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Zelenskyy Thanks EU Leaders for Support; Trump Puts Washington, DC Police Under Federal Control; WFP: Gaza Seeing Worst Malnutrition Levels Since War Began; Taylor Swift Announces New Album "Life of a Show Girl"; Spanish Football Federation Approves Plans for Match in USA. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired August 12, 2025 - 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)
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: President Trump and Vladimir Putin's Summit is just days away. Trump says he'll be able to tell
if it's success in the first two minutes. It is 09:00 a.m. in Washington and 02:00 p.m. here in London. I'm Christina Macfarlane, and this is
"Connect the World".
Also coming up, international condemnation is growing over the deliberate killing of journalists in Gaza at a critical juncture in the war. And U.S.
President backs off China tariffs again. Why is he not following through with his threats? And look what you made her do. Taylor Swift has a
surprise announcement, and it's got Swifties feeling all too well.
And the stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from now, the future is looking bright after the latest U.S. inflation numbers for --
didn't rise as much as expected. We'll have more details on that later. But first freedom to decide their future, that is the message for Ukrainians,
coming from 26 European Union Leaders ahead of the Trump Putin Summit in Alaska.
Their statement also calling for a ceasefire or reduction in hostilities signed by every EU Leader except Putin's ally, Viktor Orban. With just
three days to go before the Summit, Europe fears U.S. President Donald Trump may push for a deal that calls for Ukraine to cede territory.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed that will not happen as of now he's not part of the summit with Europe, also on the sidelines.
CNN's Chief International Security Correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh joining me now live from Kyiv.
And Nick, I know you have just been visiting some of the border regions where there are fears about what the future may bring with this summit in
Alaska. Tell us what you've been seeing and hearing from Ukrainians there.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. I mean, it was interesting to take the sort of ethereal concepts of what
appears to have emerged from U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff's meetings in the Kremlin. The idea that in exchange for a ceasefire, Ukraine would just give
up parts of the Donetsk region that Russia has yet to occupy by military force, and put that to people who live there.
I mean, and also, frankly, remind everybody and see for ourselves just what an extensive, bustling series of towns we're talking about. Impractical, to
say the least, surreal to many of the people you said, you know, how did you feel about the idea of a deal being done in Alaska, on the other side
of the planet, between an American and a Russian President suddenly saying you have to move out of town.
And a lot of resistance to that too, and also some fear. Look, there's also great I think confusion still amongst some European official I've spoked is
exactly what did emerge from that meeting in the Kremlin even now, after various conversations that have taken place, trying to clarify.
It's clear too that the Kremlin still wants to achieve a very maximalist set of goals, of taking most of Ukraine. But ahead of that meeting in
Alaska, which Trump has tried to confusingly downplay expectations of saying it's essentially about feeling the Russian President out, saying
he'll know in the first two minutes of a deal can be done, saying he'll bring the Europeans and Zelenskyy afterwards.
But not necessarily making it a make-or-break moment for Russia and secondary sanctions. What we've seen ahead of it, now will be a series of
meetings trying to shore up support for Ukraine and clarify Europe's position. That will start with the Germans hosting a Summit between key
European powers.
The Americans will later join that. President Zelenskyy will be part of that as well. I think that's a bid to show unity amongst Russia's opponents
prior to whatever we unpredictably, frankly, don't know what's going to emerge out of Alaska. It is still possible that, after all the lobbying
we've likely to have seen behind closed doors of President Trump prior to that Alaska Summit, that the Americans and the Russians come up with some
kind of deal they think they can sell to the rest of the world.
That's the greater fear here, President Zelenskyy himself being very clear that clearly, they believe their intelligence shows Russia is preparing for
significant future military offensive, not peace, and we're seeing some of those summer offensive beginning to make a controversial sense of progress
in the town of Dobropillya, where a lot of military bloggers and officials have been suggesting there has been a degree of penetration by Russian
forces, infiltration they've called it.
But it sparked alarm and a lot of denials amongst Ukrainian military officials that that's real Russian progress. They're simply saying small
groups have managed to get past Ukrainian defenses. But it adds to a wider picture of how Russia is seeing progress on the front lines as this
diplomacy has simply failed to stop the war.
