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Isa Soares Tonight
Fears Of Escalation Between Israel And Hezbollah After Israel Blames Hezbollah For An Attack Killing 12 Children; Venezuela Election Results Met With Skepticism; Training At Olympics Canceled Due To Seine Water Quality; Venezuela's Maduro And Opposition Both Claim Victory; Greening The Fashion Industry; Biden's Supreme Court Reform Plan; Iowa's Abortion Ban Takes Effect; U.S. Election Day 99 Days Away. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired July 29, 2024 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:24]
ERICA HILL, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Erica Hill in for Isa Soares. Tonight, fears of escalation along the
Israel-Lebanon border after Israel blames Hezbollah with attack killing 12 children. We are live in the region with the very latest.
Then Venezuela's election results are met with skepticism as President Maduro faces calls to publish a transparent breakdown of the votes. Plus,
uncertainty over pollution levels in the River Seine, canceling the Olympic triathlon training there for the second day with the very latest from
Paris.
Israel's Prime Minister vowing a severe response after a weekend rocket attack that killed 12 children, Benjamin Netanyahu issuing that warning
during a visit to the site of the attack in the occupied Golan Heights. Israel, the U.S. and other western countries are blaming Hezbollah.
Hezbollah for its part denies it is responsible for the strike that killed 12 children and injured scores more. The attack hit a football field in a
largely Druze community under Israeli control. Lebanon's caretaker Foreign Minister telling CNN, he has been assured the Israeli response will be
limited and will not lead to war.
The U.S. and several European countries, however, are urging their citizens in Lebanon to leave the country immediately. Here's more from the Minister
speaking with CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm going to ask you the same question everybody here in Beirut asks me, is there going to be
war?
ABDALLAH BOU HABIB, FOREIGN MINISTER, LEBANON: We don't want war. We don't want what's going on now. We want peace really. We really are people of
peace and we'd like to have a ceasefire as soon as possible. And we're waiting for Gaza to have a ceasefire in Gaza and therefore automatically
here.
We don't think this is Hezbollah, did it, but I don't know because a war against Lebanon is a regional war, is not going to be Hezbollah against
Israel. And Hezbollah is not Hamas also, is more than Hamas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: CNN's Jeremy Diamond now has more on that deadly attack in the Golan Heights.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sirens pierce the serenity of this town in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, and in an
instance --
(EXPLOSION)
DIAMOND: This explosion will shatter the very soul of the Druze community that lives here. As residents and first responders rushed to the scene, the
horror of the strike becomes clear. A soccer field, children's bikes, pools of blood between them. Twelve children, the youngest, just 10-years-old,
torn from this life.
(on camera): It was 6:00 p.m. on a hot Summer evening, dozens of children were playing on this soccer field right behind me when suddenly, sirens
rang out. Seconds later, a rocket made impact just right here, where in its place now stands this black flag of mourning. But one of the most
devastating parts of all of this, as you see this scene frozen in time, is the fact that right behind us was safety, a bomb shelter. But there simply
was not enough time for these children to get inside.
(voice-over): It is the deadliest attack on civilians in Israel or Israeli- controlled territory since October 7th, and it is now raising the specter of all-out-war.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER, ISRAEL (through translator): Hezbollah with Iranian backing launched an Iranian missile here, which took the lives
of 12 pure souls. The state of Israel will not and cannot put this to rest. Our response will come and it will be severe.
DIAMOND: Hezbollah denies responsibility. The Prime Minister's visit wasn't welcomed by all in the Syrian Druze community where most are not Israeli
citizens. CNN arrived on the scene just hours after the strike where Taymor Wili was still trying to process what he had seen.
TAYMOR WILI, WITNESSED STRIKE: Well, at first, I saw the injured children running around. I saw blood, they didn't respond to us, they were
panicking. I saw a lot of guys gathering here, most of them didn't go down, I went down here and I saw a lot of things that are way too gruesome to
mention out of respect for the families, and we tried to help, but it was beyond our help. There's nothing we can do.
DIAMOND: In Majdal Shams, mourning is all that remains. Thousands gathered here to pay their final respects. With each casket, another wave of cries
and wails, as nightmares turn into crushing reality, where photos of smiling children like 11-year-old Alma(ph) can only mean one thing.
[14:05:00]
"I reached the stadium and in the corner, I saw dead bodies and body parts", Alma's(ph) father says, "when I got closer to one of them, I saw a
bracelet. I knew it was Alma(ph)." Amen Farahadin(ph) is only just beginning to process the loss of his only daughter.
(on camera): She liked soccer?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, she liked sports, all sports --
DIAMOND: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And likes good sport, yes.
