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Biden in Camp David Ahead of CNN Presidential Debate with Trump; Churches and Synagogues Under Attack in Russia's Dagestan Province; More than 1,300 Died in Saudi Arabia's Annual Hajj Pilgrimage Caused by Extreme Heat; Protesters Disrupt Final Day of PGA Travelers Championship; Hiker Finally Rescued After 10 Days of Being Lost in the Mountains. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired June 24, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers watching in the U.S. and all around the world. I'm Max Foster, in London.

Ahead on "CNN Newsroom," we are counting down to the first U.S. presidential debate of this election season happening right here on CNN this week. Joe Biden and Donald Trump, how they're preparing.

Plus deadly attacks on churches and synagogues in Russia. There's no claim of responsibility so far, but authorities believe they were coordinated.

And the end of a PGA Tour event interrupted when climate protesters carrying smoke bombs invaded the 18th Green.

CNN's historic presidential debate is now just three days away. U.S. President Joe Biden will debate his predecessor Donald Trump for the first time since 2020. Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump have very different approaches to debate preparations. Whilst Trump hit the campaign trail this weekend courting Christian conservatives, President Biden has been hunkered down at Camp David with his advisers. Now some Republicans are mocking the president's intense preparations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BYRON DONALDS (R-FL): He has to be in Camp David for seven, eight days to prepare himself to be in a 90-minute debate with Donald Trump. That does not bode well for a man who says he wants four more years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: CNN's Kevin Liptack now has more on Mr. Biden's debate strategy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KEVIN LIPTACK, CN SR. WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Biden has now completed three days of debate prep out at Camp David. And we are getting some new insights into the Biden campaign's strategy heading into this week and heading into Thursday's debate in Atlanta. They've released a memo spelling out some of the things that they're doing to boost enthusiasm among their supporters ahead of this showdown. That includes 300 debate night watch parties and 1,600 events in battleground states to try and ramp up energy around President Biden's appearance on that debate stage against President Trump.

And I think this memo really lays clear the three most important items that President Biden will want to hammer home on that debate stage. One is the issue of abortion. And this is one that the Democrats really believe will be galvanizing for their support supporters come November.

President Biden really wants to lay at Donald Trump's feet the overturning of Roe vs. Wade. And in fact on Monday the Biden campaign plans 50 events around the anniversary of the Dobbs Supreme Court decision that stripped the nationwide right to abortion really trying to rally their supporters around this key issue.

The second item on the debate stage that you're going to hear from President Biden is this idea of democracy and the threats that he believes Donald Trump poses to American democracy. Threats of political violence. This of course has been an underpinning of the entire Biden campaign and certainly he wants to hammer that point home on Thursday night.

The third issue is the economy. The number one issue for many voters. President Biden wants to claim that Trump's record and agenda would only benefit the wealthy. Of course this is a vulnerability for President Biden. Many Americans don't see the economy as improving despite indicators that suggest the economy is doing well.

It is something that he will have to talk about on the debate stage on Thursday night.

Now the other items that I think are likely to come up and that we heard from Biden surrogates on Sunday is this idea of Trump as a convicted felon. We did hear from one key voice Mitch Landrieu who's a co-chair of the campaign. He talked about this idea of which Trump would show up on the debate stage. Would it be a restrained presidential Trump. Would it be a bombastic sort of ferocious Trump like we saw in 2020. Listen to what Mitch Landrieu said today.

MITCH LANDRIEU, NATIONAL CO-CHAIR OF BIDEN CAMPAIGN: It really doesn't matter how Donald Trump shows up if he comes in unhinged like he is most of the time or he sits there and is quiet. People are going to know that he's a twice impeached convicted felon who's been found to have defamed somebody, sexually abused somebody and gone bankrupt six times. They will always know that. And that is something that the American people have to think about.

LIPTACK: So you hear there a preview of sorts of what you might hear from President Biden on the debate stage when it comes to all of the legal issues that have been surrounding President Trump.

[03:05:03]

This is certainly a major backdrop to this entire campaign and will be a major backdrop as well to this debate. This face off on Thursday night.