[09:05:00]
The European and Ukrainian position is ceasefire first, then negotiations. The first negotiating point should be the current front line as it is. The
Russians want something much bigger, and have rejected a ceasefire again and again, whether any of those changes ahead or during Alaska, which still
sounds like a meeting being worked out.
I should stress how odd it is to have two former cold war superpowers have a high-profile summit like this, when the agenda, the details, the
essential main points of it are still TBD. It depends exactly what comes out of Alaska, and many here are deeply anxious about a surprise Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, and understandably so. Nick Paton Walsh from Kyiv for now. Thank you. And the U.S. and China have agreed to hold off on raising
tariffs for another 90 days. The decision came just hours before Tuesday deadline where each country's respective import fees were set to surge.
U.S. levies on Chinese goods were set to rise from 54 percent up to up from 30 percent and China taxes on U.S. goods would have risen up to 34 percent
up from 10 percent. Well, here's what the U.S. President had to say about the negotiations on Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We've been dealing very nicely with China. As you probably have heard, they have tremendous
tariffs that they're paying to the United States of America. And we'll see what happens. They've been dealing quite nicely. The relationship is very
good with President -- with President Xi and myself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: My next guest Shehzad Qazi the Managing Director of China's Beige Book, a Consulting Firm aimed at helping institutional investors and
CEOs navigate China's economy. He joins me now live from New York. Thank you so much for your time. So, let's just talk about the elephant in the
room. How much of a win is this now for China? And how much leverage do they have right now after this decision?
SHEHZAD QAZI, MANAGING DIRECTOR, CHINA BEIGE BOOK: Well look, I think Beijing has made absolutely clear over the course of recent negotiations
that they absolutely are the party with more leverage right now.
They've even gone as far as in private conversations with foreign business leaders and executives, including the delegation they just met recently in
Beijing of U.S. CEOs made clear that, look, we've got -- we've got the leverage here, and we don't need to play ball on anything, including
magnets.
As of yesterday, they get another 90 days of the tariff deadlines being extended. We're now hearing about Nvidia and AMD being able to sell high
end chips into China. So, I think Xi Jinping is feeling pretty confident, at least scoring one victory after another.
MACFARLANE: Yeah. And how big of an impact does that Nvidia deal, which, to remind viewers, is where the company will pay 15 percent on its China
revenues back to the U.S. How much impact will that have on the wider negotiations on export controls?
QAZI: Well, I think what's happened is that currently, export controls have at best gone to the back burner. So, what we're seeing is that export
controls, which were the key U.S. leverage point in the negotiations, I think, even bigger than tariffs, in many ways.
And what would have caused more harm, certainly to China, have all been rolled back right now. So, we're squarely backing the territory of trying
to score, I think, some kind of Xi Trump Summit, and then, of course, eventually, I think the president would like to see a big phase two
agreement, but anything like aggressive U.S. export controls and such, visit to China temporarily suspended, if not just totally given up on.
MACFARLANE: Yeah. And this -- I mean, let's just remind ourselves, is not the first suspension, it's the second. I mean, how long can Americans keep
kicking the can down the road on this? And what to your mind are going to be the hardest sticking points that they'll want to hash out?
QAZI: So, this could go one of two ways. One option is that Beijing keeps delaying or slowing down rather its magnets releases and its own export
controls on rare earths and such, and that forces the U.S. side to keep working on extending the deadline while trying to negotiate behind the
scenes.
Then a bigger deal, which, of course, requires more wholesome release of export controls and such. That's one option. The other option is that
President Trump realizes that he's not going to be scoring any major wins from China, that they're not going to do any type of these big investment
deals or big purchase agreement.
And he finally gets frustrated, and we go back into the territory where we were around April 9th, where you had high tariffs and very strong export
controls. I think this is TBD, but my sense is that the short term is quite positive, vis-a-vis bullish in China and the markets being excited about
where we are, but the relationship is very fragile, and I think this falls apart before too long.
MACFARLANE: I mean, the feeling is that eventually Trump is going to need and want to win. How forthcoming do you think China will be on any of the
issues such as that he covets like a summit with Xi or that TikTok deal is still outstanding?