DIAMOND (voice-over): "Alma(ph) is a child filled with energy. She loved life, she was special in school and in athletics", he says. He now calls on
his son Rayan(ph) for comfort.
(on camera): He is the big brother --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
DIAMOND (voice-over): Rayan's(ph) grieve is still all too fresh.
(on camera): Rayan(ph), what do you remember about your sister? What do you want people to know about your sister?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
DIAMOND (voice-over): "Everything about her was lovely", her brother says. "She liked to play just like any other kid, in the end, we have a room
without Alma(ph)." Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Majdal Shams, Golan Heights.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Our team is covering this developing news from all the angles, Ben Wedeman standing by in Beirut joining us, Elliott Gotkine joining us from
London. Ben, I want to start with you in terms of the situation there, you spoke with the Foreign Minister and the situation on the ground at this
hour in Beirut. What are you hearing?
WEDEMAN: Well, what we're seeing is real jitters, that this time, after months of tensions going up and going down, that this time, perhaps,
Lebanon and Israel are tethering on the brink of full-scale war. Now, I spoke to the Prime Minister yesterday, and I spoke to him today as well.
Today, he told me that through diplomatic contacts, Lebanon had received assurances that the Israeli response would be limited. Yesterday, however,
the Foreign Minister stressed that there is a real danger if Israel does launch a full-scale military operation against Lebanon, that it could lead
to a regional war.
HILL: Which is of course what everyone wants to avoid. Elliott, for your part as well, we're watching this response from Israel, and there is this
waiting game of what that will look like. What more do we know at this hour?
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN REPORTER: Very much a waiting game. We know that Israel will respond. There have been exchanges of fire. Israel says that
there were some 20 launches towards it today, rockets fired towards Israel, and also a drone that was intercepted over its economic waters.
But that I think is still very much a part of the day-to-day, tit-for-tat strikes that we've been seeing over the past 9-10 months. The main event
for want of a better phrase is still to come, and we saw a clip of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jeremy Diamond's piece there, the full quote
that Prime Minister Netanyahu said was when he was on a visit to Majdal Shams, was "these children are our children.
They are the children of us all. The state of Israel will not and cannot ignore this. Our response will come and it will be severe." And of course,
what Israel's response will be will affect what Hezbollah's presumed response will be and to see if things escalate from there. That said, it's
interesting to note that we heard from the National Security Spokesman for the White House, Jim -- John Kirby earlier, and he was saying not only that
Israel has a right to respond, but also saying, look, over the past few months, this has flared up.
It has looked like we've been on the brink of war a number of times. And he feels at this time, just like those times, these concerns are in his words
exaggerated. And he does have a point there. You may recall back in January, January the 1st, January the 2nd, I think it was, Israel took out
a senior Hamas official in Beirut.
There were concerns about all-out-war, it didn't happen. And then in April, Israel took out a senior commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards
Corps in Damascus in a kind of consulate compound, that then led to the unprecedented barrage of missiles and drones from Iran, that didn't lead to
all-out-war either.
So, John Kirby, perhaps, being a little bit more optimistic if you like, that just as those previous occasions when everyone was on tenterhooks
feeling that we could be on the brink of war, that this time will be similar. And it's also worth noting that I think just in December, we had
Benny Gantz, who was then a member of the war cabinet, saying in a warning to Hezbollah that if the world doesn't get Hezbollah away from the border,
Israel will do it.
Well, we're what? Seven months later and still no all-out-war. So, there is a hope that, that will not happen.
[14:10:00]
Longer-term, of course, there does need to be a solution because even if there is quiet on the northern border, perhaps as a result of a ceasefire
between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. That does not solve the long-term concerns of the tens of thousands of people in the north of Israel who have
been displaced from their homes. That having Hezbollah on their door-step, threatening them simply isn't sustainable. Erica?
HILL: Elliott Gotkine, Ben Wedeman, appreciate you both. Thank you. I also want to bring in at this hour, Firas Maksad, who is joining us from
Istanbul. He's the Senior Fellow and Senior Director for Strategic Outreach at the Middle East Institute. Firas, it's good to have you with us tonight.
You told the "BBC" you believe war is coming, and it's only a question of the kind and the scope. So, where do you think things do stand at this
hour.
FIRAS MAKSAD, FOREIGN POLICY ANALYST: That's right, Erica. And arguably, we have been at some sort of worn out -- some sort of conflict, simmering
conflict for the past ten months. However, my sources tell me that we're looking at a multi-day event.
We're looking at a multi-day concerted campaign by Israel to try and degrade Hezbollah's capabilities throughout Lebanon, not just in South
Lebanon. The red lines that are being communicated from Washington, which is using all the pressure it has to try and avert an all-out Hezbollah-
Lebanon war -- Hezbollah-Israel war that can drag in the region, is to try and keep Israel from targeting major population centers, namely Beirut,
which would then force Hezbollah's hand into doing the same and targeting major cities in Israel.