Kevin Liptack, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Meanwhile Donald Trump says he has decided in his mind who he is going to be running or who's going to be his running mate. But he added that the person doesn't know yet. And he would reveal his VP pick quote "pretty soon." North Dakota's Republican Governor Doug Burgum is one of the top contenders for that post. Here's what he told CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. DOUG BURGUM (R-ND): He's very strong across the board so he can pick someone that he can focus on like hey let's -- let's get someone get stuff done. Let's get someone who helps him govern. He's got a lot of great choices. And I think everybody -- everybody the whole country maybe knows my background which is both success in business and success as an executive branch as governing. But that's his choice on what criteria that he wants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well the former president was at the annual Road to Majority Conference in Washington this weekend. The event was hosted by the Faith and Freedom Coalition, a group founded by leading evangelical voice Ralph Reid. Here's what Reid had to say about Donald Trump's upcoming debate performance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RALPH REID, FOUNDER, FAITH AND FREEDOM COALITION: I was with the president, meaning Trump former President Trump yesterday. He was at our faith and freedom conference. This guy's in the zone. He's ready. And by the way I expect Joe Biden to be ready.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: For more now, we're joined by Thomas Gift, director of the Center on U.S. politics at University College London. Thank you so much for joining us Thomas. Which Trump do you expect to see when we were considering in that report whether it be the bombastic Trump or the you know the presidential Trump as we can call it.

THOMAS GIFT, DIRECTOR, CENTER ON U.S. POLITICS, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LONDON: Well it's great to be with you Max. Thanks so much for having me. I more expect the bombastic Trump simply because that's a Trump all Americans are used to. I think a lot of his campaign strategists want him to show a presidential side. But one thing that we've seen from Trump is that he just can't help himself. He loves the lamp limelight. He loves coming out hard and being an attack dog.

And I think that that's just his personality that may be neutralized to some extent by this mute button that is part of the campaign where he can't talk over Biden. But I think absolutely Trump is going to come out and he's going to come out hard.

FOSTER: What do you make of the preparations of Biden's making? He's a different kind of politician isn't he. He is more. He does. He puts much more into his thought perhaps when Trump is much more instinctive. We do have to prepare for someone that really thinks on their feet in the way that Trump does. So it's a sensible thing to do, isn't it preparing?

GIFT: Oh absolutely. And there's nothing unusual at all about Biden taking some time out with his advisers getting ready for this debate. It's a big moment. And so of course he wants to perform as well as he can.

And it is difficult to predict which Donald Trump is going to show up by virtue of the fact that you just asked that question. And Joe Biden needs to be prepared for both.

I do think that Joe Biden is quite a good debater or at least he has been in the past. He's very good, particularly calling out audience members and sort of showing empathy one on one with -- with individuals. And so I think that Biden is going to do well in this debate simply because he's shown himself effective in previous years.

FOSTER: Is his -- is the answer here not to react too much to Trump or is the answer to you know play him his own game a bit?

GIFT: Right. That's a big question. I'm not sure exactly what his strategists think is best. I do think he wants to show himself as presidential and not kind of get caught into all of Donald Trump's give-and-take and back-and-forth because it could really just kind of digress into something that's not helpful for Americans. He wants to show a presidential side.

He said back in 2020 that he wanted to be healer in chief, that he wanted to be bipartisan, that he wanted to work with Republicans on the other side of the political aisle. This is a good opportunity to show that if he's elected for four more years he's going to continue to make overtures and try to heal some of those divides.

FOSTER: We're going through some of the issues there with Kevin Liptak. I mean economy is always a central issue isn't it to any election. And it sounds like Biden's going to go in hard on Trump on that. But Trump's actually probably in a better position. Isn't he by simply arguing that you know this was the economy that he'll be inheriting from Biden?

GIFT: Well the economy is a really tricky issue for Biden certainly because he can't come out and say that everything is great because if you just look at the polls Americans don't believe that fair or unfair.

