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One World with Zain Asher

High-Stakes Ceasefire Talks End In Doha; Israeli Settlers Attacks West Bank Village; Kamala Harris To Lay Out Economic Agenda Today; WHO Declares MPOX Global Health Emergency; Ukraine Pushing Ahead With Incursion Into Russia; CNN Visits Trump Merch Store; Hong Kong Welcomes Baby Giant Panda Twins. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired August 16, 2024 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:29]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: A glimmer of hope. Mediators present Israel and Hamas with a proposal they hope will close the gaps between the two

sides.

Talks were said to be serious, constructive and conducted in a positive atmosphere. Everything we know about the negotiations that so many hope

will lead to a ceasefire and hostage release.

Also ahead, Kamala Harris' new plan. In the coming hours, the presumptive nominee will lay out her strategy for boosting the U.S. economy.

And later, congratulations are in order. Meet the newborn pandas that just made history.

Hi, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching ONE WORLD.

Well, what happens next throughout the Middle East may be contingent on the outcome of Gaza's ceasefire talks that will continue in Cairo next week.

And the failure to reach a deal could lead to the threat of a wider regional war.

International mediators have wrapped up their two-day discussions in Doha that were described as, quote, serious and constructive.

Delegations from Israel, the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt met together, while Qatari and Egyptian mediators engaged with Hamas separately.

Technical terms will continue to try and make progress over the coming days with separate teams and senior officials from the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt

will meet again next week in Egypt.

Here's how the White House describes the situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR: We are glad that now the teams will begin to work some more to work out some of

the more finer details of how this deal was going to be implemented, but this bridging proposal is a positive sign. A lot more work ahead of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: CNN's Alex Marquardt is at Washington. But first, let's turn to Jomana Karadsheh, who joins me live in Doha.

Constructive. It seems that some of the language coming out of these meetings, while are still very tense and no one is jumping the gun here in

terms of saying this is mission accomplished.

The deal still seems to be ongoing in terms of these talks. And that in and of itself is a positive sign.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna, after two days of intense negotiations that involved a high-level Israeli delegation headed

by the Mossad Chief, David Barnea, meeting here with the U.S. delegation, the mediators, of course, along with Qatar and Egypt, and concluded in the

last -- in the past few hours.

And the statement was released by the mediators, essentially saying that they have put forward a U.S. bridging proposal with the support of Qatar

and Egypt. And they say that this proposal builds on areas of agreement over the past week and bridges remaining gaps in a manner that allows for a

swift implementation of the deal.

They don't elaborate on what the areas of agreement are and no details on what remains to be worked out because what we understand now is that you

have working teams that will be working on the technicalities of the implementation of this proposal.

They will be working on this in the coming days until you have the high- level delegations expected to meet again in Cairo next week. And they're saying that this aims to conclude the deal under the terms put forward.

Look, it has been clear, Bianna, that the mediators, the U.S., Qatar and Egypt have been running out of patience. They have been putting what

appears to be unprecedented pressure on both sides to get this deal done.

But the key here is, how will Israel and Hamas respond to this? Because as you mentioned, Hamas will be engaged by the Qataris and the Egyptians

separately.

And as you know very well, both sides, the Israelis and Hamas have been accusing each other of being the reason that there is no deal yet. They're

obstructing the deal and sabotaging the negotiations.

So we'll have to wait and see key here is going to be the response from Hamas, as well as the Israeli Prime Minister.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And hanging over this deal, unlike previous deals and meetings, is what many are anticipating will be some sort of response from

Iran or Hezbollah, or any of Iran's other proxies as well.

[12:05:12]

Jomana Karadsheh, thank you so much.

Let's turn to Alex Marquardt. Alex, we've just heard from President Biden, who said we're not there yet, but closer than three days ago in terms of a

hostage and ceasefire deal.

We know the Secretary of State will be traveling to the region as well. What more are you hearing?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're certainly hearing more optimism from the United States, and this is kind of

a continuation of what we've heard from the past few weeks. And some might say that the U.S. has been overly optimistic.

The ceasefire negotiations took a major blow when a few weeks ago, the lead negotiator for Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in an operation widely

believed to have been carried out by Israel in the Iranian capital. So there were major questions about whether these talks would continue at all.

So the fact that they have, over the past few days, is progress. More notable, I think, Bianna, is the fact that on the -- on the heels of this

major round of talks is the announcement that they will pick up again, essentially in a week's time.