[09:10:00]
QAZI: You know, right now they are -- the Chinese side is not in any hurry for a big Xi Trump meeting. As a matter of fact, they don't think that
conditions are good for that at all. If the two sides are able to work on their series of differences that they have, and it looks like some kind of
deal announcement, one that the president will not go back and renounce almost immediately seems likely.
Then, of course, President Xi will be interested in meeting, but their biggest fear is that President Xi meets President Trump. They outline a
series of agreements, and then a few weeks or a few months later, this whole thing breaks up and causes an immense amount of embarrassment to the
Chinese side, which is why, as you've seen, there are absolutely no rush for a meeting. It's only President Trump who keeps asking for a while.
MACFARLANE: Well, it certainly seems like China are holding all the cards for now, we'll wait to see how this plays out. Shehzad Qazi appreciate your
analysis. Thank you. And we're following reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump's unprecedented move to crack down on what he sees as out of control
crime in Washington DC.
On Monday, the president says he's placing the DC Metropolitan Police under federal control and deploying about 800 members of the National Guard to
the national's capital in order to beef up security. Mr. Trump says the safety crisis in DC stems from directly, quote, abject failures of the
city's local leadership. And he hinted that Washington may not be the only city he targets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We have other cities also that are bad, very bad. You look at Chicago, how bad it is. You look at Los Angeles, how bad it is. We have
other cities that are very bad. New York has a problem. And then you have, of course, Baltimore and Oakland. We don't even mention that anymore.
They're so -- they're so far gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: CNN's Alayna Treene is following the story joins us now. So, Alayna, President Trump says crime in Washington is out of control, despite
the data suggesting the opposite, that has decreased in recent years. So, what more are you hearing about that and the type of reaction you're
following from local city officials over this move?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, I mean, as for where crime is, it's clear that, yes, crime is still relatively high in Washington, DC.
But it's not as high as it was last year, or especially when it was in 2023 that's when it hit its peak, and we've seen it been falling ever since.
And so that has raised questions about the timing of some of this. And I can tell you, part of that is because one we do know that I think what in
the immediate term maybe sparked some of this was the fact that a former DOGE staffer was assaulted last week. Many people that people here in the
White House knew quite well, but also, this has been a long-term thing that has bothered President Donald Trump.
He's been simmering about this, not just in the last few last few months, but at the last few years, going back to his first term in office, when he
wanted then to also crack down very heavily on crime and kind of do a similar federal takeover, except then he was warned not to do so by the
people around him.
This time, was not given that same warning. And again, part of that as well is the president wants to paint himself as a law-and-order president. He
also has repeatedly tested the bounds of his executive authority, and so we're kind of seeing all of that come together and escalate with that
announcement yesterday of this federal takeover of the city.
Now another question is also, how long can we expect these different agents to be throughout the city? And the key thing to remember is that under the
law that the president cited yesterday, the DC Home Rule Act, he's given 30 days at this point because he has notified the relative parties that he
will be able to continue doing this after that, he would need congressional approval to continue this type of takeover.
And it's still unclear, of course, one whether he would get that from Congress, but also whether he will even want to do that or continue it at
that point, because it's very unclear how this is playing politically. And you mentioned what has been the response from local officials here?
I mean, they've been careful, but also very clear that this is unprecedented. We heard that from the Mayor Muriel Bowser. She said it's
unprecedented. She feels unsettled by it, that there's concerns of perhaps people not trusting police anymore, depending on how all of this plays out.
But she also noted that perhaps there could be benefits to having more law enforcement in the streets of the city.
And so again, it's very much unclear right now what this is going to look like, and specifically when it comes to politics, if the public is going to
actually appreciate this move by the president.
And one thing, I think, also to keep in mind about that clip you played of him saying this could impact other cities. I mean, that is a key question.
The president himself said this could potentially serve as a model for other cities, like Los Angeles, like New York, like Chicago, again, that
would be very different given DC, there is a gray area here.
[09:15:00]
It's not a state. We do not have a Governor here in Washington, DC. So that means, you know, they are not in control. There's no one really. The mayor
is not in control, the National Guard, like a governor would be in some of these other states that he's referenced. But if he thinks this goes well,
we could potentially see that push.