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There's still a relatively pessimistic sense among many voters at the same time. You know he can't say I haven't done anything for the economy because that's basically just admitting defeat. So I do think that a lot of the framing around the economy is going to be important. And what he has tried to do to an extent is kind of frame the economy as being in comeback mode and saying look I know I can feel your pain. I know that inflation was 10 percent to 11 percent during my presidency but we're on an upswing.

And if he can sort of make the case that the trend is upward and that Americans just give him four more years I think that that could sort of be the most effective way to deal with the issue.

FOSTER: And does Biden have an advantage on the abortion issue because he's got a much clearer stated policy at least whereas we're not entirely clear on where Trump stands?

GIFT: Right. Donald Trump is really equivocated on the abortion issue. Mostly he has come down by saying we just need to lift this up to the states.

But I certainly think that abortion is going to be a big issue for Democrats and it's something that they can rally their base around despite the fact that Biden himself doesn't necessarily inspire a whole lot of enthusiasm among progressives. Abortion is one issue where he can really speak strongly to his own credentials and what he would try to do in office. We saw in the 2022 midterms that a lot of Americans said abortion was one of the biggest issues. It's why Democrats outperformed expectations. And we saw that also in a number of state referendum across the country as well. So abortion, abortion, abortion is definitely the issue that I think Biden is going to drive home.

FOSTER: OK. Thomas Gift, appreciate your insights as ever.

You can tune in to see the CNN presidential debate of course right here on CNN coming up on the 27th of June at 9 p.m. Eastern time. We'll also replay the debate in its entirety just a few other times as well. You can watch it at 7 a.m. London time, that's 2 p.m. in Hong Kong or 12 hours later 7 p.m. in London or 10 p.m. in Abu Dhabi.

Authorities in Russia's Dagestan province have declared three days of mourning after attacks on Sunday on churches and synagogues. At least 15 police officers and a priest were killed in what appear to be coordinated attacks in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala. But the total number of victims remains unclear. TASS is reporting that Russian authorities now say counterterrorism operations are over at least.

So far there's been no claim of responsibility but officials told Russian news that the perpetrators were quote "adherents of an international terrorist organization."

Our senior international correspondent Ivan Watson is in Hong Kong with more on this. We've got a fuller picture now that it's over exactly what happened, Ivan.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure. I mean it was a very deadly and violent night in these two cities on the coast of the Caspian Sea on Sunday in the Russian Republic of Dagestan.

The authorities there say that the counterterrorism operation ended about two hours ago, that's Monday morning in Russia.

And that at least as you pointed out 15 law enforcement officers were killed as well as a 66 year old Russian Orthodox priest who a Dagestan official says his throat was slit by the militants. The authorities they also say that at least six gunmen were also killed in what did appear to be coordinated attacks roughly at the same time in these two cities, the region's capital Makhachkala and this other coastal city of Derbent.

They say that there were attacks mounted on two Russian Orthodox churches and two synagogues. And we've seen images from the synagogue in Derbent indicating that that was actually burned and reports of Molotov cocktails being thrown at these places of worship to start the fires.

And we heard a harrowing report of at least 19 people barricading themselves inside a church in Makhachkala Russian Orthodox Church to try to protect themselves. They were eventually able to make it to safety. What we're waiting to now find out is why this -- these acts of violence who carried them out. There has yet to be any claim of responsibility.

We do know that the synagogues reportedly had extra security ever since an angry crowd stormed the airport in Makhachkala at the end of last October. They were protesting what they believed to be the arrival of a flight from Israel.

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These were pro-Palestinian demonstrators. There were a number of injuries caused in that incident and security was reportedly ramped up at Jewish places of worship after that. There was another really terrible terrorist attack that we do not know if there's any connection between what happened on Sunday in Dagestan and last March at the Crocus City Hall concert hall. There terrorists attacked a packed concert hall killed more than 140 people set fire to the place. And ultimately it was ISIS that claimed responsibility.

The Russian authorities detained afterwards a number of citizens of Tajikistan and accused them of being behind that attack. So waiting to find out more what exactly will the Kremlin say about these deadly acts of violence. Max.

FOSTER: Ivan Watson. Thank you.

