this was a new issue that popped up. The leading theory, according to law enforcement sources that CNN spoke with, is that those maggots were placed

there intentionally by activists.

More detail to come, once these people are positively identified and law enforcement can flush out this case a little bit more. But Erica, like I

said, they're prepared for a very long list of very creative types of disturbances. Law enforcement, though, last night very pleased with how

protests went, because we had these duelling protests.

There was a pro-Palestinian protest, a pro-Israel protest. And what we saw was that these protesters did not collide. Police guided them in such a way

that they didn't run into one another, and further, they were peaceful. There were no arrests last night. Last night was very calm, very different

from what law enforcement saw Tuesday night, when they saw at least 50 people arrested.

As well as Monday, law enforcement said that around a dozen people across a few different protests, were arrested. But it seems to be at least

Wednesday night was an example of what law enforcement wants to see. That is what they're looking for tonight, Erica, when there is another large-

scale pro-Palestine protest planned tonight, it could be just as big as the one we saw Monday. That was around thirty-five hundred and four thousand

people. The law enforcement is prepared for anything Erica.

HILL: All right. Whitney, appreciate it. Thank you. Just ahead here in sports, a superstar golfer looking to return to form in the last women's

major of the year.

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[09:40:00]

HILL: Well, some sad news to report. One half of a famous same sex penguin couple has died. The Sydney Aquarium says, Sphen passed away from natural

causes at the age of 11. Some became a global symbol for equality in 2018 after he partnered with fellow male gentoo penguin magic, the couple

developed an inseparable bond.

They raised two chicks together and inspired even a Mardi Gras float featured in the Netflix series. A typical aquarium staff took magic to see

Sphen's body to help him process the quote, heartbreaking loss.

Well, the final major for women's golf for the year is underway at the historic old course in St. Andrews, Scotland. World number one Nelly Korda

is looking to return to the forum that center on an amazing run of five straight victories earlier in the year. Patrick Snell joining me now with

more. So, what's going to happen?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Hi there Erica. Yeah, it just shows, doesn't it? Professional sports can be very much ups and downs. Nelly Korda

winning six titles out of seven tournaments earlier this year. She then had three missed cuts on the bounce, including two at majors as well. She

finished outside the top 20 at the recent Paris Games at Olympics.

But overall, Erica, she's had an amazing, amazing year. Historic occasion for women's golf as the Women's British Open returns to the home of golf at

St. Andrews for the third time now in total. I can tell you, Nelly Korda out on the course at this hour and a steady start from her, seeing her at a

level par at the moment. Right back to you.

HILL: There you go. A nice, steady start, Patrick, appreciate it. We will see you in a few moments for "World Sport". Be sure to stay with us for

that, and I'll be back after with more "Connect the World".

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[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

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