And again, adding to all of this. So, this is almost a test case of sorts, I believe, for what the president might envision for a bigger picture. So,
all of that kind of playing behind the scenes. So far, we haven't heard of any major scuffles with officials, law enforcement officials that are here.
So far, we have not yet seen the National Guard come in. They're still deploying to the city, but we have seen hundreds of FBI, ATF, DEA agents
all scattered throughout. And so again, we kind of are in a wait and see period on how this all plays out. But I do think politics will be the thing
that will ultimately kind of rule how this goes forward and how the president decides to continue?
MACFARLANE: All right, Alayna, appreciate it there from the White House. Well, let's bring in CNN's Chief Data Analyst, Harry Enten, for more
reaction to this major, unprecedented move by the White House. And Harry, Alayna touched on it there. But there's a kind of big question here is, do
DC residents actually want Trump involved in local issues such as crime?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: No, no, I think that's the simple answer. The simple answer is, no, you know, we can look at the polling from
even before this move, and we can see it here, DC residents on Trump and local DC issues. He's too involved, takes the cake.
Look at this. 71 percent in fact, a majority of every single demographic that "The Washington Post" polled said that, in fact, Trump is too involved
in DC local issues compared to get just this. Look at this, just 11 percent just 11 percent of DC residents want Trump more involved. They hate, hate,
hate this idea of Trump getting involved more with local politics.
And of course, this is all about crime, right? How do DC residents view crime? Well, I think this kind of gives the game away. DC residents on the
top problem facing Washington, DC, those who said crime, violence or guns. In 2022 it was 36 percent. Look at where it's fallen to know in 2025 15
points drop, 21 percent and that, of course, follows the declining crime rates.
And I will point out that the -- that about 50 percent of DC residents do, in fact, say that crime is extremely or very serious problem in Washington
DC. But even that number is down from 65 percent just a year ago. So again, what we're seeing here is fewer and fewer Washington DC residents saying
that, in fact, crime is the top issue.
Fewer and fewer DC residents, saying that, in fact, it's an extremely or very important problem that they need to solve. Of course, Alayna was
talking about this, right? Talking about the politics of this issue. And I think it's so important that we have to mention the politics of this issue.
It's not just about policy. It's about politics. And what's another key reason that what -- that Donald Trump might want to have a say in DC local
politics and upset so many of those residents. Well, this may give the game away. Trump's worst performance out of the 3000 plus counties in the United
States are county equivalents.
Guess where it was? It was in Washington, DC. He got just 6.5 percent of the vote in Washington. DC, north of 90 percent of Washington DC voters
went against Donald Trump. So, to be honest with you, I don't think that Donald Trump gives a hoot what Washington DC residents think about him,
because he already knows they really, really hate him.
MACFARLANE: He seems that way. And to your point, wonder why this leads for other democratic states potentially in the firing line for who might be
next. Harry, appreciate you bringing it -- breaking it -- breaking it down for us. Thank you.
ENTEN: Thank you.
MACFARLANE: Now a hungry population a new offensive on the horizon, and now journalists at risk. Next, a new salvo warning over the situation in Gaza,
while Israel is laser focused on Hamas.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:20:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHANE DUJARRIC, SPOKESPERSON FOR THE UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL: These latest killings highlight the extreme risks that journalists continue
to face when covering this ongoing conflict. The Secretary General calls for an independent and impartial investigation into these latest killings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: International condemnation and grave concern are mounting over a targeted Israeli air strike that killed six Palestinian journalists in
Gaza City. For aid groups, the killings of reporters is only adding to their outrage over the dire situation for Gaza civilians.
Palestinian health officials reported Monday that five more people have died of malnutrition in the Enclave, including one child, bringing the
total number of starvation deaths to 222 about half of that number are children. CNN's Nada Bashir is joining me here. Nada, the fallout from this
strike on these Al Jazeera journalists is growing, there are calls now for an investigation. What is the latest?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, we've been hearing from the U.N. Secretary General, his spokesperson, again, calling for an independent
investigation. Amnesty International has also issued a statement calling for there to be an investigation. They've described Anas Al Sharif as well
as his colleagues, who are also killed in that strike, as being the eyes and voices of Gaza.
They were, as they say, starved and exhausted, and that is, of course, something that the entire population of Gaza is now facing. But it's
important to underscore, of course, that this is not the first time that we have seen such attacks against Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip.