Much more to come on CNN including a look at demonstrations in Los Angeles where pro-Palestinian groups were confronted by pro-Israeli counter-protesters.

Plus Russia blaming the U.S. for a Ukrainian attack on Crimea that killed three children. Details after the break.

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FOSTER: Tense moments on Sunday during a protest outside a synagogue in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in Los Angeles. Social media videos show police pushing pro-Palestinian demonstrators but there were no reports of injuries. Video shows counter protesters with Israeli flags confronting the pro-Palestinian demonstrators. The two sides shouted out and sometimes shoved each other. Participants blocked traffic and video from the scene showed multiple altercations in Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the intense phase of the fighting in Gaza is quote, "about to end" as the country looks to possibly shift some military power to its northern border. That's where Israel has seen an increase in cross-border attacks as Hezbollah targets areas in northern Israel from southern Lebanon. But the Israeli leader is making clear this doesn't mean the war against Hamas is over and told local media he continues to work towards the goal of eliminating the group.

CNN's Nada Bashir joins us with more about what's happening in Gaza. Also what's happening in Lebanon because the intensity seems to be shifting.

NADA BADHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah absolutely. And there has been concern for some time now around the escalating situation on the border. We've been hearing those warnings from U.S. officials that we could potentially see a ground incursion by the Israeli military along southern Lebanon's border.

And of course, that has been a huge point of confrontation over the last eight months between Hezbollah and the Israeli military. Now of course these comments from the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggesting that the Israeli military will be now shifting its focus away from Gaza and in particular away from areas of southern Gaza. We have seen intense bombardment over the last few weeks and doubling down on the military operation in northern Israel focusing on southern Lebanon. Take a listen to what he had to say to Israeli media.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): After the intense phase is finished we will have the possibility to move part of the forces north and we will do this first and foremost for defensive purposes. And secondly to bring our evacuated residents home. If we can we will do this diplomatically. If not we will do it another way. But we will bring all the residents home, all the residents of the north as well as the residents of the south.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BASHIR: And we know that tens of thousands of people in northern Israel have been evacuated over the last few months. In southern Lebanon, nearly a hundred thousand people have been forced to flee their homes because of the intense violence that we're seeing. We've seen civilians killed in these airstrikes that are taking place including journalists reporting in the south. And of course, we're hearing those warnings from the international community that we're at a dangerous tipping point now along the border.

But of course, we've heard from Israeli officials in the past saying that they can quote, "copy and paste what we're seeing in Gaza in Lebanon." But Hezbollah is a very different organization. They have a much larger much stronger military arsenal. So that is certainly a point of concern. U.S. officials have told CNN there are concerns that Hezbollah could overwhelm Israel's air defense systems.

The U.S. has also issued assurances that it will provide military and security assistance to Israel if there were an all out war. There are no U.S. boots on the ground. And of course we are expecting today to see the Israeli defense minister Yoav Galant in the United States meeting with his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin as well as the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The U.S. of course continuing to push for a ceasefire. They have framed this as the only way to not only secure peace in Gaza and secure the security of the state of Israel but also crucially to de-escalate tensions in Lebanon.

FOSTER: Okay Nada, thank you so much.

A Ukrainian strike in Russia occupied Crimea left at least five people dead including three children and more than 100 others wounded. Russia's Ministry of Defense says it shot down four missiles. Another missile exploded in the sky scattering fragments over a busy beach in Sevastopol on Sunday. Russia says the Ukrainian fired missiles were supplied by the United States and blamed Washington for the attack. Witnesses say air raid sirens didn't sound to warn of the attack. CNN has reached out to the Ukrainian military for comment.

Meanwhile Russia's continued bombardment of Ukraine's second largest city has left another person dead and 12 others wounded. Officials say strikes on Kharkiv on Sunday hit a home and a school. Russian troops are inching closer to the city after an offensive near the border last month. But Ukraine says its forces are bouncing back in the region as Western aid starts pouring in again. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ukrainian troops storming a Russian trench in the Kharkiv region firing and throwing grenades at those unwilling to surrender. Elsewhere in the same region a Russian soldier does give up after the Ukrainians decimated his unit.