And so that is a real indication that there is momentum in a positive direction.

Now, if you parse the statement that was put out by the three mediators, they are -- they do sound quite hopeful. They do say that they do hope to

conclude these negotiations by next week, which would be a real feat.

They don't go into great detail about what remains on the table, but they essentially say that it's the details around the implementation.

So essentially the choreography of how things would unfold, including the humanitarian aid going into Gaza. But they do also note that there are

still questions around the Israeli hostages who would be released. And the Palestinian prisoners who would also be released by Israel.

But they make very, very clear that they -- that now is the time to implement this deal, to Jomana's point, there is rising frustration. That's

why we saw today this news that the three mediating countries tiring, essentially, of the proposals going back and forth, proposal, counter-

proposal, put forward their own what they're calling a bridging proposal, essentially a document trying to bridge the gaps between the sides.

And speaking with my sources, those gaps are significant, but what you are hearing today is optimism, Bianna.

And I would just note further that the mediators, particularly the U.S., hopes that a ceasefire deal could keep any kind of retaliation that you

mentioned --

GOLODRYGA: Yes.

MARQUARDT: -- from Hezbollah, from Iran at bay.

And the Qatari Prime Minister, actually, has spoken directly to the Iranian foreign minister not once, but twice in the past two days, essentially

saying that an escalatory move, so a strike on Israel could scuttle these talks, and essentially asking for Iran to give them a chance.

Bianna?

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And as you know, and we've heard from reporting that the United States, if this does not ultimately lead in a deal, is perhaps ready

to put more pressure specifically on publicly on Prime Minister Netanyahu, as opposed to squarely on Hamas as well, because we know there are already

internal divisions within his own government about whether or not he should forcefully embrace a deal at this moment when he say it is the last big

opportunity for one at this point.

Alex Marquardt, thank you so much. Keep us posted with your reporting.

Well, a lot is riding on the outcome of those talks. Tensions are high throughout the region following the assassinations of senior Hamas and

Hezbollah figures.

Iran is threatening to retaliate, but has indicated, as we've noted, that it may hold off striking Israel depending on what happens with the

negotiations.

Earlier, Israel's foreign minister said that if Iran does attack, he expects allies, including the U.K. and France, to join Israel in launching

strikes on Iran. He was speaking after meeting with his French and British counterparts in Jerusalem.

Well, people living in one village in the occupied West Bank say they've never seen anything like the violence that came to their home Thursday.

Dozens of Israeli settlers went on a rampage, storming the town of Jit.

The head of the local council says that some fired live bullets and teargas at Palestinians and set cars and houses on fire. You see some of these

images there.

He also said a 23-year-old man was shot and killed. This was the scene earlier, as mourners carried his coffin through the streets.

In a rare rebuke of settler violence, top Israeli officials condemned the attack. Here's how one witness described what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HASSAN ORMAN, JIT RESIDENT (through translator): Yesterday, around 7:30, we were sitting here outside the house. Life was normal. Suddenly, we were

surprised to see around 100 settlers attacked us by surprise with no previous warning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: That rampage coming, of course, at a very sensitive time, while Gaza ceasefire talks, were going on.

CNN's Nic Robertson is in that town where terrified residents are now on high alert.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[12:10:01]

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: While the car behind was set on fire, as the settlers came into this hilltop village, the man

who owns the car, I'm talking to him, his face is smashed up, he said he tried to confront the settlers as they came in.

He described the scenario that they haven't witnessed in this particular village for a long time. And he said never before, in fact, have they ever

seen armed settlers coming in firing live rounds, firing teargas.

And when we arrived in the town here a little earlier on in the day, we were witnessed to the funeral cortege of Rashid Sedda, 23-year-old young

man, who was shot dead by the settlers.

There was a lot of anger in that cortege at the settlers, at the Israeli government. A lot of pain being felt. This was a young man of the village

that he was being carried at shoulder height, wrapped in a Palestinian flag, young men carrying him, older men watching from the sides. And at the

funeral service in the graveyard, a little after the oration there, was absolutely powerful.

And very clear in its message that the people of this village don't feel safe, that they believe that the settlers were acting with the support of

the Israeli government. They don't feel, in this village, protected by the IDF, the Israeli Defense Force. In fact, they allege that the Israeli

Defense Force was protecting the settlers.