This is not the first time that we've seen similar attacks on humanitarian workers, on medical workers and staffers in the Gaza Strip.
And each and every time we see an incident like this, there are these calls for independent investigations. And I think what's interesting is that in
the past, we have had these investigations carried out by Israeli authorities. Oftentimes they say that they are targeting Hamas militants in
the area that they embed themselves in civilian areas.
What is interesting is that the Israeli military officials have said that they were targeting Anas Al Sharif specifically. They have accused him of
being part of Hamas or having links to Hamas, and that is something that not only he has vehemently denied, or had vehemently denied, but it is
something that his employer, Al Jazeera had denied.
It is something that the U.N. had previously raised the alarm around. They had raised the alarm around what they described to be unfounded accusations
that he had those links to Hamas. And we'd heard from other organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, warning against these sorts
of accusations and threats against journalists like Anas Al Sharif suggesting that they are or have links to Hamas.
Almost as a pretext to target and silence their voices. And I know you spoke to Head of Al Jazeera English yesterday, again, suggesting that the
voices of journalists who are so crucial in Gaza because, of course, international journalists aren't able to get access, because we are barred
by the Israeli authorities. They really are the eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, and it will be an open question as to whether that investigation can indeed take place. We haven't seen anything to date that
suggests it can move forward. And just briefly, the World Food Programme, as we were saying, that start starvation malnutrition in Gaza at the
highest levels ever, a group simply cannot sound the alarms any louder. I mean, has there been any shift, any progress to end the crisis?
BASHIR: I mean, the amount of aid that we are seeing getting into the Gaza Strip at this point is simply not enough. It is a small trickle of aid that
is coming in. We are seeing that starvation crisis deepening, worsening. That is the message that we're hearing from humanitarian organizations.
What's interesting is we heard yesterday -- on Sunday from the Israeli Prime Minister himself, claiming that there isn't a starvation crisis in
Gaza. That stands contrary to what we're hearing from the U.N. from other humanitarian organizations, from medical officials on the ground.
And it stands contrary to the images that we are seeing coming out of Gaza of emaciated children, emaciated civilians, and as you mentioned, we're
hearing those staggering figures that hundreds of thousands of children are now at risk of severe and acute malnutrition.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, half of the 222 deaths by starvation were children, as we said. Nada, appreciate it for now, thank you. Well, let's get you up to
speed with some other stories that are on our radar right now.
[09:25:00]
Dramatic video shows the moment a Chinese warship collided with one of its own coast guard vessels while chasing a boat from the Philippines. It's
unclear why the ship was chasing the boat. The South China Sea remains a disputed territory between China, the Philippines and other nations.
But authorities right now are working to figure out what caused a deadly explosion as a steel plant in Pennsylvania on Monday? The initial blast,
followed by several smaller ones, killed two people and injured 10 others. Rescuers pulled one worker from the wreckage hours after it happened.
New inflation numbers this morning as U.S. prices come under pressure from tariffs, what the data tells us and how the markets are reacting, all of
that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: Welcome back. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London, and you are watching, "Connect the World". These are your headlines. Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is thanking EU Leaders for their support ahead of Friday's Trump Putin Summit, all but one of the 27 EU heads of
state signed a statement calling for Ukraine to have the freedom to decide its future. Mr. Zelenskyy currently is not invited to the Summit in Alaska.
Also, Washington, DC, where President Trump is deploying hundreds of National Guard troops to fight what he calls out of control crime in the
nation's capital. Mr. Trump is also placing DC Metro Police under federal control. The unprecedented move comes even though data from the police show
that violent crime is on the decline.
Friends and lawmakers gathered at the Colombian Congress on Monday to pay tribute to slain politician Miguel Uribe, Senator and Presidential
Candidate was shot at a campaign rally two months ago and died of his injuries on Monday. A U.S. Deputy Secretary of State is traveling to Bogota
today to attend the funeral.
And ringing the bell, the opening bell today the President of Lithia Motors, one of the largest automotive group retailers in the United States.
They will be clapping that bell in any moment now. We're a little bit early, aren't we, but we can say it is Tuesday, August 12th, and these
investors, like everyone, have been wondering for the last 24 hours where U.S. inflation is heading.