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We ran to him and I saw his uniform up close and realized he's a Russian serviceman, he says. Then I shouted at him hands up. He put up his hands in the air and then did everything I told him to do.

Moscow's military launched a surprise offensive targeting the northeast of Ukraine earlier this year destroying a key town and gaining a foothold not far from Ukraine's second largest city Kharkiv. But now the Ukrainians say they've killed scores of Russians here and are back on the offensive. A major reason resumed military aid from the U.S. and its allies. Ukraine's president says.

We see the world's determination opening up new perspectives for restoring our security, he says. Among other things this concerns the security of Kharkiv. The destruction of Russian terrorist positions and launchers near the border by our forces and soldiers really matters.

As Ukraine's land and air forces are pounding his troops. Russian leader Vladimir Putin was at a children's musical school in Russia's Far East en route to meet a key ally North Korean strongman Kim Jong- un. With the going tough on the battlefield Putin has already threatened the West for supporting Ukraine but also claims he wants peace talks.

Because that would be good. So far the West has been ignoring our interests, he says. While they forbid Kyiv to negotiate they hypocritically call on us to start some sort of negotiations. It just looks idiotic.

But Ukrainian troops facing the Russians on the eastern front say they have no trust in the Russian leader's words and want to fight on.

Russia understands force only the soldier says all the agreements and signings are just games with the beast. Sooner or later it will regain its strength lick its wounds and we'll be conquering even more because it has already tasted blood.

And so Ukraine's forces continue the battle against an enemy with more troops and a lot more firepower.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Still to come, high temperatures are set to continue in the U.S. this week. We'll show you the states that are expected to shatter more heat records.

Plus the death toll soars during this year's hajj pilgrimage to Mecca with authorities saying too many people just weren't prepared for the extreme heat that they would endure.

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FOSTER: In the U.S., millions of people are still experiencing a record-breaking heat wave. The scorching heat is now moving south after baking the northeast over the weekend. High temperatures are expected to hit much of the region this week, and more heat records could be broken across parts of the southeast and southern plains.

CNN meteorologist Elisa Raffa has the latest U.S. forecast.

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ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A stormy Sunday in New England and the mid-Atlantic does come with some relief from the heat. Look at these temperatures taking a backseat with highs in the low 80s from Boston, New York; 89 degrees in Washington, D.C., after they had sweltering heat all weekend. But notice we still have a piece of the heat dome sitting back in the central plains, with temperatures still in the middle and upper 90s, going for 99 degrees in Oklahoma City.

But like I mentioned, Washington, D.C., one of the places that get a little bit of a break after you guys hit 100 degrees on Saturday for the first time since 2016, more than 2,000 days. So definitely not the type of extreme heat that we see in the mid-Atlantic, especially not in June.

Here's a look at some of that relief again kind of briefly on Monday from Richmond to Washington, D.C. temperatures upper 80s and low 90s, 83 degrees on Monday in Philadelphia, 81 in New York. But notice how these highs back in the middle and upper 90s do start to creep in again as we get back into the middle of the week, because we still have this heat dome that's sitting nearby.

It just kind of gets nudged a little bit while that front came through just for about a day or so. But then that heat starts to settle in again for more than 78 percent of the lower 48. That's 250 million people again with these temperatures at 90 degrees or hotter as we get into the workweek.

In fact, we're looking at more than 300 records, both daytime highs and overnight lows falling as we go through the next couple of days as this heat just continues to swelter. So we're looking at temperatures up in the upper 90s Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in Atlanta, St. Louis, middle and upper 90s as well.

Dallas temperatures at 99 degrees on Tuesday. You can see D.C. getting back in some of that heat as we get into the middle of the week, 96 degrees by Wednesday. So that keeps the heat risk moderate, major and extreme in some locations. This means that we really need to pay close attention for those signs and symptoms on heat sickness. Check on kids, elderly and pets. Make sure everybody's trying to stay cool and hydrated.