Now, the IDF did stop a second attack overnight getting into this village. The IDF and the Israeli police are investigating the incident so far.

We've heard condemnation coming from the U.S. Ambassador Jack Lew saying he's absolutely appalled by this. And these attacks must stop.

The Defense Minister of Israel, Yoav Gallant, has put his condemnation out as well, calling it radical violence that does not. He said, does not stand

up to the values of the state of Israel. Israel's interior minister has condemned it as well, calling it violent nationalist riots. Those were his

words.

So the condemnation coming from Israeli officials, even from right wing leaders like Itamar Ben-Gvir, although he did say that the Israeli Defense

Force should do more to protect the settlers and Israelis from the stone throwers who he calls terrorists in his -- in these villages. That's his

allegation.

And he -- but he did say that this is -- this is absolutely unacceptable. So this is strong condemnation coming from Israeli officials, but it just

doesn't cut through in these villages. People here don't feel safe.

And I think irrespective of what they hear from the Israeli government, they will continue to believe that events like last night, the settlers

coming in armed in the village when no one was expecting, killing a young man, injuring others, they think these are coordinated by the government.

They're in cahoots together.

This is deeply divisive, particularly at the time of these very sensitive talks in Doha about the future of Gaza are going on.

Nic Roberson, CNN, Jit, in the occupied West Bank.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

GOLODRYGA: Turning back to the U.S. Donald Trump's aides and allies have been begging him to stay on message lately.

And at a news conference yesterday, they laid out tables full of groceries to illustrate the topic of the day, the economy and inflation.

But it didn't work for long. Instead, Trump actually defended his right to launch personal attacks on Harris and made numerous statements that were

quickly dismissed as false by fact checkers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think I'm entitled to personal attacks. I don't have a lot of respect for her.

Virtually, 100 percent of the net job creation over the last year has gone to migrants. Actually, beyond the number of 100 percent. It's a much higher

number than that.

Kamala is reportedly proposing communist price control, some Maduro plan like something straight out of Venezuela.

She actually called me weird. He's weird. She's weird in her policy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Well, more than three decades ago, well-known political strategist, James Carville, summed up the race for president by saying,

it's the economy stupid. And we've been following that statement for many years since.

Well, later today, Kamala Harris will unveil the economic plan that she hopes will win her the White House.

Harris' speech in North Carolina will focus on lowering prescription drug prices and fighting price gouging. She will also unveil a plan to help

first-time home buyers, giving them up to $25,000 in down payment.

Harris' speech on the economy comes just three days ahead of the start of the Democratic Convention, which begins Monday in Chicago.

CNN's Eva McKend is in North Carolina, where Harris is just hours from delivering that speech. And a lot of focus will be on what details we will

hear from her. And we've got a preview. What more can we expect today?

[12:15:00]

EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Bianna, we're talking about tax relief for more than 100 million Americans. The child tax credit,

the popular policy that was in the American Rescue Pan that Democrats passed in Congress.

She wants to expand on that. Make that permanent. That would go from $2,000 to $3,600. $6,000 for middle class and low-income families with newborns.

And that, of course, speaks to a criticism from Republicans, namely J.D. Vance, the former president's running mate, that Democrats are somehow

anti-family.

Well, today, she is outlining proposals directly for American families. Her proposals also include ways to address or increase affordable housing.

But ultimately, Bianna, she is trying to frame this contest in very specific terms. She's at a community college today to make an economic

argument that the democratic ticket is principally concerned about the American worker, trying to set up a contrast with the Republican ticket

that she'll argue is more concerned about tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires.

Ultimately, though, this is a wish list. These policies have been popular with Democrats for years. It's a whole another episode, Bianna, trying to

actually pass them in Congress when they often have to work with Republicans.

Bianna?

GOLODRYGA: Yes. It's one thing to campaign on something. It's quite another to get things done in Congress where you need control of both houses.

Eva McKend, on the trail with Kamala Harris, thank you so much.

Well, with both Trump and Harris focusing on the economy lately, let's get some perspective from CNN's economics and political commentator, Catherine

Rampell. It's good to see you, Catherine.

So, as we heard from the former president yesterday in his very long-winded speech statement, Q and A, whatever that was, he did start to label the

Kamala Harris campaign as communist, socialist.