So, it seems from what we know and the analysis that we're looking at a multi-day military campaign that some hope will stop short of an all-out-
war, or at least give Israel -- give Hezbollah the option of trying to start to bring this a notch down, so as to avert and to de-escalate.
HILL: We know there is a fair amount of back-channel communication happening here. I think it's interesting as well though, that as we just
heard, as Elliott just highlighted John Kirby saying that concerns over war are exaggerated. How much of that commentary do you think is more a
messaging for Israel than it is perhaps the true assessment?
MAKSAD: I'm getting that a lot, and I'm getting that a lot, particularly from the Lebanese side, who believe that if the Iran-Israel exchange back
in April can be carefully choreographed through back-channel diplomacy, then this can be sorted out too. I am frankly not as sure as we saw in
Majdal Shams two days ago, that war has a way of providing for miscalculations.
And I do think that there is growing pressure in the Prime Minister's circle in Israel for him to do more on Lebanon versus Hezbollah. In fact,
those criticism are not coming from the right. We have the most right-wing government in Israel's recent history, they are even coming from the left.
So, there is a political incentive for Prime Minister Netanyahu on Lebanon, despite the assurances that the White House has been asking for.
HILL: Where does the continued -- where do rather the continued negotiations over a ceasefire, and of course, hostage negotiations in Gaza,
where is all of this fit into the puzzle, and how much could the decision that Israel makes in terms of retaliation impact those talks?
MAKSAD: Well, I mean, Hezbollah has not budged on its negotiating position, which is that despite there being an American-French initiative on the
table to rearrange -- to come up with a new political arrangement in southern Lebanon that works both for Hezbollah and Israel.
Hezbollah is unwilling to actually make good on that deal unless there's a ceasefire in Gaza. And as we all know, the talks in Rome on a ceasefire in
relation to Gaza have not yielded results. And I'm told that we're at least 2-3 weeks away from a possible ceasefire. So, there is a window where this
military conflict in southern Lebanon and northern Israel will continue to play out, particularly the next three to four days will be crucial --
HILL: Yes --
MAKSAD: And we're nowhere near a ceasefire that is a prerequisite for a deal.
HILL: So, in those next three to four days, what are -- what and who are you watching most intently?
MAKSAD: I am very carefully looking to see what kind of targets Israel will be striking, particularly if there are any severe targets, there's a lot of
concern about Beirut International Airport. In fact, most flights and international carriers, their flights into Beirut whether in fact Beirut
proper is targeted, those kinds of things will force his hand given the unspoken rules of engagement between Hezbollah and Israel.
However, if Israel's campaign continues to be focused on Hezbollah's military assets and capabilities, precision-guided weapons, factories, and
storage locations, then I think there would be an off-ramp for Hezbollah to begin to aid(ph) and for diplomacy to play its role. So, it's going to be
critical the next 24 to 48 hours.
[14:15:00]
HILL: Absolutely. And just real quickly before I let you go, what do you see as the role potentially of Iran's new government?
MAKSAD: Well, Iran is a very key player in all of this. It is the primary funder and arms provider to Hezbollah. Hezbollah is the most powerful non-
state actor in the world and arguably, Iran is the most precious investment outside of its borders. It does not want to see Hezbollah spent in a war.
It would prefer to keep it as a line of defense should Israel decide to attack Iran's nuclear program. So, yes, Washington is very much engaged
with Tehran in back-channel diplomacy, and both sides have an interest to avert an all-out-war if possible. So, Iran and Tehran is a key player in
all this, no doubt.
HILL: Firas Maksad, really appreciate you joining us with your expertise this hour, we'll continue to watch it. Thank you.
MAKSAD: Thank you.
HILL: World leaders are now reacting with skepticism to Venezuela's presidential election marked by accusations of fraud and irregularities.
Some regional nations even refusing at this point to accept the results.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(VENEZUELA RESIDENTS BANGING POTS & PANS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: What you hear there are pots and pans, residents banging them in the capital of Caracas, after strongman Nicolas Maduro was of course declared
the winner by the government-controlled National Electoral Council. This hands him a third term. The opposition however, claims its candidate,
Edmundo Gonzalez won the election with 70 percent of the vote and is vowing to challenge the results.
Stefano Pozzebon joining me now live in Caracas. A lot of that banging, the uproar out there in the streets is also being met with some threats about
what could come for residents who are saying they want more transparency here.
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, Erica, for sure. Just about the latest as you can see, it's heavily raining here in Caracas right now. And
so, that has quieted down a few of the protests. We haven't heard those pot banging for about a couple of hours, but I have to be honest, Erica, they
went on for about two and a half hours in this Monday morning.