And we all found out in just about the last hour, new data just releasing from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates inflation did not rise
as much as expected in July despite the tariff rollout.
[09:30:00]
The Consumer Price Index rose 0.2 percent last month, keeping the annual inflation rate at 2.7 percent. Now that's slightly less than was expected.
Latest indicator on the U.S. economy came just 11 days after President Trump's unprecedented firing of the BLS' top statistician following a
lackluster jobs report where he baselessly claimed that she rigged the data.
Joining us from New York is CNN Business Correspondent Vanessa Yurkovich. So, Vanessa, inflation is not as high as was expected for last month, but
it still did go up a little bit. So, does that mean that prices are perhaps going to keep climbing as time goes on?
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, we look at headline inflation, then we look at core inflation. I'll take you
through headline inflation first, which you mentioned. Headline inflation holding steady, up 0.2 percent month-over-month, up 2.7 percent on an
annual basis in July, that is what we saw in June.
So really holding steady there through these historic tariff levels that we have not seen since the 1930s. When you look at the key categories that we
always look at, these are volatile categories. We look at energy, food and shelter, energy fell down 1.1 percent because of gas prices falling in the
month of July.
Also, food -- I'm going to go through some different numbers than what you see on your screen there. Food was 0 percent unchanged, and that is because
prices at the grocery store actually fell by 0.1 percent. And then shelter, which is what people pay for rent, was the biggest share of this report was
up 0.2 percent.
But those are volatile categories. Now when you look at core inflation, which strips away those categories like food and energy, this is where we
saw an increase. We saw core inflation rising on an annual basis, up 3.1 percent and on a monthly basis, up 0.3 percent. And again, a little bit
different than what you're seeing on your screen there. They may have pulled some different numbers.
But in that what we are seeing is the price increases on key categories that we have been tracking for months now, things like toys, furniture,
apparel, we saw those prices increase, toys up 0.2 percent furniture up almost 1 percent and apparel up slightly. We did see a pullback, though, in
some bigger ticket items like appliances, down 0.9 percent in terms of prices.
But what this tells us, essentially, is that retailers, manufacturers have been able to some -- in some way, keep prices lower for consumers. Now,
there may be some more price hikes to come, because we just settled into what the tariff rates are going to look like for the foreseeable future.
But really a tame report in the face of just so much volatility, so much uncertainty around prices. Again, this is July, so this is backwards
looking in the next coming months, we could see some price level changes, but good news, really for consumers on at face value here, Christina.
MACFARLANE: You know, when we consider these data drops, it's not long ago that President Trump fired the BLS Commissioner after that week's jobs
report. I mean, there is real concern now about the politicization of this data. So, question is, will he accept these numbers?
YURKEVICH: Well, the numbers are better than expected, and usually when that happens, the administration is encouraged by that. But I do want to
point out to you, as you mentioned, because of cuts to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not just the firing of the Commissioner, but cuts to the number
of people working there.
The BLS, which collects this data, this inflation data, has suspended collections of data in three key metro areas here in the United States,
Buffalo, New York, Lincoln, Nebraska and Provo, Utah. This really represents a cutback of 15 percent in terms of the survey size of this
data.
So, are we getting the full picture of what prices look like? That remains to be seen, but certainly the president going to be looking at this data
today and deciding whether or not he likes it.
MACFARLANE: We will wait and see. Vanessa Yurkevich, appreciate that. Thank you.
YURKEVICH: Thanks.
MACFARLANE: Now, Taylor Swift, delighted Swifties around the world once again with a surprise announcement that she's dropping a new album. The
news came early today in a video posted on Instagram where she appeared, along with her boyfriend, Travis Kelsey and his brother Jason. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAYLOR SWIFT, AMERICAN SINGER AND SONGWRITER: So, I wanted to show you something.
TRAVIS KELCE, TAYLOR SWIFT BOYFRIEND: OK. What do we get?
SWIFT: We got --
KELCE: Briefcase?
SWIFT: Yep.
KELCE: Mint green with TS on it.
SWIFT: Yep.
KELCE: What's in it?
SWIFT: This is my brand-new album, "The Life of a Show Girl".