And it's interesting, your opinion piece today, specifically on the one issue that she wants to highlight that's getting some pushback from

economists, and that is price controls, your headline is, when your opponent calls you a communist, maybe you don't propose price control.

So let's start there, because your newspaper itself is calling her policy a populist policy agenda.

Is that the message she wants to be setting right now, just two months -- two and a half plus months before the election?

CATHERINE RAMPELL, CNN ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think she has definitely made a choice to lean into the populism, as opposed to

unnecessarily tacking to the center.

Now, those things are not necessarily in opposition, but there are a lot of more centrist policies that she could be proposing that are short of price

controls, which, you know, make economists' heads explode, because every time that they've been tried, in other countries, they have led to all

sorts of bad consequences, like shortages, hoarding, other black markets, other distortions.

That said, there are a lot of economic policies that Democrats have historically stood for, in fact, her running mate, Tim Walz, implemented in

Minnesota as governor, that are very popular.

I don't know that I would necessarily call them populist, but there are things that economists would be more likely to get behind, or others who

study, you know, kind of the evidence behind these policies.

I'm thinking things like paid leave, free school lunches, childcare expansions, et cetera.

So, you know, this was a choice that she made. And I personally don't think it's a great choice, but, you know, I'm not on the campaign.

GOLODRYGA: Well, it clearly pulls well, but if you factor in the direction that inflation is headed, to begin with, we got a very optimistic report

out earlier this week, followed by positive retail sales and even consumer confidence, I believe, today.

Is this the right issue to be focusing on? Because as you -- as we know, there are quite a few proposals we're expected to hear from her. That's

restoring the child tax credit, expanding the administration's calls to offer subsidies for first-time homebuyers, expanding two major Biden

achievements, and that is lowering the cost of drugs and expanding Medicare's negotiation power.

And that seems to be something many are telling me she should focus on more than consumer prices. How do you view it?

RAMPELL: Yes. Yes. I mean, obviously, consumers are still mad about the inflation that they experienced circa 2022, 2023, when prices rose a lot.

Since then, as you point out, inflation has cooled. In fact, grocery prices, which is what she focuses on in her so-called anti-price gouging

agenda, grocery prices have basically stopped growing or very close to it for each of the past eight months. Grocery prices, year over year, have

gone up a bit about one percent. That's very, very low.

[12:20:14]

So it is a little bit of a weird time to be picking this battle particularly with supermarkets given that the battle seems to have largely

been won in the sense that whatever supply chain shocks and demand increases were pushing up prices in food at home, groceries have largely

abated.

Again, consumers are mad about the price increases that they saw before and are expecting them -- expecting prices to go back down, which is I think an

unrealistic, and probably for complicated wonky reasons, undesirable outcome.

So I think they're trying to walk this tightrope of saying, OK, we know it's kind of wrong, but consumers are still mad about it. So we have to do

something.

But then how do you celebrate the wins, you know?

GOLODRYGA: Right.

RAMPELL: Earlier this week, when that CPI print, the inflation numbers came out, the White House was celebrating it.

In fact, they brought out their chief economist who talked about, hey, look grocery prices are only up one percent. That's great. So like there's a

little bit of tension between these messages that we're getting.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. It's almost like why would you remind Republicans of what was viewed by many as their main talking point and that sort of fizzled

given the reports we've seen, thus far, the White House is sort of having a victory lap on the one hand and yet, here she is introducing some policy

proposals that policy wonks like yourself self or scratching your head about.

Listen, we'll be following her closely today and see how she continues this rollout next week at the DNC.

Catherine Rampell, it's good to see you. Thank you so much.

RAMPELL: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, still to come for us, a deadly strain of MPOX is gripping parts of Africa and has now popped up in Europe. What health officials are

urging people to do?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: World Health Organization officials describe the ongoing MPOX outbreak in Africa as just the tip of the iceberg. Health officials say a

deadly strain of the virus which mimics flu-like symptoms followed by a painful rash is spreading rapidly through the Democratic Republic of Congo

and reaching neighboring countries.

The virus also now is popping up in Europe, Sweden, confirming its first case on Thursday. WHO officials warned that there will likely be more cases

in Europe in the coming days. And they're urging people to recognize the symptoms.

[12:25:08]

CNN's medical correspondent Meg Tirrell is following this closely. She joins us now with more.

How alarming is this situation right now and what, if anything, is the U.S. doing as we continue to monitor WHO reporting?