Which shows you how much appetite there is among the people of Caracas to express their dissent. And talking about that dissent, take a listen to
what the Attorney General said on a televised press conference about two hours ago about what could happen should anyone dare to take to the streets
of Caracas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAREK SAAB, ATTORNEY GENERAL, VENEZUELA (through translator): Acts of violence and calls to ignore the official results can be framed in the
crimes of public instigation, obstruction of public roads, resistance to authorities and incitement to hatred with a sentence of 10 to 20 years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POZZEBON: Erica, this is a country where the Attorney General goes on national television to tell everybody that if they take to the streets to
protest or to express their dissent about the electoral results of an election that has been called a fraud by not just Venezuelans, but by many
other countries in this region.
Started from Chile to Peru to Costa Rica and many others, they would get into jail for up to 20 years. This is the climate we're living in here in
Caracas to this day. We are waiting to hear from the opposition. They told us that they will have a press conference later in the evening hours of the
-- of this Monday.
And then Erica, crucially, on Tuesday morning, the Carter Center, an international organization based in Atlanta, that were the only
organization that could perform an independent audit of those election results. And they have just called on electoral authorities here in
Venezuela to release all the voting centers documentation concerning Sunday's election.
They will hold a presser to present their preliminary report into this election tomorrow morning. It's a crucial couple of days ahead here in
Venezuela, Maduro was proclaimed formerly the winner, and couple of hours ago here in Caracas, but there are lots of moving pieces from the streets
of Caracas where people are starting to express their dissent to different capitals in South America, trying to mediate a solution to, of course, the
rest of the world and the United States heavily involved here in Venezuela because of the migration aspect --
HILL: Yes --
POZZEBON: That we have reported many times on our airwaves.
HILL: Absolutely. And before I let you go, Stefano, you mentioned the Carter Center will be critical. We hear from the Carter Center in terms of
their findings tomorrow morning. But part of are folks who may not be familiar, part of what the opposition has said to, in reaction to this, not
only saying that their totals are different, but also claiming among other things, that their election observers weren't even able to verify the count
in some of these sites.
[14:20:00]
So, is there a sense that the Carter Center will be able to in fact, have access to all of the receipts, if you will?
POZZEBON: It doesn't look that way, especially because like all the same, they have also urged -- they joined the chorus of calls for the electoral
authorities to release all the data and all the ballot documentation that they have. We don't know if we'll ever get to see them.
One thing that I was talking with other journalists yesterday, if you're not familiar with Venezuela, if you think of an election, normally you
would have a gradual transparent vote-count in operation, especially these days with the internet, you will see voting being counted in real time and
perhaps updated in a public and official website.
You had nothing of that in Venezuela. Nobody is allowed by the law to release any exit poll. The only authority allowed to release any electoral
information or result is the CNA, which is the electoral authority we've been talking about. They come up especially in the middle of the night with
one single announcement and that's it.
We haven't seen anything for example, on their websites, any statement, any percentage or documentation. So, we'll see what we're going to hear
tomorrow from the Carter Center. Erica?
HILL: Yes, absolutely, Stefano Pozzebon, appreciate it as always. Thank you.
POZZEBON: Thank you.
HILL: Be sure to stay with us, just ahead this hour. Eric Farnsworth, who is Vice President of the Americas Society and Council of the Americas will
be with us to take a closer look at this election in Venezuela and how it could as Stefano was just noting impact the United States.
Just ahead here, will Olympic athletes compete in the River Seine? What we know at this hour about the water quality so far.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: A breaking news. Police now say two children have died after a knife attack in northern England. Nine other children were injured, six of them
are in critical condition. Rampage happened in the town of Southport, that's near Liverpool. Police have arrested a 17-year-old boy and seized
the knife. An emergency official spoke just a short time ago about the attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My firefighters, many of whom live in this community will be appalled by this act. They will be back on the streets of Southport
tomorrow to provide reassurance, kindness and support.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: And again, we'll continue to keep you updated on that situation out of the north of England. Meantime, as we turn to Paris, French officials
now say they have identified several people connected to Friday's attack on high-speed rail lines.
[14:25:00]
Intelligence sources telling CNN, the methods used were similar to those used by the far-left in the past. That is something the Interior Minister
repeated, although he also cautioned it's not yet confirmed. The organizers of Friday's opening ceremony, meantime, are apologizing after outcry from
Christian groups over what they called a parody of the Last Supper, featuring drag queens.
A spokesperson says the criticism over the performance is a misunderstanding. I want to head out to Paris, Melissa Bell is with us for
an Olympic update. Never a dull moment during these games, Melissa.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now, that's right, Erica, a number of controversies already, of course, there were the attacks
of Friday morning in the early hours, just hours ahead of that ceremony that crippled such a large part of Frances rail network.