KELCE: TS12.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: The Fox Superstar made it official just hours ago with a countdown clock on her website ticking down to 12:12 a.m., Eastern Time.
[09:35:00]
This is her 12th original studio album. No word yet on the release date. And now it is the highlight of the stargazing calendar, the Annual Perseid
-- did I say that right Perseid Meteor Shower will peak later today, we'll give you more details on how to catch a glimpse from where you are after
the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: Get ready to look up today for a shooting star spectacle, the annual Perseid Meteor Shower will light up the sky when it peaks at roughly
04:00 p.m. Eastern Time, which is, what, 09:00 p.m. London time tonight. Derek Van Dam, so I might have a good chance of seeing it.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, you're going to have pretty decent chances there in London. But I don't think the 04:00 p.m. is going to work
out too well for people. Might be a bit too daylight. Look, Christina, there is just so much nostalgia wrapped up in this story for me.
I got to share this story because when I was a child, I would set up the chairs in my backyard with my parents to go watch this annual spectacle in
the sky known as the Perseids Meteor Shower. And so, I have fond memories of this, and you can do it too. I remember seeing this as a child.
You look into the north sky, there's what is called a radiant. That's the area where the majority of the Meteor is kind of spread out in all
directions across the sky. And unfortunately, there are a few things working against us. I'll explain that in just a second, but this is what it
looks like if you get lucky enough to be outside of the city and away from the full moon that just happened.
Shooting stars here are just quite the sight when you wish upon a falling star, right? We tell our kids that a lot and sort of why, and they're just
that wonderful, right? And this is why we're talking about it, because the Perseid Meteor Shower peaks tonight through tomorrow, and we could see up
to 100 of these per hour, if you're looking at the right time of the night and in the right direction, as well as the conditions playing along with
you.
Obviously, the sky cover has a major factor in this. So, the Eastern parts of the U.S. not looking too good, but the Central and Western half of the
U.S. looking fantastic. So, what's the difference between a Meteoroid, Meteor and Meteorite?
Well, Meteor, which we'll see tonight, is actually a rock entering the Earth's atmosphere, but burns up before it reaches ground. A Meteorite is
actually surviving the Earth's atmosphere, and it hits the ground just like what happened in the Southeastern United States earlier this summer.
[09:40:00]
Do you remember the fireball that we talked about that impacted North Georgia into the U.S. State of South Carolina, lit up the daylight sky?
Well, that rock actually punctured a hole in somebody's roof in North Georgia, and they sent away this extraterrestrial rock to a laboratory, and
they just found out that that rock is older than the Earth itself, 4.56 billion years old.
In fact, according to the scientists that studied this rock that fell out of the sky, this meteorite, and it's just really incredible Christina, to
think about where this originated and how it came to find its way here in Southeastern United States?
MACFARLANE: Yeah.
DAM: So, Meteorites that's what the one that falls through the Earth's atmosphere lands on the ground.
MACFARLANE: Feel like I'm in class learning with you every moment. Derek, appreciate it, and I love that personal story you've inspired me to sit out
and try and see what I can see tonight. Thank you.
DAM: Awesome. Good. I hope you do. All right.
MACFARLANE: Now a Spanish La Liga match taking place in the United States. Those plans move one step closer on Monday, with the Spanish Football
Federation giving its approval for Barcelona and Villareal to play in Miami. Amanda Davies is near, so how much closer are we talking?
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, if Americans don't see the shooting stars this evening, they might have another chance in --
MACFARLANE: You got it --
DAVIES: -- to do it in America. No, this is the Spanish Authorities La Liga saying that they're OK with it, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen.
There's another couple of big steps to be taken, and that is European Football's Governing Body UEFA, okaying it, and also world football's
governing body, FIFA, okaying it.
And if it was to take place, it would be the first European League fixture to be taking place in the United States. And of course, Miami is no
coincidence. It's where Leonel Messi is playing. His football is ahead of next year's big one, the FIFA World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Spanish fans are not happy, it has to be said, and we've got some of their thoughts and the likelihood of it happening coming up in just a few
minutes.
MACFARLANE: Yeah. So much fun reaction, I'm sure, and that will be with Amanda after the break on "World Sport". So, stay tuned for that.
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