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FOSTER: Now Saudi Arabia says more than 1,300 people have died during this year's hajj pilgrimage as temperatures at peak times were above 50 degrees Celsius. That's 122 degrees Fahrenheit. It says most of those who died were unauthorized to perform the trip and walking long distances in the scorching sun without adequate shelter or comfort. Some eyewitnesses tell CNN they saw pilgrims losing consciousness and falling ill. Some have also complained there was poor infrastructure and organization for this year's trip.

Salma is monitoring this. I know you have people who are there. I mean, it is a massive logistical exercise. There has been criticism of the Saudis, as there always is, because it's impossibly difficult to manage, I guess. But tell us about this visa system. There are two visas, one to get into Saudi Arabia, another to go on the pilgrimage. And they're saying that many of these pilgrims did not have the right visa.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think it starts by understanding just how important the Hajj is to Muslim worshippers. This is the thing that you save your whole life for. You'll give up having a home. You'll give up paying for your daughter's wedding to go to the Hajj, because it is that important. And that means that many of those who are devoted, who want to carry out the Hajj, they are really at the mercy of these tour groups. These are tour groups. People apply every year. It's like a lottery system. You may or may not get that permission.

But we hear from eyewitnesses that then these tour groups might be offering somebody, an elderly person, look, I will sort out the paperwork for you. I will get you there. I will get you from Cairo to Mecca. Don't you worry about it. And it is only when they arrive that they are confronted with the reality that these tour groups might not necessarily be operating properly.

[03:35:09]

They might show up at one of the sites and not find the buses that they need. We know many of these deaths occurred because people were walking to one of the sites, Mount Arafat, by foot, several kilometers, in these scorching temperatures.

Eyewitnesses say that the route -- that there were bodies all along the route. They were describing some of these eyewitnesses, that there simply wasn't enough help for some of these individuals who were literally collapsing on the sides of the road. So there's going to be a lot of questions around the tour groups. First of all, the governments, how did this many people slip through the cracks? How did this many people get to go to the Hajj who were unauthorized, as the Saudi authorities say?

We know the Egyptian government, for example, has already been reviewing, they've read this report, they've already been reviewing the tour operators. They've banned more than 15 tour groups that they say were not working properly, were not providing the proper paperwork. But all of this is really going to be felt this week, Max, because this is when people return home.

This is when the pilgrims are supposed to come back to their Muslim countries, be celebrated by their families. They've now completed this very important tradition. Of course, many people will not be returning home. And the fear is that those numbers could still rise. So there's going to be a lot of questions about how is this conducted in the future? This is a logistical feat, as you said, two million people that descend upon Mecca, nearly two million every year.

How can that be done in an adequate manner that ensures people are cared for? And these temperatures, they're only going to rise. That's what climate experts say. This is, in part, these record-setting temperatures we're seeing are a result of the climate crisis. And on the ground, eyewitnesses, pilgrims saying there's simply not the logistics there to care for everyone.

FOSTER: OK. Salma, thank you so much.

Torrential rain still lashing southern China as it deals with deadly flash floods and landslides. Chinese state media reporting the death toll has now risen to at least 71 people across that region.

For more, let's go to CNN's Steven Jiang, who's live for us from Beijing with an update. Steven.

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yeah, Max. These floods are turning increasingly dangerous and in many cases deadly as the authorities continue to revise up their casualty figures.

That death toll from these summer floods you just mentioned is expected to rise undoubtedly as we are not even in the month of July yet. Now, the bad news is after pounding southern China for days, these torrential rains are now moving northwards to impact even more provinces. The National Weather Service here a few hours ago just issued a red alert. They're a highest level of alert for heavy rainfalls to cover multiple provinces along the Yangtze River.

That, of course, is one of the most populated and economically important regions of this country already over the weekend. In one eastern Chinese province alone, in Anhui, we have seen more than half a million people being affected by these floods. And with the authorities there evacuating some 64,000 people.

Now these dramatic footage we've been seeing in state media showing both urban and rural areas submerged in muddy water with emergency responders rushing to rescue trapped residents using speed boats, rafts and in some cases carrying elderly citizens on their shoulders away from their submerged homes.