The outcry, of course, over that tableau that was represented, in fact, say Paris organizers, not a total representation of the Last Supper, but in
fact, a representation of Greek gods who according to another painting, entirely. And now, the question of whether the swimming events that was one
of the big gambles of the heart to these games.
Erica, will be able -- the swimming events, that is, will be able to take place here in the Seine River behind me. Now, a couple of weeks ago, I was
able to get in the river with the mayor of Paris when she tried to show the world that it was safe. But the point is, that it depends very much on the
weather.
In order to determine whether or not the bacteria levels in the Seine are too high or too low for the events to happen. Now, worryingly for those
planning to take part in the triathlon swimming events over the next couple of days, the trials were canceled over the course of the weekend as a
result of bad weather.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BELL (voice-over): Uncertainty and worry. Triathlon swimming training sessions canceled two days in a row at the Paris Olympics on account of the
poor water quality levels of the River Seine. Off to the heavy rain, the drenched Friday's opening ceremony.
The gamble to make the Seine swimmable for the Olympics was always a big one. With more than $1.5 billion spent trying to clean a river in which
swimming had been illegal for more than a century. City Mayor Anne Hidalgo even went for a dip earlier this month to show the world what have been
achieved. I decided to do the same and see it for myself.
(on camera): It's actually really not as smelly as I thought it would be, and feels not quite clean, but certainly swimmable.
(voice-over): The mayor later told me that cleaning the Seine was about much more than just the Olympics.
MAYOR ANNE HILDAGO, PARIS, FRANCE: Cleaning the Seine is for the -- our generation and next-generation live with the natural.
BELL: As for the games, planners were counting on dry weather to help. But after the weekend rain, it's a race against time with the men's triathlon
scheduled for Tuesday and the women's for Wednesday. Not a problem, said the deputy mayor for sports when I spoke to him earlier this month.
PIERRE RABADAN, DEPUTY PARIS MAYOR FOR SPORT, OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC GAMES: We've done work on the plan B because we have contingency days where we're
able to move the competition for several days. So, we will be able to make the competition in the river though, don't worry about it.
BELL: But in an interview with CNN's Amanda Davies, the head of World Triathlon sounded slightly more ominous.
MARISOL CASADO, PRESIDENT, WORLD TRIATHLON: I mean, the worst a scenario at the very end, if he's needed, this is in our rules and regulations, we will
combat it in dual-athlon, this run, cycling and run again.
BELL: While some athletes CNN has spoken to are worried. Others like Bermuda's first-ever Olympic champion Flora Duffy remain upbeat.
FLORA DUFFY, OLYMPIC TRIATHLON CHAMPION: I know that there's a lot of protocols in place to ensure that we have proper water quality so that we
can race the triathlon come race day. So for me, I'm confident that we will be able to swim.
BELL: With a hot and sunny weather forecast on the horizon, organizers are hoping once again that the triathlon events will go ahead as planned with
fingers firmly crossed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BELL: Now, after that, very heavy rain that we saw dampen so much of the ceremony on Friday night, Erica, you can see around me, it's a beautiful
evening, Summer's evening here in Paris. Today's samples were taken inside the Seine River, they've been analyzed. We're going to find out very early
tomorrow morning if the men's triathlon can go ahead as planned with the swimming event in the river or not.
The women is due the next day, the mixed event is here on the 5th of August, and what Paris organizers say is, look, we've got conditioning
today. The question is if they run out of them and this does become a biathlon. How many athletes are going to be penalized if their strength
happened to be in the water, Erica?
HILL: Yes, it's such a great point. We'll continue to watch it. Melissa Bell, appreciate it, thank you. Still to come tonight, the results of
Venezuela's presidential election could have a ripple effect across the region including in the United States. We'll take a closer look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:33:38]
HILL: We're turning now to one of our top stories and the tense political climate in Venezuela following Sunday's election, which handed strongman
leader Nicolas Maduro another six years in power with about 51 percent of the vote. Now, the opposition is contesting those results, claiming the win
belongs to their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, with 70 percent of voter support. The U.N. secretary general now calling for complete transparency.
Eric Farnsworth is Vice President of the America Society and Council of the Americas, and joins me now. It's good to have you with us. You tweeted at
one point, in your words, none of this is a surprise. How much do you think the opposition, though, is preparing for this moment, and are they handling
it as you would expect?
ERIC FARNSWORTH, VICE PRESIDENT, AMERICAS SOCIETY AND COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAS: Hi, Erica. Thanks for having me back. No, it's not a surprise. In
fact, this is a playbook that dictators use all over the world, but has been almost perfected now in Venezuela, going back actually several months
when the groundwork began to be laid for a stolen election.