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Bianna. It is alarming. This is the highest level alert that the WHO has in declaring this a public

health emergency of international concern.

Of course, it's the second time it's done this concerning this virus, MPOX. It previously declared that in 2022 to 2023.

But what's especially concerning now is the spread both within the Democratic Republic of Congo and to neighboring countries, as well as to

other countries within Africa.

The WHO also saying it's, quote, very worrying, not just the current situation, but the potential spread further within Africa and beyond.

So this current outbreak, we know, has reached at least 13 African countries. There are 17,000 suspected cases or even more so and more than

500 confirmed deaths.

Of course, Sweden also just confirmed its first case of this form of the virus. And what's important is, as you highlighted, this is thought to be a

deadlier form of MPOX.

There are sort of two groups of this virus, Clade 1 and Clade 2. Clade 1, and a subset of it, called Clade 1b is what we are watching closely now.

It's thought to be both more transmissible and more severe.

And if you compare the current numbers, with the numbers from the last time we had a public health emergency around MPOX, you can really see the

difference. That one swept the globe between 2022 and 2023. More than 87,000 cases, 140 deaths.

So you can see the massive difference between the case fatality rate there from what we know. And so this is why we are watching this so closely.

GOLODRYGA: All right. We'll continue to keep an eye on it.

Meg Tirrell, thank you so much.

Well, Ukraine has taken a bold step in capturing Russian territory, but how long can it be sustained? We'll take you to the border to look for answers

and hear from the troops.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK PATON WALSH, CHIEF INTENTIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The enduring question is, what is all this for? What is the end game? And I'm sure in

the back of the minds of these troops is the question of what ultimately are we going to achieve? And we still don't know the answer to that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[12:30:55]

GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to ONE WORLD, I'm Bianna Golodryga.

A top aide to Ukraine's president says a surprise offensive on the Russian border region is not aimed at occupying it, but rather to get Russia to the

negotiating table.

Ukrainian troops have captured more than a thousand square kilometers or 380 square miles of Russian territory. Russia is now moving thousands of

troops there to counter Ukraine's attack.

Our Nick Paton Walsh wants -- went to the border to see firsthand this new phase of the war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH: This is where Russia begins.

It's startling to see the steady flow of military vehicles, that probably an ambulance and armor just passing through the Russian border point here.

That is the border post that clearly got heavily hit when Ukraine moved in hard over a week ago. Russia's borders here completely undefended.

It's also remarkable. The freedom with which the Ukrainian military are moving around here. They simply aren't afraid of the drones that have

hampered their every move for the past months.

That says the border service of the FSB, the Russian security services of Russia, as bullet hole above. The rules and bullet holes in the rules

themselves.

Now, this is what's so startling about this offensive with the volume of Western supplied armor that we're seeing passing back and forth.

They have passage through here up into Russia, unimpeded entirely that Roshel from Canada.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING ON FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WALSH: He's just saying about how frequently they've been going back and forth over the last week or so.

And you get a real sense of the euphoria, but ultimately to the enduring questions. What is all this for? What is the end game? Yes, it's a huge

embarrassment for Vladimir Putin, but they're sending some of their best equipment deep into Russia.

And I'm sure in the back of the minds of these troops is the question of, what ultimately are we going to achieve? And we still don't know the answer

to that.

Ukraine has also said that they've had an extraordinary number of prisoners of war that they've captured as they advance, particularly into one Russian

military base, saying that they're capturing a one day alone 102, replenishing what they refer to as the exchange fund that they're going to

use these Russian prisoners to exchange them for Ukrainians caught by Russia.

A remarkable development though, you saw at that border the confidence and the ease in which Ukrainian forces are pushing up into Russia. And I've got

to tell you after all the months of seeing drones holding Ukraine back, the fact that they're not a threat suggests some extraordinary technological

advantage, frankly, on the battlefield.

And I'm sure Kyiv will be exploiting that in the days ahead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Thanks to Nick Paton Walsh for that report.

Time now for The Exchange and a look at Ukraine's strategy from a military perspective. We're joined by our CNN military analyst, Lieutenant General

Mark Hertling, who is the former commanding general of the U.S. Army in Europe.

It has been far too long. Welcome back to the program. It's good to see you, my friend.

Listen, I don't want to understate or not give props. I would guess for lack of a better word, to the element of surprise that Ukraine really

showed the world, not to mention Russia by what they've managed to achieve over the last week.