And heavy equipment have been sent in to clear some of the debris and choppers being deployed to sending supplies as a growing number of residents now finding themselves being cut off from access to roads, communications as well as electricity.

But the thing is, with this heavy rain and floods impacting southern China, many parts of northern China actually are experiencing severe drought and record high temperatures. All of that, according to scientists, of course, as Salma just mentioned, is another sign of the effect of climate change amplifying extreme weather, making everything more frequent and deadlier. Max.

FOSTER: OK, Steven Jiang in Beijing. Thank you so much.

Now a rise in tensions between Israel and Hezbollah is stirring fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East. We'll take a closer look at that just ahead.

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FOSTER: Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant is in Washington for talks with senior U.S. officials that are expected to focus on the war against Hamas and efforts to secure the return of hostages in Gaza. But they'll also discuss the issue of regional stability as concerns mount over the possibility of an expanding conflict amid an increase in fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.

Hezbollah has been launching rockets into northern Israel since Hamas' October 7th attack in Israel has been striking back at Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Now just this week, a White House official told CNN that Israel has been assured it would have U.S. support in the event of a full-on war with Hezbollah. Our chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour spoke with the Lebanese foreign minister back in January.

This is what he had to say when asked whether the government in Beirut had any influence over Hezbollah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDALLAH BOU HABIB, LEBANESE FOREIGN MINISTER: I don't know, you know, the decision is theirs and we hope that they don't take, they don't commit themselves to a larger war. But we're working with them on this and we have a lot of reasons to think that this would not happen. That we do not want, as Lebanese, all of us, we do not want any war. So yes, it's not like we can order them, we're not claiming that, but we can convince them and I think it is working in this direction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Joining me now from Brussels, Maha Yahya, director of the Malcolm H. Curd Carnegie Middle East Center. Thank you so much for joining us. I just wanted to get your independent assessment of that, you know, the amount of leverage that the Lebanese government does have over Hezbollah, where does it stand?

MAHA YAHYA, DIRECTOR, CARNEGIE MIDDLE EAST CENTER: Good morning and thank you for having me. Unfortunately, they have very little leverage in terms of, I mean, the government has very little leverage with Hezbollah per se. However, Hezbollah is also very reluctant to get into an all-out war with Israel.

For the large part, because it knows that an all-out war will literally send Lebanon back to the Stone Ages. So no matter how much damage they can inflict or have the capacity today to inflict on Israel, they know that the cost in Lebanon will be quite catastrophic. And this will include all of Lebanon, including their own, the areas that they control and their own constituency.

[03:45:09]

So while the government has little leverage, it is coordinating with Hezbollah and trying to use whatever influence it has to try and calm things down to the extent possible.

FOSTER: But the more these skirmishes, if we can call it that, between Israel and Hezbollah flare up, the more chance there is, frankly, isn't there, of a full-blown war? Because mistakes are made, misjudgments are made, and it can very quickly escalate.

YAHYA: No, it's a slippery slope. And, I mean, since the skirmishes started on October 8th, they have been escalating. And we've seen an exponential increase in the escalation after the exchange of fire, the direct exchange of fire between Iran and Israel.

Prior to that, Hezbollah had been careful to respond in a relatively moderate way. I say relatively, given the intensity of Israeli attacks in Lebanon. Hezbollah's lost more than 350 members of its party over the past eight months through targeted killing. Israel has been bombarding areas as far as the Lebanese-Syrian border.

So Hezbollah has not responded in the same manner in a way to try and keep the temperature down. They don't want to provoke an all-out war, again, because of the cost on Lebanon, but also because Iran does not want to lose assets. It has spent the last four decades building up.

Hezbollah is the primary line of defense as far as Iran is concerned. So now, with the intensification of the bombings, the kind of messages that Israel and Hezbollah are sending each other.

We saw the drones of Hezbollah that took pictures of images of quite sensitive areas in Haifa and in other places in Israel. And the message is, if you're going to target us more heavily or conduct either a ground invasion or a more extensive aerial bombardment and start targeting civilian areas, then we're going to respond in the same way. We're not going to keep kind of a lid on it as we have so far.