So, although, it's not a surprise, it doesn't mean that the reaction today has been necessarily one that is going to change the results on the ground
because Nicolas Maduro is moving quickly to consolidate now his claim for another presidential term and really is flatfooting everybody else. So,
he's moving quickly.
There just isn't a lot of time for people to sit around and say, well, we need to see vote counts and things like that. That's what you would do in a
normal scenario, but the time is really getting away from us quite quickly.
[14:35:00]
HILL: The Carter Center is set to offer, you know, its findings tomorrow morning. You know, I noted what we're hearing from the U.N. In terms of
what other nations are saying, other leaders are saying, do you believe that you're hearing enough?
FARNSWORTH: Well, it's a great question. I mean, transparency really is the issue. You know, the vote totals have to be revealed. All of the
independent and credible pre-election polling indicated that Edmundo Gonzalez would win in a cakewalk. And in fact, the exit polls from
yesterday indicate that he did with, as you mentioned, 70 percent or so of the vote. The vote totals that were announced by the government's own
Electoral Commission had the -- had Nicholas Maduro at just over 50 percent. In fact, 51.2 percent to be precise.
And so, this is something that, again, is just on its face absurd. And so, many of the governments internationally have been prepared to say, at a
minimum, well, wait a minute. This doesn't compute with what we understood was going to happen. We need to see some evidence for how the CNE or the
Electoral Commission actually came to these conclusions.
And so, you've had Secretary of State Tony Blinken say that in Tokyo, you've seen other government leaders. But then, you've also seen -- look, I
mean, China and Cuba and Bolivia have come out to offer their strong congratulations for the re-elected Nicolas Maduro. So, this is not
something where the International Community is completely unified. And in fact, that's part of the outcome that we expected as well. So, it's going
to get increasingly murky.
Having said that, the one thing I should add is that the longer this goes the more likely it is that you're going to have some real problems at the
street level. In fact, we're already starting to see some street protests. Then the government will have to decide, do they put it down with force or
not?
HILL: Well, and we're seeing -- I'm not sure if you heard this, but I do want to play this through just a short time ago, the attorney general
actually warning of consequences for those protesting. Take a quick listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAREK SAAB, VENEZUELAN ATTORNEY GENERAL (through translator): Acts of violence and cause to ignore the official results can be framed in the
crimes of public instigation, obstruction of public roads, resistance to authorities, and incitement to hatred with a sentence of 10 to 20 years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: So, there's this threat of 10 to 20 years, and yet, as you noted at one point, one of the big differences in this election was hope. What you
saw is the hope there. So, I wonder, even with that threat that people on the ground are hearing, how does that hope translate in this moment and
moving forward in terms of, perhaps, resistance or a stronger call from voters that they're not just going to put up with what they're told
happened if they believe it was actually something else?
FARNSWORTH: Yes, this is a critically important point. What happens again at the street level? What happens by the Venezuelan people who clearly got
robbed of their voice in terms of who their next government leadership will be? We have to put this in context. This isn't the first time this has
happened. This has been consistent across 25 years of Chavista (ph) governance in Venezuela.
This is just the latest example. And it's probably the most blatant example because, yes, for the first time in memory, or at least in several years,
the Venezuelan people had a true hope that this time could be different, that this time you could vote for meaningful change that would bring in a
new democratically elected government.
The Nicolas Maduro has said, no, that's not going to happen. And so, he's taken away that hope and in one fell swoop, that leads to frustration, that
leads to people saying, well, wait a minute, I've got a choice. And those who will decide to fight will have to decide, and I'm not talking with arms
or anything like that, in fact, they don't have arms, the government is the ones with the weapons, but will they go to the streets, will they protest,
or will they choose to flee?
And I think what we're going to see now is the potential for yet another wave of migration coming out Venezuela. The country has already left --
lost a quarter of its population, some 8 million people, many of those people heading to the United States and elsewhere. So, this quickly becomes
an election issue here in the United States as we look at our own elections in November. All these --
HILL: Well, you read my mind. You read my mind on that one because that was the final point, I wanted to get you on is, in fact, the impact, right, the
impact on migration, the impact potentially on the U.S. southern border and immigration here and just how closely this is being watched by the United
States as they make these calls.
FARNSWORTH: It's being watched very closely and it should be because, again, we've got some experience. This could be yet another wave. But the
issue that I think is also needs to be raised is this is truly a regional issue. I mean, look, there are millions of Venezuelans right now next door
in Colombia, in Brazil, in Chile and Peru.