That said, I also am afraid of, I don't want to over index on the level of embarrassment this has on Vladimir Putin either. I mean, the man also

survived a failed mutiny and that seemed to keep him in power and he's surviving just fine to this point.

So from your perspective, as we're trying to make sense of what the actual strategy is here, we did hear from one aide to Zelenskyy in that

introduction, say that this is to get a better bargaining position at the negotiating table.

What does that tell you in and of itself given that the Ukrainians, just a few months ago, weren't even talking about getting to the negotiating

table?

[12:35:02]

MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes. A couple things, Bianna. And I think you pointed him out already, and Nick in this report also kind of

mentioned it, but I'll elaborate a little bit.

Terrific operational security, which means the force didn't allow other people to know what they were doing.

We haven't heard from the Ukrainian forces in the last couple of months, as you just said, probably because they were preparing, both from an

intelligence preparation of the battlefield, finding out what was on the other side of this border, where they could attack without a lot of defense

by the Russians, where they would move to.

You know, and these kind of operations, there's an awful lot of preparations, not only by the maneuver force, but by the intelligence

forces to find out where they can move.

There's also a desire to repress any enemy activity. And in this case, what they wanted to repress was electronic warfare, air defense of the Russian

forces, and any kind of border patrol. So all of this contributes to a very successful operation.

Now, what I would say is, it appears, so far, the Ukrainians have established an incursion that's about 30 kilometers wide -- I'm sorry,

about -- yes, 30 kilometers wide. About 30 or 40 kilometers deep, with about 4,000 Ukrainian forces on the Russian side of the border.

Now, that's about one U.S. brigade. The Ukrainians have said they put four Ukrainian brigades, which are smaller on the other side. They've taken

prisoners. They've embarrassed the Russian border patrol and any forces that were in the area.

And certainly, this tactical operation, which I would call a demonstration, and it could be expanding now, has turned into a strategic embarrassment,

not just for Mr. Putin, but for the Russian army. They're not defending their border.

So to have this kind of thing occur, and for them to have been there now, nine days, is certainly contributing to their success from an operational

level.

GOLODRYGA: And, obviously, the Ukrainians are preparing for some sort of response from the Russians as well. Authorities have already warned

residents along the Eastern frontline there to evacuate before the arrival of Russian troops.

And we're just getting reporting that Ukraine's army chief says he discussed the battlefield situation with the chairman of the U.S. Joint

Chiefs of Staff.

I'm just wondering, what kind of questions would the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff be asking his Ukrainian counterpart at this point,

especially given the fact that the reporting suggests that the Americans were just as surprised as we all were when this incursion began?

HERTLING: Yes. Right. I would almost bet the Americans weren't as surprised as we think we are. I think there was some great sharing of information,

not only with the U.S. military establishment and our Department of Defense, but probably some of the allies, especially the Germans, the

Poles, and some of the others in NATO.

But what I would be asking if I were the chairman, I would be saying, what kind of risks do you have right now? How are you mitigating those risks?

What kind of defensive parameters are you putting up? How are your supply lines? Are you able to support with logistics the forces you have forward?

What are you looking for in terms of Russian movement toward the frontline so you can defend against them and potentially even withdraw?

This has been -- when you're on the attack like this, Bianna, you immediately find a place where you want to stop and then go on the hasty

defense. So you have to prepare for any kind of activity.

What's been interesting is the Russian Air Force hasn't been effective, so far, to the degree that they could. The Russian ground forces have not been

effective.

The Ukrainian forces have basically countered some of the missiles and rockets that have been launching from the area, as well as some of the

Russian airfields that they've attacked with drones, all while basically thwarting their potential air defense capabilities, as well as their

electronic warfare.

And that's become a big area in today's battlefield because of you need to have a freedom of movement by your drones and other electronic systems. And

if you can jam the other side, you can have that freedom of movement that will support the ground operation.

So again, I go back to the intelligence preparation of the battlefield with the U.S. forces called IPB and they have -- the Ukrainians have done a very

good job at preparing the battlefield and knowing what they want.

But going back to your question, if I were the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, I'd be asking all kinds of questions and having a conversation with

my Ukrainian counterpart.

GOLODRYGA: You brought up the Russian Air Force. And it's really puzzling to me that now two and a half years into this war, the Air Force has gone

virtually unscathed in terms of attacks from the Ukrainians, and yet, we haven't seen them utilized to their maximum potential.