Let's also not forget that along Lebanon's southern border, the damage has been extensive. More than 100,000 citizens have been displaced. And we're talking about 90 to 100 towns and villages across that border that have been either destroyed or severely damaged.

Plus, Israel has been using phosphorus to literally burn agricultural land in that area. So there is a de facto kind of buffer zone that has been created on the Lebanese side of the border. Hezbollah's retaliation again on that front has remained again relatively, I would say, to the situation mild.

FOSTER: We should clarify, you know, the weaponry that Hezbollah has is formidable, isn't it? Or potentially could have, certainly in relation to Hamas. It would be a very different kind of war. But who would be able to step in and help de-escalate there? Because presumably the United States has very little leverage apart from on the Israeli side. And they've already suggested that it would support Israel there.

YAHYA: Actually, I agree with you that Hezbollah's arsenal is much more formidable. They have a much greater fighting capacity. They've been involved in the conflict in Syria for more than a decade now.

They have relationships with all the different proxies and partners of Iran, with the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen, the different groups in Syria. So it is a much more, basically the stakes will go up considerably.

And my expectation is if there is an, I mean, if a much more extensive conflict breaks out, we're going to see these groups also involved in the fighting. And they've already declared they will do that.

The United States does have considerable leverage. They have the leverage and they've actually played a very important role in preventing the conflict from escalating between Israel and Lebanon.

As far back as the first week or the second week of October, they've been playing an instrumental role in preventing that escalation. There's also the diplomatic initiative that is being led by the United States Special Envoy Amos Hochstein and the French. So there is leverage there.

[03:50:07]

FOSTER: Okay. I Appreciate your analysis today, Maha. Thank you very much indeed.

Now, after the break, chaos on the 18th. Green climate activists storm a PGA tournament with apparent smoke bombs. We'll have more on exactly what happened.

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FOSTER: Vietnam's coffee growers have been hit hard by the worst drought in nearly a decade this year. And that's raising concerns about pricey beverages across the globe. Vietnam is the second biggest coffee producer on the planet, and the world's top producer of the beans found in espresso and instant coffees as well. Whilst rainfall has resumed in recent weeks, it's unclear if it'll be enough to help boost output again.

Now, six climate activists are charged with criminal mischief and trespassing. After they stormed the 18th green of the PGA Tour's Travelers' Championship in Connecticut on Sunday, they appeared to wave smoke bombs which left red and white powder on the green. But just as the tournament leaders, including world number one Scottie Scheffler, were getting ready to putt, the protesters were quickly arrested. Some were wearing shirts that read, No Golf on a Dead Planet, the group Extinction Rebellion claimed responsibility.

[03:55:10]

Fans at Taylor Swift's London concert on Sunday got a big surprise when the singer's boyfriend, American football star Travis Kelce, appeared on stage. Kelce carried Swift on stage during one of the transitions of her record-breaking eras tour. Everyone is talking about it today here in London. It might be hard to make out in this video, but Kelce is one of the three men in top hat and tails. His reveal has gone viral on social media, so you can get every angle of it there.

Whilst in the U.K., Swift also posted selfies with members of the royal family that Kelce also appeared in. It's the first photo of the two that she's shared online for a while in very regal company.

Now, a hiker missing in the mountains in California for 10 days has now been found. 34-year-old Luke McClish was out for what he expected to be a three-hour hike in the Santa Cruz Mountains on June 11th. But he lost his bearings in part because local landmarks had been destroyed by wildfire. He survived by finding and drinking a gallon of water a day.

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LUKE MCCLISH, RESCUED HIKER: Each day I go up a canyon, down a canyon, to the next waterfall, and sit down by the waterfall and drink water out of my boot. I want a burrito and a taco bowl. That's what I thought about every day.

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FOSTER: Well McClish, who was located with the help of a drone, says he's humbled by the rescue effort and that he's tired and a little sore.

Thanks for joining us. I'm Max Foster, in London. I'll be back with more on "CNN Newsroom" after a quick break.

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