And we have a struggle necessarily in the U.S. to sometimes acclimate recent arrivals here in this country. We can imagine the difficulties that
other countries without our resources have as well. So, this is a regional issue. And frankly, regional leaders, in my view, need to stand up and do
more to really insist that democracy be returned to Venezuela.
[14:40:00]
HILL: And we'll be watching for those responses in the coming hours and days. Eric Farnsworth, great to have you with us this afternoon. Thank you.
FARNSWORTH: Thank you.
HILL: Stay with CNN. We're going to take a short break. The news continues on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Fashion accounts for 10 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. All this week are highlighting innovative solutions that aim to
make the industry more sustainable. It's all part of our Going Green series. And we begin in Spain, where one designer is turning waste into
wear. Here's Lynda Kinkade with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): When you think of pineapples, tropical vacation drinks, and divisive pizza toppings might come to mind.
But for one Spanish entrepreneur, they represent a sustainable solution to a trade that has a massive environmental footprint, leather.
CARMEN HIJOSA, FOUNDER, ANANAS ANAM: This is Pinatex. Pinatex is made from pineapple leaf fibers.
KINKADE (voice-over): After working in leather goods for 15 years, Carmen Hijosa began to see how destructive the industry could be while working in
the Philippines.
HIJOSA: I really realized going to see a tannery that, you know, making leather is not a very sustainable thing.
KINKADE (voice-over): Inspired by traditional Filipino plant-based textiles, Hijosa came up with the idea of using discarded pineapple leaves
to develop an ecofriendly leather alternative.
HIJOSA: The creation of Pinatex starts in the farming, communities where they gather the leaves after the harvest of the pineapples. We're using a
waste material to get these fibers. We don't need any land, any water, any pesticides, and fertilizers.
KINKADE (voice-over): The conventional animal leather industry is linked to habitat loss and greenhouse gas emissions from livestock farming. The
tanning process itself is energy and water intensive and can use toxic chemicals that can leach into waterways.
HIJOSA: 80 percent of the Amazon basin is basically cut down to have cattle ranching there, and they still have to grow food for the cattle and water.
You can see the stages before even we touch a skin. How environmentally negative they are.
[14:45:00]
KINKADE (voice-over): With the help of a Filipino textile company, Hijosa also says it took a decade to develop and refine the Pinatext manufacturing
process. After the fibers are extracted from the leaves, cleaned and hung out to dry in the sun, they're sent here to a processing center in Spain.
HIJOSA: We've got great variety of textures, colors, and characteristics in Pinatex. If we compare Pinatex quality with the look and feel of leather,
it's actually quite similar in a way. It has that grainy look and feel. We have big brands like Nike that they use Pinatex, Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein,
more in the high fashion. If you like. We have Carolina Herrera.
I see Pinatex in the future by branching out into different markets, but also, to me, it's to invent for something which is really for the greatest
good for people and planet. And this is really, really very important to me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: For more stories in this series, just log on to cnn.com/goinggreen. Still to come tonight, President Joe Biden offering up an ambitious goal
before he leaves the White House, an overhaul of the U.S. Supreme Court. The details of that proposal are next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: In just a couple of hours, President Joe Biden is expected to formally unveil his plan for sweeping changes to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Among the proposals, term limits for the justices, and a constitutional amendment that would strip the president of immunity for crimes committed
while in office.
Mr. Biden's reforms, of course, face an uphill climb in Congress. In fact, House Speaker Mike Johnson has already called them dead on arrival.
CNN White House Correspondent Arlette Saenz is traveling with the president, joining us now from Austin. So, what more are we expecting in
terms of this announcement from President Biden today, Arlette?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, President Biden is set to unveil new proposals that would overhaul the Supreme Court,
including establishing term limits and an enforceable code of conduct.
But the political reality in this moment is that this would unlikely be able to pass up on Capitol Hill, as there are Republicans in control of the
House and a very slim Democratic majority in the Senate. But what this does is it provides Democrats with a messaging opportunity at a time when both
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have sought to use the Supreme Court in its recent rulings as a main issue in this campaign.
[14:50:00]
Now, the president in just a few hours will roll out these proposals, which includes an enforceable code of conduct for Supreme Court justices. It
would also establish term limits of 18 years with the ability for a president to appoint a new Supreme Court justice every two years. And then,
the third item is President Biden is set to call for a constitutional amendment that would limit the presidential immunity after that Supreme
Court ruling a bit earlier this summer that granted presidents a broad immunity from prosecution of any crimes.
Now, as you noted, this is expected to be dead on arrival, as House Speaker Mike Johnson said himself on social media this morning. He said that this
essentially erodes the rule of law and also would decrease American's confidence in the court. But this is all coming after President Biden had
previously established a commission to review potential changes to the Supreme Court.