Why do you think that is?

HERTLING: I would -- I would push back a little bit on that assertion that they haven't -- that they've gone unscathed. It's been interesting to me

that most of the Russian aircraft that had been shot down have been shot down by ground air defense, not by air-to-air fighters.

[12:40:06]

So Ukraine has been very good in terms of positioning defense equipment that they've been provided by the West, everything from the Patriot

missiles to some of the smaller, the NASAMS and others that are even low defense air defense weapon systems.

They've been very good about pushing it forward. And the Russians, truthfully, came into this fight with, I don't know how to say it in any

other terms, Bianna, but just unqualified pilots.

They have individuals who can fly airplanes, but they have shown to be very deficient in terms of their air-to-ground and air-to-air capabilities.

So even though Ukraine's Air Force is much smaller than the Russian ones, the Russian Air Force do not want to cross that border. That's why we see

them throwing these glide bombs across the border and why Ukraine has wanted to push up to strike some of the airfields.

And, in fact, many of the successes of the Ukrainians has been killing Russian aircraft on the ground before they even take off, which is they

have been very successful in doing it.

GOLODRYGA: Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, thank you so much for your insight. Appreciate the time. Good to see you again.

HERTLING: Always a pleasure, Bianna. Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: And still to come for us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEBRIAM VANNOY, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Because of what happened in the Garden of Eden, there will never be an elected woman, whether she's black or white.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: At a store dedicated entirely to Donald Trump merchandise, shoppers tell CNN how they see the race for the White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Recent U.S. polls show Kamala Harris gaining momentum in her bid for the presidency. They also show the Democrat winning over more support

from a key voting bloc, black voters.

Now, this comes as Donald Trump tries to appeal more to the black community, a group that has long and overwhelmingly backed Democrats.

CNN's Elle Reeve spent time at a shop in Virginia selling Trump merchandise to gauge his support.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JO ANNE PRICE, TRUMP STORE OWNER: Every woman ought to have one of these. It's one of those things that when people see one, then they want one. Same

thing with the Confederate hat. You know why? Because people don't think you have the nerve to do it.

[12:45:04]

ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jo Anne Price runs a Trump store in Christiansburg, Virginia.

REEVE: When Joe Biden announced he wouldn't run for president again, was there any part of you who felt a pull to vote for Harris?

PRICE: No.

REEVE: Why not?

PRICE: Absolutely not. I would not vote for either one of them. I would not vote Democrat ticket. No way.

This is a white privilege card. And this is just a play. It just says this card trumps everything and it gives a barrier. Happiness and success

because of the color of the skin.

REEVE: And who buys that?

PRICE: White people.

REEVE: OK.

PRICE: It's funny.

VANNOY: And then when you give it to a state trooper, they let you go and don't write you a ticket.

REEVE: You think so?

VANNOY: Yes. I've experienced it.

PRICE: Yes.

REEVE: Wait, really?

VANNOY: Yes. And then he said, OK, he laughed at it and gave it back to me and did not write me a ticket.

REEVE (voice-over): This actually happened at least once elsewhere.

In 2022, a woman claimed Alaska police let her go without a ticket when she flashed a white privilege card instead of a driver's license.

PRICE: It's humorous to us. You know, it really is. It's humorous to the average Americans here, you know?

VANNOY: Chances are two to one he was a Republican, too.

REEVE (voice-over): Trump has been working to appeal to black voters, and polls showed some success when Biden was still in the race, but have since

gone down.

REEVE: The Trump campaign this year has made a big effort to reach out to black voters. What do you think of their efforts?

PRICE: I think their efforts aren't succeeding tremendously. All the things that have happened to President Trump, the attacks on him, have done

nothing more than strengthen black people's connection to him. Because now he's someone who is the target of a struggle. And they have always been --

felt that they've been a target.

I did prison ministries for five years. So, you know, if you're a convicted felon, and then somebody else is a convicted felon, there's a camaraderie

there.

REEVE (voice-over): Donald Trump attacked Kamala Harris, questioning her racial identity. She's black.

TRUMP: I didn't know she was black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn black and now she wants to be known as black.

REEVE (voice-over): He's acknowledged his commentary has provoked mixed reactions.