He's had that at the beginning of his administration. They presented a report, but ultimately, did not move forward with any of those proposals.
Now, President Biden is set to unveil those at a time when he has ended his presidential campaign. This event was actually set to take place a bit
earlier in July, but Biden eventually canceled that speech because it was just a few days after that assassination attempt against Donald Trump.
Now, Biden will be speaking today here in Austin, Texas at the presidential library honoring President Lyndon B. Johnson. He will be here in part to
really commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which was a key piece of legislation passed during Johnson's presidency. But there
are some historical parallels between Biden and Johnson in this moment.
Johnson himself also ended his re-election bid in 1968. He had actually addressed the country from the Oval Office, was giving a speech about the
Vietnam War. And nearly 40 minutes into that speech, he announced that he would not seek re-election when he was already in a campaign year. Of
course, that is similar to President Biden, who just last week spoke to the country about his decision to bow out of the race.
This will be his first public appearance since doing so. So, we will see if the president might elaborate a bit more on that decision, while also
calling for these major changes to the Supreme Court.
HILL: Absolutely. Arlette, appreciate it. Thank you. A strict new abortion law is now in effect in the state of Iowa. The Republican-backed law bans
most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, which is typically the time when fetal cardiac activity can be detected, but it is often before a woman
knows she's pregnant. Iowa is now among the nearly two dozen states restricting abortion access since Roe versus Wade was overturned in 2022.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, releasing a video today slamming this law and calling it the "Trump abortion ban."
Well, with less than 100 days to go now until the U.S. presidential election, both the Harris and Trump campaigns appear to be really
sharpening their attacks. The message from the vice president and her allies over the weekend, Donald Trump and running mate J. D. Vance are
"just plain weird." Trump, in the meantime, describing Harris as evil and telling rally goers she is worse than President Biden, while Vance accused
Democrats of taking his childless cat lady's comments out of context.
For more, let's bring in CNN Political Director David Chalian in Washington, D.C. So, 99 days, but who's counting, David? It's going to be
very eventful.
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: We are, Erica.
HILL: We are. We're counting the hours, the minutes, the seconds. As we look at where things stand, as we do see these attacks sharpening, what
more can we expect moving into this phase?
CHALIAN: Yes, it's such a good question because there's such a battle at the moment to define Kamala Harris and -- because she's sort of the newest
entrant into this race in terms of being the top of the ticket, and that is a battle being engaged both by her campaign to define her on their terms
versus Donald Trump defining her on his terms.
But what we're seeing, as you noted from the Harris campaign, is they're not just leaving it there of trying to define Harris, they're also trying
to rebrand and redefine in the minds of voters Donald Trump, whose largely well-known views about him are very settled in. But this term weird that
you talked about has entered the Democratic lexicon. And for the better part of a week now, a lot of Democrats have been making arguments, not just
that they see Donald Trump as an existential threat to democracy, which is what Joe Biden has been campaigning on in terms of framing Trump, but also
that just some of his behavior at his rallies, his rambling is strange and weird, as they like to say. So, there's definitely a rebranding effort
going on here.
HILL: So, as we watch that rebranding effort, the -- from the other side, as you point out, the Trump campaign also wants to try to define their now
opponent, Kamala Harris, to make sure that she stays in the lane where they would like her. How effective is that so far?
CHALIAN: Well, I think it's still to be determined. Now, first of all, I don't think if you've observed what Trump and his allies have done over the
last week, I think it's fair to say they haven't settled on sort of a key negative frame around Harris just yet.
[14:55:00]
I think you're going to hear a couple of different things, though, and I would imagine we're going to hear it all the way through. One is they're
going to look at her record, not just as vice president, but as San Francisco district attorney, as California's attorney general, and really
try to paint her as far to the left, way outside the mainstream, which is a pretty standard fair attack of a Democrat, is that Republicans want to
paint them as liberal and outside the mainstream.
But then on top of that, you're going to see them try it every term to hang any unpopular position that the Biden administration has around her neck as
a part of that administration. So, on things like inflation or immigration, issues where Trump is performing quite well over his Democratic opponents,
they want to make sure that they tie Kamala Harris as closely as possible to Joe Biden's unpopular positions, leadership on those issues.
HILL: And of course, that plays into the parlor game of who in fact will Kamala Harris pick as her running mate as folks look at who could perhaps
help with some of those issues and those attacks. We don't have an answer yet. We'll just have to wait and then we'll just keep bugging you, David
Chalian, for all of your insight.
CHALIAN: OK.
HILL: Great to see you, my friend. Thank you.
CHALIAN: Thanks, Erica.
HILL: Thanks so much for joining me tonight. I'm Erica Hill in for Isa Soares. Stay with CNN. "Newsroom with Jim Sciutto" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