Price is just one person and not a swing voter, but we were curious what she made of his comments, given that she's a black woman and fervent Trump

supporter and former local Republican Party chair.

REEVE: How do you make sense of how Trump talks about Vice President Kamala Harris, that he sort of suggests that he doesn't understand her biracial

background, that first she was Indian and then she was black? What do you make of that?

PRICE: I don't understand it either. She's Indian and she's Jamaican.

REEVE: Yes.

PRICE: Is she black?

REEVE: I mean, do you not think she's black?

PRICE: Is she? Was she born here?

REEVE: Yes.

PRICE: Yes. Were her parents citizens? No.

REEVE: OK. But we have birthright citizenship in America.

PRICE: Mm-hmm. We call that anchor.

REEVE: People can't immigrate here and not be citizens, but have green cards and work permits.

PRICE: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yes, that's true. However, she can claim to be black because of her Jamaican father. You know, that's her right.

We're a melting pot, you know, because I basically have a combination in my family as well.

REEVE: How do you reconcile that? Like, you have a history of blended families in your family. How do you reconcile that with Trump seeming to

not understand how Kamala Harris could have a blended family herself?

PRICE: Herself? She could have a blended family. What I'm saying is, is his comments about that, I think he's making a point. And, you know, I'm not --

I'm not so disturbed by that.

REEVE: But what is the point he's making?

PRICE: The point he's making simply is, is that she is not a black, black person.

REEVE (voice-over): There were some mixed views on the idea of a woman president.

REEVE: What do you think about Kamala Harris?

VANNOY: Kamala Harris, may I say this, and hopefully that you ladies won't get offended, but because of what happened in the Garden of Eden, there

will never be an elected woman, whether she's black or white, that will occupy the White House, that God would ever stand behind.

MERRIE TURNER, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I'm not sure America's quite ready for female leadership. It would be wonderful to have a female president if and

when one arises that has conservative values that are going to lead the nation in prosperity.

REEVE: Did Joe Biden dropping out change your view of the election at all?

JOE SHANNON, OBAMA TO TRUMP VOTER: Oh, it surely did. I think she's going to be worse than Joe. I just don't think she has the experience. I think

she was only chosen because she was a woman.

[12:50:12]

PRICE: He has been mocked, scrutinized, slandered, dragged into court. This man is still standing and he's standing strong because he knows that he was

chosen. He's our David.

Elle Reeve, CNN, Christiansburg, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: You are looking at Romanian gymnast, Ana Barbosu, receiving her bronze medal at an official Olympic ceremony in Bucharest earlier today.

Her medal for a floor exercise was made possible after team USA gymnast, Jordan Chiles, was stripped of her medal in a bombshell ruling by the Court

of Arbitration for Sport.

The complicated case found Chiles' score was incorrectly adjusted upwards, so she was moved to fourth place. Chiles said the decision to have her

bronze medal stripped feels unjust and comes as a significant blow.

Continue to follow that development there.

Well, pandemonium, meantime, has hit Hong Kong. A pair of giant panda twin cubs made their debut into the world on Thursday, making them the first

cubs to be born in Hong Kong.

Wow. They are also a first for their 19-year-old mother. It was a challenging road leading to this historic moment as CNN's Marc Stewart

explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The birth of these two pandas, twins, is described as rare because giant pandas have a tough time

reproducing as they age.

Let me show you some pictures of the cubs, a male and a female. They are pink and palm-sized and are said to be fragile, receiving round-the-clock

intensive care.

The female, in particular, needs time to stabilize because she has a lower body temperature, weaker cries and is eating less food, according to a

statement from Hong Kong's Ocean Park.

As far as the mother of these cubs, Ying Ying, she delivered the cubs early Thursday morning, the eve of her 19th birthday.

But consider this, in human years, that's equivalent to 57 years old. She's the oldest known first-time panda mother.

[12:55:00]

It wasn't easy. She suffered a series of miscarriages in the past and the five-month pregnancy wasn't easy. Efforts were underway for years for Ying

Ying and her partner Le Le to mate.

The bears were gifted to the city in 2007 by the Chinese government. The cubs are the first giant pandas born in Hong Kong.

And if you're curious to see the pandas for yourself, it will be a few months before they are on display as they need to get stronger.

Marc Stewart, CNN Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Some welcome news for Hongkongers.

Well, that does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. Thanks so much for watching. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back in a few

moments with "AMANPOUR."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END